Wollaston Cricket Club                        The home of Club Cricket

Home
Up
2008 Statistics
Scorecards
Sunday Reports
Other results
2008 Reports

    

ARCHIVE

 FIND EMBERTON   CRICKET GROUND

   

TOTE  WINNERS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A LOOK BACK AT THE 2008 SEASON

STATISTICS PHOTOGRAPHS SCORE CARDS HEADLINES RESULTS 2008 MATCHREPORTS

Objective achieved!

 After our First Eleven gained promotion from division one at the end of 2007 the new season was looked forward to with anticipation, but we knew that ultimately, survival in the premier was the priority in 2008 - and a climb up division three for the Seconds.

 Harmit -our First Eleven skipper – pre-season’s wish of “no dead-rubber games towards the end of the season” was granted! There was certainly everything to play for until the final games were completed! In the event, Irthlingborough were relegated with Brixworth replacing them next season.

 During the winter Jimmy Hart joined us from Biggleswade and slotted in the side to strengthen the middle order and Anwar Ul Haq made the transition from Desborough - to hopefully augment our seam attack. We were also hoping that domestic arrangements would allow Dave Mercer to play as much as possible in order to give the innings a touch of real class and punish opposition bowlers in the way only he can.

                                                   _______________

THE START-  AND THE FIRST ELEVEN ARE UP AGAINST IT!

In reality the first half of the season was a struggle for both our bowlers and batters alike. The first five games were all lost and we were languishing at the foot of the table.  

 We were well beaten in the first two games. Rushton bowled us out for 120 chasing 222, and our 89 against Burton’s 201 was very disappointing considering that Chris Perry excelled with 6 for 74 off 16 overs.

The following week - on a lovely sunny day at Campbell Park - Dave Mercer scored Wollaston’s first fifty in premier league cricket but it wasn’t enough as a valiant effort couldn’t prevent the Academy winning by six wickets.

Our lowest score of the season (88) came against Irthlingborough when we lost by eight wickets, and it was difficult to know where the first win would come from.

                                                        ___________________________

THE LOSING RUN IS HALTED

However, a fighting backs-to- the wall display at the end of May came at Stony Stratford and the losing run was halted thanks to a fifty from Jimmy Hart and resolute defence down the order. This result – backed up by a draw against the much fancied Northampton Saints the following week- proved that we could be competitive at this level and some confidence was restored as we moved above Stony at the bottom of the pile.

 June saw us lose - not unexpectedly - to a strong Finedon side, but also saw us win for the first time in the premier. Confidence was increasing by the game and the narrow defeat at Old Northamptonians -when we had them eight down - led us nicely into the encounter with a talented side at Desborough.

_____________________________

VICTORY AT LAST!

On the batting paradise that is West Lodge Park, the boys from Ar’ Tarn  set a challenging 230 to win in the 55 maximum overs, which at the start of the season would have possibly been too many for us. But with Matt Jones making 70 and Steve Musgrave 68 we were always in charge and the winning score was made with just 5 wickets down! We had done it! June 28th, tenth game of the season – we had won our first premier match!

  It had been a tough introduction to Premier league cricket but our two spinners, Chris Perry and Steve Musgrave, were showing they were certainly good enough at this level and, if not carrying the bowling attack, were certainly the two players enjoying most success - to the extent that on quite a few occasions they were both opening the bowling.

Although the batting had grown more confident as the season progressed no one was getting consistently high scores and putting games out of reach of the opposition. Another win was vital because sooner or later Stony would get their act together. Beating mid-table Desborough, drawing with the Saints and taking Old Northamptonians to the wire lifted spirits, and hopefully another victory was around the corner -although it didn’t materialise against a strong side from Peterborough. Half the season was over and still all to play for. 

___________________________________

 DIVISION THREE  - AND THE SECONDS GET OF TO A FLYER!

Meanwhile, two divisions lower our Second Eleven were having a much improved season in division three. The first three games were won, followed by a draw, backed up by another victory treble. By mid-June we were top of the league!

 In the first game Wellingborough Indians were bowled out for just 99 and following week The O.Ns’ were on the wrong end of a Mark Carter century. Long Buckby then brought us down to earth when we had to hang on for a draw but it was business as usual seven days later when an inspired Andy Luck ripped through the Podington batting to record his first “five-for” of the season.

A poor St. Crispin’s side were bundled out for 94, Rushden were sent packing, and all was looking good as we sat on top of the division and looking forward to meeting Oundle who were mid-table and having a slow start to their first taste of division three cricket.

_____________________________

 DOWN TO EARTH WITH A BUMP! - MOMENTARILY

So, feeling confident on a lovely summer’s day we travelled to Oundle, the picturesque town in the north east of the county famous for its graceful church and fine stone buildings dating from the 17th and 18th century.

Unfortunately its revered attributes weren’t appreciated by our second string! Despite Brett Hanson’s first fifty of the season we were dismissed on a good batting pitch for a disappointing 155, only to take  a watching brief after tea as their South African all-rounder  imperiously scored a century and won the contest with eight wickets to spare. Back down to earth!

  However, a week later  and it was back to winning ways when Adrian Ward grabbed the second “five-for” of the season and Andy Luck stoked 54 in the win against Kempston. It was also the start of a remarkable run off six games for Andy whose  six consecutive match contributions consisted of two fifties and four x 4 wicket returns. An all-round effort that not surprisingly, took him to the top of the players’ leader- board. No wonder it was his idea! And the June fixtures were completed by a comfortable win against Horton ll, with John Pike reminding us that he was an all-rounder when he first took 4 for 42, and then stroked  a fine 66 not out.

 So it was July and a resurgent Paul Jones was in form. His un-beaten 83 against the eventual division winners Loddington was a lesson in playing “hard” cricket. He batted right through the inning and on the way took the knocks and the verbal diarrhoea thrown his way as he shepherded the middle order to safety. It was considered one of his finest innings.

So going in to the second half of the season both teams were doing ok - one at the top of their division and the other off the bottom and looking better week by week.

SECOND HALF - AND ALL TO PLAY FOR

IT'S A THRILLER!

Back to the premier and at the end of a wet week mid-table Rushton visited with the intention of picking up some easy points. They won the toss, put us in and due to the persistent rain over the preceding few days run scoring was difficult. We struggled again to put early runs on the board but our total of 123 was at least competitive considering the conditions. Jimmy Hart, Dave Mercer and Mark Ralph led the run scoring to give the home side bowlers something to bowl at. 

Marcus Steed (43) led the visitors' reply but our all-spin attack kept things tight and when Steed departed wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, with Mercer taking 5 for 35 off 16 overs.

 Rushton inched slowly to their target but, with nine Rushton wickets down and the scores level, our seamer Anwar attempted a caught and bowled which ricocheted to mid-off where Simon Driver's  throw made a direct hit at the bowler’s end to tie the game - and secure 15 very valuable points.

 A tie can be looked on both as a game given away or a game saved. Whatever the view, confidence was growing and the return match at Burton was anticipated with optimism.

__________________________

CHALK UP WIN NUMBER TWO!   PLUS THE FIRST PREMIER CENTURY AND A NEW FOURTH WICKET PARTNERSHIP!

Burton batted first and for once the Musgrave/Perry combination only managed one wicket between them as their number three made 103 not out in a total of 248 for 4 in the maximum 55 overs.

We got off to an average start losing Matt Jones with only 8 on the board, followed by the demise of Jimmy Hart and Nick Shelton.

This brought Dave Mercer and Steve Musgrave together in what turned out to be a match winning and record breaking unbroken partnership of 194. Mercer struck 151* off just 136 balls (Wollaston’s first premier division century) and Musgrave gave him great support with 52 not out. Winning the game with seven wickets and 3 overs in hand. And just for the record, D.M’s innings contained 18 fours and 7 sixes. But more importantly, 27 hefty points

______________________________

MOMENTUM MAINTAINED

Despite Muzzy carrying on his good form with 61 we lost the following week at home to the eventual champions, NCCC Academy knowing that it was more important to get a good result away at Irthlingborough on August 2nd.

The day came and again the toss went our way.

In what seemed like a one-man show their number three and  overseas player batted through for 117 not out with the next highest score being just 24. Chris Perry had kept the squeeze on the batters to record the excellent figures of 4 for 39 off 15 and keep the target within reach.

So we needed 214 to win and never looked in any trouble.

Nick Shelton with 72 not out  and Liam Bates with 46 put on 92 for the first wicket and when Musgrave quickly departed, Shelton and Jimmy Hart (62 not out) finished off the job with 5 overs and 8 wickets to spare. Another 26 points.

____________________________________

BACK TO THE NITTY-GRITTY  

The game at Rushden was washed out and the following week we went to Stony Stratford who were also desperate for points to beat the drop. It was imperative we didn’t lose. Again we were lucky with the toss. Needing 193 to win we were in trouble at 76 for 5 but new recruit Sam Kumar made his batting debut and guided the middle order along until number nine Chris Perry and number ten John Pike batted out 72 balls to secure the draw.

With five games to go Stony were picking up points, but fortunately for us both Burton and Irthlingborough were really struggling and were sitting below us in the race for survival. Another win would virtually put us safe but unfortunately with the difficult “run-in” to the end of the season, another win was not to be.

_______________________________________

THE RUN-IN 

Despite Steve Musgrave picking up another fifty, Saints ran out winners by five wickets, and seven days later Desborough’s 260 for 9 was too many to chase ( great bowling from Dave Mercer , 6 for 39) and we closed on 203 for 8 (Jimmy Hart 53).

So into September and the rain had the first say when the game against the O.Ns’ was completely washed out.

Finedon next and the penultimate match.

A plucky effort from us saw us post 177 for 8 at tea time with young Sam Kumar impressing again with 47 not out.

A good all-round bowling display made last year’s champions wobble but unfortunately we needed another 50 runs to force a win, and they reached victory on 183 for 7 with only 2 overs left.

 Last day of the season  - and we knew if Irthlingborough and Burton both won - and we lost, we could be relegated. A “good” draw would help us- if a win was out the question. How would it go? All week long the various permutations had been examined. Hopes were high despite the uncertainty.

 It was Peterborough who finalised our fixtures. We had lost at home in the earlier game and knew it would be difficult. Although the title was beyond them they could finish the season in third place and obviously preferred to culminate the season with a flourish.

 They batted first and with their number two making 107 not out set us a daunting 246 to win in 55 overs.

It was too many. With minor counties star Ajaz Akhtar ripping through our batting to reap 6 for 41 in 11 overs we were never in the hunt and even a draw was out the question. The game was wrapped up in 36th over with Wollaston 169 all out.

But fortunately for us the result was academic. At tea we had heard that Saints had knocked up 387 for 4 against an ailing Irthlingborough side and knew that this should be too many for the boys at the bottom to chase.

We were not disappointed – Irthlingborough 109 all out – we were safe!  And just to make sure, Burton only drew with Old Northamptonians to finish second from bottom.

 So the season finished with Wollaston 3rd from bottom, 15 points above Irthlingborough and five above Burton. The mid-table prediction that Stony would eventually pick up points materialised and their four wins (one more than us) put them 22 points ahead of us.

So although we only won the same number of games as the two teams below us, we picked up more draws and less defeats. This was ultimately the telling factor.

___________________________________________

 MEANWHILE THE SECONDS SOLDIER ON

Three divisions below the Two’s were around the top as the second half of the season progressed.

Mark Carter (87 not out), Marcus Shelton (57) and Andy Luck (4 for 65) put paid to Wellingborough Indians and fifties from Paul Jones and John Pike (again!)  the following week ensured the total was too many for the ON’s although the Town side held on for a draw.

With Paul repeating his feat from the previous week - matched by Andy Luck, Bowden were beaten comfortably by 5 wickets which meant that July was “defeat free” and a possible springboard for a push at the title over the last two months.

 Little did we know that with July passing we only had one win to look forward to in August.

_________________________________________

AUGUST -A DISAPPOINTING MONTH

 On a day when showers were all around we set second placed Long Buckby 196 to win, and at 16 for 2 and 77 for 4 things looked in our favour. But their number 2 batted on for 76 and decent scores from the middle and lower order – and sensible batting from their number nine - took them to victory with one over and two wickets to spare.

 With the weather in continual damp mode we went all the way to lowly Podington to hopefully get back to winning ways. But the weather had the final say and the game was called off just after tea so we had to wait for St Crispin’s the following week before we got August “up and running”.

A David Clarkson inspired spell kept them in check at 194 for 9 in 50 overs before Andy Luck with 71 and Mark Carter (55 not out) proved too good for their bowlers and we won comfortably at 198 for 4 with 3 overs remaining.

_______________________________________

 THE WORST OF THE LOT!

One of the low points and possibly the poorest performance of the season followed at Rushden.

We were skittled out for just 55 in 21.1 overs! Seven clean bowled with six batsmen not troubling the scorers'. Our two bowlers fared no better.  It was all over before 3 o'clock!. It took them just five and a half overs! Lost by 10 wickets. Seven clean bowled. A very poor effort indeed.

_________________________________

 Horton was next and a win was vital to keep up the challenge. They batted first and set us 186 to win in 50 overs. Our innings was a one man effort. Number 3 and skipper Brett Hanson was called to bat with us on 8 for 1 and put together his highest score of the season(74) and batted right through to the 46th over – a real captain’s innings. At this point the obdurate defence mode was employed and the resolute David Clarkson (23 not out and) and number eleven Adrian Ward batted out the last 3 overs and avoided defeat. We closed at 148 for 9.

__________________________

THE RUN IN

 With the rain still hanging around the game against Kempston was called off which left the final two matches and us sitting in third place in the division. The first against 4th placed Oundle (who had previously thrashed us) and the final one at home to the eventual champions, Loddington.

So, Oundle first and because of the unusual amount of wet weather preceding the game the pitch was soft, and run scoring was difficult.

A watchful Brett Hanson compiled 22 valuable runs in 64 balls and Mark Carter added 23 which inched the total up to a modest 116 all out 47 overs.

Wollaston were confident at tea time but then with the visitors standing at 60 for 3 with just 77 needed to win things didn’t look quite as rosy as we hoped.

However, all was not lost, Adrian Ward came on to bowl and proceeded to take 5 for 16 off 11 overs to bowl out Oundle for just 72 and at the same time secure our number 3 spot in division three.

 It was on to the final game against Loddington. We were certain to finish 3rd and they were already champions. But it is always good to finish the season on a high. And that is what we did.

With our “special guest” - the recovering first eleven skipper Harmit Bahra, opening up with 65 and Daren Laughton saving his best until last (69) our total of 234 for 9 in 50 overs was always going to be too many for the light hearted batters from Loddington.

Mike Duddle, with his “golden arm” bulldozed his way through their first five batsmen to put the game completely out of their reach and finished with 5 for 19 in 10 overs. The game was wrapped up at 6.05pm with the champions on 143 all out in just 35 overs.

 _________________________________________

SUMMING UP

 So despite only winning 3 games, drawing 4 and losing 12, the first eleven earned enough points to climb above both Burton and Irthlingborough to move up to tenth position in the premier division.

Chris Perry took 45 wickets which is a remarkable achievement at this level and his 188 runs confirmed that he should emerge as a genuine all-rounder over the next few years. Steve Musgrave, who has justifiably claimed this description while at Wollaston,  also had a good season taking 35 wickets to add to his 437 runs, and along with Dave Mercer claimed the new fourth wicket partnership  against Burton Latimer. Mercer also scored 280 runs at an average of 46.67 to go with his 15 wickets at 14.33

The second eleven’s season was an improvement over 2007, this year finishing in third  position in division three. Thirteen games were won, 4 drawn and only 3 games ended in defeat.

Andy Luck excelled with bat and ball (414 runs and 38 wickets) , Mark Carter finished with 329 runs at 65.80 and both Paul Jones and Darren Laughton scored over 300 runs.  Adrian Ward and David Clarkson picked up 32 and 26 wickets respectively and were backed up by Mike Duddle (21) and John Pike (19).

________________________

THE VERDICT

It was  a memorable season in the premier and the first eleven did enough to ensure we are there next season to fight another day.  An achievement to be proud of.

So we now know a little more of what is required to compete in the highest level of Northamptonshire league cricket and hopefully lessons will be learned and adjustments made. A mid-table finish for the first eleven next year should be the aim – although it won’t be easy. Practice, commitment and availability are all very important elements, although not mandatory - so can only be encouraged. It is up to the individual to decide how far they want to go.

So with both teams doing well and the ground never looking better, the season should be considered a success - and hopefully one to build on in 2009.

 _________________________________________________________________

YOUTH CRICKET 2008

2008 was a good year for the youth cricket in Wollaston, with a number of good things to report. Five club members attended Coach Education training at Northants County Cricket Club. Nick Broome and Mark Ralph gained their Level 2 qualification, whilst Jamie Perry, John Pike and Andrew Silsby gained Level 1 qualifications.

 Winter practice sessions were well supported at Wollaston School during November, December and January, as were nets at NCCC. Practice nights at the ground during the summer were also well attended by the three age group squads and we had very good numbers for Friday night Under 9’s fun sessions. However we need to make sure that we have enough coaches available to ensure we have a reasonable coach to player ratio in 2009. With this in mind, Liam Bates and Jamie Perry are going to undertake a Level 2 coaching course early in 2009.

 ___________

Under 11’s – Coach Nick Broome

It was good to see this team develop as the season progressed and the hard work undertaken by Nick Broome cannot be under estimated. The boys were really competitive and have started to show some good skills and application. Nick was helped by Dave Mercer as well as parents Jason Bright and Graham Richards, however all the parents were very supportive and the friendly atmosphere made the experience of watching this team all the more enjoyable.

Charlie Elderton and Nathan Richards both played for Wellingborough District.

see the Under 11 full report 

___________________

Under 13’s – Coach Neal Perry

The boys tried hard, but sometimes they lost concentration when fielding and consequently teams scored more runs than they should have done against us. However there were some good performances and we won a few games. I would like to thank Karl Yeo for helping with the scoring and Jamie, Chris and Mark for their coaching assistance.

Harry Matthews and Liam Yeo were both invited to the District trials, but were unable to attend due to holiday commitments.

___________________________________ 

Under 15’s – Coach Andrew Silsby

Results did not go to well for the Under 15’s who tried hard in all their games but without to much success. They seemed to be a bit overawed and sometimes overpowered by the opening batsmen or opening bowlers for some of the teams they played against. Andrew worked hard with a generally keen group of lads and was supported by Paul Clarkson, John, Jamie and Chris.    

 _________________________

Chance to Shine and School Cricket

The club successfully ran the ‘Chance to Shine’ scheme within the Wollaston Schools cluster for the third year running. Chris Perry was responsible for delivering the majority of coaching in Seven Primary schools and the Secondary school and also organized the very successful Kwik Cricket Festival which was held at the club in July.  Mark, Jamie and I also undertook some coaching on the scheme to supports Chris’ efforts.

Neal Perry - Head Coach 2008

_________________________________________

2008 was a good year for the youth cricket in Wollaston, with a number of good things to report. Five club members attended Coach Education training at Northants County Cricket Club. Nick Broome and Mark Ralph gained their Level 2 qualification, whilst Jamie Perry, John Pike and Andrew Silsby gained Level 1 qualifications.

 Winter practice sessions were well supported at Wollaston School during November, December and January, as were nets at NCCC. Practice nights at the ground during the summer were also well attended by the three age group squads and we had very good numbers for Friday night Under 9’s fun sessions. However we need to make sure that we have enough coaches available to ensure we have a reasonable coach to player ratio in 2009. With this in mind, Liam Bates and Jamie Perry are going to undertake a Level 2 coaching course early in 2009.

 ___________

Under 11’s – Coach Nick Broome

It was good to see this team develop as the season progressed and the hard work undertaken by Nick Broome cannot be under estimated. The boys were really competitive and have started to show some good skills and application. Nick was helped by Dave Mercer as well as parents Jason Bright and Graham Richards, however all the parents were very supportive and the friendly atmosphere made the experience of watching this team all the more enjoyable.

Charlie Elderton and Nathan Richards both played for Wellingborough District.

see the Under 11 full report below___________________

Under 13’s – Coach Neal Perry

The boys tried hard, but sometimes they lost concentration when fielding and consequently teams scored more runs than they should have done against us. However there were some good performances and we won a few games. I would like to thank Karl Yeo for helping with the scoring and Jamie, Chris and Mark for their coaching assistance.

Harry Matthews and Liam Yeo were both invited to the District trials, but were unable to attend due to holiday commitments.

___________________________________ 

Under 15’s – Coach Andrew Silsby

Results did not go to well for the Under 15’s who tried hard in all their games but without to much success. They seemed to be a bit overawed and sometimes overpowered by the opening batsmen or opening bowlers for some of the teams they played against. Andrew worked hard with a generally keen group of lads and was supported by Paul Clarkson, John, Jamie and Chris.    

 _________________________

Chance to Shine and School Cricket

The club successfully ran the ‘Chance to Shine’ scheme within the Wollaston Schools cluster for the third year running. Chris Perry was responsible for delivering the majority of coaching in Seven Primary schools and the Secondary school and also organized the very successful Kwik Cricket Festival which was held at the club in July.  Mark, Jamie and I also undertook some coaching on the scheme to supports Chris’ efforts.

________________________________________

Wham Bam thank you Cam!  July 29th

Wollaston U11's
continued their winning run of games by a narrow victory over Wellingborough OG's. Having defeated North Crawley in a friendly on Wednesday evening, the lads were keen to keep on winning to end the league season strongly as they move into the knockout cup. The game was played in very hot conditions and both teams should be congratulated for what was a very sporting and close game. Special praise to Joe Harris who was asked to play for OG's as they were a player short - Joe, to his credit, is a real sportsman and he played for the opposition with 100% commitment and yet again he ran one of our own batters out! Thanks Joe and we all hope your dad has a complete and speedy recovery following an operation.

OG's batted first and scored 242 for the loss of 2 wickets. The lads started off well with very accurate bowling from all of our bowling attack and tight fielding to restrict the runs. The pick of our bowlers was Cameron "KP" Wiseman who bowled exceptionally well with his first 2 overs completed as maidens and a wicket to boot. He finished with 1 for 4 off his 3 overs. Cam was ably supported by tight bowling from Harry Broome who returned 1-9 off his 3 overs as well as accurate and well delivered spells from Patrick Bright, George Roche and Will "come on Charlie" Holley. Charlie Elderton's bowling was again well delivered and he was unlucky not to have taken wickets. Nathan Richards kept wicket very neatly and conceded very few byes. He was very unlucky not to have held on to a diving one-handed catch behind the stumps off Charlie's bowling.

The lads have on several occasions this season scored more runs than the required target and were in confident mood following an hour toiling in the Wollaston sunshine. Unfortunately, we got off to a poor start with the loss of 3 wickets in the first 3 overs owing to very accurate bowling from Ryan but also I think the sun had got to 1 or 2 of the players. Nathan and George picked up the run rate with a partnership of 30 to take the score from 194 to 224 which put us right back in contention. Harry and Cam then pushed along the score to 237 with a partnership of 13 leaving the ever-reliable Charlie and Will to win the game with really mature and sensible batting to see Wollaston through to victory by a margin of 4 runs. The last 2 overs were quite nerve-wrecking especially for the large crowd which had gathered to see the boys last league game - the victory was never in doubt - yeah right! Man of the match was Cam "KP" Wiseman for his all-round display of great fielding and encouragement of his team mates, very accurate bowling with 1-4 off 3 overs and an important contribution with the bat in the middle order - you can take your plaster off now!

This win means we have closed the league season with 8 wins from 12 games which is a great achievement particularly as they have finished 3rd in the table and only 2 points off being runners-up. The team spirit throughout the season has been fantastic and the lads should be really proud of themselves and the way in which they have supported each other through the last 12 games. I know their parents have been particularly proud of their achievements and they have every right to be as we have received nothing but positive feedback from other clubs with their exemplary behaviour and attitude during the games. They have played to win and they have also enjoyed themselves no matter what the result.

There have been some great performances by a number of players throughout the league season - Charlie Elderton 96 runs and 12 wickets, Nathan Richards 81 runs and 6 wickets and Harry Broome 60 runs and 11 wickets - but the real star this season has been the TEAM as everybody has played their part in each and every game. The boys have worked hard in training and their efforts have been rewarded with 8 wins in the season. Let's hope the boys have even more success in the knock-out cup starting next Sunday against Isham.
 

Under Thirteens

Mon 14th July – Oundle (Away)
Wollaston 58 for 4 – Oundle 59 for 1

Although on the face of it Oundle won easily, the players can take some credit for the way they played.
After losing 3 early wickets Matthew West and Joey Jones batted sensibly to help give the bowlers something to bowl at. Although Oundle only lost one wicket in reaching their target, the lads tried hard and made them work for the win.

Mon 21st July – Wellingborough OG’s (Home)
OG’s 78 for 8 – Wollaston 79 for 6

OG’s batted first but were restricted by some fine bowling and fielding and were indebted to their No. 9 batsmen who scored 12 off the last over to help them reach 78.
The highlights in the field were Tom Houghton’s two wickets and the tight bowling of Liam Yeo (4-1-1-4) and Harry Matthews (3-1-1-3). Jack Spriggs took two catches at square leg and there were two run-outs.

When we batted an opening partnership of 36 between Matthew West and Joey Jones seemed to have put the lads on course for a comfortable victory, however some tight bowling and three run-outs left us requiring 16 off the last four overs for victory. Skipper Jack Fairbrother and Jack Spriggs kept their nerve to steer the side close, before the captain was out with 4 balls left, leaving Jack Spriggs (15 n/o) and Liam Yeo to see the team home with two balls remaining.

Well done to both sides for a good exciting game.
 

 

July 20th

UNDER ELEVENS MAKE IT FOUR IN A ROW !

Town Trumped by Charlie's Trio!

In front of their biggest crowd of the season, Wollaston U11's won their 4th game on the trot to overturn their opening day defeat against Oundle Town. Wollaston were out for revenge and they won the game at a canter by an impressive 45 runs. I hope Mr President was pleased with the future Wollaston 1st XI (or should I say 9 of them)!

Another good all round team performance restricted Oundle to 223 - 7 off their 16 overs. Impressively, Wollaston bowled very straight and conceded only 3 wides during the entire innings - arguably, their best bowling performance of the season so far. Harry Broome and Patrick Bright both bowled well and were both rewarded with wickets. Patrick is becoming a bit of a specialist with yet another caught and bowled, remarkably off his very first ball and Harry finished up with 2-10 including a terrific catch in the deep by Nathan Richards. But the star of the bowling brigade was Captain Charlie Elderton! He returned to the team in great style by taking a hatrick in his 3rd and final over of his allotted spell. He had been asked to bowl quicker and although he had been really unlucky in his 2 previous overs, he continued to remain focused and delivered a remarkable hatrick by clean bowling the last pair on 3 successive occasions as Oundle were threatening to post a tricky score.

The general fielding and bowling of the team was great to watch and Ellis Attwell had another good game as wicket keeper - he will be missed for the next 2 games as he enjoys a family holiday. The batters still had to get the runs and Nathan and Patrick got us off to the perfect start with a strong partnership of 18 with Nathan top scoring with 11. Some good bowling by Oundle threatened to reduce our scoring but Ellis Attwell and Josh Steggles both defended well. Harry and Cam Wiseman continued their good run of partnerships and increased the total by 21 with both batters undefeated on 10 and 6, respectively - it's their cheeky runs which threatens to give me a heart attack! This enabled Will Holley and Charlie to finish the victory in style with another solid partnership of 16.

The boys are finishing the season with confidence and with their final league game next Sunday at home to Old Grammarians they have steadily climbed their way up the table with 7 wins from 11 games. We eagerly await sight of the league table and whilst top spot belongs to Irthlingborough, it will be interesting to see where in the table the lads end up. A friendly on Wednesday against North Crawley will give them good practice for the imminent start of the knock-out cup. Finally, good luck to Charlie and Nathan as their hard work and great cricket has deservedly earnt them District trials in a few days time - let's hope they get through with flying colours.

Thanks to all those mums and dads, players, friends, etc who gave the boys such a warm reception when they came off the pitch - they loved it!

________________________________________________________________________

July 13th

UNDER ELEVENS' BEAT EARLS BARTON

You're once, twice, 3 times a Steglegs! Wollaston U11's romped to their 3rd win on the trot to make it 6 wins out of 10 by beating Earls Barton by 56 runs. The win saw yet another great team performance with Joshua "Steglegs" Steggles leading the way with 3 boundaries in an undefeated top score of 16. He also performed well with the ball and took 1-4 from his 2 accurate overs.

The boys bowled and fielded well again and kept the Earls Barton score down to 228 for 4. The bowling was tighter than Jason Bright's wallet and it was remarkable to see that the boys conceded only 13 runs off the Earls Barton bat from their 16 overs. The pick of the bowlers was Mr Pink Fluffy Ears, himself! George Roche is getting better with every game and his bowling was terrific today as he returned season best figures of 1 for 3 off 3 overs including 2 maidens. Wickets were also taken by Steglegs and Will Holley and these successes followed a brilliant run out involving Joseph Harris and Will. Joe raced to retrieve the ball from the boundary and with an accurate throw into the bowlers hands, Will was able to throw the wickets down from a few feet leaving the batter stranded. Great teamwork with at least 2 other fielders backing up.


Again, it was batting partnerships which saw Wollaston amass 284 for the loss of just 1 wicket. George and Patrick Bright got Wollaston off to a steady start and then Steglegs burst on to the scene to smash 3 glorious boundaries in an unbeaten partnership of 24 with Ellis Attwell. Although Steglegs scored the majority of the runs, this was helped by unselfish batting and good running and calling by his partner, Ellis. Our 3rd partnership of Harry Broome and Cameron Wiseman carried on where they left off last week with each of them smashing 2 fours in another unbeaten partnership of 26 with Harry 12 not out and Cam 8 not out. These partnerships then allowed Nathan Richards and Will Holley to seal the victory with some sensible batting in their partnership of 25.

The boys seem to be gaining in confidence with every game. Special praise to Nathan Richards who captained the team for the 1st time this season in Charlie Elderton's temporary absence. Congratulations also to Will Holley who has been chosen to be the U11 captain for next season - good luck, Will! Charlie's batting and bowling will be needed next week as we seek revenge for the opening game defeat against a strong Oundle team. This will be a good test for the boys as it will be interesting to see just how much the team have progressed this season. With another great team performance, the boys will hopefully seal another win at the start of the annual Presidents Day. See you there!

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

The Academy thrash Finedon to take the crown

NCCC Academy are the new Hevey Building Supplies NCL Premier Division Champions following their 203 run victory at Finedon on Saturday. Finedon had to win the match to retain the title, but their hopes were effectively extinguished by Nathan Hawkes and David Murphy who shared a second wicket stand of 176. Hawkes made 140 whilst Murphy was run out on 88 as the County youngsters posted a formidable 319-6 in the full 55 overs. Finedon lost early wickets and never recovered to pose any kind of threat. Will Sneath hit a useful 39 but David Willey produced a tremendous spell - picking up 5-11 from 9 overs, whilst Tom Brett, who has been in outstanding form of late, took 2-12 to send David Ripley's boys into raptures.

 Emotions at the opposite end of the scale were experienced at Irthlingborough as the home side were thrashed by Northampton Saints and have been relegated to Division One. Batting first, the Saints posted an enormous 387-4 in 55 overs with Mark Nelson scoring 241 - a new league record. Jason Dunkley also contributed with a useful 83.Pat Latham and Michael Davies both took 3 wickets each as Irthlingborough crumbled to just 109 all out. Only Martin Hills with 31 showed any real fighting character. Saints finish the season in mid table which, given their resources, must be considered a disappointment. 

Peterborough Town ended their season on a high note, with victory over Wollaston to finish in third place. David Clarke scored 109 and Waqas Chughtai made 43 as the Cambridgeshire side posted 245-5 in their 55 overs. Jimmy Hart then made a determined 45 for the visitors, but it was veteran campaigner Ajaz Akhtar who turned the game - taking 6-41 to seal victory by 76 runs.

Despite this defeat, Wollaston will take great confidence from their performances in the second half of the season.

 Stony Stratford, who have spent much of the season at the bottom of the league, picked up their fourth win to ensure their Premier division survival. Once again, their overseas player Dion Ebrahim was key to their success. Rushden Town were the visitors and elected to bat first after winning the toss. Opener Graeme White made 70, but received very little support as his team were bowled out for 140. Ebrahim took 3-3 after coming on fourth change and then stroked an unbeaten 47 to steer his side over the winning line. Steve Wharton also made a very useful 42.

Rushden will no doubt be delighted to have finished in fourth place, whilst Stony must be breathing a huge sigh of relief to have avoided relegation.

 Another overseas player who has enjoyed much success this year is Shaun De Kock of the Old Northamptonians. He dominated the ON's fixture at Burton Latimer - scoring a century and taking 5 wickets, but the home side held on to earn a creditable draw.The ON's made 267-4 in their 55 overs. Richard Ingman made 73 and together with De Kock put on 159 for the first wicket. Luke Styman was the pick of the Burton bowlers, taking 3-72.In reply, Burton ended on 247-9 thanks to half centuries from Tim Laws and Alan Sewell. De Kock's 5-71 took his side to the brink of victory, but the home side's stubborn resistance ensured a draw in a tense finish.

 The day's other game saw Rushton thrash Desborough by 108 runs.

Marc Jackson made 92 out of Rushton's 268-8 and was well supported by Julian Danby who made 44. Desborough's Babar Raja made 50 but Marc Jackson claimed Man of the Match honours - taking 5-42 and Mehul Adatia took 3-45 as Desborough were bowled out for 160.

 _______________________________________________________

 

ANNUAL QUIZ September 25 2008

Quiz masters, Andy Luck and Darren King again produced another enjoyable quiz  held at The Wollaston Inn.

 Five teams entered, and the winners were " The Perrys'+ One" closely followed by "Not the Cravat Club" and "The Old Gits".

 Wine for the winners, chocolates for the runners-up and only the joy of taking part for the also-rans.

______________________________________________________________________

                     PRESIDENT'S DAY    JULY 20th 2008

                       The President Retains the Trophy

President's Eleven 269 for 7 in 45 overs  Chairman's Eleven 225 all out in 44.5

On a gusty, bright, but at times chilly July Sunday, the annual President’s  Day again lived up to it’s billing and provided grand entertainment for players, spectators and lovers of fine, gourmet cuisine – rounding off an excellent weekend which saw the First Eleven pick up their second win of the season.   

The previous evening’s celebration had no lasting effects and the players were all bright and bushy tailed when they assembled prior to the annual tussle, and watched with interest and pride as the Under Eleven’s stretched their winning run to four on the trot as they brushed aside the boys from Oundle “B” – much to the delight of the watching mums, dads and friends who gave them a rousing ovation as they came off the pitch.

The pre-match lunch served and prepared by Katie Shelton, Harriet Jones, Gemma Luck and Les Underwood was worthy of the Long Room at Lord’s - or a state banquet at Mansion House - and the selection policy of the diners was critical, with restraint tested to the maximum, and temptation leading the  easily-led, into a life in the slips.

Following the lunch the usual pre-match interviews were conducted out in the middle in the full gaze of the media. Marcus (Sky) Shelton diligently recorded everything while the interviewers Perry and Jones initially gave their views on the state of the pitch before grilling the two respective captains on how they thought the game would go.

Whilst the captain of the President’s Eleven’s assessment was controlled and calm with an air of confidence, the Chairman’s was verbose and full of jingoistic rhetoric which didn’t hide his fear of leading his side to certain defeat for the fourth year running.

The President won the toss and decided to bat. His pre-match team talk was inspiring and despite over-filled stomachs leaden with salmon en-croute and lime cheesecake each player, to a man, promised to give their all in the worthy cause.

Family Jones opened the batting for the President with Matthew hoping to put his Saturday duck behind him and Paul, fresh from his excellent 59 twenty four hours earlier, dismissing the need for a runner, and out scoring his tentative offspring.

But progress went well once Matthew eventually got off the mark and together they amassed an acceptable 91 and denied the opening attack of Darren King and John Pike the enjoyment of logging a wicket, but eventually Simon Parsons finally tempted Jones senior to drive one into the safe hands of Pike - lurking like a caged tiger at mid-off.

Enter guest Australian Andy Sutherland who had kindly agreed to travel from Belfast for the occasion - via Ryan Air (Priority boarding!), the Stansted Express and Midland Mainline - only to be out first ball when fellow Aussie Steve Musgrave (who had invited him over!) induced him to give a catch to Liam Bates – thanks mate!   

The demise of our antipodean friend started a mid-innings wobble which saw Mark Carter lured into a false shot by the in-form Musgrave, and the Crispin’s own, Scott Bailey clean bowled by Simon Parsons for a classy four.

Number six Darren Laughton joined Jones junior and added 48 for the fifth wicket before the Anwar look-a-like went the same way as Scott for an entertaining 24. Simon Driver added ten before giving part time bowler Liam Bates the charge - and getting stumped by guest wicket keeper Vince Badcock, while, all this time, Matthew was closing in on his President’s Day century which finally came to fruition off just 101 balls and  totally wiped away the smirk from the Chairman’s boyish good looks.

He was finally dismissed when he could stand the anguish on the Chairman’s face no more. He had made a well-built 124 when he became the Sydney spinner’s third wicket, made possible by one of the best ever catches seen at Wollaston – a one handed effort by Andy Luck, running at full speed in front of the pavilion. By this time the damage was done, the President’s men were in the driving seat and with the score on 249 the record books will show that they already had enough runs on the board to comfortably put the upstarts to the sword. However, Chris Perry put the icing on the innings with an entertaining 41 not out off just 33 balls and was well supported by David Clarkson (8 not out). Presidents Eleven 269 for 7 off 45 overs.

 So tea time came and the Chairman’s men had a mountain to climb. And that was only the food! Again the ladies had come up with an amazing array of goodies and cricket was temporarily forgotten whilst guests, players, sponsors and vice presidents tucked into to the feast, and discussed the President’s wise decision to bat first on the excellent pitch prepared by groundsman John Hodges.

During the break, the juniors were put through their paces by their coaches, and afterwards were presented with various awards by rising star, Alex Wakely who kindly agreed to officiate.

 It was another family affair when the reply commenced. Siblings, Marcus and Nick Shelton opened up very steadily and looked like they intended to bat all day - and all night - regardless of the state of the game. One observant spectator was heard to say “ who is the left hander?”   “Nick Shelton”, was the reply. “ Is it? He’s slow ennie - but is got luvly ‘air”!

However they resisted all that David Clarkson and Simon Driver could bowl their way and gradually the pace of the innings picked up and took the score to 68 before Marcus went for a big six over cow, only to be well caught by the youthful Clarkson off the bowling of Adrian Ward for thirty five.

Nick went for the same score when Chris Perry turned one past his bat and number three Andy Luck, who struck a majestic cover drive first ball, was undone second ball by Adrian’s sharply turning off-break that bowled him through the gate via an inside edge.

By this time number four Liam Bates was going well, scoring at a run a ball and looked as likely as anyone of pulling of a shock and snatching the win from the cup holders. So a plan was hatched and a new field set with a change of bowling. David Ward brought himself on at the pavilion end and induced young Bates into an injudicious slog  to the long-on boundary where the waiting hands a of the reliable Matthew Jones were cupped and ready to execute the coup de gras of the well formulated wheeze. Only to drop it!! And let Bates off the hook!

At the other end Chris Perry bowled Mr Badcock first ball and Adrian  had Steve Musgrave well caught by Laughton for 23, but Bates was still proving a thorn in the bowlers‘ side.

So another plan was conceived. It was agreed that the incoming batsman (John Pike) should be attacked and removed as soon as possible  which would bring in the Chairman, Andy Silsby, who traditionally, always has a penchant for running out his side’s best batsman. John was duly removed when he was excellently caught – again by Clarkson when, as the plan dictated, he attempted to clear the fielder and Strixton church as well.

So in came  Chairman  Silsby with Bates scoring at a run a ball. Little did he know that the end was nigh. Andrew soon picked up the pace of the innings and his confidence grew to a level that brought the vision of a shock win into his mind. The plan was progressing. But, again to the script, all rationality went out of Andrew's window. A shout of “Yes, no, wait, sorry” saw Bates stranded half way down the pitch and run out for 44  with the Chairman ensconced safely at one end and considering the error of his ways. The well set plan had worked perfectly and the chase had been derailed again.

The Chairman’s own timely demise came a few balls later by way of a great catch at mid-on by Scott Bailey off the searing pace of Jones for 26.

 Number nine Darren King came in and was soon a victim of Scott’s medium pace (well caught by Mark Carter) and Simon Parsons (33 not out) and Jamie Perry (9) tried in vain to take them nearer to the target but with one ball of the game to spare Andy Sutherland made his round trip worthwhile when he caught Perry off the pacey bowling of young Jones. 225 all out in 45 overs. So the President’s men won by 44 runs.

 The panel of umpires for the day - Dick Underwood, Dave Ekins and Colin Barber did an excellent job without one hint of controversy, Les Underwood recorded everything in her usual impeccable manner and afterwards the Chairman, as always, was magnanimous in defeat and fulsome in his praise for the opposition.

 The day was rounded off with a tasty barbeque with congratulations to the chef, Andy Luck.

The Fund Raising Committee along with Darren King had organised things brilliantly once again.

 It was a really enjoyable day and we would like to thank everyone who helped in any way, and all those who attended including our sponsors, vice presidents, playing and non-playing guests, juniors and coaches, and mums and dads, wives and sweethearts.

 Thanks !

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

NICK GETS ON HIS BIKE !

Nick Broome, our intrepid Under Elevens' manager, is getting on his bike for charity. Together with 3 others they are collectively cycling 500 miles across France in 3 days to raise money for various charities. The journey will be over the weekend of 26 - 28 September 2008 and any support you can give, however small, will be gratefully received.

___________________________________________________________________

IN THE PRESS

Honours even in a thriller

Wollaston and Rushton share the spoils as tight bowling dominates

 

Wollaston and Rushton shared a thrilling tie in their Premier Division clash.
Both sides were dismissed for 123 with Rushton's chase coming to an end as David Johnson and Ben Williamson tried to scamper through for the winning run – only for the latter to be run out.

The game turned with Dave Mercer's spell.

He removed Martin Roberts (26) and Marcus Steed (43) when they were apparently guiding their side to victory before Mehul Adatia, Tom Barker and Jamie Smith made up the rest of his 16-3-35-5.

Wollaston had also opened with an all-spin attack of Chris Perry
(17-3-26-1) and Steve Musgrave (17-3-49-3).

Tight bowling set the platform. But it was the run-out that eventually ensured honours were firmly even. Wollaston 15pts, Rushton 15.

______________________________________________________________________

APRIL 26th

Shelton revels in Premier Ambition

by Andrew Radd.  Evening Telegraph

It must be Wollaston's most eagerly-anticipated sporting contest for centuries

Since, probably, the great tug-of-war tussle between the ploughboys and the miller's apprentices, shortly after King Henry III awarded his royal charter to the village's Michaelmas Fair in about 1260.

Or at least since last September, when Harmit

Bahra's side beat Geddington to ensure top-flight cricket at London Road for the first time since the club entered the old County League half-a-century ago.

Wollaston make their NCL Premier Division debut this afternoon, away to Rushton.

It's a summer full of exciting possibilities for all concerned, and not least for batting stalwart Nick Shelton who stands on the threshold of history.

His current tally of 10,366 runs for the first team places him just 127 behind the all-time record-holder, Paul Jones.

And the prospect of setting a new mark during the side's maiden 'Prem' campaign is appealing – to put it mildly.

"I've been around here a long time, and have been lucky enough to get a knock most weeks," says Shelton, who made his first appearance in Wollaston colours way back in 1983.

"So I would have been disappointed not to rack up a few runs!

"Obviously it'd be nice to break the record playing in the Premier Division – I can't deny that.

"And it'll be even nicer if it comes in the first couple of matches.

"But – and I know this sounds a bit cheesy – the most important thing is that the team does well.

"So I'll be quite happy to sit there and watch the likes of Liam Bates and Mark Ralph knocking it around."

Promotion for Wollaston came after a string of near-misses in recent years.

They finished fourth in NCL Division One in both 2003 and 2004, and climbed to runners-up spot in each of the following two seasons – missing out to Burton Latimer by just four points on the last Saturday of the league programme in 2006.

"Burton are a great bunch of lads and we've had some terrific games against them over the years," adds Shelton.

"We usually seemed to have the rub of the green. In fact, I think the only time they beat us was in the season they went up.

"You look at the situation in football where the Championship is very competitive now, and very difficult to get out of."

"That's certainly the case in our first division – especially with only one team going up.

"Yes, it was frustrating for us to get so close so often. But it's usually the best side that gets promoted in the end, and you just have to accept that.

"I certainly think we were the best team last year."

When it comes to pitching the level of ambition for the next few months, history would appear to be on Wollaston's side.

It's an interesting little factoid that since 2001 the club gaining promotion into the top flight has managed to stay there – from Stony
Stratford via Rushden (2002), Desborough (2003), Rushton (2004) and Irthlingborough (2005) to Burton.

And those who claim the current 'Prem' is, in effect, two divisions in one might point to the Northants Championship table for 2000 to back up their contention.

Of the 12 teams, only six will be competing for the NCL's main prize in 2008 – Finedon, County Colts (now NCCC Academy), Old Northamptonians,
Peterborough, Northampton Saints and Irthlingborough.

And they filled half-a-dozen of the top seven places in 2007.

Horton House have joined Wellingborough Town, Rothwell, Brixworth and Old Wellingburians in dropping down, while Bedford Town are no longer involved in senior cricket.

So what price Wollaston to infiltrate the 'magic circle' of leading sides?

Shelton insists: "Everyone here is up for the challenge.

"We're not naive enough to think that we won't have some very, very tough games this year.

"And after getting used to winning plenty of matches in Division One, those days will be the ones that really test us.

"To use another comparison with soccer – you hear people who are promoted into the Premier League say that their first target is to simply stay there.

"But I'm optimistic and I think we need to set our sights a bit higher than that.

"When you see Burton Latimer managing to beat Finedon in the league last year – it gives all of us hope!"

Shelton's player profile on Wollaston's superb website includes the suggestion that, in the event of a whopping big lottery win, the club should 'employ Brett Lee for a year and buy some concrete underpants to give to the opposition.'

In fact, they have rejected the 'quick fix' approach to ensuring competitiveness at the top level, keeping close-season recruitment to a minimum.

"The big thing to remember is that we are a club, not a team. It's important we don't lose that," said Shelton.

"You look at other clubs who've brought in five or six players from outside and very often it's backfired on them.

"Looking at the cricketers we have here, I think we're capable of holding our own in the division.

"After all, it's what you play for – the chance to test yourself against the best opposition around."

Wollaston from the peak of his cap to the studs in his boots, Shelton readily admits that seeing his team-mate Simon Driver hit the winning boundary against

Geddington last year was "the best moment of my cricketing life so far."

Could anything possibly beat that? The next 22 Saturdays may provide an answer.


_____________________________________________________________________________

Judy declares  -  and goes up t'north

Judy Rowe - Second Team scorer extraordinaire - is moving house!

Our reliable scribe and her husband Clive are relocating to Newtown Linford in Leicestershire in the next few weeks and unfortunately Judy has "hung up the Tippex".

She has pushed the pen on our behalf for over eight years and Saturdays won't be the same without the sight of her scurrying along to the scorers' box as the bowler marks out his run for the first ball of the game.

In this time of recession it's not good news either for the work force at Tippex who have been put on short time once the news was out. (only joking Judy).

Seriously, we will miss Judy immensely and we appreciate her loyalty and company over the years.

We wish Judy and Clive all the very best in their new venture and hope they call in and see us when possible (about 1.30pm on Saturdays would be ideal   -   free tea!)

HEVEY BUILDING SUPPLIES NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CRICKET LEAGUE

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CRICKET LEAGUE HAS A NEW SPONSOR

 

The Northamptonshire Cricket League and Northampton-based Hevey Building Supplies have teamed up in a major new sponsorship deal for the next three years.

With more than 150 teams in 14 divisions – and ECB Premier League status – the NCL is one of the biggest organisations in English recreational cricket.

And it will now be known as the Hevey Building Supplies Northamptonshire Cricket League as a result of the first sponsorship arrangement covering the entire league since the NCL began in 2003.

The sponsorship was formally announced at the League's pre-season meeting at the on April 16 2008.

“We are a big league but until now – unlike many other Premier Leagues around the country – we have not had a major sponsor,” said NCL Chairman John Hodges.

“Our new agreement with Hevey over the next three years, gives us the opportunity to explore ways of passing on the benefits to our member clubs.”

“The various League Committees are being asked to come forward with ideas.”

“When I first met Mick McGuckin and Neil Hemmington from Hevey I was impressed with their keenness to get involved with local cricket. I'm looking forward to working with them to promote the best interests of both the NCL and Hevey Building Supplies.”

“I would also like to thank Daniel Jackson from Earls Barton CC for introducing Hevey to the League in the first place.”

The NCL's new sponsors are 's youngest – but already largest – independent builders' merchants. Hevey are a forward thinking company and were recently awarded FSC certification for supplying timber that is supplied from sustainable forests. This commitment to the environment and putting something back is further supported by their sponsorship of the NCL.

As Mick McGuckin - Sales Director for Hevey – comments: “We are absolutely delighted to be sponsoring the Northants Cricket League over the next three years which shows our commitment to the local area and also to sport in general. We look forward to building on our reputation throughout the county.”

And they are no strangers to cricket in the county, having supported David Sales' Benefit Year in 2007 and taken out the 'Making a Difference' package with Northants Cricket.

Hevey's other principal sporting interest is football. They sponsor both Cogenhoe United and Earls Barton United at adult level, as well as supporting two youth sides and a Cobblers U10 player. Their advertising boards can be seen on several local grounds.

In 2002, the following Leagues were merged to form the Northamptonshire Cricket League:
Northants Cricket Championship; Northants County League; Northants Alliance; Northants Combination;

The League has ECB Premier League status and will have 14 divisions for the 2008 season. Clubs are attracted from a wide geographic area including: Northants, Bucks, Cambs & Beds.

Finedon Dolben are the reigning Premier Division Champions.

GROUND REPORTS for 2007:  click on the link :http://nclgrounds.co.uk/2007groundreport.asp

TEA ROTA 2008

April 26th   P.Jones
May 3rd   S. Driver
May 10th   D. Laughton
May 17th   M. Ralph
May 24th   R. Boddington
May 31st   M. Jones
June 7th   D. Clarkson
June 14th   H. Bahra
June 21st   M. Duddle
June 28th   B. Hanson
July 5th   N. Shelton
July 12th   L. Bates
July 19th   D. Ward
July 26th   C. Perry
Aug. 2nd   A. Ward
Aug. 9th   J. Hart
Aug 16th   J. Perry
Aug 23rd   J. Pike
Aug 30th   M. Ralph
Sept 6th   S. Musgrave
Sept 13th   M. Shelton
Sept 20th   M. Carter
 

 

 2008 was a good year for the youth cricket in Wollaston, with a number of good things to report. Five club members attended Coach Education training at Northants County Cricket Club. Nick Broome and Mark Ralph gained their Level 2 qualification, whilst Jamie Perry, John Pike and Andrew Silsby gained Level 1 qualifications.

 Winter practice sessions were well supported at Wollaston School during November, December and January, as were nets at NCCC. Practice nights at the ground during the summer were also well attended by the three age group squads and we had very good numbers for Friday night Under 9’s fun sessions. However we need to make sure that we have enough coaches available to ensure we have a reasonable coach to player ratio in 2009. With this in mind, Liam Bates and Jamie Perry are going to undertake a Level 2 coaching course early in 2009.

 ___________

Under 11’s – Coach Nick Broome

It was good to see this team develop as the season progressed and the hard work undertaken by Nick Broome cannot be under estimated. The boys were really competitive and have started to show some good skills and application. Nick was helped by Dave Mercer as well as parents Jason Bright and Graham Richards, however all the parents were very supportive and the friendly atmosphere made the experience of watching this team all the more enjoyable.

Charlie Elderton and Nathan Richards both played for Wellingborough District.

see the Under 11 full report below___________________

Under 13’s – Coach Neal Perry

The boys tried hard, but sometimes they lost concentration when fielding and consequently teams scored more runs than they should have done against us. However there were some good performances and we won a few games. I would like to thank Karl Yeo for helping with the scoring and Jamie, Chris and Mark for their coaching assistance.

Harry Matthews and Liam Yeo were both invited to the District trials, but were unable to attend due to holiday commitments.

___________________________________ 

Under 15’s – Coach Andrew Silsby

Results did not go to well for the Under 15’s who tried hard in all their games but without to much success. They seemed to be a bit overawed and sometimes overpowered by the opening batsmen or opening bowlers for some of the teams they played against. Andrew worked hard with a generally keen group of lads and was supported by Paul Clarkson, John, Jamie and Chris.    

 _________________________

Chance to Shine and School Cricket

The club successfully ran the ‘Chance to Shine’ scheme within the Wollaston Schools cluster for the third year running. Chris Perry was responsible for delivering the majority of coaching in Seven Primary schools and the Secondary school and also organized the very successful Kwik Cricket Festival which was held at the club in July.  Mark, Jamie and I also undertook some coaching on the scheme to supports Chris’ efforts.

________________________________________

Wham Bam thank you Cam!  July 29th

Wollaston U11's
continued their winning run of games by a narrow victory over Wellingborough OG's. Having defeated North Crawley in a friendly on Wednesday evening, the lads were keen to keep on winning to end the league season strongly as they move into the knockout cup. The game was played in very hot conditions and both teams should be congratulated for what was a very sporting and close game. Special praise to Joe Harris who was asked to play for OG's as they were a player short - Joe, to his credit, is a real sportsman and he played for the opposition with 100% commitment and yet again he ran one of our own batters out! Thanks Joe and we all hope your dad has a complete and speedy recovery following an operation.

OG's batted first and scored 242 for the loss of 2 wickets. The lads started off well with very accurate bowling from all of our bowling attack and tight fielding to restrict the runs. The pick of our bowlers was Cameron "KP" Wiseman who bowled exceptionally well with his first 2 overs completed as maidens and a wicket to boot. He finished with 1 for 4 off his 3 overs. Cam was ably supported by tight bowling from Harry Broome who returned 1-9 off his 3 overs as well as accurate and well delivered spells from Patrick Bright, George Roche and Will "come on Charlie" Holley. Charlie Elderton's bowling was again well delivered and he was unlucky not to have taken wickets. Nathan Richards kept wicket very neatly and conceded very few byes. He was very unlucky not to have held on to a diving one-handed catch behind the stumps off Charlie's bowling.

The lads have on several occasions this season scored more runs than the required target and were in confident mood following an hour toiling in the Wollaston sunshine. Unfortunately, we got off to a poor start with the loss of 3 wickets in the first 3 overs owing to very accurate bowling from Ryan but also I think the sun had got to 1 or 2 of the players. Nathan and George picked up the run rate with a partnership of 30 to take the score from 194 to 224 which put us right back in contention. Harry and Cam then pushed along the score to 237 with a partnership of 13 leaving the ever-reliable Charlie and Will to win the game with really mature and sensible batting to see Wollaston through to victory by a margin of 4 runs. The last 2 overs were quite nerve-wrecking especially for the large crowd which had gathered to see the boys last league game - the victory was never in doubt - yeah right! Man of the match was Cam "KP" Wiseman for his all-round display of great fielding and encouragement of his team mates, very accurate bowling with 1-4 off 3 overs and an important contribution with the bat in the middle order - you can take your plaster off now!

This win means we have closed the league season with 8 wins from 12 games which is a great achievement particularly as they have finished 3rd in the table and only 2 points off being runners-up. The team spirit throughout the season has been fantastic and the lads should be really proud of themselves and the way in which they have supported each other through the last 12 games. I know their parents have been particularly proud of their achievements and they have every right to be as we have received nothing but positive feedback from other clubs with their exemplary behaviour and attitude during the games. They have played to win and they have also enjoyed themselves no matter what the result.

There have been some great performances by a number of players throughout the league season - Charlie Elderton 96 runs and 12 wickets, Nathan Richards 81 runs and 6 wickets and Harry Broome 60 runs and 11 wickets - but the real star this season has been the TEAM as everybody has played their part in each and every game. The boys have worked hard in training and their efforts have been rewarded with 8 wins in the season. Let's hope the boys have even more success in the knock-out cup starting next Sunday against Isham.
 

Under Thirteens

Mon 14th July – Oundle (Away)
Wollaston 58 for 4 – Oundle 59 for 1

Although on the face of it Oundle won easily, the players can take some credit for the way they played.
After losing 3 early wickets Matthew West and Joey Jones batted sensibly to help give the bowlers something to bowl at. Although Oundle only lost one wicket in reaching their target, the lads tried hard and made them work for the win.

Mon 21st July – Wellingborough OG’s (Home)
OG’s 78 for 8 – Wollaston 79 for 6

OG’s batted first but were restricted by some fine bowling and fielding and were indebted to their No. 9 batsmen who scored 12 off the last over to help them reach 78.
The highlights in the field were Tom Houghton’s two wickets and the tight bowling of Liam Yeo (4-1-1-4) and Harry Matthews (3-1-1-3). Jack Spriggs took two catches at square leg and there were two run-outs.

When we batted an opening partnership of 36 between Matthew West and Joey Jones seemed to have put the lads on course for a comfortable victory, however some tight bowling and three run-outs left us requiring 16 off the last four overs for victory. Skipper Jack Fairbrother and Jack Spriggs kept their nerve to steer the side close, before the captain was out with 4 balls left, leaving Jack Spriggs (15 n/o) and Liam Yeo to see the team home with two balls remaining.

Well done to both sides for a good exciting game.
 

 

July 20th

UNDER ELEVENS MAKE IT FOUR IN A ROW !

Town Trumped by Charlie's Trio!

In front of their biggest crowd of the season, Wollaston U11's won their 4th game on the trot to overturn their opening day defeat against Oundle Town. Wollaston were out for revenge and they won the game at a canter by an impressive 45 runs. I hope Mr President was pleased with the future Wollaston 1st XI (or should I say 9 of them)!

Another good all round team performance restricted Oundle to 223 - 7 off their 16 overs. Impressively, Wollaston bowled very straight and conceded only 3 wides during the entire innings - arguably, their best bowling performance of the season so far. Harry Broome and Patrick Bright both bowled well and were both rewarded with wickets. Patrick is becoming a bit of a specialist with yet another caught and bowled, remarkably off his very first ball and Harry finished up with 2-10 including a terrific catch in the deep by Nathan Richards. But the star of the bowling brigade was Captain Charlie Elderton! He returned to the team in great style by taking a hatrick in his 3rd and final over of his allotted spell. He had been asked to bowl quicker and although he had been really unlucky in his 2 previous overs, he continued to remain focused and delivered a remarkable hatrick by clean bowling the last pair on 3 successive occasions as Oundle were threatening to post a tricky score.

The general fielding and bowling of the team was great to watch and Ellis Attwell had another good game as wicket keeper - he will be missed for the next 2 games as he enjoys a family holiday. The batters still had to get the runs and Nathan and Patrick got us off to the perfect start with a strong partnership of 18 with Nathan top scoring with 11. Some good bowling by Oundle threatened to reduce our scoring but Ellis Attwell and Josh Steggles both defended well. Harry and Cam Wiseman continued their good run of partnerships and increased the total by 21 with both batters undefeated on 10 and 6, respectively - it's their cheeky runs which threatens to give me a heart attack! This enabled Will Holley and Charlie to finish the victory in style with another solid partnership of 16.

The boys are finishing the season with confidence and with their final league game next Sunday at home to Old Grammarians they have steadily climbed their way up the table with 7 wins from 11 games. We eagerly await sight of the league table and whilst top spot belongs to Irthlingborough, it will be interesting to see where in the table the lads end up. A friendly on Wednesday against North Crawley will give them good practice for the imminent start of the knock-out cup. Finally, good luck to Charlie and Nathan as their hard work and great cricket has deservedly earnt them District trials in a few days time - let's hope they get through with flying colours.

Thanks to all those mums and dads, players, friends, etc who gave the boys such a warm reception when they came off the pitch - they loved it!

________________________________________________________________________

July 13th

UNDER ELEVENS' BEAT EARLS BARTON

You're once, twice, 3 times a Steglegs! Wollaston U11's romped to their 3rd win on the trot to make it 6 wins out of 10 by beating Earls Barton by 56 runs. The win saw yet another great team performance with Joshua "Steglegs" Steggles leading the way with 3 boundaries in an undefeated top score of 16. He also performed well with the ball and took 1-4 from his 2 accurate overs.

The boys bowled and fielded well again and kept the Earls Barton score down to 228 for 4. The bowling was tighter than Jason Bright's wallet and it was remarkable to see that the boys conceded only 13 runs off the Earls Barton bat from their 16 overs. The pick of the bowlers was Mr Pink Fluffy Ears, himself! George Roche is getting better with every game and his bowling was terrific today as he returned season best figures of 1 for 3 off 3 overs including 2 maidens. Wickets were also taken by Steglegs and Will Holley and these successes followed a brilliant run out involving Joseph Harris and Will. Joe raced to retrieve the ball from the boundary and with an accurate throw into the bowlers hands, Will was able to throw the wickets down from a few feet leaving the batter stranded. Great teamwork with at least 2 other fielders backing up.


Again, it was batting partnerships which saw Wollaston amass 284 for the loss of just 1 wicket. George and Patrick Bright got Wollaston off to a steady start and then Steglegs burst on to the scene to smash 3 glorious boundaries in an unbeaten partnership of 24 with Ellis Attwell. Although Steglegs scored the majority of the runs, this was helped by unselfish batting and good running and calling by his partner, Ellis. Our 3rd partnership of Harry Broome and Cameron Wiseman carried on where they left off last week with each of them smashing 2 fours in another unbeaten partnership of 26 with Harry 12 not out and Cam 8 not out. These partnerships then allowed Nathan Richards and Will Holley to seal the victory with some sensible batting in their partnership of 25.

The boys seem to be gaining in confidence with every game. Special praise to Nathan Richards who captained the team for the 1st time this season in Charlie Elderton's temporary absence. Congratulations also to Will Holley who has been chosen to be the U11 captain for next season - good luck, Will! Charlie's batting and bowling will be needed next week as we seek revenge for the opening game defeat against a strong Oundle team. This will be a good test for the boys as it will be interesting to see just how much the team have progressed this season. With another great team performance, the boys will hopefully seal another win at the start of the annual Presidents Day. See you there!

                                   

The Under Eleven's prepare for the Finedon game

The U11's won for the 2nd consecutive Sunday with a 29 run win over Finedon Dolben to make it a double victory over our rival neighbours. Having won at Finedon last weekend by 51 runs, today's game was a much closer encounter. Both teams should be congratulated for completing the game under dark skies and in the rain. Special praise for Bradley Morris who was happy to allow his team to remain on the pitch when we offered him the chance to go off. This was particularly sporting as Wollaston were winning by a comfortable margin at the time.

This week saw a debut for Joseph Harris who fielded particularly well. He made some really good stops and his throwing was very accurate. He even run out our captain whilst fielding for Finedon! We hope to see more of Joseph as he plays the game with the right attitude and has the potential to become a valuable addition to the team. Collectively this was the boys best batting performance of the season so far. Although the team have in other games scored more runs, it was the way in which they built partnerships by playing "proper" batting shots and taking good singles which secured the victory. We only lost 2 wickets and these were from run outs where direct throws at the stumps left our 2 consistently good batters, Nathan and Charlie, just a few yards short. Particularly heart-breaking for Charlie who on 97 fell just short of securing a hundred runs in a season without losing his wicket.


Special praise this week for Cameron Wiseman who had success with both bat and ball. Cam took 1 wicket in his 2 overs and then top-scored with 10 not out in a 21 run partnership with Harry Broome. Patrick Bright also had a good game. His batting was very straight and he smashed a lovely four in a 21 run partnership with Nathan. Patrick's bowling was almost as straight as his batting and he followed up last weeks Collingwood-style run out with a brilliant caught and bowled. Ellis "Teflon" Attwell had another good game behind the stumps and equally as pleasing was the fact that he together with Patrick, Harry, Cameron, George "pink-fluffy ears" Roche, and Will Holley all completed their batting innings without losing their wicket - a 1st this season.

All in all a strong all-round team performance which should see the boys climb the table as they have now won 5 of the 9 games played. We have another home game next weekend against Earls Barton, who like Finedon will be out for revenge after we beat them earlier in the season. Let's hope we can do the double over them as well.

 

 

 

 

JULY 1st

The Under 13’s beat Raunds by 30 runs.

A good all round performance, but the outstanding bowling and general fielding performance was the key to the win.
 

____________________________________________________________________________

JUNE 30th

UNDER ELEVEN'S BEAT FINEDON

Report by Nick Broome

With the 1st XI achieving their fantastic win yesterday on a day when the 2nds won as well, there was huge pressure and expectation on the U11's! Well, I am delighted to say that the boys didn't disappoint and returned a terrific team performance by beating Finedon by 51 runs to make the weekend's results 3 out of 3.
 
Batting first, the boys scored a massive 315 for 7 which was a net 280 - their highest score of the season so far. Star performers with the bat were Charlie Elderton 26 not out and Laurence Edmunds 21. Both boys achieving their highest scores of the season so far and arguably the best 2 batting performances of 2008. Between them they struck 10 4's! Wollaston then restricted the home side to 264 for 7 which netted down to 229. A great all-round fielding performance with some great stops in the deep by debutant Max Halliday and a brilliant run out by Patrick "Paul Collingwood" Bright who had a direct hit at the stumps from well over 20 yards to leave the batter well short and his Dad reaching for his wallet! The pick of the bowlers was Harry Broome who returned season best figures of 4 for 7 from 3 overs. This included a caught and bowled and then an amazing last over which saw 3 wickets for only 1 run and remarkably all 3 were clean bowled! His Dad's wallet is also now empty!
 
A great confidence boosting win as the boys move into their last 4 league games of the season, all of which are at home, starting next Sunday (6th) with the return game against Finedon who will be keen to overturn today's result. Why not come down to the ground on Sunday morning at 10 to see the boys in action and there may also be some bacon butties available!

__________________________________________________________________________

Game v Finedon at home, re-scheduled from 22nd June to July 6th

UNDER ELEVENS' MID-SEASON UPDATE

A report from manager Nick Broome

 Since the last update the boys have had a convincing win against Old Grammarians which was a great result. They won by a massive 63 runs which was a tremendous boost for them.

 Unfortunately, we lost the next game to Irthlingborough by only 8 runs - a fantastic game enjoyed by a big crowd of mums and dads and families.

So far this season we have played 7, lost 4 and won 3. The boys are confident as we move into the 2nd half of the season as they look to overturn the 1st game defeat against Oundle but also play against those teams we have already beaten once this season. I am confident that we will end the season with more wins than defeats and have set the boys the target of winning the cup!

There have been a number of really good individual performances this season but what is really pleasing is the way in which the boys work together as a team. Charlie Elderton captains the team very well indeed and sets a good example to the more junior members of the squad. His batting has been particularly good and in the 7 games played so far he has scored 69 and has not yet been out! He has also bowled 21 overs including 5 maidens and taken 7 wickets for 43 runs. Nathan Richards is also performing well and he will be missed for our forthcoming 2 games against Finedon. Nathan has scored a total of 51 runs and taken 5 wickets for only 23 runs off 17 overs. He is also a good example to the team and is always willing to give advice and encouragement.

Our unsung hero is Ellis Attwell who has the dubious pleasure of keeping wicket - off-side, leg-side, too wide, too low, too high - he's like a jack in the box jumping around all over the place trying to stop the ball. He is doing a great job behind the stumps.

Harry Broome is playing in his 1st season as is Patrick Bright. Both boys are only 9 and are therefore gaining valuable experience at this level and will have 2 more seasons before they move up to the u13's. Harry's bowling is coming along really well and this season he has bowled 21 overs of which 6 were maidens and pleasingly he has taken 4 wickets. Some of our fielding has been excellent. We have seen great catches from Nathan, Josh Steggles and Laurence Edmunds. On Friday, Laurence also secured a brilliant run out with a direct throw with only 1 wicket to aim at.

It is also really pleasing to see a number of "1sts". Will Holley's and George Roche's batting is getting better every game and both have hit their 1st 4 in recent games. Both boys are really vocal in the field with plenty of encouragement offered when things go right (and wrong!!). Josh Steggles has had 3 1sts this season - 1st 4, 1st wicket and 1st catch. He's also had 2 bats and 2 sets of pads!! We also have great team players in Cameron Wiseman and Daniel Parker, both of whom would have played more games for us but they have had football commitments - they're good at too many sports!

The team are a real pleasure to coach. They are full of so much enthusiasm, encouragement and support for each other and they are having a lot of fun whether they win or lose.

 Apologies to the parents as time keeping was never one of my strengths - when I say the practice will finish at 8.00 it actually means about 8.45!!


 

JUNE 12th

CHANCE to SHINE - PROVES A SUCCESS

'Chance to Shine' is now half way through its third year and has attracted another four new players to the club at Under 11's.

The festival is on July 14th at Wollaston where the players get to show skills learnt in the 12 week coaching block.

They will get to demonstrate their proficiency against the rest of the schools in the Wollaston Secondary cluster area.

Its a 9am start.
 

June 4th

Under 11's

Under 11's fixtures against Earls Barton are reversed and the Irthlingborough game, originally scheduled for 25th May, will now be played on June 13th. See amended fixtures below and results so far.

Two victories put them in the right mood for the tough game against  Old Grammarians on June 8th.

 

http://nclgrounds.co.uk/2007groundreport.asp

 

Clubmark Accredited

ECB  Return to Group Home

Return to Group Home

 

Whibleys

News

Agents

and

Post Office

 

 

MEDIGOLD HEALTH