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