Northern Club Cricket Round-Up - April/May 2012

Northern Club Cricket Round-Up - April/May 2012

Stephen Parry has been in fine form for Bootle in the Liverpool & District Cricket Competition.

©Action Images / Jason Cairnduff

Oxton lead the way with four wins from their first six matches in the Cheshire County Cricket League Premier Division. They are 19 points clear of their nearest rival, Hyde, who are a further five points ahead of third-placed Neston. Defending champions Nantwich sit seventh – a full 40 points behind the leaders – while Didsbury and Toft occupy the relegation places.

Batting – Top three
1. Khalid Sawas (Macclesfield) – 327 runs from six matches
2. Andrew McGuiness (Marple) – 317 runs from five matches
3. Danny Naughton (Widnes) – 261 runs from five matches

Bowling – Top three
1. Andrew Birley (Oxton) – 23 wickets at an average of 8.13
2. James Warrington (Nantwich) – 23 wickets at 13.04
3. Jack Williams (Chester Boughton Hall) – 19 wickets at 17.21 

Player of the month: Andrew Birley started the season with hauls of eight for 52 and six for nine in his first two matches and has barely let up since with nine more from his next three games. This means that he has 80.1 points in the overall rankings to place him 15th.

Northern have a 100 per cent record at the top of the Liverpool & District Premier League, with four wins from as many matches. This gives them a 25 point lead over second-placed Lytham, who slipped up against them in their first match. Defending champions Ormskirk are unbeaten, but with two abandonments, and lie fourth, while Colwyn Bay and Rainford are in the relegation zone.

Batting – Top three
1. Jonathan Wells (Leigh) – 253 runs from four matches
2. Andrea Agathangelou (Highfield) – 225 rums from three matches
3. Mark Williams (Rainford) – 215 runs from four matches

Bowling – Top three
1. Nicky Caunce (Northern) – 19 wickets at 6.53
2. Michael Baer (Leigh) – 16 wickets at 12.19
3. Stephen Parry (Bootle) – 14 wickets at 6.43

Player of the month: Stephen Parry pips Nicky Caunce to the award by less than seven points and lies fifth in the rankings. He has supplemented his haul of 14 wickets from just three games for Bootle, with 80 runs.

The Northern Premier League was one of the first leagues to start in 2012, with leaders Barrow having played nine games and won seven to give them 104 points. Fleetwood and Netherfield are second and third, with last year’s champions St Annes languishing in 12th, just ahead of Carnforth and Lancaster, in the 14-team division. 

Batting – Top three
1. Jamie How (Kendal) – 519 runs from seven matches
2. Umar Amin (Morecambe) – 334 runs from seven matches
3. Henry Thompson (Leyland) – 322 runs from seven matches

Bowling – Top three
1. Richard Gleeson (Blackpool) – 32 wickets at 8.5
2. Dinuka Hettiarachchi (St Annes) – 25 wickets at 7.92
3. Lukman Vahaluwala (Preston) – 25 wickets at 8.24

Player of the month: Dinuka Hettiarachchi has only played five matches for St Annes, but has hauls of seven for 28 against Preston and seven for 14 against Lancaster already in the bank. Overall, his bowling figures stand at 97.1-31-198-25.

Sunderland and Blaydon are both unbeaten and sit at the top of the North-East Premier League with 120 and 110 points respectively. The other undefeated side are Durham Cricket Academy, who lie fifth, having had three of their six games abandoned. Stockton, Benwell Hill and Gateshead Fell are all winless and occupy the final three positions in the table.

Batting – Top three
1. Daniel Shurben (Sunderland) – 273 runs from six matches
2. Michael Richardson (Newcastle) – 238 runs from three matches
3. Allan Worthy (Blaydon) – 227 runs from four matches

Bowling – Top three
1. Kieran Waterson (Sunderland) – 19 wickets at 9.47
2. Matthew Muchall (South Shields) – 16 wickets at 13.44
3. Chris Rushworth (Sunderland) – 15 wickets at 8.2

Player of the month: Former Northumberland Minor Counties cricketer Liam Simpson has enjoyed an excellent start to the 2012 season for Chester-le-Street and has scored 205 runs – including three unbeaten half centuries – and taken 14 wickets at an average of 9.21 from just four games. All of which places him fourth in the overall rankings with 94.7 points.

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