Annual Report of the Bassetlaw Management Committee 2006 - 2
by Richard Martin, 20th November 2006

The weather proved a fickle friend during the season with a succession of glorious Saturdays in mid-season more than balanced earlier and later by some very inclement conditions. 252 matches (> 23%) were recorded as weather draws and five teams, Anston 1st XI, Teversal 1st XI, Clipstone, Bilsthorpe, and Oaklands suffered that fate in more than one-third of their matches.

Fourteen matches were cancelled due to the inability of clubs to raise teams, with this number being a little higher than usual due to the World Cup; however some clubs showed considerable ingenuity to accommodate both cricket and soccer by starting matches soon after breakfast time.

The award for the most optimistic appeal to an umpire came when a Papplewick & Linby player sidled up to the official at square-leg and asked that play be suspended to enable the players to watch the penalty shoot-out in the match between England and Portugal.

Several of the group matches in the inaugural Twenty/20 competition for the Mallen Trophy fell foul of the weather, but the sun shone on 2nd July, Finals Day, and provided Edwinstowe Cricket Club, the winners, with one bright spot in an otherwise gloomy season. In their semi-final, played at Cuckney, they defeated Bridon whilst at Kiveton Park, Glapwell Colliery overcame the host club, and in a high scoring final achieved a comfortable victory with the man-of- the-match award going to Asif Zakir. In 2007 both semi-finals and the final will be played at Notts. & Arnold Amateur Cricket Club on 15th July.

The weather also created difficulties in the arrangement of the inter-league competition for the Rhoades Trophy. Having beaten the Mansfield League our team was faced with the long journey to the north-east to play the North Yorkshire & South Durham League. A last minute ‘phone call prevented one fruitless journey; on the following Sunday the match commenced, but was abandoned after 23 overs; a result finally being reached at the third time of asking when our opponents won by 67 runs. Tribute should be paid to the main team organizers, Mike Smedley and Gareth Jones, for their unstinting efforts in putting out teams under the most difficult of circumstances.

Killamarsh Juniors had probably their best season since joining the League in 1938. In Division One the First XI, strengthened by the addition of Adam Burgess who scored 855 runs, were in contention throughout and came into the last match at Kiveton Park knowing that seven points would make them champions; this they duly achieved, giving them a one point winning margin over a Cuckney team led from the front by Will Butler with three centuries, a feat also achieved by Akram Khan (Bolsover), Andy Thompson (Cutthorpe) Ian Flood (N.& A. A.) and Phil Cooper (Kiveton Park Colliery). This was the first time that the championship had been won by so narrow a margin since Bridon pipped Chesterfield in 1980. Butler’s team mate, Richard Stroh, was the only bowler in Division One to take eight wickets in an innings. Farnsfield were the best batting side in the Division, but a combination of bad luck with the toss, their excellent pitches and some lack of penetrative bowling restricted them to just five wins. For example, on 15th July they scored 343 for 2 only for Blidworth Welfare to reply with 255 for 6, a new record aggregate for the Division of 598, beating by 4 runs the previous record which Farnsfield shared with Glapwell Colliery, and on 29th July, 335 for 3 against Glapwell’s 184 for 6. A week after clinching the championship Killamarsh achieved the double when overcoming a dogged performance by Division Two side Mansfield & Pleasley in the Final of the Tomlins Trophy thanks mainly to a patient half-century by Burgess which earned him the Gordon Mycroft Cup. More success was to follow with a comprehensive seven wicket victory against Gedling Colliery of the South Nottinghamshire League in the Champion of Champions challenge match. Again Burgess was top scorer in the game, but the man of the match award deservedly went to Parminder Mudhar for his excellent spell of slow bowling which ripped the heart out of the Gedling batting.

Edwinstowe, after three seasons, and Blidworth Welfare, after just one, are relegated to Division Two. The former, who finished in third place in 2005, proved the old adage that a team can afford to lose players, but not two or three of its best players. They rarely scored enough runs other than in the games in which Asif Zakir scored one of his four centuries, and the bowling was limited as typified when Bolsover scored 329 for 6. The latter suffered a terrible second half of the season, their last eleven matches yielding two weather draws, four losing draws, and five defeats.

Bridon would have been champions of Division Two had they not lost six points due to a disciplinary indiscretion, thus enabling Ransome & Marles to lift the trophy, as in Division One, by a single point. Each accrued more points than any other team throughout the league and they were the only two unbeaten teams.

Francois Le Clus (Ransome & Marles) was the outstanding batsman in the whole league scoring 1312 runs at an average of 109.33 with 3 centuries including 182 not out at Whitwell, plus a double century, 211, against Farnsfield II a fortnight later when his team scored 372 for 6 to break the Division record of 365 for 3 by Eckington against the same opponents in 2005. Without wishing to rub salt in Farnsfield’s wounds it must also be recorded that Eckington scored 332 for 5 against them this year.

Some years ago scores over 250 were unusual and always worthy of recording. After six years of overs cricket, 1968 to 1973 the highest team total in Division One, Section A was 250 for 5, in Section B 261 for 5, in Section C 266 for 4 and in Section D 265 for 8 (all Sections of course played 92 overs matches in those days). This is far from the case six years after the re-organisation of the Divisions in 2001. On 8^th July alone, Anston scored 312 for 8 ……. and lost by four wickets to Bridon (316 for 6), Ransome & Marles scored 300 for six against Everton, and Whitwell 317 for 7 against Mansfield Hosiery Mills II, four other teams scored over 250, and that was just in Division Two. A fortnight later Anston topped 300 again with 324 for 6 against Notts. & Arnold Amateur II before rain intervened.

The only tied match in the League came in this Division, and not until the last Saturday of the season, when Mansfield Hosiery Mills II scored 231 for 5 in reply to Anston’s 231 for 9. Notts. & Arnold Amateur II and Farnsfield II struggled at this level though the former team’s only win was spectacular as they scored 250 for 8 to beat Everton on the same day that the First XI accumulated 271 for 3 against Marshalls. Jon Mimms (Everton) scored four centuries, Alan Draycott, the Whitwell captain, amassed 984 runs, and Ian Woodall (Mansfield & Pleasley) averaged 80.33, whilst two players took eight wickets in an innings, Darren Brittlebank (MHM II), 8-19, and Raj Bhakar (NAA II), 8-42 achieved those figures in the match between the two clubs at The Fieldings.

Waleswood Sports, as champions of Division Three with thirteen wins, the highest in the League, achieved their fifth promotion in six years with Caythorpe II as runners-up, a reversal of their positions in Division Four in 2005.  The Caythorpe club is to be congratulated for also winning the Nottinghamshire Premier League and reaching the semi-final of the National Club Knock-Out. Welbeck Colliery have dropped the title ‘Academy’ from their Division Three team, which is probably right considering that in the home match against Grassmoor they scored 252 for 2 mainly due to centuries from two of their more senior citizens, Charlie French and Steve Antcliff, and a third, Neil French achieved the same feat earlier in the season at Clay Cross . Gerhard Botha played nine innings, including 170* against West Indian Cavaliers II, for Teversal scoring 487 runs at an average of 81.17. Clay Cross Works and Thurcroft have each experienced difficulties recently, but have expressed a determination to keep going and the former will be moving to a new ground next season.

Retford II move up from Division Four for the first time, leaving Bridon II and Worksop II, their two arch rivals, as the only ever-presents since re-organization. The local derbies against Bridon will be particularly missed and the most recent played produced 500 runs. Clumber Park gained promotion for the third year in succession and with their Second and Third Elevens performing equally well in Divisions Seven and Ten respectively become the first club to have three teams promoted in the same season. One of the best games in the Division came when Bolsover II scored 261 for 3 only for Milton to respond with 263 for 3; Richard Boyle scoring 141* for Bolsover and Les Shaw 117 for Milton.

Lea Park were champions of Division Five and in the match at Anston showed their determination by making a very good effort to chase down a home team total of 294 for 6, in which John Lyne scored one of his three centuries, finishing with 257 for 6 to create a new aggregate record of 551 and Cuckney II had two outstanding batting performances; 338 for 7 against Rose Leisure and 261 for 0 wicket against Notts. & Arnold Amateur III.  A couple of bowlers had a good day on 1st July with Ian Carrington (Cuckney II) taking 8-44 against Lea Park, and Craig Attenborough (Basford Mill) 8-54 against Anston II, but in each case runs flowed from the other bowlers and the innings totals were 280 for 9 and 229 for 9 respectively. For the second year in succession Notts. & Arnold Amateur Second, Third and Fourth teams finished in bottom place in Divisions Three, Five and Eight, and bolstering up Divisions by not relegating teams after season 2005 did them no favours. They have many players too young to cope at these levels and for this reason the Management Committee have acceded to a request from the club for the Third and Fourth teams to play at lower levels next season. A similar request from Anston C.C. for its 4th XI to drop to Division Ten has been agreed and Waleswood Sports II will move up.

A year ago, and after looking at various options the Management Committee took the decision to endeavour to retain ten Divisions and for a number of those Divisions to have only ten teams. Just before the start of the start of the 2006 season Clay Cross Works II withdrew from Division Seven leaving only nine teams, and Bev Norris, the Fixture Secretary should be congratulated for the speed with which he revised fixtures to get each team back to 18 matches. It was unfortunate that the weather intervened badly in this Division resulting in Oaklands, for instance, having only 11 games played to a conclusion, and four other teams only 12.

The Management Committee is aware that the number of Divisions, and therefore the number of teams in each, and the number of matches played, is a matter of concern to clubs. Two arguments to counter-balance this are firstly that large Divisions make for an even bigger disparity between teams, and secondly the fall-off in popularity of Bank Holiday matches, 40% of clubs are not interested, ground unavailability etc., makes the accommodation of 22 fixtures nigh on impossible.

The disparity between teams is typically illustrated in Division Six. To cap a marvellous year at Killamarsh, the Second XI were champions winning 12 of their 14 matches not affected by rain, but conversely Grassmoor II lost 12 of only 13 unaffected games.

The lower Divisions of the League are increasingly being dominated by the junior teams of the larger clubs.

Mansfield & Pleasley II and Clumber Park II graduate to Division Six after one year in Division Seven; Worksop III, who scored 310 for 3 against Everton II thanks to Bryn Smith with 186 not out and James Hubble 104, move from Division Nine to Division Seven in successive seasons; Mansfield & Pleasley III and Worksop IV from Division Ten to Division Eight in successive seasons; and Clumber Park III and Milton III finished in the promotion places in Division Ten. The exception to this rule was Todwick who flew the flag for the smaller club by gaining their first promotion since joining the League in 2001. Rockware Glass have had a difficult time in recent seasons, but two of their wins in Division Nine were outstanding They scored 305 for 7 to beat Anston IV by 240 runs and 367 for 5 a month later to overwhelm Basford Mill II by 330 runs.

One problem being found by the expanding clubs is a shortage of grounds. Killamarsh Juniors wished to field a 3rd XI next season, but couldn’t find a ground, and it has been learned in the last few days that the Civil Service ground at Calow, used by Duckmanton Lodge is to close. Unfortunately earlier today they informed me that they have decided to quit the league and the constitution of Divisions 7 to 10 will now be looked at again and the clubs in these sections will be informed as to what is happening.

Among the feast of runs in the League it should be reported that bowlers other than those mentioned earlier do sometimes have their day. Anston IV were bowled out for 22 in reply to Thoresby Park II 248 for 4 in Division 9 and Harthill II could also manage only 22 against Farnsfield III in Division 10. Seventeen instances of a bowler taking 7 wickets have been recorded with Steve Maddock (Anson II) 7-9, Matt Booth (Wadworth) 7-10, Russ Breedon (Blidworth II) and Craig Collins (Teversal) 7-11 being the pick; and let it also be recorded that Rachel Scholes took 5 for 15 for Mansfield Hosiery Mills IV v Mansfield & Pleasley IV.

It is good to see women playing an increasing role in the game on and off the field. Twenty one years ago when I succeeded Harold Pope as Secretary he predicted that, during my time in office, the tradition of the Annual Dinner being an all-male occasion would change. I am delighted that he has been proved right, and anticipate that in March the Guest Speaker, cricket author Stephen Chalke, will entertain all who attend.

As you are aware my role is also changing. I am relieved to be stepping aside, thankful that the Management Committee wishes me to retain some involvement with regard to the handbook and other administrative matters, and delighted that Gary France, in whom the Management Committee has every confidence, is assuming the office of Honorary Secretary.

May I take this opportunity to thank sincerely all connected with the League for putting up with me for all these years; my colleagues on the Management team for their tremendous support; the club officials who have shown great respect for the post; and everyone for their friendship. My time in office has usually been a great pleasure. It has always been a great privilege.

To read part one of the report, click here.