2007 Season review

Dear reader, you must be wondering why there have been no postings for quite a while. Well the end of the 2007 season was so traumatic that only after months of medical care am I able to talk about the events that unfolded in September!!!

First let's wrap up the Twenty20 season. After gloriously qualifying for the Finals Day in the dark we eagerly anticipated the semi final against Rushale. Turning up at Thornton Cleveleys CC, who had kindly loaned us their ground for the day, we were greeted by drizzle. This seemed to encapsulate the entire summer which had been a washout. However with no 1st team games left, the groundsman was happy for us to play the tournament and so at 11am we started proceedings. I lost the toss (as usual) and we were asked to bat first. How would our fragile batting order cope with the potential onslaught off the Fleetwood Express of Sam Bury? Quite well actually with 3 players reaching the 25* retirement mark and we were happily scoring at a respectable run rate for a change. With the middle order ordered to get in and get out to enable the retired batsmen to get back in, all was going to plan, the middle order promptly hit out and with only the last pair at the crease it looked like our top order would be firing on all cylinders again. However our last pair couldn't get out, even when standing aside from the wicket! So our final total of 120/7, whilst being respectable in the context of our season, felt short in the context of the match situation.

Rushale started batting well with all rounder Sam Bury reaching the retirement mark, but then our bowling and fielding reached new heights, ripping through the Rushale order, clean bowling, direct hit run outs, one handed diving catches the lot! We were cruising to victory and even though Sam had returned to the crease we only required one more wicket with 4 overs to go. But Sam was grinding away and opportunities were missed meaning we entere the final over with only 2 runs required for Rushale to snatch victory. It took them 3 balls to do it and since the scoreboard had been kept incorrectly confusion reigned at the end but a thrilling game came to an end and we were agonisingly short. Both teams were applauded off the field and we received many kind comments from the other two teams and spectators that we had performed well and were unlucky not to win the match. Whilst we had lost at the one stage where you never really want to, I am pleased that having dragged ourselves into the Finals Day we showed that we could perform well. Here's the scorecard link and an amusing photo of a sign Stu found!

As for the first team the end of season was even more spectacular. After the Blackpool draw we went to Fleetwood on a gloriously sunny day for once and managed to win, then pooped round to catch the end of Thornton v St Annes where Thornton could only draw, meaning the title race was back in our hands. We had a double header that weekend playing Baxi at Fleetwood's main ground, who had kindly offered us their pitch to use as Baxi's ground was unavailable. However the skies were ominous and we set to trying to bowl them out. I was in the zone getting their opener out cheaply and then producing 3 more clear catch chances which were put down, very annoying! But then the heavens opened and ended the contest. So a rain draw meant we had to go to Preston on the final weekend of the season and win to take the title. Anything less and Thornton could claim it with a win at home to Comrades.

As with the end of season match last year at Preston we arrived at a humid ground. Preston IV were put into bat and I managed to take the early wicket of Jonty Mcdonald again like last year. This set me on the road to taking my first 5 wicket haul of the year (the target I set myself at the start if the match to get 30 wickets in the season). All was going well and we reduced Preston to 81/9. However their number 10 proceeded to smash us to all parts in the final 15 overs amassing 70 not out and setting a total of 149 all out, hmmm.... Our batsmen set about the run chase well, with good contributions from the top order getting us to 125/4, but then on came Jonty who proceeded to bowl rather quickly and rip out our middle order. I managed to face 4 balls which I didn't really see before being bowled by the fifth even though I tried to close the angle by coming down the pitch. Scott and Snape put on a valiant last wicket stand but we came up 13 agonising runs short. Thornton had won against Comrades and so snatched the title at the death.

However in the aftermath of the match, it turned out that two of the Preston team were 1st teamers from the Northern League. This fact changed the complexion of our game, and even though people may say we should have won anyway, the fact that Preston chose to try and hide the first team bowler and batter by bringing them into the game late shows what poor sports they were being. Coincidentally these two players were brothers and it had the feel of a family day out jolly for them, with their family watching from the side and haveing an end of season knock about in a lower league to massage their egos. This totally ruined what had been a fanastic battle for the FCL all season. It was decided to lodge a complaint about their use of illegal players, which came out in our favour and we were handed the points and thus the title. Hilariously Preston had tried to claim the batsmen Pip McDonald was in fact Pete Mcdonald, a totally ficticious person!! They should have got their lies worked out before meeting with the FCl committee... Whilst nobody wants to in this way, we felt cheated having done nothing wrong. Thornton were obviously upset but should direct their annoyance with Preston for cheating. The aftermath has been rather messy with lots of chat on our websote guestbook and Thornton have left for another division. They actually applied for this other league in June so it is a shame they never intended to stay.

So the 2007 season ended on a strange note. However personally I am happy we got to the 2020 Finals Day and that I took 30 wickets. Next season 35 and a better batting average! It looks like the FCL are also going to implement some rule changes so the nonsense of illegal players can be stamped out and hopefully the 2008 season will be just as competitive, but far more sporting. Here's to next summer, hopefully a sunny one!

Twenty20 season salvaged

Our last few games in the innaugural Fylde Twenty20 League had us up against the wall but with qualification in our hands. If we could win 2 out of 3 we would get to Finals Day and that's eactly what we did.

A long delayed match last Wednesday v Blackpool EVH at home led to a comfortable win to get us on track. The next day we were away to hard hitting Jolly Boys. Cue late arrivals by the opposition, another lost toss, grumblings from my team which raised my temper and sluggish fielding to compound my mood. However in the match reduced to 16 overs played on an astroturf wicket, we kept them to 96, a good total but one we knoew was below par for thier big hitters. Chasing was going to be hard but the plans had been laid the night before to bat aggressively. The new opening pair of Crabtree and Hindle did the same, with Kenny getting out to another good catch, but the following batsmen failed to bat with enough purpose to leave the lower order chasing 3/4 an over, as opposed to 5/6 an over. Going in in the last few overs needing 10 an over the writing was on the wall. However we manegd to get up to 90 and record an honourable defeat. However I wasn't amused by the comments by the top order of thinking they'd batted brilliantly when clearly it was too slow by allegedly better batsmen. The debate continued to the pub where we agreed to disagree!!

Anyway all that meant that last night's game against Warbreck was winner takes all, to claim the last qualification spot. Winning a toss an electing to bowl to keep the team happy all was looking good. We were bowling and fielding well on a quick outfield and in sunshine, what more could we ask for. Tough umpiring early on helped the bowlers to tighten their lines and we manegd to keep Warbreck under 100 off their alloted 20 overs.

At the change of innings the clouds started to come over and the light disappeared rapidly. The openers set about the task fantastically, running singles and extras off wides and byes. Sloppy bowling meant lots of chuntering at the umpires, however if they can't bowl to the rules they have little to complain about and the disrespect shown to 2 of our umpires was not well received. We were cruising at 6 an over, well above the 4.5 an over rate required but it was getting rapidly dark and under any normal circumstances the game would have been called off as a tie. However since a tie would knock Warbreck out, they wanted to carry on and my batsmen were happy to continue. Conditions were certainly dangerous when I got into bat at about 8:15 after their quick bowler was brought back on with the clear intention of injuring somebody and had taken a few more wickets. Poor sportsmanship by some of the non regular Warbeck Hill team clearly being shown. Needing 15 to win Stu and I continued in the dark, literally seeing the ball for a fraction of a second in the sightscreen, but that was just enough to flick the ball around and reach the target. Helped by the fact the fieders had zero idea where the ball was going! So a heroic win was claimed and a place in the semi final on Sunday, where we will hope to perform and do some damage as the darkhorses of the Fylde Twenty20 League...

August FCL update

The British summer has really kicked in over the past few weeks meaning we have only played 3 1st team matches this month! However they were games all against top of the league rivals and certainly played in competitive spirit.

Firstly we played Thornton at home in the league. Smarting after our Stuart Cup Final defeat we were keen to put right our mistake in the league. Put in to bat on a soggy pitch and under grey skies the omens weren't too good. A good start for Thornton before the first rain shower and we came off at 28-3, not good, Thornton eager to get back on the pitch. Rawcliffe and Amos battled in the next session of play getting us to 71-5 before another shower halted proceedings, Thornton not so keen to get back on this time! However we got back on to complete our 45 overs, with myself and Crabtree combining to reach the 100 runs mark to claim a second bonus point. Shame we got out in the last over slashing to give Thornton an extra bonus point, how crucial that becomes at the end of the season remains to be seen. After tea we were looking to get into them, and Captain Rawcliffe certainly did, destroying them along with Snape to reduce them to 11-7. Many long faces and grumblings coming from the sidelines and deep psychological scars inflicted! In the end we bowled them out for 26 for an amazing win again against our closest title rivals, taking 17 points to their 2.

More rain meant our next game was a few weeks later in the Wareing Cup, a semi final against St Annes which had already been abandoned the previous week with us on 12-3! turning up expecting a bowl off, we were informed the game was on and was to be reduved to 30 overs. A worrying slip from my first ball bowled looked ominous but we manged to bowl well and restrict their total to 109. However the talk of the first innings was the unfortunate incident involving local youths, a horn and an irate mother... We set about the task confidently, but soon were behind the run rate on a sluggish pitch and also the openers hadn't blasted away as we had hoped. With the middle order battling away it was looking close. I managed to get in to bat with 6 an over needed and was promtly run out by Amos withoiut facing a ball!! A demoralising loss leaving us only with the league to focus on.

Last weekend we faced Blackpool at home, our last league game in a rain ravaged month. Bowling first we felt confident, after restricting them to 75 off the first half of the overs, however soon Harrison had reached 50 off the change bowlers and started bashing away to reach a century in another 5 or 6 overs, including 6's, 4's and dropped catches, the Captain was not amused. Facing a massive total of 219 to win, orders were given to go for the draw. With their star player Harrison now bowling quiclly on the always amusing Cottam pitch, we lost early wickets and werelooking shaky. But the last hour call soon came and we survived 41 overs to salvage a draw, on a day when Thornton drew at Preston III, so no ground gained or lost in the title race.

Sunshine and victory

Finally the sun shone and we managed to get a game of cricket in yesterday. However the joy was tempered early on by the fact that today's game had been cancelled already, giving our title rivals Thornton more cause to celebrate since we only take 4 points from the No Result and is why I'm sat here typing instead of warming up to play again!

Anyway back to yesterday's match, the Wareing Trophy Quarter Final versus Fleetwood IV. We found Cottam in amazingly good condition considering all the rain. The outfield was very soggy with puddles everywhere, but with the sun shining and the breeze blowing, the sqaure was drying very quickly, leaving a crusty surface and a soft interior. An easy call to make on winning the toss with Captain Rawcliffe electing to field. With a short run up I got through my 8 over spell very tightly and should have had a couple of wickets had it not been for errant catching, especially from my younger brother Andrew on debut (filling in for our severely depleted team)! Another amusing incident in the first over with an easy run out chance being missed. A suicide single meant an easy opportunity, but Andy had knicked the wickets with his pad before receiving the ball, so I had to scream "pull it out, pull it out" to remove the stump and complete the run out. Our celebrations were short lived as it transpired that while he had pulled the stump out, he had forgotten to touch it with the ball in his other hand, disaster! We managed to field well in tough conditions and bowled Fleetwood out for 81 with a few overs of their alloted 40 left.

Amos and Hindle went about the task of chasing down the small target knowing conditions were far from easy. Fleetwood had only managed 1 boundary in their total. Amos was instructed to nurdle it around by the Captain, so promptly saw off the first few overs before charging around and smashing the ball to all parts! A quickfire 24 got us on our way but a small collapse left us needing 40 with myself and the Captain at the crease. The bowlers were being changed constantly to keep us on our toes and with the pitch taking spin it was imperitive to get ourselves in before taking on the bowling, especially with our potentially weak tail end. Even though a few more wickets fell (Kenny most amusingly, succumbing to the sledging from the slips with only 4 runs required!), I managed to stick around ending on 16* with Scott and finish off the chase, getting us to 82/5. So into the Semi Finals next Sunday after our crunch league game against Thornton IV on Saturday at Cottam. With our No Results putting us on the back foot this is now a massive game, and even if we win we will still not be able to overtake them in the league unless other teams do some damage to them. It could be a tight finish to the season...

Long awaited update

Apologies for the long abscence dear reader, my keyboard broke and I have only just replaced it with a Swiss version which my Uncle has given me. The occasional letter is in the wrong place so please excuse any amusing typos!

We last left off with the extraordinary tie in the Twenty20 league and not much has happened since due to the English summer coming to town and flooding out most of the country... The 1st team have only played one match since that defeat to Fleetwood, which was the Stuart Cup Final against Thornton. Unfortunately we lost in a highly competitive and amusing game. Full match report by Thornton here.

From a personal point of view, I was happy to help the Captain rebuild our first innings, going in at 30/6 and getting the team past Thornton's first innings total with a 40 odd partnership. In that was a highly amusing over from Dobbie who, no doubt upset after I bowled him out, set to bowling one of the most hysterical overs I have ever witnessed. Beamers at my head, hilarious schoolboy sledging after a no ball was given "why are you crying like a girl" responded by me "feel free to bowl at the stumps" a few wides, more no balls, his own team turning on him, genius. We decided on a groundhog day 2nd innings and this time I helped Rob to rebuild, with him running me into the ground with his excessive fitness! However after two top order misfires (unheard of!) it was always a tough task to win and Thornton managed to chase down their target with ease. Still it was nice to play a competitive match and at Blackpool CC, an international ground this season no less.

In the Fylde Twenty20 League we have kept our 100% up, managing to lose to Jolly Boys on a very soggy Cottam Hall pitch and also to Rushale at Rossall School. It was nice to go back and play there for the first time since 1998 when I managed to hit the winning runs in my last match for the school 2nd XI! I'm starting to get very frustrated with the 2020 this season, with our batting failing every week I'm running out of ideas to motivate the squad. Next week we play back to back matches on Wednesday and Thursday against our bottom of the league rivals, Warbreck and Henry's Marauders. If we can somehow get 2 wins we will sneak into Finals Day and can prepare for a comeback greater than Lazarus!

Anyway as I write this the sun is shining and we have 2 matches this weekend. Playing Fleetwood in the Wareing Trophy, a 40 over cup competition with my little brother Andrew answering the call to fill our depleted team and away to St Annes in the league tomorrow. Bring it on!

A tied match!

Finally the Cavaliers scored a point in the Twenty20 league last night however through away a great chance of victory. Well we should be thankful for small mercies, after fielding fantastically and Andy knocking a quickfire birthday 26* we managed the usual cock up to ruin all our good work. However David Lever heroically saved the game and almost got us over the line... Click here for the full match report.

One more Twenty20 match before the big Stuart Cup final, can the Cavaliers claim their first victory? The bookies odds aren't good!

First FCL defeat

Disaster! After a week of rain and two 2020 match postponements we were all pleased with the break in the weather allowing us a match at home to Fleetwood on Saturday. With Captain Alcock winning the toss and electing to field, we felt we had a good chance of getting some early breakthoughs in bowler frinedly conditions. After dropping their opener first ball and then with him not walking after a clear edge caught behind, things were not looking good. We battled on and Dave Lever took 4 wickets to end the innings with Fleetwood posting 148/8. A total we felt we could get, even though it felt like it had taken a lifetime to bowl the overs!

Having initially been put into bat at 3, I asked to drop down the order to get warm again and be able to give a good batting performance. However batting at 5 I was in after 5 overs after Coker took a hat trick to demolish our top order in a weakened team! The name of the game had instantly turned to salvaging a draw and remaining undefeated if possible. Mike fell to a Cottam Hall shooter but I managed to stick around for an hour and score 18. But when I yorked myself we had an hour to go with 5 wickets in hand. Scott, Lefty and Kenny hung around well but with just under half an hour left, Coker came back on to finish the game. A disappointing end to the game and the unbeaten run is over. Such a shame as a win would have sent us top of the league with a game in hand, what would have been a very strong position. Anyway we must regroup and use the Twenty20 to get back in form and ready for the Stuart Cup Final.

Tiring weekend

What a tiring yet fantastic weekend of top class FCL cricket. Rather than think since my brain hurts, here's my match report from our website:

"Legend Pete Snape MSM and Scott Taylor produced match winning performances, taking 9 wickets in 8.4 overs, to turn a game heading for a draw into a fantastic win for the champions against a competitive Thornton side.

Wyre were put into bat and Gregson and Moyes (recovering from a day at Old Trafford watching the Test match) produced a solid start on the astroturf wicket, combatting some good tight bowling. However they fell to leave Wyre 29-2 and needing some good middle order batting performances, which Cartwright (49) and Abbott (52) produced, to take Wyre to 112-2 and looking at a big total. However a middle order misfire meant the lower order needed to bolster the total which Wright, Lever and Snape (5* including a nice 4 through mid-on) did to post a total of 167/9. Paul Diver the star of Thornton's bowling with a complete innings spell of 23-8-55-7!

Thornton went at the opening bowlers with abandon, the wicket not helping Captain Rawcliffe or Bamford very much. However chances were being created regularly, but with two fielders short and chances finding gaps or being fumbled, frustration was mounting and the fight was well and truly on. A moment of inspiration from Wright producing a direct run out to remove big hitting Higson invigorated the team. But with Higson, Partington and Smith all having good innings to take Thornton to 90-1, a draw or Thornton win looked on the cards. Last hour called and only 16 overs remaining. Rawcliffe and Bamford toiled on to no avail and soon after the change bowlers came on. With only 12 overs to go containment was the order of the day, but Snape had other ideas, demolishing Thornton's middle order in figures of 5-0-13-5. Not bad for a 73 year old legend. But with experienced Paul Diver at the crease marshalling the batting and rotating the strike well with only a few overs to go, the atmosphere was tense. Then Scott produced one of the finest C&B's you will ever see. Last ball of the 3rd from last over and Diver drills the ball back towards the bowler, only a few inches off the ground. Taylor dives forward and takes a stunning catch to remove the Thornton danger man, genius! Scott then caps a fine bowling performance by taking the 10th wicket and winning the match with 8 balls to go and ending with figures of 3.4-0-14-4. What a fantastic match and a massive win for Wyre."


Not a bad start to the weekend! Sunday brought the big one, the Stuart Cup semi final v Baxi, who had brought their big guns out to play since they were struggling in the league and up for the cup! However after being put into bat, Mike and Greggy put their bowlers to the sword, scoring heavily and both making half centuries in Wyres total of 168/7. With 25 overs and some big hitters in their side it was shaping up to be a good contest. However that soon changed after four ouvers where Mike and I took four wickets, leaving them 10/4! Whilst their middle order hit out, the result was never in doubt and we coasted into our first final for many years, and my first since being at the club. Bring on Thornton at Blackpool CC on 1 July, two innings, 20 overs each, genius!

More Twenty20 woe

After paying an exorbitant transfer fee to get back the talents of Pete Snape MSM from the clutches of Henry's Marauders, the Cavaliers headed into last night's Twenty20 match against Rushale with renewed hope. Having won the toss and agreeing to play an 1818 match due to the late start time, I decided to avoid the potential psychological scarring another batting collapse could cause so put Rushale into bat. Fielding in a glorious sunny evening on a firmed up Cottam Hall pitch was quite pleasant. Only 4 wickets fell, Snape taking 3 on his 2007 season Twenty20 debut but despite the occasional 6 and some aggressive strokes, I felt their total of 107 was par for the course and achievable for our beefed up batting order, especially with Amos and Stephen Taylor back in the middle and good batting down to 8.

How wrong I was, our first over was as eventful as ever with Moyesie going for a duck. Cartwright soon followed and Amos run out. Not good. With a duel Taylor batting line up in the middle, the call for calm was sent out (not a long shout from the 20 yard boundary!) and the brothers played themselves in and started to play their strokes. With a run rate just over 5 per over required it wasn't panic stations yet. However a wild swipe from Stephen to a low bouncing ball ended his time at the crease and sent in captain Bamford.

With my confidence low after 3 below par innings things weren't looking good. Still the pitch was hard and the bowling fierce, always a fun combination so I took the aggressive option, opened the stance and set to the task. A few bashes came from the bat bringing some welcome boundaries. Near death on one occasion to the fielder at silly mid-on... The bowlers response was a few short ones into the chin, nice. I was feeling good and hopefully entertaining the crowds, 3 families viewing, almost capacity at Cottam! However with the run rate rising more aggression was called for. Scott's confident little innings came to a close and the lower order didn't last too long and for all intents and purposes the game was over. This brought Rob into bat and the classic Gregson family technique was soon evident to see with some classy forward defensives. I managed to keep bashing and with my 25 retirement approaching I foolishly got Rob run out taking a quick single to their best fielder. However all due credit to the opposition allowing Rob to continue batting with us requiring 40 off the last couple of overs, certainly well received. So the last few overs provided a few runs off a misture of spin and uber-pace, Snape was left with his pad (singular) on and I walked down the pitch West Indies style to swipe the last ball for four to end on 28* but with another match defeat.

The good thing about the Twenty20 League is that with 10 matches and four teams qualifying, it is far from over and if we can keep going and find our form, we can surely challenge to get into the finals. (He says hopefully, P.M.A!)

Excuse me while I vomit

Oh dear oh dear, Twenty20 used to be our game. Last summer we turned up confidently and brushed all aside (well most). Sport is a cruel mistress and another low scoring encounter between the Cavaliers and Blackpool EVH last night has led me to sulk for most of today. The less said about the game the better. Defending only 63 is never going to be easy, but we made a good stab of it, with EVH needing to get into the last 5 overs before passing the finishing post. Batting cost us again, me included getting out to the same shot for the 3rd time in a row!

However we pull our socks up, dig in and go again next week. Keep watching for news of Snape's dramatic transfer back to the Cavaliers next week and leading the charge to a first 2020 victory...

Weekend Aches

No time to rest in the life of a Wyre cricketer, two more matches this weekend and 2020 again on Tuesday! Saturday's league game against Baxi was one which we entered knowing we hadn't beaten them for a few years and that if we would have to play well against one of our title challengers last season. Baxi batted first and produced another test match performance, getting 104/7 off their 45 overs. I managed to drop another catch (that's 4 in the last 3 games now...) to keep my confidence high, haha! Alcock took the initiative and scored 62 to get us on the way and Amos and Gregson brought us home with only 1 wicket down. A good and suprisingly straightforward win but Baxi have been hit with the loss of 2 of their top players transferring to other teams.

Sunday brought a morning of work for me, Slime making at Thornton Little Theatre meaning I had to miss the first hour. Luckily rain delayed the start so when I arrived only 10 overs of our Stuart Cup Quarter Final had been played, with Cartwright and Alcock getting us to 70/0. A mini collapse managed to get me into bat quickly and I soon departed LBW for 0 given by Snape umpiring, how kind of him and I was sure it was going down leg! But with Andy knocking the ball around with ease past the mouthy Blackpool youngsters he carried his bat to score 85* and get us to 138/8. After all their talk in the field, could the Blackpool youngsters walk the walk? Well since Scott took 3 wickets in the first over, the answer was no! Bowled out for 40 and Wyre progress to the semi finals. A positive weekend ended with a few lemonades in the public houses of Poulton and thoughts of a possible end of season Spanish cricket tour...

Just the one rest day for the Wyre professionals, 2020 on Tuesday against Environmental Health who beat us a few times last year. After our dreadful performance last week things can only get better, can't they?!

Twenty20 Thrashing

Being Captain of a Twenty20 team who had a successful 2006 campaign, I had high hopes for our first game in the new Fylde Twenty20 League, especially as our previous 2 games had been rained off and so the troops were hungry for a match. I won the toss, chose to bat on the Cottam Hall pitch as the skies were grey and I wanted to make the most of the light. However, batting at number 5 I was in after only 7 balls with the score at 1-3! An unenviable position one might think, however I changed my mindset from 2020 mode to Test Match mode and decided to enjoy the task of having to perform under pressure. Henry's Marauders opening bowlers had ripped through our top order and so Dave Lever and I steeled ourself to see their 8 overs off and try and graft a score of 50+ by any means. We were hanging in under a bowling barrage and with only 1 over of their 2nd opening bowler remaining, Dave was squared up by a short one and caught at slip. Stu Smith came in (after having a quick hide since he gave Amos out LBW which didn't go down too well) and I was confident we could get a competitive total. On came the change bowlers and I quickly tickled a ball behind my legs and was called through by Stu for a single... then promptly sent back when half way down the pitch as the wicketkeeper had stopped it, as opposed to Stu's initial reaction and I was run out. Bugger. Apologies offered by Stu, "I don't mind so long as you get to 25..." which he made a fine effort of doing as wicket continued to fall. Scott looked confident and 2020 debutants James Trippier and Rob Gregson had a good go in very tough conditions. The youngsters were showing Michael Vaughan esque technique, but the innings was brough to an end with Stu on 10 as he was hit in the unmentionables and run out by Tillotson as he was being aided by members of the opposition. How sporting!

Change of innings and a tricky task to win defending only 37. Whenever a poor performance has happened, or the opponents have knockled you over quickly, you must believe you can do the same to them. Having confidence in our bowling options I thought the task was tough but doable, especially so after Scott and I had reduced them to 0-2 after 2 overs. On came Stu, recovered after the low blow to bowl fast and fiery, downwind. Some great tight, quick, swinging bowling prouced a few chances. Catches were there but not held and Tim Chronell and Billy Rowe dug in under the barage from Scott and Stu and got them past the line after 10.2 overs. We made a game of it but if we had 20-30 more runs it may have been possible. With the top 4 qualifying for the finals day and 9 more matches to go, all is not lost, bring them on!

Scorecard: http://wyre.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/scorecard.asp?id=10392379

Windy Win

Yesterday saw us win again in the League after the draw last week frustrated our early season campaign. Thankfully we didn't have to phone the Met Office every 2 minutes like last weekend as the skies were bright, but instead we had to contend with what felt like playing in a wind tunnel! With Steve and I opening the bowling, guess who got the use of the extra 20mph breeze...? However with some "Glenn McGrath like accuracy" we ground down the Comrades openers until they produced a few aerial chances in frustration and I managed to add another 4 wickets to my haul so far. Polishing them off was a bit harder as I proceded to drop 2 catches (I obviously want to hinder Steve and Greggy's amount of wickets!), one a forward dive which I should have held and the other a skier straight into the sun which, whilst being blinded, I should have held. Can you see a pattern apearing? Not good for the clubs catching champion of 2005, that's 3 drops in 3 games! Still we finished them of for 59 and set about chasing it down whilst keeping an eye on the FA Cup final which was on in the Pavillion.

Amos fell to an excellent diving slip catch and at 0/1 without our top batter Alcock, nerves may have started to jingle. However with 2020 openers Andy and Moyesie at the crease, we felt confident of scoring quickly. Andy was caressing the ball around the slow field well until getting run out after 2 or 3 comedy run out chances had earlier been missed. Moyes and Abbott came and went leaving us 4 down for 35. Thankfully with extra time looming in the FA Cup, Greggy strode into bat and knocked a quick 29 with the skipper to finish it off, getting us to 61/4.

Good to get back to winning ways especially with only 10 men. Another big weekend coming with a crunch league game against Baxi followed by the Stuart Cup quarter final against Blackpool IV and with a Twnety 20 League match on thursday life is becoming that of a professional!

Double match weekend

A tough schedule last weekend with matches on both days. Funnily enough both against St Annes IV, in the League on Saturday at home and in the Stuart Trophy on Sunday away.

A frustrating match in the League at the freshly rolled and mown but still comedy Cottam Hall pitch. Asked to bat first the openers dug in to some accurate bowling, with Mike as usual showing the way and scoring quickly. However it wasn't as easy for the rest of the top order, and with Greggy unable to see it was once again down to the middle order to produce some runs after Mike fell at 48/1. Lots of quick singles frustrated the opposition, and with a blind Greggy the only batsman keen to hang around and keep the scoreboard ticking as he ran out of partners, Wyre could amass a below par total of 128. Tea time came and thoughts turned to forming a plan to ensure the low total could be defended. However we needn't had worried as no sooner had we started bowling that we seemed to travel in time and start playing in a pre-war test Match, with a run rate hovering around 1 per over!! With the opposition reluctant to go for the win it turned to us to go for wickets and take the game by the scruff of the neck, but they just wouldn't budge. By the time we had got into the middle order, the last hour had been called and Mike had turned to bowling spin again. (How long is Snape on holiday for?!) The overs ticked by and the batsmen continued to block and leave. But with St Annes having batted for around 2 hours trying to draw, wickets started to fall and they were 7 down for just under 100. 2 overs to go and 3 wickets needed for another win from the brink, more plays and misses, a cheeky stumping, slow change overs by the batsmen, "Come and play the game boys!", but this week it wasn't to be and the draw was claimed. Frustration.

Thankfully we had a chance to play again the next day and luckily the weather held to allow us to play on the main ground at St Annes, such a treat! With Alcock on the motorway, 10 Wyre players took to the pitch, including youngsters Robert Gregson and James Trippier, along with debutant Stephen Taylor. Scott and I opened the bowling in the limited 25 overs match against batsmen who hadn;t appeared the day before... and being able to trust the pitch I managed to get 3 of the top 4 in my 5 over spell, not too shabby. However Mackenzie had made his mark, blasting a 50 and getting St Annes to 100 in quick time. Alcock arrived and the skipper came on to bowl with him, more excellent fielding with 5 more catches to add to the 6 the previous day, meant that we had come back strongly and restricted St Annes to a mere 138/8 when a much higher total looked on the cards. Tea was skipped as the skies darkened, the rains were coming, quick batting was needed. Stephen "swashbuckling" Taylor was sent in to open the innings with Alcock and face the top St Annes bowlers. Once again we needn't have worried, but for a different reason this time as Mike and Stephen flayed the ball to all corners of the ground and ran lot of quick singles to reach the victory target with both unbeaten on 73 and 49 respectively. What a comeback and what a satisfying performance after the previous days exertions. Job done.

FCL Match 3 v Anchorsholme

A sunny day greeted us at the Stanley Park Model Village pitch to take on the highly experienced Anchorsholme. Another successful toss call by the Captain meant we took the decision to bat first and try to post a good total. With the Anchorsholme slow bowlers looking to take advantage of another less than 100% pitch, the decision may have started to look shaky when Alcock went for another score in the 20's and Gregson for a duck, not good! Thankfully Amos dug in and scored a battling 50 and the middle order once again fired some quickfire runs to get the team to 182/7 declared.

With over 2 hours to bowl at the opposition confidence was high. However seasoned campaigners know of the defensive qualities of the Anchorholme batsmen. Even so early wickets once again flowed with the variable bounce of the pitch helping to reduce them to 9/5. Allan Hardisty was welcomed to the crease with a guard of honour, how international! But soon returned to the sidelines! Then came the defensive qualities which we had been expecting. Bouncers, Yorkers, wide ones, low ones, all came and were suitably left or blocked. Frustrations were growing as the last hour was called with 5 wickets still needed. A change of tactics was required and cometh the day, cometh the Amos! A couple of wickets with some change in pace meant that Alcock and Gregson followed suit and started to bowl some spin. Occasional spinning beamers were produced and despatched for 4 but it did the trick and soon the last pair were in and had 15 minutes to survive and claim a battling draw. The clock was ticking and tension was growing. The Captain brought himself back on and was suitably frustrated when the batsman declined to be bowled out! But with 5 minutes remaining Gregson got one through Archer's defences and claimed the points.

Another good win to keep the good start to the season going, but a valuable lesson in the tactics required to maximise the team's chances of victory.

Match 2 v Buxtons

Our home debut brought no respite as another of the big hitting teams visited Cottam Hall. As expected, eyebrows were raised when everyone saw the state of the pitch. Thankfully Steve won the toss and elected to field (no brainer!) Also thankfully I decided to bowl well this week and took advantage of the sideways movement and the Buxtons batsmens' desire to swing at the ball, thus producing a couple of high shots for Lever and Gregson to pounce on. The Capatain joined in as ever and with Alcock and Snape only needing to bowl an over each to end the innings, we had bowled out one of the top teams for only 55. (Crippling half of them in the process by the way they walked off the pitch!)

However Wyre don't like to make things easy and as soon as the friendly banter between Mike and the slips had begun, he was walking back with a duck. That's 2 ducks in the last 3 innings, not the form of the FCL's top batsman...! Greggy soon followed but Amos and Moyes dug in before Abbott was required to batter a quickfire 30* and end the match.

Overall a very satisfying day to take 4 wickets against a good team and to get the season off to a good start with a win and a draw against two of our title challengers. Next week, our annual trip to Steve's favourite pitch in the league at Anchorsholme!

FCL Match 1 v Preston III

A day after the finest round of golf of my life (a +3 gross 75 at Fleetwood to win the Jack Cross Trophy) the 2007 FCL campaign began. Preston III away, the toughest possible start facing last seasons runners up. Overcast and humid conditions played their full part as Wyre lost the toss and were put into bat. Alcock got off to a good start as ever scoring a quick 25, but the same couldn't be said of the rest of the top order with 2 ducks and a 3!! Thankfully the middle order fired on all cylinders leaving me in the nice position of coming in with 150 already on the board and only 5 overs left to bat. A first ball beamer soon woke me up, thankfully my swipe edged it over my head for 4 and I was up and running for the season. A few more play and misses follwed but I managed to knock a quick 11 to help get the final score to 169/9 declared.

Tea time in the new Preston pavillion came and so did the rain, dampening a good pitch and helping us to make a decision to use an old ball, one we would soon regret. Opening the bowling with the Captain in humid conditions, I could hardly place it within a metre of where I wanted and was battered around for 4 overs, so it was back to square leg for a break. Hardly the sort of start I wanted! Thankfully some good bowling was soon on display and whilst their opener Malik was ticking along nicely, the time was running out for Preston to mount a charge for a win. A couple of wickets had fallen to keep them in check and sadly the last hour was simply a battle for the draw. However in the last few overs malik decided to try and win it, but thankfully we were tight enough to keep them to 152/3 and claim a share of the points on the opening day. Not a bad result in the clash of the top two and more challenges to come with Buxtons next weekend.

Dangerous time ahead?

The enthusiasm for the new season was dampened slighty after a practice last night at Cottam Hall. The pitch is in a sorry state of repair, it's very hard which is excellent, unfortunately no groundkeeping has been done over the winter, so it is very bumpy, full of holes and quite frankly dangerous. Let's hope for some rain and a bit of work on it, but I hold little hope...

The 2007 campaign begins

Well the pre season nets are over, with the final session going well even if half the players got battered by the ball in some form, save the injuries for a match! Reports from the field suggest Preston III got off to a winning start at the weekend and will no doubt be keen to take us down in our season opener on Sunday. Still the weather has been great for a few weeks and the pitch at Preston will no doubt be in great condition, so bring it on and let's start to play cricket.

Twenty20 League reborn!

Great news this week with the birth of an all new Fylde Twenty20 League. Tom Birtwistle (of Buxtons and Blackpool EVH fame) has taken the baton and generated interest for a competition and has succeeded in setting up a new league. Hopfully this will provide even more enjoyment in the evening matches and some healthy competition too. More play in pressure situations certainly helps and prepares players for competitive FCL action. All the details can be found at:

www.piczo.com/fylde2020league

Twenty20

Sadly the Fylde Evening League, that we were hoping to join, has folded. However this presents a new oportunity for a mini-league involving ourselves, David Conn's XI, Blackpool Environmental Health and maybe some other teams. More competition is always good, especially to give those not heavily involved in weekend matches a chance to perform under the pressure of a game situation. There may also be some matches against the Police team to be played at Guy's Court, a very picturesque ground, so that will be nice!

League fixtures

The full FCL fixtures have now been published and there are some early heavyweight clashes. Preston III and Buxtons meet in the first match of the season, with ourselves playing Preston III and Buxtons in our first two matches! The title could be decided by May... It could all be very interesting and there will certainly be no room for working our way into it slowly, full steam ahead!

Welcome one and all.

Welcome to Champion Cricketer, following the fortunes of Wyre CC in the 2007 Fylde Cricket League season. I hope to inform with news from on and off the pitch and entertain with my own ever amusing personal thoughts on sports psychology and mind games.

The 10 week pre-season has already begun with indoor nets and most are aching as they start to use long forgotten muscles again after the long off season! The 2007 FCL season has the potential to be very competitive, with the big teams once more battling for the title and newcomers Thornton Cleveleys IV joining the league.

The draws for the cup competitions have been made and can be found here.

Some interesting early clashes and the big four, Wyre, Preston III, Baxi and Buxtons have been kept apart and can only potentially meet at the semi final stage. A chance for fireworks in the semis or giantkillings in the early rounds!