Defending double champions face Fleetwood test
Brett Pelser is back as pro for Champions Leyland
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The Northern Cricket League begins its 60th season in 2011 with a feeling that the destination of the league title is wide open. In Division One
there are eight new professionals and five new First XI captains. Lancashire Colts will again compete in the league and this season enter the Readers Cup for the first time.
The League is once again sponsored by Furness Building Society and Readers Cricket Balls to whom all league officials, players, club officials, members and supporters extend their grateful thanks.
Darwen, beginning their Centenary season sit out the opening round of fixtures but there are several intriguing matches to start off the campaign.
Champions Leyland welcome back popular South African pro Brett Pelser, who has enjoyed another prolific season back home, hitting 743 runs at an average of 43; he earned selection for the Lions in their final two games after hitting three centuries for North West.
Pelser arrives this Wednesday and will be joined at Fox Lane by new faces in David Fisher (ex-Preston and Vernon Carus) and Adam Coates (Westhoughton). Coates hit 518 runs at an average of 27 in the Bolton League last year.
But Leyland will be without their highly influential captain David Makinson for the first two games. Makinson is suffering from a back problem. All rounder Luis Reece's early season availability will also be limited due to his commitments with Leeds Bradford UCCE and the Unicorns.
Leyland visit Fleetwood who welcome back Adam Parker, consistently one the league's highest amateur runs-scorers. Sydney Grade fast bowler and Derbyshire Second XI representative Ryan Smith takes over as pro from Matthew Frith having played for the club as an amateur last year.
St Annes Captain Andy Kellett also misses the first couple of games with a back injury; wicketkeeper Duncan Whalley takes over as captain for the visit of Chorley. Sri Lankan pro Dinuka Hettiarachchi returns for a third season at Vernon Road and is due to arrive this week. St Annes have three new players in Mark Emsley (ex-Fleetwood), Jake Sunderland (Tonge) and Nanthesh Kiruparan (Blackpool).
Chorley have former MCC Young Professionals leg-spinner Gaurav Dhar as professional for the season. Dhar, a locally produced player who came up through the Chorley junior set-up is assisted by Player-Coach Iain Critchley who played in the Bolton Association last year. Captain Andy Holdsworth is likely to keep wicket.
Blackpool pro Con De Lange arrives this week ahead of their visit to Lancaster. De Lange is an experienced cricketer and as slow left arm spinners traditionally do well at Stanley Park his arrival is eagerly anticipated. Stephen Twist, consistently one of the league's top all-rounders has joined Paul Danson's side from St Annes.
With Cumberland CCC fast bowler Richard Gleeson back after a successful stint playing in Australia and Mike Tidams emerging quickly Danson has a good all-round attack with Steven Mercer also a key bowler. John Mounsey, Alex Smith, Michael Moore and Andy Furniss will be hoping to maintain their consistent runs-scoring.
Lancaster's South African pro Dwayne Hees will miss the opening game and so the club will be looking for a sub-pro for Blackpool's visit. Captain Michael Stevens has returned from a successful season playing in country cricket in South Australia when he was leading runs-scorer in the competition and leading amateur bowler Ben Simm turned down a professional's job in the Bolton Association to stay with his home town club.
The return of left arm opening bowler Liam Moffat will add to Stevens' bowling options and talented all-rounder Alex Metcalfe is fit again after a knee injury
but will miss early season games due to school commitments. Lancaster have high hopes of two new players who are students at the city's university: Pronob Roy played
last season for Ilford in the Essex Premier League and all-rounder Ed Markey has played in the Liverpool Competition for Northop Hall.
Carnforth professional Gareth Pedder, returning to the Club for a third season takes over the captaincy for Saturday's trip to Preston as Adam Hornby is unavailable. Carnforth are also without top batsman Ryan Nelson on Saturday but Warren Quinn, the top amateur bowler in 2009 may be available for several early season matches. Talented all rounder Jordan Relph is back at the club after missing most of the last two seasons due to work commitments. Tom Barnfield will keep wicket having shared the job with Nelson last year.
Gareth Pedder leads Carnforth on Saturday
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Preston have a new professional in Saeed Bariwala, formerly with Skegness CC in the Lincolnshire premier League. A schoolboy friend of Preston captain Lukman Vahaluwala back home in India Bariwala is an early order batsman and off-spin bowler and has made a fine early impression at the club with his enthusiastic approach to the game.
Preston's new pro Saeed Bariwala
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Top-four batsman Mohsin Modhi joins the club from the Palace Shield side Whittingham & Goosnargh; but talented all-rounder Jonty McDonald will miss the season after sustaining a broken fibula and tibula in a football match recently. Everyone in the league will wish Jonty a speedy recovery.
Morecambe's Pakistan fast bowler Anwar Ali, who has been Colne's professional in the last two seasons makes his debut at Shap Road against Kendal. The 23-year-old took 31 wickets for PIA and Sind in the recent Pakistan domestic season and represented Pakistan A on their tour of West Indies. Josh Dixon, who scored 711 runs at an average of 47 for Heysham in the Westmorland League in 2010 is a notable amateur recruit for Mark Woodhead's side.
Kendal await the arrival of New Zealand World Cup player Jamie How who will miss Saturday's opener and are looking to recruit a sub-pro. New skipper Chris Miller will shoulder the burden of the bowling attack and will be looking to surpass the 60 wickets he took in 2010. Former Barrow opener Jonathan Miles, a colleague of Miller's in the Cumberland County set-up makes his Kendal debut and will open the innings.
Barrow's new South African pro Pieter Malan will debut in the home game against Netherfield on Saturday. Malan will be up against fellow countryman Brady Barends, a highly-rated opening bowler who will be making his professional bow in this country. Barends, who was recommended to Netherfield by former pro Dale Benkenstein took 39 wickets at 28 in the recent South African season and played for Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland and Dolphins.
Barrow captain Chris D'Leny needs a new opening pair after the departure of Miles and the recent news that county batsman Greg Platten will not be returning to Ernest Pass. The pair scored 1,600 league runs for the Club between them last year and with former county batsman Darren Clark also rejoining his old club Cleator, Barrow need their new pro to settle in quickly. Malan hit 868 runs at an average of 34.72 for Northerns and Titans in the recent South African domestic season.
On the bowling front the new ball duo of Daryl Wearing and Graham Dawson give Barrow one of the best opening attacks in the competition and new vice-captain Liam Livingstone, a member of the Lancashire academy squad will have plenty of opportunity with bat and ball.
Netherfield have lost several key members of their 2008 championship-winning side but Alex Atkinson, John Huck, and new vice captain Ben Haddrick should ensure plenty of runs alongside skipper Chris Parry. New recruit Marc Brown, a prolific runs-scorer for Carlisle CC and a regular in the Cumberland side makes his Northern League debut. Marc Hadwin, who stepped down from the captaincy last season will be looking to add to his tally of 500 Northern League Division One wickets and will have a key role to play in what is a relatively inexperienced bowling attack.
In Division Two new Leyland Second XI Captain Ian Farrington leads the defending champions against Fleetwood at Fox Lane.
There is one fixture change from the official handbook. Fleetwood will now entertain Lancashire Colts on Sunday 1 May (1pm) instead of the previous day.
On Sunday 17 April Barrow entertain Bolton association side Elton in the first round of the LCB Lancashire Cup (1pm).
Having qualified for that competition Barrow will not enter the Cumbrian County Cup in 2011. In the recently made draw Kendal entertain Milnthorpe in the first round (1/2 May). The winners of that tie travel to Workington in the second round (5 June). Carnforth and Netherfield each received first round byes. In round two Carnforth travel to Millom while Netherfield visit Whitehaven.
Adam Parker has rejoined Fleetwood from Preston
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Fixtures, Saturday 16 April 2011 (Round One)
Furness Building Society Northern Premier Division (incorporating Readers Cricket Balls)
Division One (1pm start)
Barrow v Netherfield
Fleetwood v Leyland
Kendal v Morecambe
Lancaster v Blackpool
Preston v Carnforth
St Annes v Chorley
Darwen free date
Division Two (2nd XI, 1pm start)
Blackpool v Lancaster
Carnforth v Preston
Chorley v St Annes
Leyland v Fleetwood
Morecambe v Kendal
Netherfield v Barrow
Darwen free date
