Champions match set for Calverton
by Paul Barker, 14th September 2005

Thoresby Colliery the champions of the Bassetlaw Cricket League will meet Long Eaton of the South Nottinghamshire League in the Champion of Champions match this Saturday at Woods Lane, Calverton this Saturday 17 th September with a 12.30 p.m. start.

The match is an annual fixture between the two leagues and is contested on a 45 over basis with a limitation on the number of overs bowled by a single bowler of nine. It has proved in recent seasons to be a very exciting match and the South Notts . League sides hold a two to one advantage over the last three years with Collingham defeating Cutthorpe in 2002, Retford defeating Calverton in 2003 and last year Gedling beating a rather under strength Mansfield Hosiery Mills at Papplewick.

This season’s match looks to be another entertaining tussle on paper with two good sides contesting the honours. Thoresby won the Bassetlaw League for the very first time in their history last Saturday when the weather put paid to their final match against neighbours Edwinstowe and the only team who could catch them, Glapwell suffered a similar fate with the weather proving unplayable at Kiveton Park .

However don’t take anything away from Thoresby, they certainly were worthy champions. They won more games than anyone else (13) and out of 22 matches that is no mean feat. They had a side which always plays for each other with no huge stars in it although some would say I am perhaps being a bit unjust to Martin Cheshire with that assumption.

The Thoresby skipper though would I feel agree wholeheartedly with my assessment that this was a real team effort and that everyone is worthy of praise for their part in the success. The nucleas of the team has been there for several seasons and this time they added just the right amount of strengthening and it has certainly paid off.

They did have a major setback just before the season started when Paul Hughes an extremely dependable batsman who scored 670 runs last season at 31.90 decided to return home to South Africa . When you lose a player of this quality it is always difficult to replace them, but Thoresby managed it with some shred acquisitions and have performed even better than in 2004 when they won the Tomlin Trophy.

They brought over a young Zimbabwean David Irvine who at the beginning looked a useful player but later evidence once he had settled showed he was much more than that. He is capable of outstanding feats with both bat and ball and it looks as though he will back once again next summer as the club prepare for the joust in the Nottinghamshire Premier League.

Another player who has been at the club for more years than he cares to remember is Billy Lippeatt and what a season he has had. In addition to about 50 wickets that he has taken with his off spin, Bill aided and abetted Shailesh Patel as Thoresby looked to be up the creek without a paddle at Worksop when certain defeat looked imminent.

With the score on a precarious 101 for 9, Lippeatt and Patel put on an unbroken stand of 112 and then he added insult to injury by taking Four wickets as Thoresby pulled of an amazing win. This match above any showed the spirit and will to win that the side has and they certainly never knew when they were beaten.

So now they have nailed the Bassetlaw League’s colours to the mast for this annual fixture. Their opponents Long Eaton will certainly not be an easy match but they will certainly give it their everything. Spectators are more than welcome to attend the match on this most picturesque of grounds and a close contest is expected.

The Thoresby team is likely to be: Martin Cheshire (Captain), Nigel Burkitt (W.K.), David Irvine, Richard Hope, Naeem Ahmed, Farook Aziz, Shailesh Patel, William Lippeatt, Ben Marson, Callum Flinton and Steve Willis.