YEARBOOK DORSET CRICKET BOARD - DORSET CRICKET BOARD DORSET COUNTY 1 CRICKET CLUB DORSET CRICKET LEAGUE

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1 THE DORSET CRICKET YEARBOOK CRICKET 2014 YEARBOOK 2014 Martinstown CC Under Water Photo Supplied By: Jim Godding DORSET CRICKET BOARD - DORSET CRICKET BOARD DORSET COUNTY 1 CRICKET CLUB DORSET CRICKET LEAGUE DORSET COUNTY CRICKET CLUB - DORSET CRICKET LEAGUES

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3 Editorial Hello and welcome to the 2014 edition of The Dorset Cricket Yearbook! Following the first digital publication last year, we have decided to continue with the new modern design because it was a great success. This year we look to mix the old with the new (similar to many club teams out there!). The 2014 Yearbook has become a digital e-book with turning pages and a book style appearance. I would like to say I am privileged to be the editor of such a prestigious historic yearbook whose archives date back to around the 1970s. As a University student with a love of cricket, this has been a very exciting project for me. The good news is that the player statistics look a lot healthier than the previous rain affected season! In complete contrast to the 2012/13 season we saw the long awaited return of the large, bright, warm circle in the sky. Gone were the days of turning up to a ground to see sodden grass and puddles on and around the pitch. The weather was brilliant and everyone was confident and excited to complete a full season of competitive cricket. Now I m going to leave you to enjoy reliving the cricketing year of 2013 in Dorset. I hope that 2014 is a more prosperous year for all, and not just on the cricket field. Lewis Hickford 3

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5 Directory Dorset Cricket Board.. 6 Cricket Development Office.. 8 Dorset County Girls 15 Dorset Women s XI 19 Dorset County Boys Dorset Cricket Minor Counties.. 40 Dorset Schools Cricket Association. 46 Dorset Association of Cricket Officials. 54 Dorset Disabled Cricket Club 58 Dorset Over 50s. 60 Dorset Cricket Evening Leagues Dorset Cricket League Saturday League Tables Sunday League Tables. 78 Saturday League Averages. 80 Sunday League Averages. 96 Winners Reports Section. 104 Cricketers Remembered

6 Dorset Cricket Board The Board is a limited company, registered as The Dorset Cricket Board Limited, Registration No R and the registered address is The Leaze, King Street, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1DY. Officers Chairman V. B. Lewis 9 Quarry Close, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 1ET Tel: (work) (home) Vice Chairman P. Drake 3A The Green, Puddletown, Dorchester DT2 8SN Tel: Honorary Treasurer J. Ridout Westering, Giddylake, Wimborne BH21 2QU Tel: Honorary Secretary TBC Director of Cricket K. Brewer, Homewood, Marrianne Road, Colehill, Wimborne BH21 2SQ Tel: Dorset Cricket Development Office The Leaze, King Street, Wimborne. BH21 1DY Tel: Pitch Advisors J. Old Ringtree House, 1 The Ring, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, DT10 2NG ringltree@yahoo.co.uk Telephone: Mob: R. Hansford 5 St. Mary Well Street, Beaminster DT8 3BB. Tel: Welfare Officer D. Porter, 20 Chine Walk, West Parley, Ferndown. Tel: Mobile: Board Members Chairman, Vice Chairman, CC Moore, A. Willows, T. Snape, T. Hill, B.Medler 6

7 Dorset Cricket Board Report It has been another difficult year trying to balance the Board's Budget which influenced by a number of factors under review, along with our profile and how we are perceived by the public. We have been involved with a number of workshops at the behest of the ECB in which we have reconsidered our position and how we best serve cricket in Dorset. Surveys have been carried out, information digested and applied to our policy from the outcomes of brainstorming sessions. Results are soon to be published so that the public can be aware of how we operate. Alan Graham has decided to stand down as Secretary of the Board and will now take over as Secretary of the Dorset Cricket League, an appointment which will benefit Dorset Cricket. I would like to thank Alan on behalf of the Board for the high standards that have been set. With any luck the sun will shine this year and I hope for everyone involved in Dorset Cricket, a successful season. V B LEWIS Chairman Dorset Cricket Board 7

8 Cricket Development Office Back to Directory The Leaze, King Street, Wimborne BH21 1DY Keith Brewer Director of Cricket Rob Newton Cricket Development Officer Greg Parsons Cricket Development Officer Gill Jones Competitions and Match Manager Director of Cricket s Report The 2013 season was very enjoyable, not least because the sun was shining and the majority of the scheduled matches were played. After the near complete disaster of the 2012 season it felt as though cricket had emerged again and took its rightful place in the sun. Thankfully no Clubs were taken under by the revenue problems caused by the previous season and the Dorset Funeral Plan League fixtures were nearly all played. Club cricket occupied a lot of our thoughts during 2013 as the Board and development team spent a good deal of time and resources supporting the network of clubs through Chance to Shine, Clubmark, facility applications and general club programmes. The ECB and Sport England are now fully focussed on increasing participation and retaining participation and the club network is vital to this if we are not going to see numbers drop off in the face of the ever increasing pressures of modern life. The main focus in 2013 for me was ensuring that we as a Board complied with the ECB requirements for a county board to be Ready to invest The Board members and staff attended a series of workshops to understand the outcomes process and to identify those outcomes. This involved using insight and self-assessment to understand what our customers require and for us to improve our operations. This culminated in the publication of our Outcomes document which is copied below The Board achieved full Ready to invest status in October this year. I would like to thank my fellow staff, Greg Parsons, Rob Newton and Gill Jones for their hard work and dedication and also Board members led by Barry Lewis and John Ridout, for their support throughout the process. The outcomes were identified after a series of discussions and consultation with representatives from all areas of cricket in the county. Hopefully at least some of them will reflect the aspirations of all of those involved in cricket in Dorset. We had already pre-empted the outcomes and participation work by commissioning the complete review of league cricket in the county through Alan Graham and John Ridout and a number of key people who attended the review meetings. I became fully involved in this process and the outcome was a new structure for the League which hopefully will cater for every level of player. This should provide enjoyable competitive cricket in a format which allows time to get home or socialise at a decent hour. Finding a format of competition which suits everyone is not easy, but I believe wholeheartedly, everyone who has attended the review meetings has the interests of Dorset cricket at heart. What s more, their energy and knowledge made the whole process enjoyable and challenging. We will see how this goes in 2014 and we will use the experience to make further improvements in the coming years, based on feedback received and outcomes achieved. One of our goals is to find a way to link to the Southern League and as I write, there are possible moves ahead to facilitate this. 8

9 Other areas of work that were very important to Dorset in 2013 included the work we have done to try and save Dean Park for cricket and this has been a very challenging and complex process. As we move towards the deadline of November 2014 I am still optimistic that cricket will continue at this iconic ground well into the future. The fantastic work done by Gill Jones, Tim Hill and Rob Newton with the schools programme has seen a massive increase in the schools taking part in competitions and receiving coaching. Getting more children to join the clubs has been our biggest challenge. The other area that we have had great success with is the expansion of women s and girls cricket and a big thank you must go to the clubs, including Poole, Parley, Broadstone and Shillingstone who have developed this area. Next year we will see the return of a Women s league for the first time and that will mark a watershed for the 5 year plan we have put in place to develop the women s and girls game. As I write this report, the Ashes have begun and you will probably be reading this in the light of, hopefully, a series win for England. In Dorset we are doing our bit for the National game by having an unprecedented five players join the Hampshire Academy, two of whom, Lewis McManus and Tom Barber are now playing for the England Under 19s. Great credit must go to Matt Keech and Rob Newton for the work they have done in developing all the EPP players. Lewis played for me as an 8 year old at Broadstone and I can t tell you the pleasure it brings to see a talented player make it all the way from a club under 9s team to the England and first class arena as both Lewis and Tom have done. The great work that has been going on to integrate the Minor Counties with the Dorset League and county age groups sides will also pay dividends in the future and I wish Chris Park and Alan Willows all the best for a successful 2014 season. Finally, I wanted to thank all those who have put countless hours in as volunteers in clubs and with the Board. Without you we can t do anything within cricket. I can t name everyone but David Cooper, Angie Brown, Ray Gunn, John Maynard, Rob Newton, Hugh and Margaret Shackell who have done so much for the women s and Girls game. Alan Graham and John Ridout deserve further special mention for driving through the changes to the League structure for next season. Barry Lewis has led the Board with great understanding and has also bridged the gap between County Board and County Club. Clive Moore, as always, has my utmost respect as Mr Cricket in Dorset. There are too many to mention but I would personally like to thank all those who have got involved and provided opportunities for others to watch, play, umpire and experience the game. Keith Brewer 9

10 2013/14 Dorset Cricket Board Outcomes Framework Cricket Development Office - Greg Parsons Report In last year s write up it was mentioned that the Dorset Disability Sports Forum had had a bid accepted from Sport England for a Disability Inclusion Project in Dorset. We have used this to link up 3 leisure centres (Ferndown, Rossmore and Dorchester) with their local cricket clubs to provide disability cricket sessions. These have progressed well over the year with Ferndown Leisure Centre/Ferndown Wayfarers CC now running a session weekly for their players and Dorchester Sports Centre/Dorchester CC are going to run a session every week from March onwards. Rossmore Leisure Centre/Broadstone CC will be meeting in the New Year to arrange sessions. We will also be looking to start a 4 th disability project in the North of the County in the New Year. Meetings are currently being scheduled to make the arrangements for this to happen. I would like to thank the leisure centres and the clubs involved, as well as their coaches, for an excellent job performed. This scheme has allowed a more productive pathway for players through to the County team. We have already seen the benefits of this with a few new faces at the County training sessions. Any clubs which feel they are in a position to start a disability project in their local area, please contact me and we can discuss the options in regards to funding, venues and coaches. I would like to thank Gordon Pickersgill and Rob Newton for the outstanding work they do at the County level. This past year we also started some visually impaired cricket taster sessions in partnership with the Dorset Blind Association. This progressed over the summer to the point that they were able to get a team together and played their first friendly fixture at the end of September against a strong Somerset team. The team unfortunately lost but acquitted themselves excellently considering it was their first ever game and they took it down to the final couple of overs. The Dorset Dolphins VI team has now entered the VI Development League for 2014 which will include home and away fixtures versus other Counties, plus a 20/20 competition. I would like to thank the Dorset Rangers for their 10

11 financial support, which has paid for coaching sessions throughout I would also like to thank Steve Bailey who has taken on the responsibility of captaining the team. He has done a great job of getting everything organised within his team and creating links nationally to help the project progress. Coach Education underwent large changes nationally in September Over the past couple of years the ECB Sky Sports Coach Education programme has undergone an extensive review and, as a result, a new coaching pathway has been introduced from September Locally, this has meant retraining for the Dorset coach education tutors/assessors to learn the new structure and terminology on courses. It has also meant new administration procedures, which means we have had to review how we do these in Dorset. In the 2012/13 programme we ran two UKCC Level 1 Coaching Assistant courses with 33 candidates attending. We also ran a UKCC Level 2 Coach Award course with 18 candidates attending. Reports received from external sources indicate that the Dorset Cricket Board s tutor / assessor team has performed, once again, to very high standards. I would like to thank Rob Newton, Tom Snape, Joff Webb and Matt Keech for the hard work they have put in over the past year, not only delivering courses last year, but also in taking the time to be retrained for the new courses. Both Swanage CC and Marnhull CC were new clubs which achieved Club Mark Accreditation in We had a further 4 clubs (Ferndown Wayfarers CC, Poole Town CC, Portland RT CC and Stalbridge CC) which achieved Re-Accreditation. There are currently 22 clubs in Dorset which are Club Marked Accredited. That is the highest number we have had since the Club Mark scheme was started. There are a further 9 clubs currently registered with the ECB for Club Mark and they are currently working their way through the evidence file. I would like to thank all those key people in the clubs who have worked hard to achieve Club Mark. It is their work that has enabled their club environment to be safe, well organised and provides a quality coaching product for the players. If any clubs wish to start the Club Mark process then please contact me so we can discuss what is involved. This was my first year looking after the East District programme. We are very fortunate to have a group of dedicated coaches in the East which has made my role significantly easier over this past year. I would like to thank every coach who has run an East District age group over the past year. One of the main objectives in 2013 was to improve the process that players have to go through to get into an East squad, making it as transparent as possible. Changes that we have made this past year have included moving the sessions back to the Dorset Cricket Centre, so there is less travel for players to practice, advertising the session dates and costings of the programme to the players / parents prior to the trials so they are aware of what is required prior to attending the trials. These changes meant that we had to organise everything earlier than in previous years so we could get the information out to the players, as the trial nominations were coming in from the clubs. Part of my role as the East District Head Coach is to provide support and guidance to clubs in the region on their coaching structure. If any clubs wish to discuss their coaching workforce, then please get in contact. The Dorset NatWest OSCAS (Outstanding Service to Cricket Awards) are always fun to organise as they recognise and reward those volunteers in the County for the time and effort that they put into cricket. This year all the nominees were treated to a ticket to watch either a Hampshire or Somerset fixture. I would like to thank all the nominees for the excellent work they do for cricket in Dorset and hope that this continues long into the future. The winners of each category were also rewarded with an invitation to attend the National NatWest OSCAS event at Lord s in September. Our own John Ridout was shortlisted for the National NatWest OSCAS League and Boards Award. I would like to thank John for the fantastic work he has put in over the years and am really happy to see that he is getting recognised nationally. 11

12 Cricket Development Office - Rob Newton s Report After the poor weather of 2012, the summer of 2013 was a completely different matter. Excellent weather led to a lot more matches played and another home Ashes series led to a rise in interest. Ladies and girls cricket continued to develop in Different teams, from Broadstone, Parley and Poole won each of the age groups, showing how even these clubs are. Some great matches were played at each age group. As a County, we had our first try at Under 17 Girls cricket this year, enjoying reasonable success in beating Wiltshire twice, as well as Berkshire and finishing mid table in our division. Elle Pearce, really came to the fore, scoring the first Dorset County hundred for about 8 years. Both the U15 and U13 sides found the season tough going. The Under 15 were in the top division and after a creditable tie against Wales, finished the season on a real high with a win against Devon. This was our first ever win against a Devon side in girls cricket: Devon is the yard stick of the girls game will see some changes in the girls set up for me as I take a less active day to day roll, running it from a more management position. So, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following for offering their help and what will be invaluable contributions during the coming season: Hugh Shackell, Ray Gunn, Angie Brown, Neil Pack, Mike Callaghan, Steve Matthews and Nick Williams. The season will also prove to be a pivotal point as a large number of the players will leave the age group system and therefore will need adult cricket in which to participate. This had led to Parley and Broadstone entering teams in the Hampshire Indoor Ladies League at Eastleigh this summer, as well as Dorset running its first 4 Way Women s Festival at Lytchett with Wareham and Bournemouth University offering new opposition. A big thank you must go to all those who helped last year for South Dorset. We had a number of great helpers to support the coaches, and this year will be no different. Our coaching has just started and my best wishes for the coaching go to Ashley Collinson, Steve Bishop, Terry Collins, Nick Williams, Ray Gunn and Andy Kent for the time and effort they put into the South Dorset programme. Schools and Chance to Shine remain a large part of my work programme, in which I am supported by Gill Jones. I spend a lot of time within the school environment, delivering everything from teacher training, young leadership courses and working with players special needs on Table Cricket. With the drive around secondary school coaching, there has been a steep learning curve for many coaches, myself included. It is easy to engage primary school students, but as we targeted some tough schools, it was a new challenge engaging students who were already disengaged from within the whole school system. To finish I must congratulate ex Dorset EPP players Lewis McManus and Tom Barber as they continue on their pathway in both the Hampshire and England set ups. Remember to keep a close eye on those who follow. Good Luck for the 2014 season. Rob Newton 12

13 Cricket Development Office - Gill Jones Report I continue to liaise with schools and clubs, promoting the interest of clubs to schools wherever appropriate. Through Rob Newton s work with Young Leaders in schools, it has been possible to use young officials at all the primary school county finals. As a result of the Chance to Shine Creating the Future project and the enthusiasm of both staff and cricket coaches working in schools, more schools are keen to be involved with cricket / competitions. As the cricket knowledge within the schools increases, they become more confident in entering competitions. At present over half of the primary schools in the county access kwik cricket competitions. The secondary school Chance to Shine project, Chance to Compete, supported by Sport England and The Cricket Foundation, has led to an increase in the number of schools entering competitions. Schools are able to access competitions additional to the established ones run through Dorset Schools Cricket Association. The introduction of a new entry level competition Chance to Compete has encouraged schools which would otherwise not feel confident enough to enter competitions to be involved. Winton Arts and Media College went on to represent Dorset at 2 Regional Finals. This competition has been trialled in Bournemouth and Poole, and it is hoped to encourage entries from across the county in future. Charlotte Edwards attended the School Games U13 Girls Indoor competition, and thoroughly enjoyed her day. Students at the event were interviewed by Jo Kent and appeared on the BBC South Today programme. After winning both the county and regional finals, Parkstone Grammar School went on to the National Final at Lord s. The U13 Girls competition in the summer increased to a six team final following qualifying competitions in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Purbeck, East Dorset, North Dorset, Poole and West Dorset School Games Organiser areas, with Bournemouth School for Girls winning through to represent Dorset at the Regional Final. Gill Jones Schools and Competition Manager 13

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15 Dorset Under 13 Girls Back to Directory The Season started with a tough trip away to Hampshire, as the new Under 13s soon saw how demanding the season would be as they were heavily defeated. When Dorset batted, the innings included 7 ducks although both Victoria Pack and Charlotte Aubin showed some early promise with the bat that was to be fulfilled later in the season. Next up, a friendly, against a young Kent side. who could not compete on a strength level with the older Dorset girls. Batting first, Dorset posted 174 for 5, with Charlotte Aubin and Emily Berridge both scoring 28. In reply Kent finished just short of the hundred, giving Dorset their first win of the season. Sussex away proved an excellent last warm up, but again showed Dorset s issue with the bat; a loss by 46 runs, chasing 153. Extras hid another weak performance where 7 batters either scored a duck or 1 run. Only Charlotte Aubin shone again with 24. Then it was into the County Championship and Cornwall away. Dorset were put into bat on a damp wicket and without a batter getting into double figures, were soon all out for 61. Charlotte Aubin then picked up 2 quick Cornwall wickets, but they proved to be Dorset s only success, as Cornwall ran out winners by 8 wickets. Berkshire proved to be a similar tale, with another low score posted by Dorset. Again promise with the bat was shown as a number of the young players showed excellent stickability, including Sarah Matthews contribution of 11 runs, as Berkshire found her difficult to dispose of! The Wiltshire match brought another 5 wicket defeat, with Dorset again failing to pass 100. However by now, a number of players were getting scores in the teens and were learning to bat for a longer period of time. The return fixture against Wiltshire proved to be the high point of the season as Dorset, again batting first posted 196 for 8 off 35 overs, with no less than 5 people getting scores above 20. An early wicket put Wiltshire on the back foot, but then a stand of 100 for the second wicket handed victory back into Wiltshire s hands, before some fine bowling from Dorset wrestled the game back in their favour, as Wiltshire collapsed to 164 for 7. Frustratingly, with Wiltshire on the ropes, Dorset could not quite land the knockout blow and Wiltshire got home with 3 wickets and 8 balls to spare. 15

16 With holidays now eating into the squad s availability, a trip to Berkshire saw a heavy defeat despite a good all round performance from Eva Bowring, who scored 20 runs and took 2 of the 5 wickets to fall. Issy Gilliver also performed well with an impressive 15 not out, whilst wickets were tumbling around her. The season finished at Beaminster Cricket Club with a home game against Cornwall, Cornwall batted first and on a slow scoring pitch got to 116 for 6 off the 35 overs, Eva again taking 2 wickets, as did Victoria Pack. At 62 for 5 Dorset looked to be in with a chance, but again at a crucial moment, the tail folded and Dorset finished 78 all out. Can I thank Hugh, Margaret and Steve Matthews for all their help and support over the season. Dorset Under 15 Girls A tough season for the Under 15s ended with the highlight of our first ever victory over arch rival Devon! Before that, though, came a lot of challenging matches and hard lessons learnt on our way to that finish. The writing was on the wall as to how difficult a season this would be, when we lost to lower division Wiltshire in a pre-season warm up. The ECB season started away at Hampshire with a 10 wicket defeat, with Dorset being bowled out for 70. A much tighter game followed against Gloucestershire, with them being bowled out for 104 inside the 40 overs and Charlotte Mandale picking up 3 wickets. In reply, despite Dorset scoring runs at a good rate, kept losing wickets at important times. Zara Brown scored a brave 22, and Arabella and Alexa, with a fighting last wicket stand, nearly saw us home, only for us to lose by just 2 runs The t20 tournament saw us due to play Middlesex, Surrey and Hampshire but 2 days of rain brought little play, except for a bowl out, in which Dorset beat Kent, with thanks to a final ball wicket from Megan Field. 16

17 A tied game in Wales was next, as Dorset batted first and scored 121, Katharine Oliver top scoring with 31. At 107-4, the Wales team looked in firm control, but wickets from Elle Pearce and Tilly Callaghan turned the game round, and with the scores tied Beth Pardon took a great catch at square leg under great pressure from the Welsh crowd. A heavy defeat to Somerset followed where again Dorset struggled to score enough runs. The Beaconsfield Festival followed. This is an 8 a side festival, with a number of small games during the day. This was to be our most successful time so far, remaining unbeaten in the day, with Zara winning Best Bowling (most wickets) and Elle Best Batter (most runs) by the end of the tournament. We had won our first bit of silverware in the trophy cabinet. The season finished on a high (for some of the girls, literally), as we played Devon away at Torquay, with only 9 players. Dorset won the toss and batted first; Zara carrying her bat though the innings for 56 not out. Elle made 39, and with Issy and Matillda both scoring 20 s, it meant Dorset posted 180 for 5 wickets off the 40 overs. In reply only one Devon player made double figures, but while Milly Squires was in, there was always a chance Devon could make it. But once she had fallen for 72, Devon were soon all out for 124. Cue wild celebrations for our first victory over Devon in all the years we have been playing girls cricket! Off went some of the girls to test the funfair on Torquay seafront, Hugh and I, of course keeping our feet firmly on terra firma. Further big thanks go to those who supported us this year: Roger Mandale, Mick Callaghan, Angie Brown, etc. and as always, Hugh and Margaret. Congratulations to the Under 15s Dorset Champions of the Bucks festival (with Beth Morgan pictured) 17

18 Dorset Under 17 Girls The first game of the season was away at Berkshire. We reduced Berkshire to 110 for 8 before they recovered to 162, due to an unbroken 50 run partnership. Zara Brown finished with 3 for 19 and Issy Ford In reply, Dorset put on 44 for the first wicket, but the falling of regular wickets meant Elle Pearce was left marshalling the tail, and despite her 26 not out, we fell 8 runs short. Then saw a return fixture against Berkshire. Batting first again, Berkshire were bowled out for 137, Olivia Jones taking 3 wickets. In reply Liv also led the batting, but had to retire on 26. Matillda Callaghan then took over with an excellent 31 not out, helped by Esme Cull who scored the winning run to secure Dorset s first win of the season. Next, to South Wilts and a high scoring encounter in which Dorset batted first and posted 215 for 6, Elle Pearce scoring 77no, with useful contributions from Katharine Oliver (36) and Jemma Sullivan (26). In reply, Dorset started well with early wickets, but the middle overs were firmly won by Wiltshire as they got back on the rate required. Then runs dried up, allowing Dorset to win by 20 runs. Later the same week, Dorset did the double over Wiltshire in another high scoring game, this time posting 253 for 6, with Elle Pearce scoring 116 not out. In reply again Wiltshire put on a spirited show, with Gemma scoring the second hundred of the game. In the end Dorset won by 69 runs. Two games against Gloucestershire finished the season but Dorset suffered defeat on both occasions. The first was an excellent game, with Dorset putting up a real fight; the second, despite a good fielding and bowling display, was let down by our only batting collapse of the season. The two matches of the T20 comp were held at South Wilts; a loss to Berkshire with Dorset unable to chase a stiff target, after encountering the big hitting Sherisa Gumbs with 86no. Despite 41 not out from Katharine Oliver, Dorset were always going to struggle and fell 27 runs short. A much happier game followed as Dorset did the triple over Wiltshire by beating them in the 20/20 comp as well. 18

19 A big thank you must go Jemma, Kevin and Jill for the work they put in, Hugh and Margaret for support and scoring, and Angie for scoring as well. Well Done to all the players and good luck in the seasons ahead. This has been an excellent and memorable one for all involved. Dorset Women s XI Back to Directory Our Senior County team had a mixed season. Overall, we bowled well, giving away fewer extras than all our opponents, and our fielding was maintained at our usual high standard. However, our batting remained fragile, and we failed to score sufficient runs to give the bowlers a chance. Nevertheless, it is good to report that, by the end of the season, we had real selection issues, with a larger pool of players fighting for selection. Into this mix we added three new U15 players who justified their places in the team. Our first match was against Buckinghamshire. Bucks won the toss and chose to bat on what turned out to be a tricky wicket. Apart from S. Benson, who made 73, the remainder of the Bucks team found it difficult to score. Bucks finished on 168 for 8, with Laura Thomas, Emily Broad and Tilly Callaghan picking up a couple of wickets each - well supported by Amber Corbett bowling 10 overs straight through, taking 1 for 26. Normally, we would have felt that a total of 169 was an achievable target, but lack of match practice meant we lost our way. The Bucks bowling on the whole was less accurate than ours, but not picking the right ball to hit was the main reason for most of the downfalls. Charlotte Mandale and Laura Thomas opened the innings in confident style. However, after they were out, only Courtney Lowman found the batting easy and, with wickets falling at the other end, we were bowled out for 79 runs. In June, we travelled to St Austell for our match against Cornwall. The weather had been very wet, and, unfortunately for us, Cornwall won the toss and asked us to bat first. With a damp outfield, we found scoring runs hard and boundaries were almost non-existent. We made a good steady start, but every time the batters tried to force the pace, we lost wickets. Laura Thomas, Emily Broad and Sarah John all got into double figures, but were unable to capitalise further and we were eventually bowled out for 94 in the 39th over. Cornwall had the advantage of batting second on a slowly drying outfield and just needed to score at 2 runs per over. Dorset put up a determined defence initially, restricting Cornwall to 1 run per over, but their steady and careful approach meant they always had the upper hand and won in the 39th over, for the loss of only 2 wickets. Tilly Callaghan bowled 5 overs for 5 runs and Anna John 10 overs for 14 runs. July saw us playing Shropshire. Jemma Sullivan won the toss and elected to bat, but we just didn t put enough runs on the board. We lost our first wicket in the first over and others followed steadily. Jess Alfert played well, looking confident and determined to stay at the crease, remaining not out at the end. Jess was backed up most notably by Courtney Lowman and Beth Rickman. Although we had gone into the match with 4 spinners and 3 seam bowlers, the lack of runs and skied balls falling clear of fielders meant Shropshire ran out winners by 7 wickets. Another month, another match! This time we played Wiltshire in August, and although they won by 7 wickets, it was a really good game of cricket and the Dorset team can be proud of the hard work they put in. We scored more runs in this match - but we were probably still 30 short of a 19

20 reasonable total. There were several cameo performances with Danni Rigby, Laura Thomas, Elle Pearce and Tilly Callaghan all getting into double figures. Pick of the bowlers was Livvy Jones, who took 2 wickets in successive balls, including the ex-england player. ECB T20 In July, we took part in the ECB T20 competition at Dauntsey s School, Wiltshire. Our opposition this year comprised Bucks, Devon and Wilts. The format, as in previous years, was a two day competition, with 3 matches against different opponents and a finals play-off. We had a good tournament, although Devon, demoted the previous year beat everyone, and, in this respect, it was a bit of a lopsided competition. In the first match, we came up against Devon who proved impossible to contain. We played well, but were never in the same class. Our second match was against local rivals Wiltshire. We batted first and scored 123 for 2 in our 20 overs, with both Danni Rigby and Laura Thomas scoring 50s. Tight bowling and fielding resulted in us restricting Wilts to 109 in their 20 overs, a very satisfactory victory. We played Buckinghamshire the following morning, and, although we bowled and fielded well, we couldn t score fast enough to get to their total of 128 runs. Jemma Sullivan had a good match taking 2 wickets plus two catches; Livvy Jones took a wicket and a catch. The main final that afternoon was between Bucks and Devon, the latter winning easily. The plate final was between Dorset and Wilts. Wilts had their ex-england player, J Godman who scored 89 out of a total of 140, before Livvy bowled her. Tilly took the only other wicket to fall. The Wiltshire team s fielding was much tighter in this match and we were restricted to 117 runs in our 20 overs. Katie Oliver was top scorer for Dorset, with both Sarah John and Courtney Lowman also getting into double figures. The lack of county matches and their spread throughout the season continues to hamper the teams in the South and West Division. In the 4 matches over the course of the season, 21 individuals played for Dorset, when ideally we would have liked a squad of about 15. This makes it difficult to manage and to give the players the opportunities they need to develop their skills fully. We continue to press the ECB to increase the number of matches. Several younger players made their mark; Katie Oliver and Charlotte Mandale as opening bats; Elle Pearce as a mid-order batsman and bowler and Beth Rickman as a spin bowler. We wish them well for the future. Initiatives have been put in place to provide additional specialist coaching this winter and the Broadstone and Parley clubs have entered teams in the Hampshire Women s Indoor competition. Laura Thomas, Ray Gunn, John Maynard and Dave Cooper 20

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23 Dorset Under 10 Report Back to Directory Having completed a successful winter training programme for eighteen players, our Coach Steve Bishop committed to select every player for a minimum of four County games rather than cutting the squad, as is more usual. The rationale behind doing such a thing with the age-group was to introduce boys to the vagaries of representative cricket. The entire squad would be introduced to 40 over cricket, played exclusively on grass which would clearly demonstrate what was required at this level. It is something quite different from the pairs cricket that the boys play for their clubs. I must say that, without exception, every player showed great maturity and commitment from ones so young and they applied themselves with great fortitude. They were a credit to themselves, their clubs and their families, producing some excellent cricket at times through the season, but never getting too carried away by the result, content in the knowledge that they improved every time they took to the field. As someone once said, "It's not a case of winning and losing, it's a case of winning and learning". Frustratingly for everyone we never really managed to put together a complete performance, either being devastating with the ball and then not controlling the situation with the bat or vice versa, but we were always competitive in the field (continually being asked to field first on the hottest days) and the boys never allowed their heads to drop when things looked bleak. They believed in playing hard but fair, being encouraging to their teammates and sportsmanlike to the opposition without the obligatory "banter" in the field which seems to be encouraged by other counties and yet seems so ridiculous when uttered by boys so young. The first game of the season saw us travel to Exeter School to play a strong Devon side, whose top order looked to be the best we would come across all summer. Our hosts chased down 134 to win easily, but the day produced our highest individual score of the season when Tom Prest scored freely all around the wicket for 72 not out. Our first home game saw us entertain Wiltshire at Clayesmore where Charlie Hartwell's 3-5 in 3 overs destroyed their top order and Jamie Stewart s 3-6 ensured their tail was blown away to ensure a healthy victory by 56 runs. The spinners of Berkshire proved too strong for us as we were outclassed at Wimborne, but having contained Buckinghamshire to 119 runs the following week in 23

24 blistering heat, mainly through our own "Master of the Dark Art" Toby Berry 3-13, our middle order failed to capitalise and we managed to lose by 35 runs. A midweek game during school time had everyone very excited about our long trip to Gloucestershire, but with rain about all day, we again failed to build on an excellent start by Theo Dowler and Tom Prest, which saw us go from 66 without loss to 114 all out. Our visit to Bryanston to play local rivals Hampshire will always be remembered for our ability to seemingly be in control of the match for almost the entire game, but then, with 8 overs to go we seemed to have no chance. Toby Berry was at it again with his off-spin (4-39), ensuring that Hampshire only scored 163 runs on a belter of a track. With Tom Prest scoring yet another 30 odd runs at the top of the order, things seemed well under control, but the middle overs saw the pressure build as we failed to rotate the strike. Cometh the hour etc. and Miles Quick and Ty Stroud arrived at the crease with the freedom to play the way they both excel at. Ty's 17 runs from 10 balls and Miles' 15 runs at a run-a-ball had got Dorset home with two overs to spare with a look as if to say that the result was never in doubt! Another midweek game at Millfield against Somerset saw us post 151-4, due mainly to Ronan Graven's 40 runs and Freddie Pryce's 34 no, but with our bowlers all struggling with the slope, Somerset knocked off the runs comfortably, despite Tom Prest's Our performance against the Under 11Bs was disappointing because we bowled poorly as a unit with the exception of Finlay William s 3-26 and Ty Stroud s Only Olly Pickard looked comfortable with the bat, scoring 46 runs, as we were soundly beaten. Having bowled and fielded very well as a unit to knock over Oxfordshire for 89 runs, with Freddie Pryce 4-7 runs. Then we froze like scared rabbits. Despite Toby Berry battling throughout the innings for 25, we were bowled out for 85. Hard for everyone to take! Our International match took us over the border to Wales, where Toby Berry's fine 55 and Miles Quick's 4-32 runs, were mainly responsible for our 17 run victory. Our final game of the season saw us travel to Sussex in torrential rain and despite another 38 runs from Tom Prest, we were beaten with a couple of overs to go. Our visit to Malvern College Festival at the end of the season was an unmitigated success. The boys were terrific company, listened intently in the training sessions and looked after each other as only true teammates can. The boys knew each morning if they were playing as a top order batsman or as a frontline bowler. The idea was to see how the bowlers would cope with 5 over spells, a first time experience for some, and how they might adjust should they be required to return for a second spell. We were caught cold against Tower Hamlets, but then beat them comprehensively in the 20/20 we had after tea. We lost to Staffordshire in a very tight game, Toby Berry taking 4-30 runs. Then we batted poorly against IOW, with the exception of Ronan Graven's 69 run innings. However after a "last hurrah" speech, the opening 10 overs of hostility from Jamie Stewart with 5-10 runs and Robbie Lingafelter with 2-7 runs, left the opposition reeling at 21 for 7,before we finished them off for just 43. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with our Coach Steve Bishop this season. His ability to make a quick decision, whilst not shirking from the difficult ones, has made my job pretty simple. His experience to say the right thing at the right time to these young cricketers should not be underestimated and we wish him the very best of luck with his new intake of Under 10s in A huge thank you to Jim Graven who scored every match this season and to the boys parents for driving them to all corners of the South of England. Finally, a special thank you to Freddie Pryce, who has developed terrifically as our Captain this season, through leading by example and showing an unselfish modesty when giving his players their chance. He is certainly developing into the sort of person that men follow "over the top". One final 24

25 thanks to the staff at the Dorset Cricket Board for their unfailing support when required and for their advice and guidance when planning sessions and fixtures. Dorset Under 11 Report For me, the summer was a great experience after being given the opportunity to manage a great group of players who, without exception, were a credit to themselves, their parents and the County itself. Throughout the summer the boys showed maturity and discipline beyond their years and produced some great cricket along the way. The Highlights As for the games themselves, there was a real mixed bag of results, but a clear improvement over the year. A tough start against a very strong Somerset side saw the hosts scoring 234 for 1. The bowling was just as impressive and the boys managed 92 in reply. Jacob Browning s disciplined batting saw him score 27 not out from 30 overs. Next up was a trip to Wiltshire, which saw two players hit 50s (Orlando with 59 and Jacob Gordon 51 no) and Will Fletcher s change to spin bowling bringing figures of 3 for 13 in a relatively comfortable victory. The first home game of the season was at Dean Park against Bucks. The visitors were all out for 133 off 30 overs. Will Fletcher was again the pick of the bowling, with figures of He was ably supported by Harrison Neary ( , one catch and one run out) and by two catches and a run out for Zach Lillis. The total was chased down in 30 overs, with Will Fletcher capping a fine day by hitting 58 and Tao White 34. A tough away game at Berkshire followed, with the hosts scoring 174 for 7. Harrison Neary ( ) and Thomas Saunders ( ) were among the wickets and there was a fantastic direct hit run out from near the boundary by Gabriel Winsor. Dorset never really got going with the bat and reached 71 for 8 from 25 overs, Jacob Berry contributing 20. Thomas Saunders defiantly dug in at number 9 and hit 56 in a 65 run partnership with Harrison for the 9 th wicket, as the team reached 147. Then the last wicket fell on the final ball. Devon were next, at Canford, Dorset managed 177 for 8 from their 40 overs with Jacob Gordon showing immense discipline and composure to score 87 not out in an innings lasting 36 overs, He was ably supported by Matt Longley (26) in a 75 run partnership for the 3 rd wicket. Taking wickets proved to be a difficult task, with Jacob Browning taking the only scalp of the day, ending with figures of Gwent were next, at Redlands, and that saw a great fielding performance, with the visitors restricted to just 108 all out. The highlight was Jacob Browning s 5 wickets ( ). However, there were also great catches from Matt Longley and Jacob Gordon and two wickets apiece for Harrison ( ) and Tao ( ), as well as very economic bowling from Orlando ( ). The target was chased down in 31 overs, Thomas Saunders top scoring with 39. A return to Redland s against Gloucs saw the boys bowled out for 117 from 40 overs, Orlando Bailey 39, Will Fletcher 28 and Gabriel Winsor 17no. In reply, the visitors took 39 overs to score the winning runs after a really gritty performance in the field which, despite the defeat, was probably the best of the season. Jacob Berry ( ), Orland Bailey ( ) bowled really well and there was a debut wicket for James Mitchell ( ). There were supported by great catches from Will Marsh and Charlie Berridge, and so everything combined to ensure the visitors worked really hard for the result. 25

26 Oxfordshire away saw the boys lose the toss and field first. The pick of the bowlers were Orlando ( ), Thomas Hayward-Cox ( ) and Gabriel Winsor ( ). In reply the batsmen saw out the 40 overs, but fell 38 runs short of victory. The final game was against Hampshire at Dean Park. The team never really got into their stride in the face of some excellent bowling, scoring 136 from 39 overs, with Will F again top scoring with 49, and Tao White managing 25. The visitors secured victory in the 37 th over, with the loss of 4 wickets. Economical bowling from Will Marsh ( ), James Mitchell ( ), Harrison Neary ( ) and Tao White ( ) aided by great catches from Charlie and Orlando, made Hampshire really have to earn their victory. Thanks I would like to send personal thanks to Dean for allowing me to finish the season. I learnt a lot with regards to the development of youth cricketers. Further thanks are due to all those who have helped with scoring duties and teas throughout the summer and the parents who have all supported Dean and myself, making my role very easy. As parents, we all provide the support that the boys need away from the game; the highs and lows following games; the pre match nerves and the frustration with what can, at times, be a very cruel game. This support is invaluable to the development and enjoyment that the boys get from the game. Their on pitch successes are a real reflection of the support you provide. Thank you! Finally, a few words from our Coach I would like to give thanks to a number of different people. Firstly I would like to thank my players. Their efforts in training and behaviour during matches has been outstanding and that has certainly made my job a lot easier. I would also like to thank the parents for their cooperation over the season. I believe strongly that in youth cricket it s more important that the players improve every game, rather than win every game; and the parents seemed to have welcomed that philosophy. I would also like to thank our manager, Patrick. His efforts and brilliant organisational skills have been of massive help to me, and also to the parents. Any questions, any issues, he s the man who has taken care of them, which has allowed me to just focus on the coaching side of things. Not only has been a great manager, he s also been a good guy to chat to and have discussions with. It s been an honour to see each of these boys develop and improve over the season, and I hope they ve enjoyed being coached by me, as much as I ve enjoyed coaching them. I have a feeling that this next season is going to be an exciting one, with new challenges and lessons to come, and I m looking forward to getting started! 26

27 Dorset Under 12 Report The season started with the management team very unsure of what the best batting order was, or who should open the bowling. There were plenty of candidates, but nobody jumped out above the others. Looking at last season s scorebook, these were consistently problem areas for the team. A warm up game against the U13 B team showed up some problems that were to haunt us in our early games. Despite a good 50 from Sam Taylor, we only scored 161-6, with the middle order unable to push the score along when we had wickets in hand. Our bowling produced too many wides and didn t look like taking wickets until Daley Holmes, took four late wickets with his off spin - but the game was already lost. Our first County fixture took us to Buckinghamshire, where we bowled the home side out for 176 (with the help of 23 wides). Conor Waring was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-9. Most of our batsmen got starts, with Nick Broad, Anthony Graham and George Baugniet all scoring 20, but unfortunately, three run outs halted our progress and we fell short in a game we should have won. A trip to Cornwall saw us bowled out for just 117, and only Nick Broad batted with any authority, in scoring 35. Our batting was looking very poor and we were heading for a very long season. Wides and generally poor bowling let Cornwall race home by nine wickets. Comprehensive defeats by Hampshire and Somerset followed, leaving the manager and coach wondering if we were ever going to win a game. Changes to the bowling and to the batting order were needed for our next game. Anthony Graham, with 4-12 and Conor Waring, with 2-10 led the way as we bowled out Devon for 76 at Redlands. We still managed to lose 8 wickets in reaching our target, but a partnership of 33 for the seventh wicket between George Baugniet (21) and Daley Holmes was crucial after the top six had gone for 38. For the first time this season we could enjoy our trip home! An opening partnership of 70 in eight overs by our new combination of Anthony Graham (38) and Harrison Bowles (22) gave us the platform for a big score against Wiltshire, but despite Scott Currie scoring 58, we simply scored too slowly. Much to the management team s annoyance we only managed The slow scoring proved costly as we lost in the last over. This game was to prove to be the last of the regular season for Harrison because he broke his toe while batting. Anthony Graham (36) and Scott Currie (40) provided us with our best batting of the season at the top of the order against Berkshire. Nick Broad (25) continued that positive approach with the 27

28 support of the lower middle order and we were able to post a challenging total against a good bowling attack. A fired up Scott Currie took 4 wickets and Sam Beer, 2, as we looked to be heading for victory, but somehow Berkshire scraped home off the last ball with one wicket to spare. Although we lost this game, we could at last see progress from individuals and the team as a whole. Sam Beer, given the chance at number 3 against Gwent scored a good 32, until he was run out while backing up, when the ball was deflected onto the stumps. Sam s innings followed another good start by Anthony Graham and Scott Currie at the top of the order. Ethan Dowler, with 27no, scored quick runs down the order, with good support from Sam Taylor, to give us a decent score on a difficult wicket. Gwent were never in the hunt and Sam Beer completed a good day for himself with 2-4 off seven overs. We won by 90 runs. We lost our final regular season game against Oxfordshire after our keeper Matt Fisher dislocated his finger in the warm up. George Baugniet took the gloves. Scott Currie, with 4-25, helped keep the total to 169, but slow batting again cost us a game we could have won. Despite the overall results, we had shown a great improvement in the last five games and, with the confidence of several individuals growing, we went to the Bromsgrove festival in a good frame of mind. The Festival provided us with four victories against teams which were mostly older and much bigger than our boys! Ben Insall, given a bowl for the first time, took 9 wickets, scored runs and took several catches, enjoying his best time of the summer. He was rewarded with our Bowler of the Festival Trophy in a close run thing with Sam Beer, who also bowled superbly each time he was called upon. Harrison Bowles took the batting honours, which included a hard hitting 76no against Herefordshire. Om Ramchandani took the fielding award, due to, amongst other feats, a great catch in the first game. Our last game provided one of the highlights of the season as Scott Currie scored an undefeated 120 to register his first century for the county. George Baugniet was our overall player of the Festival for his all-round effort for the team, not only scoring runs, including his first county fifty, but also keeping wicket due to Matt s injury. We ended the season with six wins from 13 matches. Although we lost our first four while we were still finding our feet and two of our defeats were in the last over. Scott Currie was once again the leading run scorer, took the most wickets and held the most catches. Anthony Graham, Harrison Bowles, Nick Broad, George Baugniet and Sam Beer all look capable of scoring 50s next summer, while on the bowling front Conor Waring, Sam Beer and Daley Holmes should expect to improve on their excellent figures from this season. Daley also captained the side very well at the Festival. Matt Fisher kept wicket very well until his injury preventing him from playing in the Festival. Jamie Guinness, even though he had no luck with taking wickets, proved our most economical bowler. Ben Insall, Sam Taylor, Ethan Dowler, Om Ramchandani and Louis Bragginton all showed glimpses of what they can do, and if they keep up their work ethic during the winter. They will hopefully play a major role next summer. By the end of the season we had shown a great improvement, both as a team and as individuals and we look forward to building on this over the winter and into next summer. To finish, I need to thank a few people who helped make my summer easier. Firstly, to Andrew Broad for scoring throughout the summer: we all know how much it helps to have a regular scorer. I would also like to thank all the mums who put on great teas for our home games. Last but not least, I have to thank Sean for all his efforts, from doing 1:1s during the winter, to improving the knowledge and ability of the squad through his group coaching sessions and match day tactics. Ken House (Under 12 Manager) 28

29 Dorset Under 13 Report The picturesque East and West CC deep in the Oxfordshire countryside was the venue for the U13s first full county fixture of the season. Dorset, batting first, made a positive start with Harry Nash and Tom Pope, looking confident against the opening bowlers, easing to 30 before Tom was caught on 12. But it wasn t until Oxfordshire fast bowler R. Hipwell started his spell that it became clear Dorset were in for a rough couple of hours. Several overs of aggressive and unpredictable bowling made scoring difficult but skilful resistance from Tom Barber (13) and Issac Beaglehole (22), followed by positive batting from Tom Patmore (29) and James Wakefield, managed to get the score to a respectable 164. After tea, Dorset then produced one of their finest bowling and fielding performances of the season, building pressure on the Oxfordshire batsmen from the start. Wickets fell at regular intervals with Nash, Barber, Patmore and Wakefield all bowling with great control. Dorset s victory was secured when Dan Stevens, in his first county game, made it just about impossible to score, giving only 7 runs away in his late five over spell and taking a well-deserved wicket. A great team performance and very encouraging start. After another long trip to Bucks, it was a confident Dorset side which batted first in the second game of the season. It was a very much less confident side that sat in the changing rooms at the interval after being bowled out for 97, in what appeared to be, perfect batting conditions! Only skipper Alex Sands (23) and Tom Barber (21) really troubled the scorers. Despite economical bowling from our opening attack Bucks seemed to be cruising to an easy victory until spinners Max Mourgue and Jack Taylor took complete control of the game. A crazy 9 over spell took the score from 51/2 to 56/8 and it looked like Dorset were going to pull off a sensational victory (Mourge 5/19 & Taylor 2/7). Sadly it was not to be as Bucks struggled home and reached the target with one wicket left and 5 balls to spare. It was another great performance in the field, but erratic batting and poor decision making eventually cost Dorset what should have been a comfortable win. 29

30 A surprisingly calm and bright Redlands in Weymouth was the setting for our next match against Gloucestershire. Once again Dorset lost the toss, but to everyone s amazement the visitors elected to bat first on a very soggy pitch. As expected, it proved a very difficult surface to bat on and Gloucestershire struggled from the start, with economical bowling from Sands, Barber, Taylor and Patmore. A good middle order partnership got them up to 120, but Dorset were confident at the break. With typical Redlands weather returning after the break it, soon became clear that 120 was going to be more challenging than at first thought. As the crowd retreated to their cars for warmth, Dorset slumped to 65/7 and victory looked unlikely. However, a convenient drink break allowed Issac Beaglehole and Max Mourgue time to settle down and regroup. At the same time the opposition clearly thought they had already won and made some crazy bowling changes, allowing Dorset back into the match. A fine partnership between Beaglehole (29) and Mourgue eventually secured a comfortable win for Dorset. With the weather still on our side, Dorset then went on to secure a very easy victory over the Isle of Wight at Bryanston School. Notable bowling performances came from Matt Dare (3/12), ably supported by Nash, Barber, Sands, Andrews and Patmore. Once again Issac Beaglehole led the way with the batting, scoring an unbeaten 36. A much anticipated game against Devon unfortunately became our one and only weather casualty of the season. Nevertheless, we went into our next fixture against Cornwall at Clayesmore School with great confidence. However, this proved to be start of a significant mid-season dip with Dorset, well beaten by an average Cornwall side. The trend continued against Berkshire despite an excellent opening partnership from Jack Taylor and Max Trueman and a very resilient 38 from Harry Nash. Although Dorset came close to defending 167, they were let down by some wayward bowling and dropped catches. The dip in confidence was even more evident when we travelled to Fawley CC on a blisteringly hot afternoon in early July. While the country watched Andy Murray ease to his historic Wimbledon title, Dorset suffered their most comprehensive defeat of the season to a very strong and well-disciplined Hampshire side. This was not our finest hour and raised a lot of questions about how the side was going to cope with the challenging fixtures at the forthcoming Sussex Festival. The Sussex Festival turned out to be a huge success during which the squad really started to apply their skills and pull together as a team. During the Festival the team played 5 games and claimed a very respectable third place in the tournament. The week started with a 3 run victory over Bucks, with Alex Sands (54*) and Max Netley (41) dominating the batting, and Tom Barber (4/21) exercising great control with the ball. Dorset also won their second game against Abu Dhabi with impressive bowling performances from Netley (5/15) and Barber (2/14). However, at 64/6 Dorset were on the ropes! But, greater mental strength prevented a total collapse and Sands (38*) and A, Booker (11*) took Dorset over the line without further loss. Despite valiant efforts from Booker (22), Barber (27) and Patmore (23), a score of 140 was never really going to be enough against a strong Sussex side in the third match. Although Dorset bowled well at the start, Sussex went on to win by 4 wickets. Despite the Sussex defeat, Dorset qualified for the semi-final, but faced their toughest challenge of the season when they were drawn against Lancashire. After a very good start, Dorset had kept Lancs down to 130/6, with their top order batsmen all back in the hutch. However, a brutal batting performance from the lower order left a shell shocked Dorset facing 345 to win! Brave batting performances from Sands (28), Netley (23) and James Wakefield (31) were not enough to get Dorset close and Lancs cruised to victory. The final match was against Skillz Skorpionz and the battle for third place. Fielding first, Dorset restricted the opposition to 140 all out, with a vastly improved second half bowling performance, backed up by good catching. In reply, Dorset put on their finest batting performance of the season to 30

31 secure a comfortable victory and a well deserved third place. The stand out performance came from Tom Patmore (82), who had only recently returned to the side after a serious back injury. In conclusion, this was an unpredictable season that started and finished well. There were some fine individual performances and glimpses of the huge potential this team has. The team was well led throughout by skipper Alex Sands, who coped with the pressure (apart from the toss!!) well and made superb contributions with both bat and ball. Thanks to both Alex Butler and Simon Watkins for coaching the side and we wish them well as they embark on their Australian adventures. Thanks also to all the parents for their continued support. Dorset Under 14 Report Dorset U14s enjoyed a fantastic season, winning 11 out of 12 matches completed, thrashing local rivals (and eventual league winners) Hampshire by 108 runs and securing a place in next year s highly competitive ECBU15 A-Division. Building on the core of now highly experienced County players, coach Steve Wilson brought Jem Hai back into the squad and added Tom Robinson, Toby Hett, Jake Markham and Ben Thompson. After a challenging winter training programme and an enjoyable 2 day Easter camp at Bryanston, the warmup matches began at a freezing Canford in late April. Dorset scored 181 for 4 in 30 overs (Oliver Thomas 48, Jem Hai 44, newly-appointed captain Ollie Shrubsole 34). Canford U15s were struggling a little at 105 for 6 in reply (Ross Tooley 2 for 6), when a heavy hailstorm forced an early end after 22 overs. The weather proved fractionally kinder against Gwent, Redlands being the only spot in Dorset that day to avoid driving rain. Dorset made the most of some generous bowling to rack up 297ao from 39.4 overs (Greg Willows a flamboyant 121, Oliver Thomas 48). Gwent managed to bat out their 40 overs, but could reach only 128 for 9 (Kieran Whittle 3 for 30, Frank Turrill 2 for 11). 31

32 A closer friendly came against Wiltshire on a picture-perfect day at Canford. Dorset lost early wickets and needed stout work from the middle and lower order to reach 194 for 9 from 45 overs (Oliver Thomas 33, Tom Robinson 30). Wiltshire started well, reaching 84 without loss before Frank Turrill found a way through. They seemed on track until 4 wickets fell in 4 overs (Ollie Shrubsole 2 for 18, Conrad Fish 2 for 32). Wiltshire finished 164 for 7. The first of the eight ECB U14 South & West league fixtures involved a trip to Wargrave to play Berkshire and proved the only disappointing day of the season. Ross Tooley (2 for 26) bagged the talented Scriven on 42 and saw the equally dangerous Woods put down on 24. Woods went on to post 68 of Berkshire s total of 206ao (Owen Morris 2 for 36, Toby Hett 2 for 50). Despite missing Greg Willows through injury, Dorset put up a spirited reply with Owen Morris (34) and Ollie Shrubsole (an excellent 55) both batting well. Jem Hai looked to be pushing Dorset towards potential victory with a blistering 45, before a dubious LBW decision triggered a late collapse. Dorset finished 183ao, losing by 23 runs. The second ECB match was against Cornwall at a chilly Bryanston. Dorset posted 172ao from exactly 45 overs, Jem Hai top-scoring with 49, plus contributions from the whole order. Cornwall struggled in reply, especially once their capable opener was spectacularly run-out by a throw the length of the wicket from still-gloved wicketkeeper Oliver Thomas. Cornwall finished 95ao in the 34th over (Jake Markham 2 for 5, Owen Morris 2 for 18, Conrad Fish 2 for 23). The third ECB match was the highlight of the season, as Dorset comprehensively beat Hampshire at Burridge CC on another perfect cricket day. Dorset lost 3 early wickets, but a brilliant century partnership from Greg Willows (a magnificent 115) and Ollie Shrubsole (56) firmly wrested back the initiative. Jem Hai took the game further away from Hampshire in the closing overs with a quick-fire 38. Dorset set a daunting target of 265 for 6. An immaculate opening spell from Bradley Currie and Ross Tooley limited Hampshire to just 35 runs in 13 overs, by which point the required rate was above 7 and rising. Pressure told and wickets fell steadily, not least to an inspired spell from Frank Turrill (4 for 19), as Hampshire struggled to 157ao in the 37 th over. Dorset next hosted Devon on a sweltering day at Sherborne. It was a close-fought match that Dorset won by 2 wickets. Devon s big-hitting Sargent holed-out off Ross Tooley on 61, after which Morris (3 for 18) ran through their middle order in quick succession, limiting Devon to 200 for 7. An excellent run chase followed, anchored by 73 from Greg Willows and a series of useful contributions right down the order. Dorset overhauled the target with 13 balls remaining. Taking advantage of a gap in the ECB fixtures, Dorset travelled north to the U14 Festival at Bromsgrove School and enjoyed 3 good wins in succession. Playing Suffolk on Day 1, Dorset posted 189 for 9 in 40 overs (Ollie Shrubsole 54, Frank Turrill 38) before bowling Suffolk all out with the final ball for 150 (Frank Turrill 2 for 22, Toby Hett 2 for 24). Day 2 saw Dorset playing Norfolk on a postage-stamp of a pitch: Norfolk reached 229ao in 38 overs (Ross Tooley 3 for 31, Owen Morris 2 for 37, Bradley Currie 2 for 43), but this looked light on so tiny a ground. Greg Willows (57), Jem Hai (37), Harrison Clarke (26) and Frank Turrill (59, including 4 consecutive 6s) made rapid work of reaching 230 for 5 in less than 30 overs. The final day matched Dorset with Oxfordshire, also with 2 wins under their belts. Oxon started brightly, but were taken apart by a fine spell from Ross Tooley (3 for 12), before limping to 129 for 9 from 40 overs. Another spectacular innings from Greg Willows (71no, winning the match with a monster 6) saw Dorset reaching 132 for 4 in just 27 overs. The ECB competition resumed in earnest against Wales at Bryanston. Wales set a target of 144 for 7 in their 45 overs (Bradley Currie 2 for 20, Ross Tooley 2 for 25). In reply, Dorset lost an early wicket and were briefly interrupted by rain, but a wonderful innings of 95no from Owen Morris (concluding 32

33 with a straight 6) won the match more or less single-handed. Dorset finished 149 for 3 in just 35 overs. The 6 th ECB match was against Gloucestershire at Dean Park. Gloucs batted well against some excellent Dorset bowling to reach 153 for 5 (Ross Tooley 2 for 24). Dorset made hard work of the reply, losing wickets at regular intervals before a nerveless innings of 37no from Conrad Fish, batting at No.8, forced Dorset over the line with just 1 wicket remaining. Dorset finished on 156 for 9 (Frank Turrill 41). This victory guaranteed the team a place in next season s U15 A-Division (for the top 5 counties in the South & West Region), with 2 fixtures still to play. At this point, Dorset were contenders for the ECB U14 South & West title, but sadly both remaining fixtures (against Somerset and Wilts) were rained off. Dorset therefore finished the season in 3 rd place behind Hants and Berks. An enjoyable friendly match at Swanage CC against a touring Cleveland Schools side rounded off the season and provided a chance to reverse the usual order. Ross Tooley top-scored with 38, as Dorset posted 231 for 9 in 45 overs (Harrison Clarke 31). Then Oliver Thomas, released from keeping duties, took 3 for 21 as a bowler. Cleveland reached 146ao (Tom Robinson 2 for 6). Leading run-scorers for Dorset U14s over the season were Greg Willows (478 runs at average 47.8), Ollie Shrubsole (335 at 30.5), Jem Hai (273 at 27.3), Owen Morris (249 at 31.1) and Frank Turrill (239 at 30). Leading bowlers were Ross Tooley (18 wickets at average 13.8), Frank Turrill (12 at 16.9), Owen Morris (11 at 21.4), Bradley Currie (9 at 25) and Toby Hett (9 at 27.1). Oliver Thomas enjoyed another fine season behind the stumps with 21 dismissals (10 catches, 7 stumpings, 4 run-outs). Dorset County U15 Back to Directory Dorset U15s season should have consisted of 15 fixtures, including the ECB cup competition. With the 2013 summer season substantially better than 2012, it was disappointing to play only eight games, losing 50% of the ECB games to weather. So, third place in the ECB competition was disappointing, from a group of 5, having only lost one game out of 4. Having trained well during the winter under Matt and Rob, and the lads were ready for games by early April. Three friendly fixtures were arranged against East Dorset (rained off), Canford School B team and Clayesmore, for whom three of our team played against us. Dominic Clutterbuck stole the show at the Delph, scoring his maiden century and the first by his team since they were aged 10. Not content with a hundred, he took a 5 wicket haul to help the U15s win their first fixture of the season. The game at Clayesmore followed, where Dom, Jamie and Will all represented the school. Batting first, Clayesmore struggled against the Dorset bowling. Only Dominic resisted the Dorset attack with a well-made 37. By the end of the innings, Clayesmore had been dismissed for 90, with Gareth Davies taking 5 for 12 in 5 overs. Dorset ran out easy winners, courtesy of Dan Morris and George Wilson contributing to Dorset s reply, with 26 and 22 respectively. Our next game pitched us against county opposition in the shape of Oxfordshire at Dean Park. We batted poorly and other than George Wilson with a solid 47, we only scored 161 in a rain affected fixture. Yet again, as in the previous year s fixture, Dorset were hugely disadvantaged by bowling with a wet ball in very damp conditions. An easy win for Oxfordshire was unavoidable and disappointing. 33

34 Our first game in the ECB competition pitched us against favourites Gloucestershire at Redlands. A ball was not bowled in anger, and we shared 1 point for an abandoned game! Our second ECB game was against the IoW at Sherborne School. Dorset won the toss and openers Will Caldwell and Dominic Clutterbuck put on 244 for the first wicket in 38 overs. Dominic falling first for 71. Nothing was going to stop Will Caldwell as he hit his first County 100, destroying the bowling over after over. Will was second out for a fine 153 in the 40 th over. With the score at 264, it was left to Jamie Price to run the IoW ragged, with a quick fire 76 in only 35 balls. At 50 overs Dorset were 380 for 4.The IoW started brightly, but once opener Davies had been stumped for 26 off Rob Pack, the rest of their batting collapsed to 81, with Jack Owens and Dan Avery taking 3 wickets a piece. The following Sunday we travelled to Abercarn CC in Gwent. On a sunny afternoon, we bowled well to restrict Gwent to 120 all out in 48 overs. Toby Mallinson bowled with pace and accuracy, knocking over the Gwent top 4 for 20. Dominic cleared up with 3 for 18 in 10 overs. On a good wicket Dorset made the score in 27 overs, with Will Caldwell scoring 67 not out. Our next game saw us back in the ECB Cup playing Wiltshire away at Purton. The game started with Dominic and Will taking the score to 41 in 11 overs before it rained. The game was abandoned when we were in a good position to score in excess of 200 on a good wicket. Following a week off, we then played at Cornwall at Redlands, where the weather was threatening to interfere. We won the toss and struggled against the Cornish opening bowlers and at 63 for 5 we were struggling. Thankfully, Will Hendy was playing a sensible innings, and batting overs whilst sharing partnerships with Dan Morris, Charlie Gynes, and Jack Owens. Will was unfortunately run out for a handy 45. Jack Owens took up the reins with the lower order and by the last ball Dorset had batted their overs, and Jack smashed a 6 to bring up his half century. So, a score of 191 was a good effort. The Dorset bowlers then destroyed Cornwall s batting, with Rob Pack taking 4-20 in 10 accurate overs. Cornwall never looked like getting 191 and were all out in 39 overs for 103. So, this was our second win and it was still in June. Our biggest challenge was next, with an away game against Gloucestershire at Clifton College. We bowled well, but could not get all the Gloucestershire wickets, and 90 runs came from the last 4 batsman in 16 overs. George Wilson had put us in a good position in his first spell, but we could not close out the innings. 191 on a good wicket with an immaculate outfield was not out of our range. Unfortunately, we lost wickets regularly and only Will Caldwell remained by the 28 th over. At 57 for 6 it looked lost, but a quick fire partnership with Jack Owens gave us a slight chance. With 15 overs to go, on the loss of Jack s wicket, we needed 90. With tail wagging support from Rob and Ross Tooley, we had an outside chance. When Will was finally out for a fine 92 in the 45 th over, the game was eventually lost and Dorset finished all out for 166.Interestingly, we bowled 12 more wides than Gloucestershire in a game which Dorset lost by 25 runs. That was a telling statistic. So, it was a loss, and not what was required, but we were later encouraged to hear Gloucestershire had lost to Wiltshire. Our next fixture saw us start the day at 7am to be back to the Leaze by 7pm. In between we travelled to the IoW, played our fixture and the game was over in 25 overs. On a roasting Sunday we travelled to Newcross and the IoW won the toss. Having been hit for 380 previously, they were not going to let us have another go. With the temperature in the 30 s, we bowled on a perceived flat one. After a few overs, the Dorset openers decided to bounce out our opposition. This they duly did with George Wilson getting 3 wickets for 24. After the first 4 were back in the pavilion, Toby Mallinson came to the party, taking 4 for 14 in 4 overs and their innings was over. With our opposition scoring 66 in 16 overs, it was left to Will Caldwell and Jamie Price to smash 69 in fewer 34

35 than 8 overs. So, it was another resounding win. By this point we had won 3 lost 1, and there were 2 games to go in the ECB competition. The IoW fixture was on the 14/7/2013. Sadly, it was to be our last game! The games against Wiltshire at Dean Park, and Cornwall away were both rained off. Sadly if we had played and won both, and there was no reason why we shouldn t have, we would have won the competition. Annoyingly, we were pipped to 2 nd by Wiltshire, who played one more game. There were many positives this season. A couple of 100 s and a solid bowling attack were the features of our cricket. Alex Peel remained solid behind the stumps with few byes conceded. Rob Pack was miserly in only giving up 2.6 per over, while Dominic Clutterbuck continued to take wickets regularly. Our opening attack always made in-roads and Toby Mallinson took two 4 fors with pace and accuracy as our second change quick. It was good to see a number of the boys getting the chance to play two day games, and I expect this age group will contribute heavily to the two day format next season. Can I thank Rob and Matt for their coaching and all our parents for their continued support on our travels. 35

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37 Dorset County U17s There have been several pleasing aspects to this season. Dorset finished second in its County Championship group to a very powerful and experienced Gloucestershire outfit. Standards improved in the longer game and we witnessed the wonderful achievement of two centuries from Dom Hand. The side usually has some Under 16s and it can be make or break for them. James Williams was the pick of that bunch and excelled in the 50 over game, in particular. Sadly, that format found us wanting and we lost three matches and it could have been worse (rain intervened at Bryanston). It was rare to get batters producing one substantial score, let alone the two or three that are so vital. Although some might still feel hard done by, there was a bit of a clear out in August and up and coming talent from the Under 15s was introduced. Their first taste of County Championship 2 day cricket was against the IoW at Newclose, where we won by an innings, Dom Clutterbuck taking 5 for 17 in their first dig. However, the IoW regrouped for the 50 over match and out played us. The younger ones must understand that an innings consists of more than 30 balls unnecessarily rash shots tended to abound. The last match of the season against Wales typified this wastefulness. Hampshire had taught us a an early lesson, but we did meet 14 year old, Prithvi Shaw, an Indian already lionised in his home country as the next Tendulkar. Joe Manley will be dining out on taking his wicket for years when Shaw plays for India! We were humbled by pace and spin after an opening stand between two U16s of 265. Some of our aspiring brethren got a shock in terms of standards, although there had been a warning at Canford in the Shackleton Trophy match, which was lost by 9 wickets. Several players enjoyed success with the bat. Dom Hand took 121 off Wiltshire and 110* off Cornwall in the County Championship and Under 15, Will Caldwell, scored 102 in the 2 day friendly v Oxfordshire. Ollie Calcott flickered and died prematurely too many times. We did not see true form with the bat until his 68 in the final County Championship match v Cornwall. Luke Matthews (top 37

38 score 74*) would have liked more consistency at the crease he is young and has a huge amount of talent. James Williams had a refreshing approach in treating every ball on its merits and runs could arrive very quickly. His bowling will develop, so he has the ingredients to be a very useful allrounder. James Vitali, when available, and third in line in a succession of captains, bowled his heart out, just failing to reach that magic four-for. The spinners did a great job. Offie Dom Hand was by far and away the most experienced and reaped a good harvest of 24 wickets. However, with four younger spinners in the wings, this should be a very strong department in Bowlers need fielders to help them. Catch of the season was undoubtedly that of James Adams leaping high in the gulley against Wiltshire. Matt Swindlehurst performed superbly behind the sticks. He, along with every keeper we played against, did have troublesome periods in matches as the ball eluded them due to low, irregular bounce or late movement. Standing up, Matt was the best on show. Dom Hand, our Player of the Year is allowed to be called the LV=DCB Under 17 Player of the year. We wish those who now move on the very best of luck in their cricketing careers and thank them for their fantastic contributions over two, or even three, seasons. Finally, we must thank the groundsmen at all our venues, the umpires, who are very good at this level, the caterers, the scorers, and, of course, our highly experienced coach, Matt Keech. Also we would like to thank LV= for supplying the eye catching team shirts and caps. TJH 18/9/13 Footnote to the DCB Under 17 Report Prithvi Shaw, the 14 year old who played for Hampshire against us in May, was then with the Julian Wood Academy. He returned home to Mumbai and, on November 20 th set a new world record for a school match when he scored 546 in 330 balls, for Rizvi Springfield against St Francis D Assissi in the elite division of the Harris Shield Tournament for senior schoolboys. He was also appointed captain of the Mumbai Under 16 team. He then became the youngest batsman to score a ton in the A Division of the Kanga League when playing for MIG, to complete an amazing month. On December 28 th he followed the 119 with an unbeaten 109 for MIG from 120 deliveries. You can follow his progress via Google! 38

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40 Dorset Cricket Minor Counties Back to Directory 40

41 Dorset CCC 2013 Captain s report It is with some sadness that I write my final Captain s report before handing the reins over to Chris Park for the 2014 season. Not only does it represent the end of an era for me after seven years of being skipper, but the performances of the 2013 season mean that I feel I am bowing out with the side at lower ebb than I would have liked. I do hope that as a player I can help to return the team to form in the next couple of seasons. Ironically, the only win we managed in competitive cricket was in the one-day trophy in which we thrashed the eventual victors Berkshire in the group stages when impressive batting from Jake Lintott, Aaron Williams and Maz Khan gave us a sense of hope for the season. Sadly, we were too often dismissed cheaply and lacked a penetrative edge with the ball not a great combination. There is no doubt in my mind that we suffered from not replacing key players in Darren Cowley and Glyn Treagus, and we were also without the services of players such as Chris Jones, Jack Leach and Max Waller, who have been influential in previous seasons. We do have some promising young players coming through, many of whom got some experience at first team level this year, and if they have one or two experienced professionals around them in the next couple of years, the county can still expect to compete. It is also crucial for the senior players to step up more than they did this season. It will be exciting to see how Jake, Maz, Mike Porter, Lewis McManus (who should be congratulated on being selected for England under-19) James Hayman and Ben Ladd-Gibbon go next year. As always, consistent selection will be crucial. I will not spend too much time looking in detail at the matches this year: it was a shame we didn t manage to convert good positions against Cheshire and Cornwall in the Championship, and often we were outdone by superb individual performances, such as a big partnership from Herefordshire (our nemesis Michael O Shea scoring another ton) and Danny Woods s eight-for in the final innings against Cheshire. Perhaps experience and nous were lacking at turning points. At this stage I would rather focus on what a privilege it has been for me personally to lead Dorset CCC in the last few years. I really hope that the players selected feel a similar sense of pride when they represent the county. I would also like to thank all the players and management for their support. Despite a poor season, I am happy to reflect on a Minor County career so far which has coincided with Dorset s most successful ever period a fact people ought to remember. Four Western division titles and two outright Championship successes in 15 years is a good return, plus a Lord s Final in that time. This reflects well on all those tireless volunteers on the committee who have been invaluable. In particular, I should thank Peter Moxam who retired last year, but who was manager when I started and was a stalwart, as were David Graham and Ken House. More recently, Barry Lewis, Sean Walbridge and Julian Shackleton have been inspirational both on and off the field, whilst Alan Willows has given huge energies as team coach and continues to set the highest standards of the players. Chris Drew has been great company in the scorebox and the bar, and I must not forget Brian Newbery who preceded her and whom we all miss. Similarly, I also miss Derek Bridge s sage advice. Others like Bill Kempton, Pat Gent, John Cake, Phil Drake, Alan Mills, Bob and Monica the caterers and Derek Tapper the Dean Park groundsman all have been hugely helpful and supportive of me in my time as captain. On the playing front, Parky, Aaron and Darren Cowley in 41

42 recent years have been of great support and the enjoyment both on and off the pitch has been a hallmark of playing for the Leopards. The plan is to keep playing whilst work, family and the body allow, and I hope to add to the great memories I have had and the friends I have made. Best of luck to Chris next year and here s to more success in the years to come. Tom Hicks Statistics 42

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46 Dorset Schools Cricket Association Primary Report The bookends of this Asda Kwik season were remarkable. There were early signs of changes following negotiations between the ECB and Asda. The main two were the emphasis on a special, well publicised Asda Kwik Launch Day in the counties and the removal of regional finals with direct entry for county winners into one of four National/Regional Finals (four became three as the season wore on), the prize for the champions being the opportunity to play during the lunch beak of an Ashes Test, or during the break in an ODI v Australia. On Friday, October 11 th we received the other bookend with the news from the ECB that Asda had withdrawn all sponsorship forthwith. Next year the ECB have agreed to fund the same programme. In between those bookends, it speaks volumes for Dorset that our competitions, which included an Asda Year 4 competition for the first time, were incredibly successful. Numbers were up, a testament to the good work being done in the Districts, and the exceptional efforts of Gill Jones to encourage entry, as well as sort out a programme which runs so smoothly, especially when the rain holds off. Hardly any reserve days had to be called into action. Numbers Yr3/4 26 schools bringing 44 teams; Yr 5-63; Yr 6 mixed 76; Yr 6 Girls - 32 Problems in Bournemouth need addressing. Poor Epiphany Girls had no competition and so withdrew from the County final through lack of experience. Schools which simply do not turn up is a lessening problem, but when it came to the Yr 5 County final, that un-notified absence was inexcusable. The Yr 6 finals and the Yr 3/4 competition took place at Bryanston, and the Yr 5 at Wimborne CC, where daddy Owen Parkin, our Dorset hero who went on to a distinguished first class career with Glamorgan, became a surprised special guest! Asda were in attendance at all and very grateful we have been for their outstanding support. Once again the standards reached new heights and all 12 County finalists in both Yr 6 competitions produced some incredibly exciting and skilful cricket. St Michael s Middle, St Aldhelm s Primary and Thorner s Primary were 1,2 and 3 in the Yr 6 Mixed, while St Mary s Catholic Combined Middle beat St Michael s by 2 runs to secure the Girls title, with Sandford Middle in their final year, due to reorganisation, third. Yr 5 also indicated the hard work put in to help the younger pupils was paying off. St Michael s took the title, followed by St Osmund s Middle and Moordown St John s Primary. The answer to prayers for Yrs 3 and 4 to be given an opportunity to play and learn from coaches, again sponsored by Asda, was an invaluable exercise. Branksome Heath Middle was the overall winner, ahead of Parley First. Many thanks are due to the Dorset Cricket Board for supplying the coaches. Much praise must go to the indefatigable Rob Newton for setting that day up, and for his tremendous work over the months in inducting the now countless Leaders who umpire and a score at both District and County Final levels. He does a phenomenal job. Simon Higgins, who did so much for the now defunct Sandford Middle, was thanked by Rob Newton at the Yr 6 Girls final presentation and we all wish him the very best of luck in his new primary post. Dorset triumphed in the new system. St Michael s Middle won the Yr 6 Mixed county title, and progressed to the National Regional Final at the Ageas Bowl. They won a tough group, defeated the 46

47 Devon school in the semi-final and then beat the Middlesex School by 1 run in the final to become the first National Regional Champions - a truly fantastic achievement. Their prize was to perform at the ODI between England and Australia at Southampton. Head Paul Nation was to move on after a distinguished career at St Michael s, which involved years of promoting cricket and still finding time to manage his team at competitions. He was presented with an ESCA Long Service tie at the DSCA AGM, after a citation had been read out, in his absence, at the ESCA AGM. The Under 11 Hardball scene reflected the outstanding talent emerging due in part to Dorset running county teams from Under 10. Again our pairs competition bucked the national trend with 15 of the 16 entrants being state schools. First round losing sides went into the Plate. There are mounting problems getting games played due to SATs, with the subsequent Residential now stretching into a fortnight beyond half term. This requires some very sympathetic handling to avoid games being conceded. Baden Powell Middle, The Park, St Michael s Middle and St Osmund s Middle reached the final play off. Sadly it rained, so the competition was transferred to the Cricket Centre, run with super efficiency by Graham Symons and officiated by experienced umpire Tony Leadbetter. The winning side, St Michael s, went to the Regional final and lost to Millfield by 4 runs. No school in the season pushed Millfield so close and they went on to win the National title. This is a huge tribute to the quality of cricket being played at St Michael s. The Plate is the last of our season s finals and is never an anti-climax. Hill View are always a delight and often reach the last four. This year was no exception. They had a magnificent 8 run victory over much fancied Broadstone Middle in the semi-final. In the final, they played Dorchester Middle who had endured a tough journey to Charborough Road. Hill View put Dorchester in, bowled and fielded really impressively and restricted them to 220/4. Hill View then batted with real maturity and were seen home by their excellent skipper, as they went on to score a commanding 248/3, although Dorchester never gave up. Dorset Schools Cricket Association Secondary Report What a contrast with 2012! Not one final had to be postponed because the summer was rather good to us. Entry numbers were up. Graham Symons took over co-ordinating the running of the competitions, aided at grass roots level by Don Crawford, Ben Edgell and Tim Hill, so, many thanks to them. There was some chasing required, but, in the end it was worth it! Many thanks are due to Broadstone CC for generously allowing the use of the Delph (U12 and U13 finals) and for organising the use of Charborough Road (U11 Plate, U14 Plate and U15 Vase); Ferndown Wayfarers CC for making us all feel so much at home for the U15 20/20 Semi- finals, with play off for 3 rd and 4th and Final, and Bournemouth University for preparing such a good wicket at Dean Park for the U14 Final. The David English/Bunbury Under 12 competition had 16 state school entrants. Both semi-finals were remarkable in witnessing 2 wins by 10 wickets! Highcliffe, enjoying a wonderful season, met a very impressive Bournemouth School for Boys in the Final, but their 148/9 reflected a dour struggle as they fell short of BSB s 161 for 7. 47

48 This was followed by the MCCA sponsored Under 13 competition (22 schools) which was won by BSB, who by a remarkable coincidence also scored 161 (but for 4). They stayed totally on top of a match against Gillingham, who finished 70 short. Patrick Gent of DCCA presented the trophies and shield. The ESCA Under 14 Competition (24 schools) is the flagship of schools cricket, but, sad to relate, the Lord s Taverners ended their national sponsorship after 41 years in May. They paid for the Under 15 National Final, but that was that. The ECB stepped in to help. Sadly some schools entered and then were unable to raise a team, which was very frustrating. Four state schools reached the quarter finals, but only Poole GS reached the semis, where Canford were mightily ruthless! The damp day of the Final resulted in a titanic struggle between Canford (92/8) and Sherborne (91a/o). The ESCA/ECB 20/20 had a new format for the teams winning through to the semi-finals. Ferndown Wayfarers CC responded brilliantly to the request to stage the show and were incredibly good in making sure it all happened after the appalling rain of the previous day and night. Having two very good artificial wickets guaranteed action. Games should have begun together, but the Dorchester school s long journey was delayed by public exams, so the spectacle of 2 games being played at the same time on adjacent pitches did not really unfold until the final stages. Sherborne emphatically disposed of Poole GS and then Clayesmore allowed Thomas Hardye to beat them on the final ball due to some naïve rashness. A play off between losing semi-finalists was the innovation this year. Clayesmore redeemed themselves with a convincing win. The Final saw The Thomas Hardye School build up a formidable 178/3 and only towards the end, with a frenzy of big hitting, did Sherborne sniff the scent of a possible victory, but it was not to be. Sherborne finished on 155 for 1. The Thomas Hardye moved into the Regional round, but were drawn against The Portsmouth GS, who knew a bit more about the game. The DSCA Under 14 Plate was devalued by an enforced late start, which meant it became a 20 over affair. However, The Thomas Hardye School reached 115/4, only to be smashed off the park in Twynham s dominant 10 wicket win! The ESCA/ECB U15 20/20 Vase faltered a little with withdrawals, with The Blandford School being the biggest beneficiary, ending up in the semis without playing. Actually, that was no real help to them, of course. The purpose of the competition is to give schools a chance to play several good competitive cricket matches. The Purbeck School celebrated their first ever County Final appearance by trouncing Twynham, who fulfilled the fixture despite problems caused by Sports Day and Geography assessments. All finals were officiated by DACO umpires. This not only added to a sense of occasion, but ensured all matches were played in the right spirit. Many thanks to all those involved. 48

49 Dorset Schools Cricket Association Girls Report Indoors The basis of developments in the summer is very much due to the hard work of Rob Newton and Gill Jones at the DCB Office in their organisation of Indoor 6 a-side competitions in the Spring Term. DCB cover the cost of the Under 11 competition a worthy addition first set up 2 years ago, whilst the other two are sponsored nationally by The Lady Taverners. DCB, through Rob Newton, trained up Leaders to score and umpire many of the matches. Current England Ladies Captain, Charlotte Edwards MBE, who was delighted, even amazed, at the number of entries in the three age groups, graced the Under 13 final at Canford School and the whole event was covered really well on BBC Look South, with interviews conducted by Jo Kent. The Under 11 competition used 4 centres - The Purbeck School, St Aldhelm s Academy, Dorset Cricket Centre and Gillingham Sports Centre. 16 teams from 13 schools took part. The final rounds at the Dorset Cricket Centre, resulted in a win for Baden Powell & St Peter s Middle School. The Under 13 competition used 7 centres - Gillingham Sports Centre, St Aldhelm s and the Dorset Cricket Centre (2 sessions), were joined by Carter Community College, Avonbourne School, Parkstone Grammar and Woodroffe School, Lyme Regis. 31 teams from 23 schools set out on this journey! The final rounds were held at Canford School where Parkstone Grammar took the title, as they did at the next stage the South and West Regional Final. That took them to the National Final at Lord s, where they finished fourth. This was a fantastic achievement, reflecting the hard work put in by Trevor Willis and Rob Newton, and the ability of the girls to respond as the challenges grew. The Under 15 competition was held at 6 different centres Oakmead, Ferndown Upper, The Blandford School, Avonbourne, Redlands and the Cricket Centre, which also staged the final rounds. 24 teams set out from 19 schools and ultimately a wonderfully feisty Ferndown Upper emerged victorious. Outdoors The Under 13 8 a-side softball competition, run by DSCA before the School Games arrived two years ago, when DCB took over, got into full swing across the Districts with over 20 entrants. The final rounds were held at Bryanston as part of the grand Sainsbury School Games Finals, by which time this had also become a Chance to Compete competition! Bournemouth School for Girls won, followed by Parkstone Grammar, St Michael s Middle, Twynham, Woodroffe and then Shaftesbury. There was no doubting the interest, skill and sheer enthusiasm for the game. The Under 15s were again offered an 8 a-side Festival, sponsored in part by Active Dorset. Matches were 8 overs per side with a 5oz hard ball. Canford were splendid main hosts, providing not only 4 pitches in the morning, but food for all officials at Wimborne CC as well. Wimborne had 2 pitches and was an absolute picture. St Michael s Middle, Colehill was to be part of the Festival, but with 10 days to go, 16 schools (18 teams) began to slide to 11, seemingly unaware of the chaos calling off was causing, and, sadly, they ceased to be a venue. Surely schools know when entries are made in March if there is a Sports Day or exams, for instance. Parkstone brought a 2 nd teams to take us up to 12 teams in 2 venues. DACO provided 3 umpires, assisted by Young Umpires, whom Gill Jones had been working hard to get since late April. Work Experience boys also helped at Wimborne, along with Leaders from St Aldhelm s. Some great games ensued throughout a long day, despite huge disparities in experience. Gillingham School took the title, with QE, Wimborne runners 49

50 Hill View Primary - Winners of the DSCA Under 11 Plate Competition Bournemouth School for Boys - Winners of the DSCA/ESCA Under 12 Competition Bournemouth School for Boys - Winners of the DSCA Under 13 Competition for the Dorset M.C.C Shield St Michael s Middle School Winners of the DSCA/ESCA U11 Hardball Competition Canford School- ESCA/ECB Dorset Schools Under 14 Winners St Michael's Middle School - Yr 6 Mixed Asda Kwik Winners The Purbeck School - DSCA/ESCA/ECB U15 20/20 Vase Winners 50 Twynham School - DSCA Under 14 Plate Winners

51 Gillingham School- DSCA Under 15 Girls' Festival Winners The Thomas Hardye School - ESCA/ECB Under 15 20/20 Dorset Winners Baden Powell & St Peter s Middle School - U11 Indoor Winners Ferndown Upper- Winners of the LT Girls Indoor U15 Competition Parkstone Grammar Winners of the LT U13 Indoor Competition St Mary s RC Middle School Girls - Year 6 Asda Kwik winners Branksome Heath Middle - Yr 3 and 4 Asda Kwik Competition Winners 51 St Michael s Middle School Year 5 Asda Kwik Competition Winners

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53 With thanks to R&P Photographic Service, Taunton, for all of these great photographs! 53

54 Dorset Association of Cricket Officials Back to Directory Officers Chairman Brian Medler Vice Chairman Bill Haskell Secretary Mark Charles Treasurer Steve Barrett Appointment Secretary Brian Medler Performance Officer Steve Shipcott Training Officer Michael Hopkins Scorers Officer Alan Mills Committee Members Guy Austin Merrick Wilkinson

55 DACO Chairman s Report To provide good umpires, they need to have been through the training course that we provide in Dorset. I believe that we have the top Education team of Stan Mills, Clive Parsons, Graham Stickland, and new member Mike Hale, superbly led by Michael Hopkins our Education Officer. Michael s efforts have not gone unnoticed, and last season he was awarded Honorary Membership of ECB ACO. Well-deserved Michael! On the subject of education, part of our philosophy is to educate as many individuals as possible because greater understanding of the Laws, improves player performance in such matters as confidence and, dare I say it, behaviour. Those umpires wishing to move from Level 1 to Level 1A in October 2014 should contact Michael as soon as possible so that they can be provided with a form on which to record and evaluate their matches this summer. In addition we ask all umpires, captains, and club officers, to keep their eyes and ears open for likely participants at Level 1 in February One final point on administrative matters is that it appears that under the new Disclosure Barring Service (DBS formerly CRB) system umpires do not receive reminders before their Certificates expire. Thus, everyone should check their Certificate and apply for renewal well before the expiry date. In case anyone is in any doubt that is 3 years after the date of issue. This is shown on Whostheumpire (WTU) and not only that but it prevents appointments officers from appointing someone whose certificate has expired. Please ensure your records are kept up to date by notifying the Secretary of any changes. WTU was introduced two seasons ago and it has given our Performance Officer, Steve Shipcott, added work. Steve has really proved that he was the ideal choice (volunteer) to take this job and in addition he took over some of the Secretary s role whilst Mark Charles was in Australia visiting his family. Steve s work for DACO is very much appreciated. Once again Mark Charles has proved to everyone, not only in Dorset but to ECB, what a good knowledge he has of cricket in our county and the requirements needed as Secretary. I know the amount of work he has to do because we talk most days of the week. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Mark s wife, Brenda for accepting the hours of commitment he puts in. A huge thank you to all committee members for giving up their time and help for DACO. It is nice that we are able to include Geoff Lowden as a co-opted committee member and our ECB ACO Membership Services Officer (MSO), following his appointment as our Regional MSO. Next season sees a change in the format of the Dorset League. There will be 2 Premier Leagues of 8 teams, which will require 16 umpires. Dorset League 1 consists of 10 teams. As you are probably aware, finding 26 umpires every Saturday will be difficult. All Division 1 teams should contact me if they require an umpire in the next few weeks so I can establish what is required. Come on all clubs, can you each find at least one person from your members willing to become an umpire? Remember, greater understanding of the Laws can lead to improved performance on the field. 55

56 To all umpires who helped in Dorset last year, I thank you all very much. Every League Match had 2 umpires last season. I sincerely hope for the same this season. On the subject of umpires, Stan Mills has decided to hang up his boots after many years of service to DACO, not only on the field, but also in Education and Assessment. As a result he was awarded Honorary Membership of DACO at the AGM in December. He will be presented with a certificate in The Fair Play award for 2013 went to Swanage. We congratulate them on this achievement. There are a few Law amendments for next season and so a meeting for Umpires & Captains meeting at The Leaze, Wimborne C.C. on 7th April 2014, starting at 7.30pm. The amendments will be on show, and with Michael Hopkins and Steve Shipcott will give presentations and be ready to answer questions. Once again, thank you all, and I look forward to seeing you on April 7 th. Brian Medler 56

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58 Dorset Disabled Cricket Club Report Back to Directory After six practice sessions at Lytchett, we started the season with our annual first indoor matches for England. Seven of our players took part. Our first was at Lords on the 11 March, with five of our players playing in the morning game. England batted first and made 90 for 6 in their 20 overs. Wales got the runs required in 12 overs, making 92 for 4. In the afternoon game England made 107 for 9 in their 20 overs and then restricted Wales to 101 for 6. Therefore England won by 6 runs, so that made it one game all on the day. We moved on to Old Trafford on the 21st April for the A team games in the morning game, England batted first and made 97 for 7 in their 20 overs. Wales replied with 100 for 6 in 13 overs. In the afternoon game Wales batted first, making 97 for 8 in 20 overs. England then batted and made steady progress to reach the target with one over to spare, finishing on 100 for 5. Our outdoor season started at home to Somerset on the 12 May at Dorchester Recreation Ground. Dorset won the toss and elected to bat, and they made 72 all out in 30 overs, with Tom Best top scoring with 26 and Nick Green making 14. Paul Lewis of Somerset took an amazing 6 for 18 in 6.3 overs. When Somerset batted, they got the runs in 18 overs, losing only one wicket in the process. In June, we all went to the Isle of Wight to play them in a friendly. Isle of Wight batted first and made 315 for 2 in 40 overs, with Michael Chant taking one wicket for 73 runs in 8 overs. The Island team was their hardball team, which was a lot stronger than us, with four different players making over 50. In reply, we only made 35 for 8 in 13 overs. Top scorer was 13 years old Gregory Curtis with 6 runs. A. Bell 3 for 13 in 4 overs and Z Lack 2 for 5 in 3 overs. Overall, it was a good day out! Our third game of the season was home to Hampshire at Dorchester on 9 June. It was our most memorable game ever. Dorset batting first, made a slow start, losing our first two wickets for 7. Then Tom Best came in with Steve Wiltshire and they had a stand of 131 runs. Steve Wiltshire was out for 76 runs. Tom was going well, with a useful contribution of 14 from Gregory Curtis. They took the score to 209 before he lost his wicket, Tom Best carried on, and at 169, he was asked to retire. When we got to 38 overs, we declared on 303 for 8, our highest batting score ever. When Hampshire batted, apart from a score of 57 from Martin Aylesbury and 25 from A Bicknall, our bowling kept the score down. In the end, Hampshire were all out for 187 in 32 overs. Gregory Curtis took 3 for 37 in 5 overs and Josh Courtney 2 for 11 in 5.2 overs. Therefore, we got our first win ever over a county side in 20 years of playing on July 7. Our next match against Hertfordshire was postponed because Herts were not able to raise a side due to a bereavement. On 14 July, we went to play Hampshire away at the Compton and Eastleigh Ground. Hampshire won the toss, batted first and made 140 all out in 31 overs, with Geoff Thrower top scoring for Hampshire with 36. For Dorset, Julian Pilditch took 2 for 28 in 5 overs, Josh Courtney 2 for 17 in 6 overs and Jack Watkins 2 for 6 in 5.3 overs. In reply, Dorset made 109 for 7 in 40 overs, thus losing by 31 runs. That was due mainly to their bowlers bowling balls we could not reach and not being picked up by the umpires. On the 21 July, we travelled to Newport to play Wales in the return fixture from Lords. In the morning match, England batted first and made 120 for 5 in their 20 overs. Wales, in reply, were all 58

59 out for 40 in 19 overs. In the afternoon match, Wales batted first and made 135 for 7 in 20 overs. Then Tom Best of Dorset carried his bat to win the game for England - scoring 99 not out. On the 28 July, we travelled to Sussex to play them at Lewes. They are a new team just starting in disabled cricket. We played a pair match against them. They made 156 for 9 in 30 overs with Brenda Wynn making 45. For Dorset, Tom Best took 2 for 9 in 6 overs and Michael Chant 2 for 25 in 2 overs. In Dorset innings, we made 234 for 3 in 30 overs, Stephen Wiltshire 54, Tom Best 36 and Nick Green 22, were the top scorers. We hope it was useful outing for Sussex and we hope we to do as much as we can to help them in the future. We were due to play Somerset in the Harry Pickersgill Cup, but this game had to be postponed because Somerset were not able to raise a side. We were due to play our last game away in Taunton against Somerset but unfortunately, we were unable to raise a side. Looking forward to next season, we hope it will go better because the E.C.B is bringing back the County Championship instead of friendlies. Therefore, there will be more interest from other counties. Finally, we had some Hub Cricket going on in the leisure centres, creating a bit more interest. Gordon Pickersgill Secretary Dorset Disabled Cricket Dorset Disabled Cricket Club reaching their 59 record total with an incredible innings from Tom Best finishing on an unbeaten 169.

60 Dorset Over 50s Back to Directory ECB Captains Report 2013, my first year of Captaincy, was a year of growth and so much promise - old blood, new blood and some expectancy of great things. However, 2013 was always in my mind going to be a fact finding year, integrating new players in to the ECB X1 and allowing them the time to acclimatise to the higher standard than that of the SCC. That is not, of course, by any means slighting the standard of the SCC, but it is a step further, and those who enjoyed outings with the ECB X1 did find this to be true. With the new committee formed and a new sense of direction, we felt that we could quite easily qualify for the knockout stages of the competition. Unfortunately, for various reasons, this was not to be. Firstly, the new rules for eligibility in the SCC dictated that no persons having represented the County at ECB for more than 3 matches could play. That was an unfortunate new rule brought about by other counties playing too many first teamers, and so, with few members, the side had to be juggled around. This was not because we did not have the numbers, it was more that not everyone could play on a regular basis and we all know that at our age, injuries occur on a regular basis and we do not heal within a few days anymore: more like months!! This sounds like excuses, which we all look to find when things do not go our way. They are true and are coupled with the inconsistency with our bowling in not hitting the right areas and those of us that batted, making 30s and 40s and not taking the innings on. Standards that will need to improve in 2014! We started the season with friendlies against Surrey and Berkshire which we won on both occasions, (a first, I am led to believe) promoting a great start. Our first ECB match against the IOW brought an emphatic victory on a dark and damp day. Things were looking very good. The Channel Islands away, always a difficult trip, was our first defeat. One or two dubious decisions and poor overall quality led to our downfall. However, the one thing that had become evident was the camaraderie between the players. We had begun the structure of being a club. Further defeats followed with a loss away at Devon when we really should have won, but Wiltshire was a close run thing with a very difficult last over situation that we were on the wrong side of - extremely disappointing to lose a game in which the outcome was really out of our hands. Somerset yet again beat us. We gave them too good a start and basically put the game beyond ourselves very early on, although the final effort was admirable. Hampshire, who made this year s semi-final and is a team doing well on the back of rebuilding over the last few years and now gelling, gave us a thrashing. Our final ECB match away in Cornwall eventually demonstrated that we can play when under pressure, and we had an emphatic 9 wicket win in a high scoring game. What has pleased me most is the family attitude we have - the fantastic spirit not only on the field but evident at all times off. We certainly need congratulating on this, a team must be a team. My personal thanks to Bradders for his support as Vice-Captain. He has worked his socks of this year for the benefit of Dorset 50+ and I would hate to pay his phone bills!! My thanks also go to the committee for their support and of course to all those that have played, I have so enjoyed the season, even with the results, as I can only see things improving. With even more new players 60

61 coming of age, the quality will further improve and the selection will be the only problem, but at least it will be a good one! My apologies go to those who thought they should have played but didn t, and my apologies to those that did play on occasions but not as much as they possibly thought they should. It has been a difficult situation which will hopefully be made better by further adjustment to the rules in I must also make special mention of Bill Daly for scoring, Doreen Daly for the teas and all those Dorset Umpires who kindly stood for us. 50+ cricket is something to look forward to. It is the highlight of my Summer and I would encourage all of you out there to consider giving it a go. The standards are high, it is competitive and it is also played in a fantastic spirit, especially here in Dorset. Everyone, and we mean everyone is welcome. Southern Counties Senior Championship 2013 The SCSC was set up to give the opportunity for those who have not quite yet reached fifty but are and also club members who are not regular players in the ECB 50+ team, so they can enjoy a high standard of competitive cricket on good grounds. For the 2013 season, Dorset, Sussex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Bedfordshire and Hampshire all entered teams, which produced a fixture list of ten matches. Once again the Dorset team managed to be competitive and prove that we could beat any team which respected and adhered to the spirit of the competition. The season opened with a good rain affected win against Sussex. Unlike 2012, this proved the only wet match and we managed to complete all fixtures except for the home match against Hertfordshire which was scratched. Once again I owe a great debt of gratitude to Ian Bradley for co-ordinating availability and juggling the ECB requirements and it is a great credit to him that we turned up at all the matches with 11 fit players, and, on the majority of occasions with a 12th man. I was worried at the start of the season as to how strong the batting would be, bearing in mind that three of the top order batsman from 2012 had moved onto the ECB side. My fears were groundless as Andy Jarvis, David Porter and Barry Lewis all contributed well with the bat. Andy Jarvis provided stability and a couple of notable innings, as did Simon Leadbeater, John Young and Ian Paulley who proved on more than one occasion that he could change the outcome of a match in a short space of time. As with the batting, I needn t have worried about the bowling, with Dave Ballam being the season s main wicket taker and he was ably supported in doing the donkey work by Graham Puckett, Mark Allen, Dave Humphreys, Stuart Nye, John Reid and the evergreen Bobby Paul. Phil Quinn and Roger Wilcox also deserve a mention for their efforts. The fielding again was of a high standard with Andy Jarvis proving his fitness as a boundary rider. The wicket keeping duties were split between Mark Cording and Dave Pennell, both of whom not only performed well behind the stumps, but also with the bat. I would like to thank all the 27 players who represented the club during the year for their support, and it does them credit that they not only produced some outstanding performances with bat and 61

62 ball, but also managed to remain fit throughout the gruelling season. Sadly some of the team will move on to play for the ECB side next year, but it does give the opportunity for new players to experience Over 50s cricket. Over 50s Averages 62

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64 If so, then please see below for the relevant contact to you: Bournemouth Evening League - flora.dora@tiscali.co.uk Weymouth Evening League - ajmorris@dsl.pipex.com Dorchester Evening League rach_ed@hotmail.com Wimborne Evening League - stuart.platts@openreach.co.uk Ranston Evening League (North Dorset) - colin@stalbridgecc.co.uk 64

65 Dorset Cricket Evening Leagues Back to Directory Bournemouth Evening League Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 65

66 Bournemouth Evening League Report The Appendix of clubs who have been members of the BECL, formally known as the Bournemouth Business House League since 1949, prompted this look at how we have evolved in the intervening sixty-five years. The list is a microcosm of the changing face of business and commerce in that time. Some big players have come - and gone! HARTWELLS were big Rootes motor dealers in Holdenhurst Rd, and had the distinction of having Wally Scott on their staff, the first player to score a century in 1951 and then in 1959 taking nine wickets against Thunder & Clayden. He would have had all ten, if slip had held onto a catch. Rumour has it that Wally didn t speak to the offender for weeks! However on 5 th May 1960 he played in what must rate as the most extraordinary match in history. Hartwells were riding high in Division One but were bowled out for 22 by Aish who were very much also rans. Barry Martin took 6 for 2 including a hat-trick. They were however dismissed for just 10 with one batsman retired hurt - and it was Wally who did the damage with 6 for 6, including a hat-trick! Twenty wickets had fallen for just thirty-two runs. There can be very few cases, if any, of two hat-tricks in the same game by players on opposite sides. However even he was upstaged the year before by Ted Wimbolt and Dave Barrett playing for Hadens, who bowled out Bourne Radio for 2. Ted took five of them! A target of 69 to win was beyond them. The first twenty years of League history was dominated by three clubs - HARTWELLS, BOURNEMOUTH ECHO, and KENNEDYS the builders merchants who had a big outlet right opposite the entrance to Bournemouth Railway station before moving to Wyndham Rd. In the Summer, Kennedys recruited a number of prominent AFCB footballers as storemen, drivers, and sales staff - and David Stocks was the season s top scorer in 1968 with an unbeaten 74 against Bobbys, the large department store that is now Debenhams! Two of the early teams are worthy of a mention. Malmesbury & Parsons were a big chain of dairies until they were bought out by Unigate who are now part of Dairy Crest PLC. When AFCB got to the sixth round of the F.A.Cup in 1957 they bedecked all their milk bottle tops with Cherries logos! Man U won 2-1 thanks to a highly contentious penalty. BEALES and their sister store Bealesons on Commercial Rd, Bournemouth which is now M & S. boasted separate teams in 1949 before combining forces ten years later. They went out of the League at the end of 1969 as did Hartwells, Greens the family bakers, Drewitt the builders, English the motor dealers, and Belbens. Membership of the League which had been twenty in 1960 was now decimated to fourteen - two divisions, but only just. Why the decline? Probably two reasons. Firstly the League rule stipulating that all staff members had to work out of one site, and secondly players being allowed to bowl right through an innings. And so at the Annual General Meeting in 1971, the League bit the bullet and allowed players to come from any number of sites providing they worked for the same organisation, and bowlers were now restricted to a maximum of three overs. This prompted LLOYDS BANK to join Barclays, Nat West, and Midland in what was now known as the BOURNEMOUTH EVENING CRICKET LEAGUE, and they were joined by Bournemouth Fire Brigade, Bournemouth NALGO, Grange SRDE, Loewy Robertson - later to become Davy McKee - and Shand Kydd. 66

67 By 1984 the B.E.C.L. had expanded to such an extent that there were now thirty-one clubs in membership. Frizzells who came into the League in 1973 even had two teams! Nobody minded playing two matches a week. In fact they expected it. Inevitably there were some losses and gains. Bournemouth Fire Brigade pulled out in 1975, SRDE in 1977, and sadly Kennedys at the end of champions of Division One seven times and Clegg Cup winners in ten. Shand Kydd followed in 1980 when they closed down their prestigious wallpaper factory at Somerford. Their places however were taken by CBBEA (1975), Abbey Life (1977) and Pedagogues (1979). CBBEA and PEDAGOGUES are still members. However it couldn t last and thus began a steady decline. The ECHO called it a day at the end of A once successful team who won both Division One and the Clegg Cup a number of times they were now plying their trade in Division Three, and ageing fast. EDWARD WEBSTER who started out in 1956 and manufactured cosmetic casings for Max Factor went by the wayside the following year - and they had an even more distinguished record than the Echo! 1990 opened with twenty-seven members. It was however the death of Bill Jacobs on 3 rd June after a long battle with cancer that rocked everybody. He had been Treasurer for the old Business Houses League since 1966 and had put in twenty four years of dedicated service. Only a few weeks before he was propped up in bed still doing the B.E.C.L. accounts. Bournemouth Crematorium was packed out with friends and former colleagues paying their last respects, and rightly so. In the next decade we were to lose Nat West and Davy McKee in 1991, Barclays (1992), Southernprint (1993) - they had been part of the B.E.C.L.since 1973, and DeVilbiss in 1997, and they had been around since 1966! However we acquired the prestigious SUNSEEKERS ( ) and ROYAL MAIL ( ). The latter were very successful for a lot of the time in the top division, and Sunseekers were good enough to have played in all three. We woke up in 1999 to realise that we d been around for fifty years. Rex Holyoake who was then President suggested that a handbook be produced to mark the occasion. Previously, each club had a list of club contacts and fixtures. Quite a few clubs produced potted histories, and looking back it makes an interesting read even if it was done in haste. Since 2000 we have had all the Cup Finals at Dean Park thanks to the good offices of John Fazackerley who managed and prepared the ground so well until his retirement in 2008, and in 2009 we staged the first of our President v. Chairman s matches where every club is asked to nominate at least one representative. And to celebrate sixty years we held a dinner at the Marsham Court Hotel where Henry Olonga charmed us in word and song. It was a wonderful evening for all who took time out to attend. All our Cup Finals at Dean Park have attracted sponsors and these have been vital to the continuance of the League. J.P.Morgan, CBBEA, Pedagogues and Lloyds B.G. have all celebrated jubilees of various lengths with celebratory matches, and on 26 th July 2013 Lex entertained College, both having joined the B.E.C.L.in This year Portchester celebrate thirty years with us. May it be a memorable year for them. I am sure everyone in the B.E.C.L. hopes to take the field at Dean Park because they are gracing an arena that for over a hundred years has seen great players entertain thousands - W.G.Grace, Phil Mead, Derek Shackleton, Richards & Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, David Gower, the list is endless. All our matches there have been memorable in one way or another. Two stand out in my memory - the 2003 COCKS CUP match against Lex when TEACHERS had reached 90 coming to the last over and needed sixteen runs to win. Incredible running by the two Steves, Laird & Davis got fifteen of them. 67

68 The scores ended level but Teachers won having lost two wickets to three - and Steve Laird made all but one of them in his 18! The second was a blistering display by WINTON SPORTS who put Abbey UISL to the sword thanks to a third wicket stand of 141 between Elliot Brookes and Dan Baguley. Baguley ended unbeaten on 54 but Brookes reached 102 with a six off the final ball, which missed the President Peter Braim s car with its resplendent personalised number plate by a whisker. Chasing 181 Abbey were blown away for 75 with Lee Garrett taking 4 for 15. These Twenty20 matches always get the adrenalin going! Lastly we pay tribute to all our life members who at various times have put in the hard graft helping to make sure the League runs smoothly off the field, none more so than Ted Winbolt, player with Hadens since 1952 and League Secretary from 1962 to Fast approaching 90 years young he is well and truly the doyen of the establishment. The future? Who knows, but we re still here, the only League left in Bournemouth. Long may it continue. 65 NOT OUT! By Warwick Rust 68

69 The Ranston Evening League The Ranston Evening League is a 20-over cricket competition, with games played on Wednesday evenings. Based in North Dorset it features sides from the Blandford, Shaftesbury and Gillingham areas, with both a League and Knockout-Cup format. The standard is competitive but friendly, with most teams fielding sides that are suitable for a range of playing abilities -from regular weekend league cricketers to stronger junior players looking to try adult cricket or adults who just want to play a short format of the game. In 2013, the League was won by Buckhorn Weston, while Shillingstone were victorious in the Knockout-Cup. Clubs interested in entering a side should contact Colin Moore (colin@stalbridgecc.co.uk) RANSTON EVENING CRICKET LEAGUE SEASON 2013 Final Tables DIVISION ONE Teams Pld Won Lost N/Res Runs Wkts R/Rate Pts Buckhorn Weston Shillingstone Pimperne Gillingham Shaftesbury A DIVISION TWO Teams Pld Won Lost N/Res Runs Wkts R/Rate Pts Donhead Blandford Rugby Club North Dorset Rugby Club Shaftesbury B Marnhull

70 Dorset Cricket League Back to Directory Officers Chairman J. Ridout Westering, Giddylake, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 2QU Telephone: Fax: Vice Chairman Phil Drake Treasurer J. Ridout (as above) Secretary A. Graham 27 Marchwood Road, East Howe, Bournemouth, BH10 5LA. Telephone: Results Secretary A. Graham (as above) Fixture Secretary G. Vincent 53 Canford View Drive, Colehill, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 2UW Telephone: Committee Phil Calcott; Rob Norton; Cooper Payne; Stuart Platts; Tony Robinson; Nigel Stannard; David Trotter; 70

71 League Secretary s Report A year that started with quite a lively 2012 AGM, turned out to be a very busy 12 months, both on and off the field! Hopefully, in both cases it will prove to be for the right reasons. Certainly, on the field, the weather meant that we played more cricket than in recent years, and considerably more than in Off the field, there has been the need for many more meetings than is the norm, due to the planned restructuring of our Leagues, together with a revision of the Playing Conditions. It is my sincere hope is that we will now witness the culmination of this hard work, leading to a brighter future for Dorset League cricket. I will deal with on field matters first, and would like to congratulate all League winners, whilst commiserating with those which finished at the wrong end of their League table. Unlike recent seasons, the Premier Division was dominated by one team from the start, with Parley claiming their third title in 5 seasons. Special mention must be made of runners-up Ferndown Wayfarers, whose hard work with their youth section is now bringing its rewards. It was an unhappy summer for the two leading West Dorset clubs, Dorchester and Weymouth, who occupied the bottom two places, although Winton s subsequent move to the Hampshire Leagues means that the latter will maintain their top flight status. Sherborne showed their determination to regain former glories, comfortably topping Division 1. Last season s play-off losers, Bere Regis, again occupied the runners-up position. The most keenly contested Division was Division 2, where Team of the Year, Christchurch, overtook Shillingstone on a dramatic last Saturday. Division 3 was West Dorset dominated, with their clubs occupying the top 4 positions. Cerne Valley came out on top, closely followed by Cattistock. Comfortably the biggest winning margin was achieved by Wareham, in Division 4, 67 points clear of runners-up, Bridport. Division 5 South & East saw 3 strong sides which could all cope at a higher level, particularly the champions, Sturminster Marshall, who were pushed all the way by Swanage 2nds and Lytchett. In the North & West version of this Division, Shillingstone s 2 nd team went one better than their Firsts. Finally, in Division 6, it was newcomers, Chalke Valley, with their lovely setting and facilities, who enjoyed success in their first venture in Dorset cricket. The Sunday Leagues are becoming more and more village dominated, as illustrated in the top Division, where runners-up, Dewlish, were headed by the new Champions, Fovant. Portland RT achieved the remarkable playing record of P18 W18, which naturally left the remaining sides in Division 2 to compete in a League of their own, resulting in Broadstone claiming the other promotion place. Parley s Sunday team emulated their Saturday 1 st XI, on this occasion, by finishing top of Division 3. Studland can at last start climbing the Leagues again, due to their triumph in Division 4. It is pleasing to report an improvement in discipline this season. Only 1 ban was imposed, under the new Disciplinary procedures, and no Disciplinary meetings needed to be held. Long may this continue, and it will certainly be helped if clubs follow the example of Shaftesbury and Corfe Mullen this summer, by imposing their own sanctions and dealing with the matter in house. Off the field, there are many people to thank for their enormous contribution to Dorset League cricket. Firstly, to all umpires and members of the DACO committee, in particular Brian Medler, Mark Charles and Steve Shipcott. I have endeavoured to build up a relationship with the DACO committee, despite other commitments preventing me attending most of their meetings, and one of the priorities of the new League Management Committee will be to develop and increase both the quality and quantity of the officiating in our Leagues. 71

72 Our sponsors are crucial to the smooth operation of our Leagues, and we are very grateful for the support that both Dorset Funeral Plan and Longham Garden Machinery provide. DFP also went a long way to ensuring a successful Presentation Evening. Although this AGM is essentially about League cricket, it must not be forgotten that the title of our Association is Dorset Cricket League & Associates. So many people put in hours and hours of hard work to ensure that cricket is played in Dorset. To them all, I would like to say a big thank you, on behalf of all cricketers in Dorset. Finally, but by no means least, thanks to all committee members, both those who served in recent years and the new blood which has joined me in the quest to improve Dorset League cricket. Special thanks to John Ridout and Keith Brewer, for being patient with my never-ending s, and providing the necessary wisdom in response to them. I must also thank my predecessor, Mike Williams, both for his incredible contribution over the last 9 years and for helping with my transition into the role of League Secretary. Now we must look forward, and for Dorset League Cricket to rise from perceived doldrums the League Management Committee and the clubs must work together. To this end, I request your assistance in the following matters:- Club Data Forms Please return these as soon as your AGM has confirmed the officers of your club, as it is vital we can contact the relevant people. If you notice that any details on the Dorset Cricket Board website are incorrect, please advise me straight away. REVISED PLAYING CONDITIONS AND LEAGUE STRUCTURE As with any changes, not everybody will agree with all the amendments and additions, but the League Management Committee is confident that they will enhance the playing of cricket in Dorset, at all levels. I will welcome any constructive comments, during the 2014 season, but please bear in mind that we must get the whole of Dorset League cricket right, not just what is best for your club. I think it is important, at this stage, to confirm how the criteria for Premier 1 and 2 will be implemented. For those eligible to participate through playing ability in 2014, we require all the criteria to be in place by the start of the season. Obviously, this requires a certain amount of trust, as it would be too late to amend the fixture list at that stage, should a team not comply. However, any team in Premier 1 and 2 which is not meeting the relevant criteria by 31 st August, will automatically be relegated (or denied promotion) to the appropriate level for 2015, regardless of their finishing position. This procedure will then be followed in future seasons. Can I end this report by thanking in particular the officers of all our clubs. In this world of never ending legislation and administrative demands, it does take a considerable amount of time and effort to run a cricket club efficiently, but without you we wouldn t be able to play this great game of ours. Alan Graham DCL Secretary 72

73 Premier League Dorset Funeral Plan Saturday League Tables Played Won Lost No Result Points Parley Ferndown Wayfarers Poole Town Broadstone Wimborne & Colehill Stalbridge Swanage Winton**/~~ Weymouth** Dorchester* *20 points deducted for scratched match **5 points deducted for 2 late scoresheets ~~5 points deducted for failure to supply non-playing scorer on 2 occasions + includes 5 points for a tied match Division One Played Won Lost No Result Points Sherborne Bere Regis Wimborne & Colehill 2nds Martinstown Broadstone 2nds Shroton Blandford## Hamworthy Recreation Corfe Mullen Marnhull ##5 points deducted for 2 late umpire reports 73

74 Division Two Played Won Lost No Result Points Christchurch Shillingstone Witchampton Compton House Poole Town 2nds Cranborne Branksome & Parkstone// Beaminster* Bournemouth Winton 2nds***/** ***60 points deducted for 2 scratched matches *20 points deducted for scratched match //48 points deducted for fielding an ineligible player **5 points deducted for 2 late scoresheets Division Three Played Won Lost No Result Points Cerne Valley Cattistock Portland RT Dorchester 2nds Stalbridge 2nds Weymouth 2nds Ferndown Wayfarers 2nds Parley 2nds Wimborne & Colehill 3rds Broadstone 3rds

75 Division Four Played Won Lost No Result Points Wareham Bridport Pimperne Hamworthy Recreation 2nds Kingston Lacy Christchurch 2nds Poole Town 3rds Sherborne 2nds Blandford 2nds Includes 5 points for a tied match Weymouth Longshots have withdrawn Division Five South and East Played Won Lost No Result Points Sturminster Marshall Swanage 2nds Lytchett Sturminster & Hinton Corfe Mullen 2nds Broadstone 4ths* Wimborne & Colehill 4ths Witchampton 2nds Branksome & Parkstone 2nds+* Blandford 3rds*** Includes 5 points for a tied match *20 points deducted for scratched matches ***60 points deducted for 2 scratched matches 75

76 Division Five North and West Played Won Lost No Results Points Shillingstone 2nds Crewkerne Abbotsbury Portland RT 2nds Cerne Valley 2nds Bradford Abbas Martinstown 2nds Marnhull 2nds* * 20 points deducted for scratched match Dorchester 3rds have withdrawn Division Six Played Won Lost No Results Points Chalke Valley Charlton Down Puddletown** Poole Town 4ths Shaftesbury* Winfrith Newburgh Crewkerne 2nds Bere Regis 2nds* Stalbridge 3rds Beaminster 2nds*** ***60 points deducted for 2 scratched matches *20 points deducted for scratched match **5 points deducted for 2 late scoresheets 76

77 77

78 Division One Longham Garden Machinery Sunday League Tables Back to Directory Played Won Lost No Result Points Fovant Dewlish\\ St Georges Winton//***** Swanage Corfe Mullen Shillingstone Ferndown Wayfarers Cranborne*** Christchurch have withdrawn from the League ***60 points deducted for 2 scratched matches //20 points deducted for fielding an ineligible player *****20 points deducted for 5 late scoresheets \\ 5 points deducted for 2 late results +Includes 5 points for a tied match Division Two Played Won Lost No Result Points Portland RT Broadstone Bournemouth Sherborne Ashmore Old Blandfordians Ferndown Wayfarers 2nds* Bradford Abbas Iwerne & Fontmell** Bere Regis *20 points deducted for scratched match **5 points deducted for 2 late scoresheets 78

79 Division Three Played Won Lost No Result Points Parley Sturminster & Hinton Stalbridge Swanage 2nds Witchampton Winton 2nds Pokesdown Willows Blandford Nomads Symene Includes 5 points per tied match Division Four Played Won Lost No Result Points Studland Charlton Down Old Bournemouthians Portland RT 2nds Shillingstone 2nds Broadstone 2nds* Cheselbourne *20 points deducted for scratched match 79

80 Premier League Batting Dorset Funeral Plan Saturday League Averages Back to Directory PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE M. Morley Parley T.Jacques Parley * B. Bridgen Wimborne & Colehill S.Collins Parley * B. Lawes Weymouth S. Sweatman Stalbridge R. Embalagama Parley R.Burfitt Stalbridge E Linge Ferndown Wayfarers * 37.4 I Booth Swanage * 34.3 J Raftery Ferndown Wayfarers * M Salmon Swanage * 33.4 D Elsworthy Ferndown Wayfarers P. Russell Broadstone B. Alam Poole Town W. Mckay Weymouth C. Quinn Poole Town S. Thomson Parley D. Miller Poole Town n.o A. Collison Wimborne & Colehill L Dunham Ferndown Wayfarers S. Hatton Broadstone no B. Surridge Poole Town M. Lawes Weymouth * D. Janaway Weymouth S. Trembath Broadstone no Premier League Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL D Miller Poole Town M. Swindlehurst Broadstone T.Jacques Parley J. Miller Wimborne & Colehill L Kirby Swanage C. Hedges Stalbridge M Rose Ferndown Wayfarers

81 Premier League Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER E Linge Ferndown Wayfarers J. Wilson Poole Town M. Kitson Wimborne & Colehill G. Parsons Broadstone J. Rimmer Broadstone S.Thomson Parley B. Bridgen Wimborne & Colehill D. Gunawardana Poole Town D.Clutterbuck Parley J.Hicks Parley R Norman Swanage A. Collison Wimborne & Colehill B. Lawes Weymouth H. Tucker Weymouth O.Green Parley M. Chant Stalbridge Premier League Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES M. Holm Broadstone 12 M.Morley Parley 10 J. Brown Broadstone 9 S.Collins Parley 9 G. Cole Wimborne & Colehill 8 D Elsworthy Ferndown Wayfarers 8 E Linge Ferndown Wayfarers 8 M Salmon Swanage 8 J. Rimmer Broadstone 7 81

82 Division 1 Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE A White Blandford D.Griffiths Bere Regis * 65.1 M.Avery Hamworthy * M. Pike Shroton M Shepherd Blandford S. Leadbeater Broadstone 2s * 41.7 D. Herbert Martinstown A Williams Marnhull M. Doble Shroton L. Hanratty Broadstone 2s P.Macklin Bere Regis * C. Randall Wimborne & Colehill 2s M. Lock Sherborne H. Leadbeater Broadstone 2s R.Cole Bere Regis D. Dancer Martinstown K. Hall Wimborne & Colehill 2s S. Mills Hamworthy * B. Ratcliffe Wimborne & Colehill 2s R. Dishington Hamworthy * J.Hanratty Broadstone 2s S. Kershaw Martinstown J. Laird Sherborne E. Nichols Martinstown S. Stroud Hamworthy * N. Walpole Corfe Mullen Division 1 Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL R. Carter Sherborne S. Hewitt Bere Regis P Hoar Corfe Mullen T Haines Blandford G.Smart Shroton S. Mills Hamworthy M. Rogers Broadstone 2s

83 Division 1 Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER C. Dunk Wimborne & Colehill 2s A. Nurton Sherborne N Stannard Corfe Mullen M. Avery Hamworthy S. Nye Wimborne & Colehill 2s P. Macklin Bere Regis M Bray Corfe Mullen L. Banfield Martinstown N. Tape Wimborne & Colehill 2s D. Griffiths Bere Regis R. Chase Martinstown B. Ratcliffe Wimborne & Colehill 2s P. Hancock Sherborne T. Goodhew Bere Regis D. Barnstable Sherborne M. Fisher Hamworthy T. Durston Sherborne M. Smith Broadstone 2s Division 1 Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES N Walpole Corfe Mullen 11 A White Blandford 8 D Baker Blandford 8 I. Griffiths Broadstone 2s 8 D.Griffiths Bere Regis 8 P. Macklin Bere Regis 8 M.Hewitt Shroton 8 N Stannard Corfe Mullen 8 M.Doble Shroton 7 S. Stroud Hamworthy 7 S. Pulling Sherborne 7 83

84 Division 2 Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE A. Croker Witchampton * 52.6 J.Weldon Shillingstone J.Hardy Branksome & Parkstone F Everitt Beaminster S Jones Beaminster G. Harvey Christchurch J. Adams Christchurch G.Wayman Shillingstone P. Park Cranborne G. Williams Christchurch * M. Huntley Branksome & Parkstone D. Coy Cranborne O. Hand Cranborne C.Cole Shillingstone * R.Haycock Shillingstone * I.Paulley Shillingstone N. Mason Branksome & Parkstone * M. Bowles Witchampton B. Rayner Christchurch * N.Marshall Shillingstone N. Pack Bournemouth Division 2 Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL G.Wayman Shillingstone G. Williams Christchurch I. Kelly Witchampton D. Lee Branksome & Parkstone D. Coy Cranborne C. Lamb Beaminster

85 Division 2 Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER S.Antell Shillingstone N.Marsh Christchurch B.Dubiel Branksome & Parkstone R. Pack Bournemouth R.Haycock Shillingstone J. Hardy Branksome & Parkstone C.Baker Shillingstone L. Bowater Christchurch B.Edwards Shillingstone J. Cross Christchurch T. Robinson Christchurch S. Hibberd Witchampton M. Bowles Witchampton M. Huntley Branksome & Parkstone O.Chaffey Shillingstone M.Upshall Shillingstone R. Baker Beaminster J.Adams Christchurch J. Sheppard Branksome & Parkstone R. Smith Bournemouth C. Arnold Cranborne A. Warren Branksome & Parkstone Division 2 Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES M.Upshall Shillingstone 13 J. Walklett Beaminster 10 C. Arnold Cranborne 10 J. Adams Christchurch 7 M. Bowles Witchampton 7 R.Haycock Shillingstone 6 J. Cross Christchurch 6 A. Croker Witchampton 6 85

86 Division 3 Batting Back to Directory PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE J Thake Ferndown Wayfarers 2s * 86 J.Legg Cattistock * N. Kellaway Cerne Valley C.Leake Portland Red Triangle A. Jarvis Weymouth 2s * 48.4 J. Lewis Stalbridge 2s * 47.2 S.Baker Cattistock * S.Tucker Cattistock S. Wellington Wimborne & Colehill 3s B Simmons Broadstone 3s D. Baney Cerne Valley T. England Weymouth 2s M. Langford Cattistock O. Downey Cerne Valley M.Randell Portland Red Triangle S. Green Cerne Valley B Seymour Broadstone 3s C Tarr Broadstone 3s J. Barrett Cerne Valley * S.Proffitt Portland Red Triangle * O.Whisker Portland Red Triangle K Brewer Broadstone 3s J.Sorbie Parley 2s S.Barrett Portland Red Triangle Division 3 Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL S. Tucker Cattistock M.Rake Parley 2s C Morris Ferndown Wayfarers 2s D. Blackman Weymouth 2s D. Baney Cerne Valley D Rose Ferndown Wayfarers 2s

87 Division 3 Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER T. Goatly Cerne Valley J. Barrett Cerne Valley R. Knight Stalbridge 2s M. Chant Stalbridge 2s B. Mullins Cattistock R. Baney Cerne Valley E. Langford Cattistock L. Anderson Cattistock S.Barrett Portland Red Triangle T. Bartlett Wimborne & Colehill 3s J. Ryan Weymouth 2s C Coppard Ferndown Wayfarers 2s J. Legg Cattistock D. Portch Cerne Valley M. Randell Portland Red Triangle J. Stuart Cerne Valley J. Lewis Stalbridge 2s G. Puckett Weymouth 2s M. Langford Cattistock A. Loader Wimborne & Colehill 3s B Seymour Broadstone 3s Division 3 Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES S.Proffitt Portland Red Triangle 9 D. Norton Wimborne & Colehill 3s 9 T. Bartlett Wimborne & Colehill 3s 8 N. Kellaway Cerne Valley 8 T.Hey Cattistock 7 O.Whisker Portland Red Triangle 7 J.Herringshaw Parley 2s 6 J.Roe Parley 2s 6 S.Baker Cattistock 6 D. Hills Wimborne & Colehill 3s 6 R. Baney Cerne Valley 6 87

88 Division 4 Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE S. Bishop Wareham * 83.7 N. Aubin Christchurch 2s N. Staddon Hamworthy 2s * I. Peters Hamworthy 2s * 69.8 M. Truman Wareham * 52.8 G. Frazier Hamworthy 2s R. Hatchard Kingston Lacy * A. Guppy Sherborne 2s T. Collins Wareham J. Owens Christchurch 2s C. Parsons Wareham D. Bradbeer Wareham * 40.8 M Wellman Blandford 2s no 38.5 T. House Pimperne T. Hall Bridport J. Holton Kingston Lacy D. Coghlan Kingston Lacy M. Collier Wareham J. Robinson Poole Town 3s J. Hector Wareham L. Toohill Bridport * J. Shepherd Pimperne * T Waggett Blandford 2s D. Gay Bridport D. Thompson Kingston Lacy M. Allman Poole Town 3s Division 4 Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL G. Regan Pimperne L Barr Poole Town 3s R. Parsons Wareham A. Peel Hamworthy 2s M. Burcham Kingston Lacy E. Dowler Hamworthy 2s M Wellman Blandford 2s

89 Division 4 Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER D. Gape Bridport A. Lee Bridport S. Bishop Wareham M.Collier Wareham B. Kelly Pimperne P. Hammonds Sherborne 2s J. Hector Wareham M. Allen Poole Town 3s D. Bradbeer Wareham J. Shepherd Pimperne A Day Blandford 2s L. Toohill Bridport R. Cotton Poole Town 3s S. Greene Poole Town 3s D Abbott Blandford 2s S. Maine Kingston Lacy R. Gay Bridport M. Standhaft Hamworthy 2s R. Hatchard Kingston Lacy W. Hector Wareham J. Owens Christchurch 2s T. House Pimperne Division 4 Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES R. Loader Christchurch 2s 8 Liam Toohill Bridport 8 Mark Smith Bridport 8 Duane Gay Bridport 8 D. Thompson Kingston Lacy 8 K. Hatchard Kingston Lacy 7 B. Dykes Kingston Lacy 7 J. Hector Wareham 7 S.Bishop Wareham 7 J. Allen Pimperne 6 T. House Pimperne 6 89

90 Division 5 South & East Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE H.Lockwood Sturminster Marshall * 97.5 M. Tatchell Lychett * W. Collins Lychett * 80 R. Payne Lychett * 72.5 G. Hughes Sturminster Marshall T. Briggs Crewkerne * T Snape Blandford 3s S. Rowswell Crewkerne G.Wareham Broadstone 4s * 46 R.Humphrey Sturminster Marshall * T. Lanham Broadstone 4s N. Keylock Crewkerne P. Palfrey Crewkerne S. Gardner Sturminster Marshall C. Gould Crewkerne I.Fletcher Broadstone 4s * 34.5 T.Lockwood Sturminster Marshall J.Morgan Broadstone 4s M Wellman Blandford 3s S Gale Blandford 3s Division 5 South & East Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL J.Cox Sturminster Marshall R. Smith Lychett D. Hicks Wimborne & Colehill 4s S.Eddington Broadstone 4s C. Gould Crewkerne J Ford Blandford 3s

91 Division 5 South & East Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER R.Humphrey Sturminster Marshall H.Lockwood Sturminster Marshall L. Westacott Lychett W.Gage Sturminster Marshall M. Tatchell Lychett R. James Crewkerne R. Mabey Lychett R. Payne Lychett M. Culpitt Crewkerne H.Cossins Sturminster Marshall P.Maitland Sturminster Marshall J.Skipworth Sturminster Marshall D. Parsons Crewkerne R. Commer Witchampton 2s S. Rowswell Crewkerne G.Hughes Sturminster Marshall G.Wareham Broadstone 4s V. Kochar Lychett M. Deavin Lychett R.Whittle Broadstone 4s Division 5 South & East Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES R.Humphrey Sturminster Marshall 12 A. Lawrence Crewkerne 12 P.Maitland Sturminster Marshall 11 W.Gage Sturminster Marshall 10 M. Tatchell Lychett 9 S.Gardner Sturminster Marshall 8 A. Unwin Lychett 7 S. Prince Wimborne & Colehill 4s 7 R. Payne Lychett 6 J. Gould Crewkerne 6 91

92 Division 5 North & West Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE Mitchem Abbotsbury * J Young Marnhull 2s Backhouse Abbotsbury * M. Downey Cerne Valley 2s * D.Males Portland Red Triangle 2s * T. Bracey Martinstown 2s L.West Portland Red Triangle 2s * 46 T Hodges Bradford Abbas T.Coubrough Shillingstone 2s T.Waters Shillingstone 2s R Monk Bradford Abbas * S Pengelly Abbotsbury * Pittman Abbotsbury * P Graham Bradford Abbas * B.Andrews Shillingstone 2s Kneebone Abbotsbury R. Edmonds Cerne Valley 2s Duerdoth Abbotsbury * Division 5 North & West Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL S Blatch Bradford Abbas A.Qualye Portland Red Triangle 2s T.Coubrough Shillingstone 2s J.Edmonds Shillingstone 2s

93 Division 5 North & West Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER S. Bendall Portland Red Triangle 2s R. Edmonds Cerne Valley 2s G.Neven Portland Red Triangle 2s S.Savage Shillingstone 2s Duerdoth Abbotsbury MJ.Webber Shillingstone 2s S Cake Bradford Abbas S.Antell Shillingstone 2s D. Lockyer Shillingstone 2s R. Hanney Cerne Valley 2s L Hann Bradford Abbas S. Roper Cerne Valley 2s J.Locke Portland Red Triangle 2s B.Scott Shillingstone 2s T.Waters Shillingstone 2s R Monk Bradford Abbas MW.Webber Shillingstone 2s Division 5 North & West Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES G.Neven Portland Red Triangle 2s 7 B.Andrews Shillingstone 2s 6 G Noone Bradford Abbas 6 MW.Webber Shillingstone 2s 5 P Graham Bradford Abbas 5 H.Paulley Shillingstone 2s 4 93

94 Division 6 Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE T. White Shaftesbury * 74.3 R. Keylock Crewkerne 2s * 68.4 A. Tuck Winfirth Newburgh P. Selfe Winfirth Newburgh * K. Monaghan Chalke Valley D. Brown Chalke Valley H. Hitchings Chalke Valley * 41.2 E. Stevens Stalbridge 3s * S. Pattullo Winfirth Newburgh R. Hellaweli Poole Town 4s * A. Mercer Chalke Valley R. Bryant Shaftesbury S. Currie Poole Town 4s * H.Rathbone Beaminster 2s * 31.8 T. Cox Shaftesbury A. Wellman Crewkerne 2s A. Milner Poole Town 4s * A. Kent Bere Regis 2s M. Woolley Bere Regis 2s T. Sadler Poole Town 4s C. Calcott Stalbridge 3s * 25 Division 6 Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL D. Cooper Chalke Valley A. Tuck Winfirth Newburgh J. Arter Stalbridge 3s 8-8 R. Keylock Crewkerne 2s A. Clements Shaftesbury 6-6 A. Miall Poole Town 4s

95 Division 6 Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER C. Crosse Chalke Valley C. Pym Shaftesbury M. Clements Chalke Valley A. Milner Poole Town 4s M. Cooper Shaftesbury K. Maloney Shaftesbury M. Lewis Shaftesbury P. Quinn Poole Town 4s S. Everill Winfirth Newburgh A. Wellman Crewkerne 2s J. Frampton Chalke Valley P. Selfe Winfirth Newburgh T. Sadler Poole Town 4s M. Oliver Bere Regis 2s A. Raymond Winfirth Newburgh B. Sach Bere Regis 2s R. Keylock Crewkerne 2s H. Hitchings Chalke Valley N. Ford Stalbridge 3s R. Bryant Shaftesbury Division 6 Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES A. Mercer Chalke Valley 9 M. Cooper Shaftesbury 8 A. Milner Poole Town 4s 8 T. White Shaftesbury 7 P. Selfe Winfirth Newburgh 6 A. Wellman Crewkerne 2s 6 A. Kent Bere Regis 2s 6 R. Bryant Shaftesbury 5 D. Winwood Poole Town 4s 4 W.Aburrow Beaminster 2s 4 95

96 Longham Garden Machinery Sunday League Averages Back to Directory Division 1 Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE S Mills Corfe Mullen * 72.6 M Thomas Swanage I Booth Swanage * 61 C.Cole Shillingstone * M.Salisbury Shillingstone N.Marshall Shillingstone E Linge Ferndown Wayfarers J Davies St Georges * T. Pearce Fovant * 43.4 T. Hewish Dewlish P Hoar Corfe Mullen D. Belt Dewlish * 38.4 S Goodhew St Georges B Baczala Swanage * 32.6 F Kerins Swanage * R King Swanage M Jordan Corfe Mullen * 27 S. Hillier Dewlish * J.Weldon Shillingstone Division 1 Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL B Keegan St Georges E Linge Ferndown Wayfarers P Hoar Corfe Mullen J.Burton Fovant L. Chutter Dewlish T. Hewish Dewlish

97 Division 1 Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER P Barker Swanage J Shilton Corfe Mullen D. Belt Dewlish E Linge Ferndown Wayfarers R Hatchard Swanage M Hernandez Swanage J.Richards Fovant M.Burton Fovant R. Pittman Fovant J Warner Swanage P Webster Corfe Mullen A Armstrong Ferndown Wayfarers M.Doble Shillingstone R Cole St Georges Z Haider Corfe Mullen R Witherington Corfe Mullen D Griffiths St Georges P.Wylie Fovant S Stroud Corfe Mullen S Goodhew St Georges M King St Georges S.Savage Shillingstone S.Tallant Shillingstone P McCann St Georges K Jensen Ferndown Wayfarers Division 1 Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES D. Belt Dewlish 17 C.Cole Shillingstone 10 S Stroud Corfe Mullen 10 B Jones Corfe Mullen 8 G King St Georges 7 M Bray Corfe Mullen 7 P.Wylie Fovant 6 R Witherington Corfe Mullen 6 97

98 Division 2 Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE J. Brown Broadstone J. Coombs Bournemouth C. Garnett Iwerne and Fontmell J. Hurley Bournemouth C. Hamblin Iwerne and Fontmell L. Matthews Bournemouth L. Hancock Sherborne * 60.5 D. Cook Broadstone * C. Leake Portland Red Triangle * G. Vincent Old Blandfordians * W Sansom Ferndown Wayfarers 2s M.Randell Portland Red Triangle * A Sansom Ferndown Wayfarers 2s B Lanning Bradford Abbas * G.Price Portland Red Triangle * T. Waters Old Blandfordians A. Guppy Sherborne S. Hatton Broadstone * T. Harris Sherborne S. Leney Old Blandfordians S. Halliday Iwerne and Fontmell S. Proffitt Portland Red Triangle D. Rogerson Bere Regis * T. Durston Sherborne G. Randell Portland Red Triangle P. Macklin Bere Regis G Smith Ferndown Wayfarers 2s J. Hale Bournemouth * O. Whisker Portland Red Triangle Division 2 Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL J. Walker Portland Red Triangle G. Sollis Old Blandfordians T Hopkins Bradford Abbas J. Selby Broadstone J Meredith Ferndown Wayfarers 2s

99 Division 2 Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER P. Hancock Sherborne G.Randell Portland Red Triangle T. Durston Sherborne B. Bolt Broadstone S.Barrett Portland Red Triangle A. Joyce Old Blandfordians S.Proffitt Portland Red Triangle J. Coombs Bournemouth S. Males Portland Red Triangle C. Garnett Iwerne and Fontmell C. Hamblin Iwerne and Fontmell A Sansom Ferndown Wayfarers 2s G Smith Ferndown Wayfarers 2s W. Gasper Broadstone D.Rogerson Bere Regis G.Munro Portland Red Triangle J. Palmer Bournemouth T. Waters Old Blandfordians M. Munday Broadstone J. Rayner Iwerne and Fontmell R Monk Bradford Abbas A. McRae Broadstone Division 2 Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES J. Coombs Bournemouth 9 J. Brown Broadstone 9 P. Macklin Bere Regis 9 W. Gasper Broadstone 8 N. Ball Bere Regis 8 J. Hurley Bournemouth 7 M Surridge Ferndown Wayfarers 2s 7 S. White Old Blandfordians 7 T. Beaumont Bournemouth 6 P Fosbery. Broadstone 6 99

100 Division 3 Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE A.Nippard Parley * C. Hedges Stalbridge M.Morley Parley O.Shrubsole Parley O.Green Parley C. Cockwell Witchampton * 43.6 A. Sullivan Stalbridge P Hawkins Symene CC S McCann Swanage 2s R. Burfitt Stalbridge D. Cockwell Witchampton * S. Evans Witchampton P. Allaway Witchampton * R. Knight Stalbridge M Wells Swanage 2s P Barker Swanage 2s Division 3 Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL C. Hedges Stalbridge M Wells Swanage 2s P Hawkins Symene CC M.Rake Parley P. Allaway Witchampton

101 Division 3 Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER M Jobi Swanage 2s C. Cockwell Witchampton H. Williams Stalbridge R. Knight Stalbridge D Benoy Swanage 2s I. Broom Witchampton J. Forsey Stalbridge J.Roe Parley L. Westacott Witchampton R Barker Swanage 2s G Bartlett Symene CC M. Humphrey Witchampton Division 3 Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES D White Swanage 2s 9 M Smith Symene CC 8 G. Easthope Witchampton 7 M.Morley Parley 6 O.Green Parley 6 R Wilcox Swanage 2s 6 M. Huphrey Witchampton 6 G Bartlett Symene CC 4 S Prior Symene CC 4 101

102 Division 4 Batting PLAYER CLUB INNS NO RUNS HS AVE D. Adkins Portland Red Triangle * C. Blake Old Bournemouthians M.Hewitt Shillingstone * 47 C.Groves Broadstone 2s * 42.4 M.Pownall Broadstone 2s A. Qualye Portland Red Triangle B.Simmons Broadstone 2s T.Coubrough Shillingstone C. Potter Old Bournemouthians S. Godula Old Bournemouthians MJ.Webber Shillingstone * 26.8 J. Morgan Broadstone 2s O.Morgan Shillingstone Division 4 Wicket Keeping PLAYER CLUB CATCHES STUMPINGS TOTAL S.Adams Shillingstone D. Adkins Portland Red Triangle P.Sutton Old Bournemouthians

103 Division 4 Bowling PLAYER CLUB OVERS MDNS RUNS WKTS AVE ER S. Rathnayake Portland Red Triangle B. Custard Old Bournemouthians A.Mcrea Broadstone 2s D.Lockyer Shillingstone M. Kudmany Old Bournemouthians K. Sharma Old Bournemouthians J. Morgan Broadstone 2s F.Webber Shillingstone N.Thorne Shillingstone M. Huntley Old Bournemouthians C. Blake Old Bournemouthians MJ.Webber Shillingstone M.Nott Portland Red Triangle S.Savage Shillingstone Division 4 Fielding PLAYER CLUB CATCHES J. Goodchild Old Bournemouthians 7 S. Godula Old Bournemouthians 6 M.Hewitt Shillingstone 3 M.Abel Shillingstone 3 103

104 Winners Reports Section Back to Directory Christchurch 1st XI Division 2 Winners A good start is always important to set the tone for the season, and we achieved that chasing a low score at home in the sunshine and a high score away in the drizzle. Over the years we've been eager to introduce youth players into the side and this year was no exception. Normally the younger players spend a season finding their feet. The young players who got their opportunity in previous seasons matured well and did more than hold their own. The new blood came in and made an instant impact and they should be very proud of their achievements. The 'old boys' also did their bit by dominating at key points during various matches. The in-betweeners (those neither old nor young) were consistent in all areas of the game. Season 2012 was tough for the team, having lost so many players. This season we won 15 games of the 16 we played, which is testament to the 'bounce-back ability' of this side and the club. I don't normally pick out any players because I believe that no one player makes a side and this squad is no exception. However a special mention must go to Nick Marsh (vicecaptain) who picked up 50 wickets in the season, which is a very special achievement. Thank you to everybody who played, supported, umpired and scored throughout the years. After a decade I hang up my skippers whites - having won three different leagues and now having picked up Dorset 'Team of the Year' tops off a great tenure. Ben Rayner - Christchurch Cricket Club 1st XI Captain 104

105 Division Five South and East Winners Sturminster Marshall I will be honest when Simon (vice-captain) and I sat down to discuss the new season we had one goal and that was to win the league. After some excellent winter preparation in nets and by our hard working groundsman, Ed Warren, we were set for the season. We welcomed Broadstone 4ths to Churchill close for our opening game and having won toss, elected to bat, but soon found ourselves in trouble. Had it not been for a dogged 76 not out from Ross Humphrey we would have struggled to set a reasonable target. The new opening bowling partnership of Will Gage and Henry Cossins came out firing on all cylinders, with Cossins taking a wicket with his 1 st ball and destroying the top order. With that game wrapped we were under way, and only 17 games to go! During the 1 st month it became apparent the league would be fought out between Lytchett, Swanage 2nds and us. Lytchett arrived to take us on, top of the league and playing some excellent cricket, and after very good game, we came out on top, to overtake them and nestle in behind league leaders Swanage. Our last fixture before the halfway point was away to Swanage. Both were unbeaten, so something had to give. I duly won the toss and elected to field, only to be given the news we would have to start with 10 men due to an emergency. At this point Swanage offered us a substitute fielder until ours arrived, which was a fantastic show of sportsmanship considering the importance of the game. I must say having competed with them all season, they not only a good side, but also pleasure to socialise with afterwards. The game was very tight and having bowled well and fielded brilliantly we managed to bowl them out for at 86. At tea the game was firmly in our favour, but Swanage came back at us to reducing us at It was left to Henry Lockwood, the youngest player on the pitch, to hold his nerve and see us home. It was not the last time this season that would be the case, and he went on to have memorable first season, scoring two fifties which were both vital and taking 21 wickets. Our batting saw two maiden hundreds for the club in the shape of Tony Lockwood and Geraint Hughes. Geraint went on to score a second hundred and Mark Woods hit back to back unbeaten 100 s. Having taken over at the top of the league, we never relinquished top spot again for the rest of the season, despite losing twice in three games to make the end of the season nervier than perhaps it should have been. Will Gage finished the season with 43 wickets, leading from the front on many occasions. Having won the last game against Swanage to secure the title, Simon and I were able to reflect and be satisfied we had achieved our objective. Winning a league is never easy. It is about more than the squad of players. It is also the fantastic people in the background who support and sacrifice so much for a village club like ours. Paul 105

106 Division Five North and West Winners Shillingstone 2s We started this season with high hopes of gaining promotion after a brilliant season last year. The club got stronger and stronger with us acquiring 6 new players who all ended up challenging for 1 st team places throughout the season. With a loss to Bradford Abbas in our first home game of the season, we didn't get off to the start we wanted. However, we then went 10 games unbeaten, finally losing at Crewkerne; a team which matched us throughout the season. All season we had brilliant efforts from all of the players, with lots of major contributions throughout, including Tom Waters hitting 400 runs and getting 18 wickets, and a brilliant knock of 74 from 29 balls from Alex Young at Martinstown. All season we had a solid opening batting partnership with lots of experience, getting us off to the good starts we needed. This was also backed up in the bowling department with some very tight and excellent spells from both senior and young bowlers. This season saw many very promising young players breaking into the team and, on occasions, even getting called up to the 1 st team. With only 2 games left to go the season got very nervy. A solid finish was needed for us to fight off Crewkerne. We went to Abbotsbury and met a very strong and organised team and came away losing by 10 wickets. This took us into a final game, home to Marnhull and needing 12 points to win the league. We started a little nervously but ended up winning comfortably. I would like to thank all the players for their brilliant commitment. Also, big thanks to our scorer Brian and the tea ladies, for their continued hard work behind the scenes. I look forward to hopefully another good season next year, with us competing against lots of strong teams just like this year. Harry Paulley (Shillingstone Saturday 2 nd Team Captain) 106

107 Sunday Division 1 Champions Report Having spent one season in the top division, we knew more about each of the opposition and how important it would be for us this year to maintain a more consistent core to the team. Now looking back, I think that was the key to our success this season. Having brought in a couple of new young players for 2013, the squad had a fresh and exciting attitude towards each game. 11 players wanted to be there on a Sunday afternoon, looking to improve and develop from game to game, not just as individuals, but as a team as well. But we knew it would take time for us to really reach our peak. Having lost our first game at home to Swanage, I don t think any one of us could have envisaged going unbeaten for the remainder of the season. The confidence that grew in our young squad increased game by game as we slowly climbed the table. An excellent win away at Dewlish, bowling them out for 150 on a lively artificial gave belief that we could beat anyone on our day. A demolition of Swanage in the return fixture on a blisteringly hot July afternoon was a perfect example of this. Individually this year everyone contributed at different stages. Bringing in the experience of Jon Burton was just as key as his runs in the middle order. Marc Burton, with 24 wickets and Jack Richards, with 22, were the pick of the bowlers by quite some distance, not only just in our team, but I believe in the league as well. This was another competitive season in 2013 in Division 1 and a fairly memorable one for Fovant CC. We look forward to defending our title in

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110 Cricketers Remembered Back to Directory In 2013, Portland Red Triangle Cricket had another decent season on the field. Both 1st teams gained promotion. The Sunday 1st XI, in particular, remained unbeaten throughout its first season in Division 2. The club has rightly been focused on developing local young talent, but this year has also seen the premature deaths of two fine players who were instrumental in creating a successful and thriving club. Martin Hewson Martin Hewson died at the age of 39, just as the season was starting. Martin started playing for Red Triangle as a very young man 13 or 14 years old - and eventually captained the 1st XI for several seasons, leading the team to promotion into the Dorset Premier League in Like Melvyn, he was a big guy, but he still became a very effective and nimble fielder close to the bat. Martin's most useful quality wasn't his intrinsic athleticism, it was his personality he would adapt his game to whatever the side needed, and as his career progressed, he would learn new skills and take on new roles. As he matured, he is remembered as being the shrewdest and most tactically innovative captain Portland has had in recent memory. In particular, he enjoyed carrying the fight to the opposition, finding ways to push opponents out of their comfort zone. Simon Barrett recalls a match against Hamworthy on a cold, damp day the sort where no-one wants to bat, especially when the opposition have two good fast bowlers. Martin lost the toss and was told that Hamworthy would like to see us bat. Portland had plenty of batsmen who would normally be keen to go out first, but they all chose to step backwards rather than forwards, so Martin promoted himself from his normal 8 or 9 to number 1, and went out to face the music with Simon. Not only that, but he stayed around for a good opening stand. After Simon had ducked out of the way of a few fast, short deliveries, he realised that Martin had been winding the opposition quickie up and getting him to waste his energy by peppering Simon. Martin was a pragmatic batsman. His favourite shot, apparently, was the late cut not the obvious choice for someone who learnt to play on our slow and low pitches! During one match against Dorchester, with a bit more bounce available, he enjoyed winding his opponents up by playing the late cut to virtually every ball. He was only prevented from reaching what would have been a great fifty after he steered one into the hands of Terry Richards, who had been posted into the highly unusual position of third gully. Martin would bat in whatever position he was needed. He taught himself to become an effective bowler, and also kept wicket very well for a few years. Phil White recalls him diving full length to take a one-handed catch off his bowling, stretching out like a goal-keeper. Martin's qualities would always be recognised by any employer worth his salt, and eventually his overseas work commitments meant that he had to step down from playing cricket, a decision that cannot have been taken easily. I know that Martin did not enjoy seeing the club then slipping down the divisions in the past decade. My last contact with him was when we were both watching a match at Reforne in 2010 or so. His sharp and original tactical thinking left a strong impression, as did his continued desire to find the time to become involved once again. Sadly, that will not now come to pass he would have made a wonderful coach or second-team captain. 110

111 Melvyn Tremlin By contrast with Martin, Melvyn was a natural sportsman. I'm told that he was an excellent footballer in his youth, and many wonder whether he might have played representative cricket for Dorset had he chosen to play elsewhere than on Portland. Our records show that he captained Red Triangle for four years ( ) and made more centuries (8) than any other player. I'll be the first to admit that our records aren't as good as they could be, and that at least one of Melvyn's hundreds is not on the list. This was played on 'the hottest day of the century' in 1990, in temperatures approaching 100ºF. Poor old Melvyn! What is indisputable is that in the eighties and nineties, Portland Red Triangle built a formidable reputation throughout the county for being a very capable and competitive club disproportionately so, given the relative size of Portland. We won the Dorset Senior Championship several times, and throughout this period, Melvyn was clearly the senior professional. His batting was based on a strong forward defence, foot further forward than most, bat and pad closely together. He was a compact and strongly built man, hitting the ball with a lot of power, and was capable of destroying weaker bowling attacks with ease. There were some very good bowlers in the Senior Championship Julian Shackleton in particular, and Melvyn would bat first wicket down, and often have to go out to face pace and accuracy when it was at its freshest. He would do that just as well, often contributing the vital thirty, forty or fifty which would be enough to win a close game against strong opponents. Many of those that I have spoken to about Melvyn cite his bowling as even more exceptional than his batting. Having kept wicket to him, I would agree with this view wholeheartedly. He had a relatively low action, pushing the ball through a bit quicker than most spinners, and taking a lot of wickets with a well disguised ball that was tossed up just a little more than usual, but which had a lot more spin than his stock ball. His bowling brought out his competitive side, and I can honestly say that he made me concentrate like no-one else. He had the quick bowler's desire to blast batsmen off the pitch, but he also had the control, both physical and mental, to be able to out-think good players. Graham Elenor recalls a match where Wessex Wanderers bowled us out quickly for 110, and we gave them an extra 5 overs in which to chase our total down. Melvyn opened the attack up the hill with Graham coming down: we don't have the scorebook, but a very strong Wessex side were skittled for 90 runs, with Melvyn bowling throughout, and taking most of the wickets. Like Martin, Melvyn's personality was an important factor in how he played. On the field, he was determined, very loyal to his club, but a good sportsman. His frustration could show, but that would quickly blow over. Off the field, he enjoyed the social side of cricket, and of his status as being more than a little above average. He's only a few years older than that other great English extrovert all-rounder, Ian Botham, and many of commented on how the hairstyles in some of the photos were chosen to match Botham's look. He loved playing in friendly matches where it was possible to let one's hair down a little, but always treated opponents with respect, and he certainly enjoyed a drink with anyone who shared his love for the sport. Melvyn and Ashley Doidge became a great pair of practical jokers, and we are still trying to get the facts straight on the time when captain Graham Elenor's favourite pair of espadrilles were nailed to the changing room floor. Melvyn was a great local sportsman who contributed a huge amount he could have played for a bigger club, but he chose to stay with Portland, and he was an intrinsic part of what is still recognised as the club's glory years. 111

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