Brendon McCullum having provided me with a little more spare time than expected today my thoughts turned towards the National KO Cup, the draw for which was made a few weeks ago. In my neck of the woods, and it is a giraffe's neck stretching as it does up to Northumberland and South Northumberland in cricketing terms, for the Newcastle Club have a bye in group 1. In the same group 2012 winners York go straight through to Round 2 but there are some attractive fixtures pitting County Durham teams against Yorkshire sides. Scarborough will host another Newcastle side when Benwell visit North Marine Road on April 26th. Passing Benwell on the A1 will be Harrogate en route to Ropery Lane, the home of Chester le Street and a venue for first class matches before Durham moved the short distance to The Riverside: twenty years ago would you believe.
In the East Riding, Driffield take on strong opposition in Burnmoor, champions of the Durham Cricket league in its inaugural season (2013) and now members of North East Premier League. Group 2 embraces clubs in West and South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. Ties include Methley v Chesterfield and Hanging Heaton v Wickersley Old Village. The latter are a Rotherham outfit, members of the much enlarged South Yorkshire Cricket League.
In Group 3 holders Sandiacre Town are excused boots until the second round where they will entertain the winners of Loughborough Town and Welbeck CC. In the same group 2013 winners Nottingham's West Indian Cavaliers are drawn away to Sileby CC, near Loughborough.
The full draw is to be found ecb.play-cricket.com. There are sixteen groups in all and although there are some matches scheduled for April 19th, which is only 8 weeks on Sunday the majority of first round matches are the following week..
.JPG)
Signs of Spring
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