Expect more of the same in 2010

ALL YOURS: Heyside captain Mark Barnes receives the Twenty20 Trophy from Iain Johnston, of sponsors 20-20 Vision.

CRICKET: LET’S forget Bamford Fieldhouse for a moment.

Take them out of the equation and, building up to the last day of the season, any one of half-a-dozen or so teams were in with a chance of being crowned the Armstrongs Office Furniture Saddleworth and District Cricket League champions.

Mobile telephones at grounds across the borough and beyond would have been buzzing every few seconds with news of wickets or vital runs.

The lead would have changed hands on several occasions until, with “Countryfile” in full swing on TV, a winner was announced.

League chairman Eddie Bayliss, with the Hollingworth Trophy in the boot of his white Fiesta, wouldn’t know which way to turn. An enthralling end to a great season.

I’m sorry to say that won’t happen as long as Bamford, with Andy Barton at the helm, are in the league.

Yes, they might lose the odd game or two, but they will win next year’s title for an unprecedented fourth time on the trot.

It could be Bamford’s swan-song as they are currently waiting to hear if they’ve been accepted into the Northern League for season 2011.

They lost one league game all season. They also pocketed the Tanner Cup for good measure.

Captain Matt Taylor’s aims in April were for UPPERMILL to finish in the top two (achieved) and reach a cup final (also achieved). In fact, they got to two cup finals.

Unfortunately for the lads from Leefields, they lost both of them, but they can still reflect on a fine summer.

With top overseas amateur batsman Zeeshan Khan back in the fold for a third season in 2010, Uppermill can again look forward to being among the league’s leading lights.

Skipper Peter Skuse wanted a top-six finish at SADDLEWORTH and that’s what he got as he steered his side into third. But for losing two of their last three games, they would have been runners-up.

AUSTERLANDS can reflect on another solid campaign, finishing fourth for the second year running under Kevin Du Feu.

Professional Junaid Khan, the highly-regarded Pakistani fast bowler, won’t be returning to Thorpe Lane.

Austerlands will need to replace Khan’s wickets haul — he claimed more than 50 — but they will also require a pro who can offer more with the bat.

HEYSIDE were up against it from the word go after starting the season on minus 20 points but, lifted by performances from classy pro Roelof Hugo, Nick Campbell and Stuart Moore, they managed to sneak into the final LCB Cup place by virtue of more outright wins.

They also won the Twenty20 Cup and, with no penalties to worry about in 2010, a top-five finish looks assured.

Nigel Stock’s GLODWICK are now firmly established in the league, although there was disappointment in the camp after being pipped for fifth.

With pro Imran Aslam returning for a third year — the Pakistani had his best season so far with the bat (749 runs at 49.9) — supporters at Warren Lane will expect a similar outcome.

SHAW finished the season with a real flourish, winning four of their last five matches.

The Holebottom Clough outfit can boast some talented younger players and, with new pro Ryan Senior at the club next year, hopes are high they will carry on where they left off.

HOLLINWOOD’S defeat of Friarmere on September 6 was their first win for more than a month, a run of form which cost them a place in next season’s LCB Cup.

Captain John Winterbottom, who has now left the club, was unable to field a settled side, with frontline bowler Mohammed Shazad, all-rounder Shahzad Sadaqat and top spinner Rashid Khan missing most of the second half of the season through a combination of work, injury and other commitments.

But the Lime Lane club’s second team broke Saddleworth’s monoply of the division two title — they had won it for the last four years — thanks to 17 wins from 24 matches.

FRIARMERE had some good days — they reached the semi-finals of the Tanner Cup and enjoyed some excellent wins over Heyside, Glodwick and Saddleworth — and a mid-table finish was a decent job.

Zafar Iqbal is set to stay for a fifth season as the club’s overseas amateur, and he could be joined by a new professional.




Young stars shine



GREENFIELD, the only team without a pro or overseas amateur, can be satisfied with their efforts.



Chris Gill and Adam Hayes again showed why they are regarded as two of the brightest young talents in the league, while Alex Peters’ eight-wicket haul against Hollinwood was one of the bowling performances of the season.

Runs were never a problem for STAYLEY — Lou Adair and Oram Simms had excellent seasons — but they were unable to take enough wickets to be competitive.

Ronnie Cameron has stepped down as skipper — Steve Downend will take over next year — and they are in the market for a new pro after deciding against retaining Rehan Rafiq.

The retirement of captain Francis Sutherland with two games to go added to MOORSIDE’S woes.

Tipped to be somewhere near the top of the table — they were third in 2008 — they ended near the bottom. They only won four matches all season, and two of those came in the first two weeks of the season.

DROYLSDEN’S record in 2009 made for pretty dismal reading. No wins, 13 defeats and 11 draws. They also struggled to raise two teams for the final few matches of the season.