|
Junior League Secrestary's Report Season 1988
Including Under 18 Representative Team Report
The Northern League Senior Representative side is renowned and feared throughout the North West for its consistent success in the Inter-League Competitions over many seasons.
However a Junior Representative Team was most certainly a new venture for the Northern League in 1988, and although the strengths of the opposing teams was virtually unknown, the League entered the North West Colts Competition with high hopes.
The League were drawn to play in Group "A" of the competition along with the Cheshire League, the Bass Lancashire and Merseyside League and the Derbyshire and Cheshire League.
The first match was to take place at Alvaney against the Cheshire League.
A strong team was selected and travelled to Alvaney only to be told by the groundsman on arrival that the match had been called off due to the ground conditions.
The Umpires arrived at the ground just before the scheduled start time and considered that the ground was fit , but the opposing side did not appear, the game was officially abandoned, and the points shared.
The second game took place at Stanley Park, Blackpool.
The League side batted first and made a respectable score of 180 for 6 in their allotted 45 overs, with fine contributions from Captain Michael Lamb (Morecambe) 41, Peter Barnes (St Annes) 55 and Stuart Davidson (Kendal) 47.
The Derbyshire and Cheshire League could only manage 135 all out with excellent bowling from Stephen Heap (Chorley) 3 for 13, Andrew Wilson (Kendal) 2 for 16 and Mark Bretherton (Leyland) 2 for 16.
The third match took place at Woodhill Lane, Morecambe against the Bass Lancashire and Merseyside League and was a delayed start due to torrential rain in the morning.
Thanks to some sterling work from the Morecambe groundsman only 30 minutes was lost of the match and it was reduced to 40 overs per side.
The opposition were bowled out for 93 with Jeffrey Hacking (Darwen) taking 4 for 7, Mark Wilson (Nretherfield) 2 for 12 and Stephen Heap (Chorley) 2 for 16.
The League's reply was hampered by the fact that they had to score at a rate of 6 runs per over to qualify for the final stages of the competition.
They managed however to pass the opposition score with the loss of 8 wickets but unfortunately did not obtain the required run rate.
The innings was held together in the frantic effort to achieve the run rate by Ian Parkinson (Lancaster) who made 31.
An outstanding feature of the game was the superb form behind the stumps from Brendan Hetherington (Morecambe).
Many excellent things emerged from this forming a League side.
The team spirit could not have been better and there were several performances of maturity that proved given the opportunity players of this age group become extemely useful members of their Clubs first elevens.
The results should be extremely useful for the 1989 season for hopefully we will be entering this competition again as well as having the new Inter-League Under 18 Competition at which the venues are the reverse of the Senior Competition.
My thank you's must go to Blackpool C C and Morecambe C C for hosting the games, to Umpires Ken Baynes and Derek Pike. John May for his support on the selection committee, my wife Sylvia for scoring, The League Committee, the supporters but mainly to Captain Michael Lamb and his players for making all the hard work well worthwhile.
Clive Henderson
Junior Selection Committee.
|
