The Vale of York League has announced some 'comings and goings' before their 2018 season begins on April 28th. One of the league's longest serving clubs, Fulfordgate, has withdrawn, citing a shortage of players as the reason and Tadcaster Magnets have also left. Fulfordgate could claim almost sixty years continuous membership but have been on the slippery slope for a couple of years, relegated from Div 1 in 2015 and, not helped by conceding several fixtures, finishing bottom of Div 2 last season. Fulfordgate's ground is somewhat featureless and its upkeep is the responsibility of the Fulford Parish Council and when I visited in 2013 local artists had left their mark on the tackle shed. but it is always sad to see any club pack away the kit for the last time. Another club leaving the Vale is Malton and Old Malton II who are joining the Scarborough Beckett League but will continue to be represented in the league by what I presume is their third XI who will play in the second of three divisions.
These losses are offset by the news that Clifton Alliance and Sessay will join the league with their newly form fourth elevens playing in Div 3. It will be interesting to see where these two ambitious clubs, both members of Yorkshire Premier North, play their fourth XI matches. Draft fixtures will be circulated shortly. The full list of clubs and the structure of the three divisions are available on the league's website. Good to see Thixendale, who folded in 2014 but reformed to win successive promotions, back in the top division. Their lovely ground in a dry valley in the Yorkshire Wolds deserves to host good cricket. Looking at the list of clubs only South Cave and Brantingham CC remain on my to do list.
I have tried to move on from the disappointment of the recent tests in Australia and promised myself that I would leave comment to others and my word there is no shortage of those prepared to put their opinions forwards. The one suggestion I could not allow to pass unchallenged however is that offered by Michael Vaughan, namely that to afford better preparation for playing on hard wickets some championship matches should be played overseas. Strangely Vaughan is not the first to put this cockamamie idea forward for it was discussed by the ECB in 2013 and met with 'fierce opposition from the counties', let's hope that should it prove to have legs they will be sawn off before
you can say Jack Robertson.
No comments:
Post a Comment