A friend whose sporting interests are on the golf course rather than the cricket field asked me recently when the cricket season would start and as our time together was limited I confined myself to the observation that Yorkshire's first championship match was on April 13th although they were playing the university a week before that and that friends of mine would be at Edgbaston on March 28th when Warwickshire take on Northants in a two day friendly. I could have added that next Monday, yes the 19th of March, Somerset and Gloucestershire have a couple of T20s lined up at Taunton but spotting a glazed look coming over his face I reined myself in and asked how his golf was going.
I have complained in the past through this medium how poorly marketed the opening of the cricket season is and made the comparison with baseball where 'Opening Day' in the US is akin to a national holiday but in a second commendable display of restraint I will not go down that path again and simply let the new season creep up on me with its usual soft shoe shuffle and take solace from the various signs along the way.
One reliable sign that the call of play is not too far away is the arrival of Cockerton Cricket Club's excellent handbook and sure enough its 22nd edition hit the coconut matting on Friday with the usual gentle reminder from 'Mr Cockerton', Richard Cowan, that a contribution to club funds would not come amiss. Within Richard's accompanying letter was the sad and very surprising news of the demise of Lands CC. When I visited Lands, near Bishop Auckland, last August to see them take on Barton it was second v third in the top division of the Darlington and District League and their season was crowned with victory in the Eggleston Cup, a competition whose origins go back to the 1930s. A search on line threw up an article from The Teesdale Mercury outlining the reasons for their resignation from the league, and, no surprises here, the club recognised last month that they had not enough players to embark upon a new campaign. Lands, founded in 1898 joined the D and D in 1983 but two years ago were forced to drop their second team and the fixture list for the new season has been reissued without the South West Durham club. Middleton in Teesdale now find themselves reinstated in Division A where they will be one of twelve sides. Much interest here will focus on West Park RA who as I reported in 2016 were only formed that year but successive promotions have seen them reach the top flight. Park will start the season on April 21st with a visit to the attractive ground at Aldbrough St John near Scotch Corner.
After a very poor 2017 Cockerton find themselves in Division B where they will be one of only ten clubs and Richard laments on the loss of revenue this means for them with only nine home fixtures for each of their two sides, Division C having only ten teams as well. Some crumb of comfort can be found in the decision of the once powerful Spennymoor to reintroduce a second XI in Division C but the withdrawal of Lands is just one more example of how grassroots cricket is struggling to attract players.
Checking through the league's fixtures I find there are still four grounds I have not visited, Etherley, King James, Witton le Wear and Richmond School, the home of Richmondshire Fourths and Fifths. Catch them while you can must be my mantra, weather permitting expect an early season report from the north east.
Lands CC
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