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Secretary's Report for 1996
The Vaux Northern League Cricket Clubs have once more demonstrated the strength of the League in 1996 in the National and County Championships.
Chorley C C were the Abbot Ale N C A Finalists for the third successive year having won the previous two Finals at Lords.
Blackpool C C won the L.C.B Skipton Building Society Cup Final at Old Trafford.
Netherfield C C won the Cumberland C A Cup Final for the fourth successive year.
However, this very success has meant that 1996 may well be the year that everyone remembers as the year in which the Lancashire Cricket Board was formed, with all the possible implications for our League of the L C B Premier League formation.
At Inter - League level, our Senior XI lost to our fiends in the Bolton League on run rate in a game curtailed by rain at a very interesting point, thus preventing a very close finish.
1997 Season will begin with a curtain raiser Invitation Match against the Lancashire County Cricket Club at Old Trafford.
The League is honoured and pleased to accept this invitation for the first time.
It is at this point that the League would like to record its thanks to Tony Hesketh as retiring League Captain and Manager after a distinguished career, and to welcome David Higham as our new Representative Team Manager.
We wish them both well in their new roles, assured that htey will continue to be good ambassadors for the game of cricket.
At League level, St Annes C C are to be congratulated on becoming League Champions for only the second time - the first occaision being the first year of the League, 1952 !
It was a great thrill to witness Brian Standing, president of the Club accepting the Cup on behalf of the Club which has been tansformed by the efforts of all concerned at Highbury Road.
Chorley C C were once more Runners-up and commiserations are extended to all at Windsor Road.
Maybe next year ?
In the Cup Competitions, newly reborn Leyland DAF C C, under the Captaincy of David Makinson, the young team were Vaux Samson Cup Winners, beating Netherfield C C in a very exciting Final at Sandy Lane.
Lancaster were Vaux Bitter Cup Winners after defeating St Annes at Highbury Road.
Second Division Champions are Lancaster C C with Fleetwood C C as runners-up.
In an astonishing Season Lancaster also won both the Second Division Cup Competitions,defeating Darwen C C in the Blackledge Cup at Lune Road and Fleetwood in the Latus Cup Final again at Lune Road.
Lancaster are to be congratulated in achieving this remarkable treble, emulating the Blackpool C C performance of 1995 season.
In the Thied Division Blackpool C C were League Champions and Chorley C C were Runners-Up.
In the Norman Poole Cup, Fleetwood C C repeated last year's Final by beating Blackpool C C at their Broadwater ground.
A comprehensive Report on the National Westminster Bank Junior cricket Season is given later by Clive Henderson, but it is noteworthy to say here that Leyland DAF Juniors, League and Premiership double is to be commended.
This bodes well for the Club which will see the results of major ground refurbishments carried out over the winter months.
The League Exectutive is pleased to announce a new three year Sponsorship deal with our main sponsor, Vaux Breweries.
We are grateful to Mike Berriman and his colleagues and we look forward to working with them.
Clubs are requested to support our Sponsor in every way possible and to take guest beers and bottled beers if a major deal is not yet possible.
National Westminster Bank have agreed a further one year deal to Sponsor our Junior Cricket with likely additional deals on a one year basis.
We cannot over-emphasise how important this Sponsorship is to the future of our League, and this is illustrated by the fact that one of our Junior Cricketers, Andrew Flintoff, has just returned from a very successful Tour of Pakistan as Captain of the England Under 19 XI.
Andrew will shortly accept an invitation to a Sports Reception at Buckingham Palace and we wish him well and congratulate him on his continued cricketing successes.
Once more we have been well served by the Umpires Federation and we thank all Officials and Umpires for a Season successfully comleted.
The continued high standards set by our umpires is a major contributing factor in our enjoyment and continued success in this game we all love so much.
Let us not lose sight of this fact in the heat of the moment.
I would like to thank all Club Officials and Players for continued co-operation during 1996, and would ask that this same spirit of co-operation be extended between Clubs to the benefit of all concerned, especially in solving our biggest problem: fixture congestion.
To this end, the Executive have made changes to our League and Cup fixture dates and we welcome comments as to the outcome, as a solution is mandatory.
Grateful thanks sre extended to all our friends in the media for their help in publisising our League and our match results.
Radio Lancashire and all the Local Radio stations, to all the National and Local Newspapers, to Television Teletext and not least to John and Judith Richardson who have transformed our weekly results coverage.
Our Sponsors regard this fact as most important, so please give John and Judith your maximum support.
Finally, thanks are given to all colleagues on the League Executive without which this job would be impossible.
Let us all hope that next year sees us all enjoying our cricket as we will in 1997 !
David Smalley
Honary League Secretary
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