Premiership winners - St Annes by 48 runs
Under 18 Representative Team Report Season 1992
The weather in May is notorious for its unpredictability and the chance of the first match in the North West Colts Competition between the Northern League and the South Manchester League taking place seemed very unlikely.
However, at 2 pm on the 10th May the clouds rolled away and the 1992 Inter-League season was underway at Stretford Cricket Club.
New Captain Michael Critchley of Darwen, won the toss and invited the opposition to bat on a wicket that was still damp from the previous day's heavy rain.
The condition of the track was hardley condusive to good fast bowling, but openers Jonathan Slocket (Leyland DAF) and David Tomlinson (St Annes) bowled well, restricting the score to 15 runs for 2 wickets off the opening 12 overs.
The South Manchester League struggled from the start and but for an adventurous knock of 46 by their number three,Stothert, the final total would have made very sorry reading indeed.
Spinners Stuart Catterall (Leyland DAF) with 9 overs 1 maiden 26 runs 4 wickets and Philip Moffat (Lancaster) 9 overs 2 maidens 31 runs and 1 wicket knocked the heart out of the innings and Michael Critchley mopped up the tail with 2 for 5.
The bowlers were supported by some outstanding fielding, the standard being set by Kendal's wicketkeeper Jim Moyes who turned in an excellent performance behind the stumps.
The team performance ensured that the opposing total was restricted to only 91 all out and the Northern League players enjoyed tea, confidently expecting an easy victory.
However, the opposition had other ideas.
Opposing opening bowlers McMillan and Stothert bowled with great accuracy and the Northern League looked anything but comfortably placed being 25 for 3 after 18 overs.
Glen Gardiner (Leyland), who admitted afterwards to being very much out of touch, played a gritty innings scoring 30 not out in 80 balls.
This was complimented at the other end by an exciting knock of 43 not out (6 fours and 1 six) by young England player Andrew Flintoff (St Annes) and the required total was eventually reached without any further problems.
The first round of the Manchester Evening News Inter-League Competition saw the Northern League drawn away at the Ribblesdale Wanderer's Club against a very strong Ribblesdale League.
The weather was fine and sunny and Ribblesdale captain, Daniel Cheeseborough, won the toss and chose to take first knock on a good "Cricket" wicket.
Jon Slocket and David Tomlinson again bowled well and the oppositon were far from happy with the score 37 for 1 off the first 20 overs.
Unfortuntely, Cheeseborough decided to change things with an aggressive 74 (9 fours and 4 sixes) and a score of 195 for 6 was attained at the end of the allotted 48 overs.
Skipper Michael Critchley bowled at a time when the Ribblesdale League were in full flight but he pegged away to be rewarded with the figures of 5 for 53 off his 9 overs.
After tea, an opening stand of 90 between Philip Dennison (Lancaster), (56) and Stuart Catterall (37) got the League off to an excellent start.
Creditable knocks of 29, 20, and 28 not out by Andrew Flintoff, Craig Outram (St Annes) and Michael Critchley respectively appeared to be leading to an easy victory but irresponsible batting late in the innings ensured that the Northern League grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory.
The next match in the North West Colts Trophy took place at Stanley Park, Blackpool, the opposition being the highly rated Cheshire County League, who have won the competition on no less than eight occasions in the past.
Batting first, the visitors suffered an early setback when Jon Slocket had Young England player Lee Marland caught behind by Craig Outram before he had scored, but Richard Green (88), Skipper Humpage (55) and Graham Barrett (27) all
contributed to a total of 224 for 6 at the close of the innings.
Jon Slocket the pick of the Northern League's bowling attack with the excellent return of 9 - 2 - 37 - 4.
The Northern League's reply was a model of consistency with seven of the first eight reaching double figures.
Philip Dennison again top scored with an excellent 55 being well supported by Gavin Maitland (39) and Mark Woodhead (37).
The winning total of 224 for 8 was reached in the 45th over and it was apparent from this performance that the Northern League had once again put together a squad that was capable of winning the Colts Trophy in style.
On the 28th July at Darcy Lever, the strength of the Northern League squad in depth was to be tested to the full.
Due to club calls on all of the players who would have played in the previous fixture, a brand new eleven had to be found for the North West Colts game against the Lancashire and Cheshire League.
But for an excellent knock of 80 by Mallone for the home team, the target would have been well within the reach of the visitors.
Ian Tolley (Blackpool) bowling his usual selection of medium paced seamers, returned the excellent figures of 9 - 2 - 23 - 4, and was well supported by leg spinner Adam Fawcett (Chorley) who bowled 9 very accurate overs, conceding only 17 runs.
Unfortunately, the Northern League team never really looked like overhauling the 188 runs set by the Lancashire and Cheshire League.
A grafting knock of 31 in 78 balls by Tom Hodgins (Netherfield) and a tail end flourish by Adan Fawcett (28 not out) and 24 from Gary Armett (Blackpool) were not good enough and the final total of 141 all out was rather disappointing.
Arguably the most exciting game of the whole season was the one played at Leyland DAF against our old friends the Bolton Association.
Derek Bannister, manager of the Bolton Association squad is renowned for always turning out a strong team and the 1992 version was no exception.
Batting first, the home side were looking virtually down and out after 16 overs with Dennison, Catterall, Woodhead and Critchley back in the pavillion for a meagre 35 runs.
But excellent knocks from Craig Outram (47), Gavin Maitland (34) and 19 from James Moyes pulled the situation round, the all out total of 154 was far better than seemed possible earlier in the innings.
Top class bowling backed by outstanding fielding restricted the visitors to a total of 137 all out.
Jon Slocket 9 - 4 - 10 - 1 and Gareth Burgess 9 - 0 - 17 - 0 restricted the opposition once more, concedeing only 27 runs off the bat in the first 18 overs.
But all those who saw the game will long remember the leg side stumping of dangerman David Charlson (41) by James Moyes off the medium pace of Michael Critchley and the two run outs by Craig Outram that turned the game from certain defeat into brilliant victory. (It is worth noting that the Bolton Association went on to win the Manchester Evening News Competition later in the season - congratulations to them.)
Earby Cricket Club was the venue for the semi-final of the North West Colts Trophy with the Ribblesdale League being our more than worthy mopponents.
The Northern League were once again somewhat depleted due to injuries and county calls but the team selected was still expected to progress to the final.
However, this was not to be.
The Leyland DAF opening pair of Alan Murray (16) and Stuart Catterall (37) put on 39 for the first wicket but our middleorder specialist batsmen all failed and it was left to the tailenders Gareth Burgess (19) and Stephen Leadbetter (Leyland DAF) (18 not out) to push the score to a fairly respectable 132.
It was felt during the Northern League innings that the batsmen had all scored too slowly, but when the Ribblesdale League batsmen were at the wicket, they found it just as difficult to accumulate runs at anything more than a snail's pace.
However, they eventually ran out winners by 5 wickets with several overs to spare but in the postponed final at Leigh Cricket Club on the 20th September they were not so fortunate losing out to the Liverpool Competition in a rather one sided game.
So no trophies in 1992, the second year running that this has been the case.
However, most of the players who represented the League in "92" are eligible for the "93" campaign and consequently hopes of success will be high when we get underway next season.
It would be remiss of me not to thank all those who made the 1992 season an enjoyable one.
Thanks go to Blackpool Cricket Club and Leyland DAF Cricket Club for their hospitality in hosting games, to Richard Hadwin for his wise councelling and much appreciated help, the umpires for their services and of course my wife Sylvia, and to Roger Harrison and Nathan Braithwaite for scoring.
Thanks must go to Chairman Ken Wilton, League Secretary David Smalley, and the League Executive plus of course the parents for their invaluable support during the summer.
Finally I thank all the players for their great efforts. I am sure they enjoyed it all as much as I did.
Let's hope 1993 will prove to be more successful, and that we will be able to dislpay a trophy or two on the sideboars by next September
Clive Henderson
Under 15 Representative XI 1992
Round 1of the Michael Roche Trophy at St Annes C.C.
Sunday the 21st June at St Annes proved to be an extremely disappointing day for supporters of the Northern League.
After the success of the previous season, hopes were high for further success in this high class competition, but it wasn't to be.
The Northern League won the toss and opponents Salford Cricket Association, were put in to bat on a pretty good batting track.
Good bowling performances by Andrew Flintoff 6 - 1 - 26 - 4, Chris Harrison 8 - 1 - 28 - 2 (both St Annes), Peter Cummings (Leyland DAF) 8 - 1 - 13 - 1, David Coyle (Netherfield) 4 - 3 - 5 - 0, and Fleetwood's Postlethwaite,3 - 2 - 11 - 2 restricted Salford to an all out total of 125.
However, this proved to be to many for a strangely off colour Northern League who capitulated for a very disappointing 100.
Chris Harrison (20) and Leyland DAF's Nigel Baker (17) were the only batsmen to show any form and the 1992 assault on the Michael Roche Trophy petered out prematurely.
