DIVISION ONE
Leyland dominated the Division One table from
start to finish, earning their first title since 1991 and
their fourth overall. The championship success came in the
fourth season following the merger with Leyland Motors, who
were champions in 1973. David Makinson, captain of the joint
club was an inspiration throughout the year after being one of
several Northern League cricketers to miss the opening game
due to the volcanic ash cloud that halted flights into the
country.
Leyland made a seemingly inauspicious start,
bowled out for 77 by Carnforth on the opening day. But they
recovered to dismiss the visitors for 27, Luis Reece taking
seven for 10 and developed a momentum that saw them open the
campaign with seven successive wins. South African
professional Brett Pelser made a big impression on and off the
field in a great team effort. Pelser scored 682 runs at 45.47
and took 42 wickets at 14.05.
Reece and Chris Parkinson formed a consistent
opening partnership, each topping 600 runs for the season
while Andrew Makinson and Karl Cross made valuable batting
contributions. David Makinson, a member of Leyland's 1981
championship-winning side and a great stalwart of Northern
League cricket, took 42 wickets at 14.48 including a personal
best of 8 for 17 in the defeat of Chorley and Reece's left arm
pace accounted for 44 wickets at 15.75. With Peter Cummings
and Andrew Makinson also chipping in with vital wickets
Leyland had an all-round bowling attack that helped Leyland
win 17 of their 25 games with only two defeats.
But for Leyland's admirable consistency Barrow
may have been celebrating their first title in the league.
Daryl Wearing's side had the consolation of a second-placed
finish, their best since becoming a Northern League club in
2004. They won 16 games, seven of them batting first and their
points-tally of 256 was only 11 behind Leyland and 30 more
than that achieved by last season's champions St Annes.
The opening pair of Jonathan Miles and Greg
Platten gave Barrow many fine starts and both young batsmen
enjoyed fine seasons. Miles smashed his own club amateur
record in making 878 runs at 46.21 while Platten, who joined
Barrow from Cockermouth CC hit 736 runs at 36.80.
Popular Sri Lankan pro Pasan Wanasinghe hit 480
runs and bowled superbly to take 74 wickets at 11.96 as he
signed off after four years at the club. Wanasinghe received
good support in the bowling stakes from Graham Dawson, back
after a stint as pro at Dalton, who took 43 wickets at 17.26
with the consistent Wearing taking 36 wickets at 18.31.
Wanasinghe and Dawson established new club records for
professional and amateur bowling performances while
wicketkeeper Chris D'Leny won the Castle Award with 36
dismissals as well as hitting 371 runs. Lancashire Academy
squad member Liam Livingstone made 401 runs and helped bowl
Barrow to a dramatic 10 runs win at Leyland late in the season
alongside Gary Collins.
Defending champions St Annes slipped to third
despite an outstanding bowling effort from their Sri Lankan
professional Dinuka Hettiarachchi, who captured 94 league
wickets at an average of only 11.80 including no less than 14
five wicket hauls. Often bowling unchanged Hettiarachchi was a
master of variations of flight, pace and spin and
unsurprisingly was retained for a third season at Vernon
Road.
Club coach Atiq Uz-Zaman won the Castle Batting
Award for the third successive year after making 927 runs at
54.53. Charles Boucher returned to add valuable support with
565 runs with skipper Andy Kellett making 390 runs including
his first Division One century for 19 years. Ben Dowling
returned from Clitheroe CC to add penetration to the new ball
attack but the early season retirement of top all-rounder
Stephen Twist was a body blow to Kellett's largely young side
who did remarkably well to record 15 league wins, two more
than in 2009 and earn ten more points than when they won the
title.
Darwen improved greatly, rising from 11th to
fourth under the captaincy of John Cordingley. Professional
Mohammad Zaman Khan enjoyed a fine first season at Birch Hall
after many years' experience in the Central Lancashire League
and Yorkshire Leagues. He hit 965 runs in the league at an
average of 48.25 and made more than 1,600 runs in league and
cup matches.
Teenager Alex Davies was called up for the elite
England U17s squad and continued his development with 490 runs
at 25.79 with skipper Cordingley making 445 runs at 26.18.
Chris Wade was a revelation with the ball, the tall seamer
taking 33 wickets at 12.33.
But that fine effort was surpassed by teenager
Kamran Anwar who has steadily developed through the Darwen
junior teams. The fast medium bowler took 50 league wickets at
14.32 and looks a top prospect for the future. Neil Cordingley
returned to make a valuable all-round contribution and was Man
of the Match in the highlight of Darwen's season, their
Readers Cup Final win over Morecambe. Wicketkeeper Jordan
Clarke continued to impress behind the stumps.
Blackpool recovered from a slow start to finish
fifth, a rise of two places from 2009. Opening bowler Richard
Gleeson was again the mainstay of their bowling attack and
took 50 league wickets for a second successive season while
also earning a Minor Counties call-up. Steven Mercer supported
him admirably with 34 wickets and wicketkeeper Rob Sissons,
returning to cricket after finishing a footballing
apprenticeship with Bolton Wanderers kept immaculately.
Michael Moore bravely returned to action after
recovering from a severe road accident that resulted in a
multiple leg fracture and hit 475 runs at 33.93. Alex Smith
made his first Division One century on his way to 482 runs
while fellow opener John Mounsey was again consistent
throughout and hit 466 runs. Paul Danson's side will be hoping
for a bigger contribution from their professional in 2011 as
they bid to challenge the top sides with highly-rated Sri
Lankan Nimesh Perera struggling to 348 runs and 17 wickets.
Lancashire's Steven Croft played three games and scored 332
runs including two hundreds in fine style.
Morecambe were again consistent and finished
sixth, a fall of one place from 2009. Tommy Clough, who handed
over the captaincy reins late in the season to Mark Woodhead
enjoyed a fine season with the ball, his off-spin accounting
for 44 wickets at 17.89.
Popular South African pro Mandla Mashimbyi was
forced to retire after a chronic knee injury after making 720
runs at 48.00 and taking 43 wickets at 20.21. Mashimbyi signed
off in fairytale style with an unbeaten century off 50 balls
in the derby win at Lancaster and lit up the league with his
entertaining cricket and ready smile.
One of the league's most consistent opening
batsmen for many years, Woodhead hit his first century in
Division One in his 20th season, making an unbeaten 100 at
Netherfield on the opening day and going on to make 458 runs
at 28.63. Cumberland county wicketkeeper Ikram Ullah made 514
runs while Chris Williams proved a fine all-round recruit from
Westmorland League side Silverdale with 476 runs and 25
wickets. When football commitments allowed Lewis Edge was
again to the forefront of the best League wicketkeepers.
Last season's wooden-spoonists Lancaster enjoyed
a fine revival under the captaincy of Michael Stevens, and
finished seventh. Stevens and Jamie Heywood formed a
consistent opening partnership, both finishing just short of
500 league runs while the evergreen Tim Barry hit 493 runs and
took 24 wickets.
Off-spinner Ben Simm rejoined the club from
Kendal and bowled superbly throughout the summer, taking 61
wickets at 19.97 to lift the Castle Award. Simm bowled long
spells uncomplainingly and beat Chris Miller to the award by
taking his third five-wicket haul of the season on the final
day at Carnforth.
After two championship-winning seasons at
Accrington CC Sri Lankan Roy Silva hit 674 runs at 37.44 and
the professional also took 33 wickets.
Netherfield suffered more than any other club
due to the weather, having six no-results, one more than
Lancaster. Their Australian professional Nick Kruger equalled
the league batting record with 208 in the early season game
against Preston and hit 834 runs at 46.33.
Teenaged batsmen Alex Atkinson and John Huck
continued their development, Atkinson making 532 runs at 40.92
and hitting his first Minor Counties century for Cumberland
while Huck made 373 runs and kept wicket impressively. Ben
Haddrick hit an explosive century at Chorley and made 477 runs
at 36.69.
Marc Hadwin achieved the notable feat of taking
500 Division One wickets late in the season after handing the
captaincy reins back to Chris Parry. With Scott Clement taking
up a professional appointment at Appleby Eden CC Stuart Nixon
shouldered much of the bowling attack, taking 39 wickets at
19.38 with Ryan Wilson and Kruger each taking 25 wickets.
Netherfield had the consolation of winning the Latham
Baxendale Twenty20 Cup.
Fleetwood recruited an outstanding professional
in Matthew Frith, a Sydney Grade cricketer with a British
passport. Frith made 849 runs at 42.45 and took 42 wickets at
15.02. Frith brought with him Ryan Smith, a fellow Grade
cricketer and another British passport holder who took 41
wickets and was the fastest bowler in the league. Smith, who
also won the Castle Award for fielding played extensively for
Derbyshire Seconds throughout the summer and will replace
Frith as Fleetwood's professional in 2011.
Matt Clark took over the captaincy from Frith in
mid season and helped Fleetwood gel into a side that could
improve further next season. They suffered more than most with
injuries, Adam Sharrocks, Nick Coultas both having broken
fingers.
Kendal finished tenth, a fall of two places
despite off-spinner Chris Miller enjoying an outstanding
season with 60 wickets at 15.0. The Cumberland county
off-spinner returned to the club from Netherfield and formed
the backbone of the attack alongside professional and captain
Ross McMillan who took 59 wickets at 16.17.
McMillan (659 runs) and Terry Hunte (632) were
again the mainstays of the batting line-up though teenaged
opener Jack White made 392 runs at 23.06 in promising
style.
Carnforth professional Gareth Pedder achieved
the 'double' of 500 runs and 50 wickets in his second season
at Lodge Quarry, making 549 runs at 28.89 and taking his first
League hat-trick on his way to a club record 54 wickets at
19.57. Pedder has adapted impressively to the role and earned
a third season as Carnforth's pro in 2011.
Darren Nelson returned from Preston to take 32
wickets with support from Adam Cowperthwaite and John Denwood
but Carnforth badly missed last season's leading wicket-taker
Warren Quinn whose availability was severely restricted. Ryan
Nelson again batted consistently to hit 666 runs at 37.00 and
handed over the wicketkeeping gloves to the talented Tom
Barnfield.
Adam Hornby returned from a season in the
Westmorland League to make 352 runs and contribute to
Carnforth being arguably the best fielding side in the league.
Darren Moore's side won four games, one more than in 2009, all
of them at home.
Preston were the major disappointment of the
season, slipping from second to 12th and winning only four
games. Their re-laid square at West Cliff suffered from
teething problems and many home games were played on slow and
low pitches that restricted the effectiveness of their
exciting batting line-up.
Professional Bilal Asad signed off after five
successful seasons with 503 runs at 33.53 and 42 wickets at
17.76. The consistent Adam Parker made 702 runs at 35.10 in
typically elegant style but handed over the captaincy firstly
to the professional and then to Lukman Vahaluwala. Opener
Sajid Patel (498 runs) and Vahaluwala (441 runs and 44
wickets) continued to be mainstays of the side but Preston
used 39 players in first-team games and struggled for
continuity of selection.
Chorley's centenary season was disappointing on
the field as they slipped from third to 13th, a fall as
dramatic as Preston's. Chorley won only three games and lost
15 as many of their talented young players struggled for
consistency.
South African professional JJ Smuts broke the
club's professional batting record in making 747 runs at 57.46
before leaving prematurely at the end of July to take part in
an emerging players' tournament in Australia. Smuts hit an
unbeaten 177 at Carnforth, Chorley's highest individual score
in the league and also took 33 wickets. Will Moulton (349
runs), James Reynard (347) and Jack Catterall (319) gave Smuts
most support but no other batsman other than the pro averaged
more than 20. Kieran McCullagh (29 wickets) and Billy Smith
(27) shouldered the new ball attack.
Lancashire Colts won three games and lost seven
in their first season in the league and played each of the
other sides once. Performance Analyst Jason Swift, an
experienced Bolton League cricketer, captained a side made up
of young players at varying stages of the Lancashire
development programme.
The Lancashire coaching staff, together with
Cricket Director Mike Watkinson and Academy Director John
Stanworth were full of praise for the positive way in which
the Colts were welcomed into the league and for the mutual
benefits derived from the move. They will continue their
membership of the league in 2011.
DIVISION TWO
By Ian Farrington
Leyland secured their first Division Two
championship since 1955 on the penultimate weekend of an
enthralling season. Chris Dovey's side, who had finished
runners-up in 2009, won 14 matches (6 batting first and 8
batting second, 10 of these victories coming at home) and lost
just once, finishing 19 points clear of Blackpool in second
place.
Leyland were indebted to the efforts of visiting
18-year-old Australian Daniel Hall, who amassed a league
leading 846 runs at an average of 60.43 including two
centuries. Hall's tally broke the club's Division Two record
set by John Pallett in 1991.
Opening batsman Wes Royle enjoyed a fine season
making 504 runs with a top score of 102. There were also
useful contributions from Tom Reece, Ian Farrington and Liam
Hurt who made an opening day hundred against Carnforth.
With the ball veteran seamer Steven Pallett
topped the league averages with 38 wickets at 8.95 and bowled
with a miserly economy rate of 2.09 runs per over. In the
latter part of the season spinners Tayyab Afsar and Stephen
Cartwright formed an effective partnership, taking 68 wickets
between them, with Afsar claiming the best strike rate (19
balls per wicket) in the division.
Blackpool impressive run of results towards the
end of the season saw them finish in the runners up spot, and
but for a shock defeat in a rearranged fixture against Kendal,
they may have forced the title outcome to go to the last game
of the season. In captain Kevin Reid and the rejuvenated Ross
Parker Blackpool had the most consistent opening bowling
attack in the division. Parker, with 54 wickets, was the joint
leading wicket taker in the division and Reid took 51 at an
almost identical average of 13.78 to his new ball partner.
With over 13,000 division one runs to his name
Adrian Darlington made a successful transition to division 2,
scoring 581 runs and enhancing his reputation as one of the
most popular characters in the league. James Smith, winner of
the Division One wicketkeeping prize in 2008, excelled behind
the stumps with 31 dismissals (23ct, 8st) and clinched the
Division Two Scratching Shed award in 2010.
Chorley, who led the league briefly before
eventually finishing third 17 points behind Blackpool, had a
fine all round season under their inspirational captain Ian
Mawdesley who hit 473 runs. The Chorley side found a
successful blend of youth and experience, with batsman Stu
Naden and Jack Bentham, and bowlers Louis Sweeney and Matthew
Critchley (35 wickets each) performing superbly in the former
category and Mawdesley, David Catterall and Matt Parry having
outstanding years in the latter.
It was a particularly memorable year for Naden
who Two with an innings of 192 against Netherfield on 26th
June. His aggregate of 740 runs also surpassed Bob Dickinson's
club record set in 1993.
Darwen were never out of the top four league
places all season and finished a creditable fourth with 192
points, losing just four games but suffering from six
abandoned games. The evergreen Christian Davies picked up 37
wickets and finished third in the league averages. Darwen's
captain Gary Jackson was the model of consistency making 440
runs and led his team with pride and dignity.
The side was aided by the regular appearances of
former first team captain Andrew Cook who took 33 wickets with
his left arm seamers. Wicketkeeper Mark Bennett had a superb
season affecting 20 dismissals and scoring 295 runs at
36.88.
St Annes had a consistent year under David
Watson who combined the captaincy duties with keeping wicket.
Former first team captain Russell Bradley looked set to
challenge Gulam Maje's league batting record as he began the
season with 477 runs from 8 innings including two centuries.
However Bradley was talked out of his retirement from division
one cricket and with his selection in the first team, St Annes
found it difficult to stay in touch with the top four.
Opening batsman Adam Taylor (561 runs) did his
best to fill the void left by Bradley, producing yet another
outstanding season in Division Two. Richard Thomas bowled with
great control to take 36 wickets and had the honour of the
best individual bowling figures of the season with 8 for 35 in
a thrilling one wicket victory at Darwen.
After some initial struggles, Morecambe improved
over the season to finish sixth. In club chairman Nick Milner
they had the division's outstanding all-rounder. Slow left arm
bowler Milner finished as the joint leading wicket-taker in
division two with 54 wickets and he was fourth in the run
charts with 582 runs at an average of 48.50. Captain Michael
Fisher had a productive season with the bat making 426 runs
and young Ryan Pearson a close season recruit from the
Westmorland League made 358 runs including an unbeaten innings
of 102.
Like Morecambe, last years bottom club Barrow
showed a marked improvement in the second half of the season,
with five of their seven wins coming after the half way point.
They were bolstered by the availability of former first team
captain Ian Allington whose presence helped Phil Renney
galvanise his young team. Veteran left arm spinner Gary
Collins began the season in the second team and his
wholehearted performances in Division Two (34 wickets) earned
him a deserved first team call-up.
If Barrow's bowling lacked a cutting edge
without Collins, it also gave a number of young bowlers a
chance to shine, with Glen Kermode in particular showing
himself capable of leading the attack for many years to
come.
Netherfield's enthusiastic young side finished a
commendable eighth, their brand of attacking cricket under Tom
Barton's leadership seeing them being involved in no draws
over the season. Throughout the year many of their players
progressed from the second team in to the club's first XI. One
such player was Shane Dixon who made 305 runs in Division 2.
On the bowling front leg spinner Josh Stafford picked up 34
wickets including a best of 8 for 58 versus local rivals
Kendal.
Despite being the only side to defeat champions
Leyland, Preston could only finish ninth, though this marked a
two-place improvement from 2009 for Moshin Patel's side.
Moshin's brother, Yasin Patel had a fine all-round season. He
backed up his 456 runs with 21 wickets and 12 catches, which
was the most by a non-wicketkeeper in the division. Andrew
Starkie, as always, bowled with nagging accuracy to pick up 33
wickets at an average of 14.
Through Fleetwood slipped a place to tenth in
2010 they can take some heart from some improved showings
under new captain Andrew Singleton. Neil Gregson showed why he
is still one of the most feared bowlers in the division and he
had another good year taking 33 wickets. Joe Bell emerged as a
dangerous bowler on his day and he took the second best
figures of the season with 8 for 53 against Preston.
Last year's champions Lancaster suffered a
dramatic loss of form and despite being in the top six for the
first 19 rounds of fixtures, fell away to finish a
disappointing eleventh. Nick Davey's side struggled with
consistency of selection using 45 players over the course of
the season. There were some bright points though, including
Andrew Fletcher's innings of 134 against Netherfield and the
ever entertaining Danny Welbourne who made four fifties in
just nine innings before receiving a first team call-up.
At times Kendal endured a difficult season,
suffering some heavy defeats in June and July. However they
stuck manfully to their task and must be credited for a
revival of fortunes at the end of the season with three of
their four wins coming in the last six games.
Work commitments restricted Donovan Du Plessis
to appearances in Division Two and he made 603 runs in 16
innings with two centuries. Skipper Andrew Dugdale gave little
away with the ball in taking 32 wickets and Darren Nightingale
had a promising season with 346 runs.
Carnforth slipped three places to finish
thirteenth in 2010 with just one league victory. This victory
came against 3rd placed Chorley however and the bare
statistics fail to reveal how Lee Potter's side were unlucky
not to convert more good positions into positive results.
Popular opener Wayne Tomlinson proved to be the mainstay of
the batting and he was well supported by Neil Dugdale.
