Things you may have missed

posted by John Winn

• at its AGM the Halifax Cricket League announced that the member clubs had voted unanimously to join the YCB pyramid. President David Normanton said that 'We are well aware that only a small number of our champions will even consider the move to a higher league.........but all.....clubs voted to give the others an opportunity to be promoted'.

• the Scarborough Beckett League has amalgamated with the Derwent Valley League and will have 57 teams in 2016. The Scarborough News describes the move as the winding up of the 95 year old Derwent League. The league has suffered from a loss of teams in recent years and secretary Bernard Goulding describes his mixed emotions over the merger. Bernard is saddened by the demise of the league but believes the amalgamation is the best way forward.

• in the York Senior Cricket League Humberside based club Fenner has disbanded citing shortage of players and uncertainty over the future of the Marfleet Ground. The club's closure appears to have been precipitated by the resignation of a number of 'leading players'.

• in the Wetherby League East Keswick have withdrawn their first team from the league with immediate effect and in 2016 will run only one side, East Keswick A, in Division 4. The league will begin next season with 56 teams, 4 divisions of 12 and a fifth division of eight. Full details on the league website, wetherbyleague.co.uk

• Sussex have raised serious doubts about the continuance of county cricket at Arundel and Horsham. Attendances have been disappointing and commercial support has declined and both the chairman and chief executive have questioned the viability of the two festivals. Our Sussex correspondent believes Horsham to be under the greater threat.

• Rockcliffe Park, champions of the Darlington and District League have made application to join the NYSD and after an inspection of the club's facilities by the NYSD President and Secretary it was agreed that the club's application would be supported by the committee. Should the club be accepted their first XI will play in Division 3 and the second XI in Sunday Division 2. Fixtures for the latter will begin on April 10th presenting pcws with an early opportunity to see league cricket in 2106  Rockcliffe's attractive ground is situated near Hurworth on Tees which is practically Darlington. . Another D and D club, Barton have withdrawn their application to join the NYSD.

• Finally if you have been anticipating the publication of next year's county fixtures later this week then you may have to exercise your patience a little longer. The word on the ether is that it will be December before they are revealed. Go to most county websites, click on fixtures and you will find those for 2015.

Pennine League line up

posted by John Winn

The newly formed Pennine Cricket League now has a website up and running at penninecricket.co.uk. Pcws may be interested in the line up for the premier and championship divisions: here they are

Premier: Austerlands, Crompton, Glodwick, Greenfield, Littleborough, Middleton, Monton and Weaste, Norden, , Rochdale, Royton, Saddleworth, Walsden

Championship: Ashton, Friarmere, Heyside, Hollinwood, Micklehurst, Milnrow, Moorside, Oldham, Shaw, Stayley, Uppermill, Werneth

Not sure where some of these teams are based?  Click on venues where you will find a map showing the location of each ground, postal address and postcode.

 

Friarmere who will play in PCL Championship in 2016

Changes in the north west

posted by John Winn


In a posting I made in September 'Practically Oldham' I described an outing made by six pcws to visit grounds in the Saddleworth League on the last day of its existence and while I have on a number of occasions made references to the changes which will affect league cricket in Yorkshire next season less has been said about what is going on next door. As far back as June the Saddleworth league website announced that it would be merging with the Central Lancashire League to form a new league to be known as The Pennine League. The new league will comprise 13 teams from the CLL and 11 from Saddleworth.

Four clubs from the Saddleworth League writes The Saddleworth Independent will join the new Greater Manchester Cricket League, details of which are now available on its website. What the GMCL calls 'fixture groups' for next season are listed. Clubs in the Premier League are Bury, Clifton, Denton St Lawrence, Denton West, Edgeworth, Egerton, Flixton, Glossop, Greenmount, Heywood, Prestwich and Unsworth. The four clubs from Saddleworth have been placed in Div 2: they are Droylesden, South West Manchester, Whalley Range and Wythenshawe. Full details available at gmcl-2016.co.uk

Finally the sad announcement of the death of Tom Graveney a couple of weeks ago means a change in the list of England's oldest surviving test captains. Donald Carr of course remains at number 1 but TWG's place at two has been taken by Raymond Illingworth. I recall seeing Graveney playing for England at Headingley in 1968 against Australia, the one occasion on which he captained his country but I was only present on the first day when stubborn batting from Redpath and Ian Chappell kept England in the field so denying me the chance to see Graveney bat in test cricket. The day is perhaps best remembered for Fletcher's 'noble attempts' at first slip while there were some in the crowd who felt that Phil Sharp might have done a better job.

Down in the pyramid something stirred

posted by John Winn

First of all thank you to Tony for the good wishes expressed in his last posting. I was discharged from hospital five days after my heart surgery and am making a good recovery.  Although I had no control over the date of the operation, 'get well soon' following close behind 'winter well' could hardly have been more convenient.

In previous postings I have made several references to the major reshuffle which is planned for league cricket in Yorkshire next season particularly the division of the Yorkshire Premier League into north and south divisions with the consequent promotion of several clubs to this level. This is not where it stops however for the effects of the changes will be felt further down the chain. The Harrogate  Advertiser drew my attention to one such change when in last week's edition it reported that Pannal, champions of the Nidderdale League will move up the pyramid into the York and District League, which has lost six sides to Premier North. Pannal will play in the second tier while their second and third elevens will remain in the Nidderdale League

This news is also reported on the excellent Nidderdale website with an article by secretary Graham Hyde, posted last week. In addition to the news of Pannal's elevation Graham also lists a number of other changes in the leagues division structure for 2016. These are

Killinghall will drop down to Division Four and will field only one team.

Galphay and Winksley, who really struggled to keep going last season, will move from Div 4 to Div 7

and finally Graham confirms the withdrawal of Sharow II, Hampsthwaite III and Newby Hall II, all of whom failed to complete the 2105 season.

This will leave 98 teams competing in 2016, the top seven divisions comprising 12 teams each. The 14 remaining will compete in two parallel divisions and there will be no division nine. There will be playoffs to determine promotion to Div 7.

More to come in future postings one imagines.