            
Updated on 04 February 2012
STOP PRESS: Skelmersdale have been drawn in Group 5 of the Ray Digman Knockout Trophy and Chester Cup.. We are paired with Lytham (Premier), Liverpool (First Division), and Wigan (First Division) in what will certainly be interesting ties. The group stage opens the cricket season beginning on Saturday, 14 April 2012.
Skelmersdale 3rd XI have been drawn away to Bedford Park in the 1st Round of the Hampson Cup. The tie is due to be played on Sunday, 13 May, 2012.
URGENT > URGENT > URGENT > URGENT > URGENT > URGENT Interested in cricket and would like to volunteer your services? We would like your help. We urgently require: Coaches; Groundstaff; Scorers; Admin; or Event Helpers. Send us an e-mail, and we will arrange a meeting to discus..
Award winners at the Senior Presentation Evening .....
1st XI Player of the Season: Ben Maddocks 2nd XI Player of the Season: Conor Joel-Welsh 3rd XI Player of the Season: Ian Morris Junior Player of the Season: Matthew Wright Under-18’s Player of the Season: Luke Manley Under-18’s Managers’ Player of the Season: Andrew Griffiths Under-18’s Most Improved Player: James Edgar Phil Ashcroft Memorial Trophy for Cricketer of the Year: James Edgar Ray Blakey Trophy for Best Performance: Ben Maddocks Clubman of the Year: Steve Griffiths
A season with the First XI (2665 words - sorry to bore you !!)
Skelmersdale 1st XI started off the 2011 season with 17-year old Ben Maddocks leading the side for the first time. The season began in mid April with the mini-league which precluded the League Knockout Cup. As a Second Division club, we were drawn against Northern (Premier), Orrell Red Triangle (First), and Moorfield (Second). Our first game meant the journey to Widnes to play Moorfield. We won this game comfortably in the end, but there were one or two scares along the way. In the game, Jonas Smith scored 84 runs which included 15 x 4’s. He then went on to take 4 wickets for 27 runs off 9 overs. The next game was also away, but only a short journey to Orrell Red Triangle. It has beena ground where Skelmersdale have had some poor results over the years. Not this time however, as we went on to win comfortably, thanks mainly to Joe Till’s opening 40 runs. We then came out to bowl and the youngsters, Andrew Griffiths and James Edgar did us proud. They both took 3 wickets for an aggregate score of just 41. This meant that we went into the final game in good spirits against premier-side Northern. Again, Joe Till was in good form, but unluckily he was run out whilst on 35. In the end the gap in class told as Northern went on to win the game, but not before we guaranteed passage into the knockout stages. And so our league season began, first with a repeat visit to Widnes-based Moorfield. The game followed in the same fashion as the recent cup fixture and Skelmersdale ran out comfortable winners in the end. Our second league game of the season brought highly fancied Fleetwood Hesketh to Scott Rees Park. Fleetwood batted first and opener Neil Rimmer scored a massive 133 from 126 balls to given the away side a stranglehold on the game. They declared at 221 for 4, giving Skelmersdale little chance in the chase. Our priority would be to ‘not lose’ the game. Joe Till was again in good form and scored 34, but wickets fell all around him. In the end Skelmersdale were thankful to James Edgar for his 25 runs, which allowed us to save the game and take a draw at 152 for 9 when time was called. A visit across the Mersey to play Birkenhead St Mary’s was next. Skelmersdale had to make a late adjustment to the team, as Vice-Captain Jonas Smith failed to arrive at the ground. We opened with the unusual pairing of Mark Adams and John Jackson, as Joe Till was unavailable. This proved to be a master-stroke as the pair put on 95 for the first wicket, with Adams on 43 and Jackson on 45. This wasn’t the end of the Skelmersdale scoring, as skipper Maddocks chipped in with a superb 68 not out, and Luke Manley who bludgeoned 54 not out, that included four massive sixes over the clubhouse. Skelmersdale declared on 254 for 5, taking into account the heavy clouds sweeping up the estuary. They called upon Andrew Griffiths to make an early breakthrough, and he did not disappoint. He took two early wickets and went on to finish with 5 for 44 off 13 overs, in two fiery spells. With rain starting to fall Mark Adams came in to bowl and took the final Birkenhead wicket with his first ball, as they slumped to 135 all out. Parkfield Liscard then visited Scott Rees Park. After winning the toss and electing to bat they struggled to 198 all out, due to the tight bowling of James Edgar who had 3 wickets for 32, and Mohammed Azam with 4 wickets for 50 in a 19-over spell. Openers Joe Till and the returning Jonas Smith got Skelmersdale off to a good start with a stand of 72, supported afterwards with a magnificent 60 from Waqar Khan as we moved to 170 for 3. There was then a minor hiccup, before Skelmersdale passed the Parkfield score for the loss of 7 wickets to give us our third win of the season. Unfortunately word was filtering through that Moorfield were in trouble and would be forfeiting their fixtures. This resulted in our win at Widnes being struck from the records. The disappointment of losing hard-earned points seemed to affect Skelmersdale in the next fixture against Caldy. We won the toss and put them in to bat. Professional Sunil Gandhi scored a blistering 102 out of 199 for 6 declared, leaving Skelmersdale a difficult run chase. Skelmersdale got off to the worst of starts and slumped to 15 for 3. However Caldy had left themselves too little time to dismiss Skelmersdale as we fought out for a draw with the loss of 7 wickets. The highlight was Mike Houghton’s 23 not out which undoubtably helped Skelmersdale save the game still 70 runs short. It would be important for Skelmersdale to get back to winning ways on an excellent batting track at Southport Trinity, where runs in excess of 200 is the norm rather than the exception. Skelmersdale batted first and amassed a massive 303 for 5 declared from just 40 overs, thanks to Waqar Khan with an absolutely superb 126 not out. He was ably supported by Joe Till (57) and Mark Adams (46) as the record-breaking score was posted. Southport Trinity were then bowled out for 147, where Mohammed Azam took 5 wickets for 39 runs, and skipper Maddocks 5 wickets for 42 runs. The euphoria of the previous weeks win quickly evaporated with a surprising defeat to St Helens. There was an early-order batting collapse which left Skelmersdale on 57 for 6. Only Luke Manley (36), Barry Leadbetter (38), and James Edgar with 26 not out, provided any kind of resistance, as the innings closed on a disappointing 165. Edgar had batted a patient 8 overs to try to prolong the innings for Skelmersdale. St Helens had plenty of time in which to chase the runs, and they did so for the loss of 7 wickets with three overs to spare. The defeat could not have come at a worse time with a visit to high-flying Ainsdale next. We won the toss and asked Ainsdale to bat first. Opener Malcolm Swift was in fine form and knocked 78 before being tempted by Matty Fenney. He was ably supported by professional Dhruv Singh (51) and Thomas Prescott (66 not out) as they accumulated 251 for 6 declared. Skelmersdale opened with Jonas Smith and Kyle Till and got off to a good start in the chase, with Smith posting 72. Unfortunately there was another mini-collapse, as only Luke Manley (35) and Andrew Griffiths (18 not out) were able to cope with Ainsdale’s pace attack. Skelmersdale all out for 177. The following day Skelmersdale had to make the trip to Aigburth to play Liverpool in the League Knockout with a greatly depleted side. Before the game prospects seemed to be bleak but the lads that did turn out gave it their best shot that made Liverpool fight all of the way and very nervous at the close. We were put in to bat first but unexpected opener Barry Leadbetter suffered the indignity of being out first ball. Youngster Jordan Maddocks with veteran Waqar Khan then but on 84 runs, before another glut of quick wickets. This brought together James Edgar with Andrew Griffiths and they both set about the Liverpool bowling. At the close Edgar was 35 not out, with Griffiths on 42. In this game Skelmersdale introduced another youngster into the 1st XI set-up, Matthew Wright who performed admirably on the big stage that is Aigburth. Skelmersdale innings closed on 205 in the 45th over. Liverpool were immediately concerned when Andrew Griffiths took an early wicket. After 14 overs of pace Skelmersdale turned to spin, and particularly to Waqar Khan. He went on to take 6 wickets for 26 runs off 9 overs, as Liverpool were reduced to 164 for 8, still well short of the Skelmersdale score. Unfortunately their tail-enders saved their embarrassment as they recovered to win the game with just five balls to spare. The following Saturday, Skelmerdale played host to near-neighbours and fellow promotion-hopefuls Burscough. Putting Burscough in to bat first seemed to be the wrong decision as they moved quickly to 189 for 4, with no Skelmersdale bowlers causing undue concern. In the 45th over Burscough skipper Adam Waterhouse took the generous decision to declare on 191 leaving them plenty of time to dismiss Skelmersdale. It soon proved to be an ambitious decision as Skelmersdale moved into full flow with Waqar Khan (34) and John Jackson (24). Skelmersdale passed the Burscough total with time to spare thanks to Luke Manley (54 not out) and Ben Maddocks (37 not out) to win by 6 wickets. Skelmersdale’s next game was away to Wavertree, always a difficult ground to win the game. We lost the toss and were put in to bat. Skelmersdale lost their first 3 wickets for just 13 runs, before Waqar Khan and John Jackson came together. They immediately settled the nerves and provided the base on which Skelmersdale built an innings of 262 for 9 declared. Ben Maddocks starred with the bat, scoring a superb 87, supported by Mohammed Azam (50) and James Edgar (35 not out). Enter Andrew Griffiths to open the bowling for Skelmersdale. He opened with a fiery spell which accumulated 5 wickets, and finished with astounding figures of 7 wickets for 36 runs off just 10 overs, as Wavertree succumbed to 153 all out. Skelmersdale were now in a fine vein of form, but it was tempered somewhat with the news that Vice-Captain Jonas Smith wanted to play his cricket elsewhere. Sutton (St Helens) were the next visitors to Scott Rees Park as Skelmersdale juggled with the players available. Sutton were put in to bat and struggled to master the Skelmersdale bowling, where James Edgar took 4 wickets for 26 runs off 7 overs. Suttons total of 123 off 46 overs seemed a comfortable target for Skelmersdale to chase. In essence it was far from it as Sutton made us fight all of the way. Only skipper Ben Maddocks with 40 not out, Mohammed Azam (22) and James Edgar (20) looked comfortable in the middle. At the close Skelmersdale held on to win with two wickets in a low-scoring and tense game.
Skelmersdale had reached the half-way stage just behind the leaders, but with a game in hand.
The turnaround began with a difficult visit to league-leaders Fleetwood Hesketh. The toss was won and Fleetwood put in to bat first. There was an early appeal which was ignored, against opener Neil Rimmer, a persistent thorn in Skelmersdale’s side. He went on to score 72 along with Paul Regan (62) to post a match-winning score of 241 for 4 declared off 41 overs. When Skelmersdale lost their first four wickets for just 15 runs the writing was on the wall. Skelmersdale slumped to 132 all out to end a miserable day, watched by a joyous Ainsdale side, who had won hours earlier. For the visit to Parkfield Liscard, Skelmersdale promoted Mohammed Azam up the batting order to open with Joe Till. Skelmersdale got off to a good start and the pair, along with John Jackson (35), Mark Adams (48), and an aggressive Barry Leadbetter (54 not out), closed in a seemingly winning position of 263 for 7 declared. Leadbetters partnership with James Edgar produced 97 enterprising runs. Skelmersdale always looked in charge despite 82 runs from professional Ishaq Afridi. As the total became closer Skelmersdale became more ragged and at the close the tail-enders won an improbable victory for Parkfield. It was a massive defeat in Skelmersdale’s quest for promotion. Skelmersdale needed to get back into winning ways quickly, and with the next game against bottom club Birkenhead St Mary’s a win looked likely. Birkenhead decided to bat after winning the toss, but could only manage 116 on a difficult wicket. Joe Till gave Skelmersdale cause for concern when he was dismissed in the first over, but after early nerves the scoring improved and the Birkenhead score was passed for the loss of four wickets. Southport Trinity were the next team we had to face. They would prove to be much-improved from when we convincingly beat them back in June. They were put in to bat and were eventually dismissed for a creditable 205. Waqar Khan had taken 5 wickets for 56 runs. Skelmersdale never looked as though they could overhaul the score with only Mark Adams (26) performing with the bat, as Skelmersdale closed on a miserable 101 all out. The following game was affected by a light drizzle and Skelmersdale asked St Helens to bat first. They struggled to reach 170 all out with only the two Adams (Irwin and Friar) getting 95 between them. The wicket of Joe Till fell in the first over and St Helens were asking Skelmersdale questions. However two superb innings from Waqar Khan (54) and Ben Maddocks (51 not out) saw Skelmersdale home for a much-needed win by 5 wickets. Ainsdale provided the next opposition, and when they won the toss and asked Skelmersdale to bat, we knew that matters would be difficult. Ainsdale professional Nazeem Mohammed took 6 wickets for 39 runs as Skelmersdale could only muster 104 all out. Only Kyle Till with 24 not out, troubled the Ainsdale bowlers. Skelmersdale had cause for celebration when opener Malcolm Swift was dismissed in the first over by Andrew Griffiths, but Skelmersdale’s total was always too low to defend, and Ainsdale went on to win the game by 6 wickets. The next game was the long trip to Caldy. Skelmersdale were put in to bat and never adapted to the conditions. It was an uphill struggle to post 103 all out, a score that would never be enough. Caldy knocked the runs off for the loss of just two wickets, as rain came and went, on yet another miserable day. The form of June and July had seemingly deserted Skelmersdale. The return derby fixture with Burscough was eventually abandoned after two hours of incessant rain with the players out on the pitch. The non-decision would prove to affect both teams badly. For the penultimate game of the season Skelmersdale entertained Wavertree. The toss was lost and Wavertree elected to bat first. It proved to be an unfortunate decision as they slumped to 13 for 5 with Mark Adams and Ben Maddocks doing the damage. They did recover slightly to end at 105 all out, where Mark Adams finished with 4 wickets for 12 runs off 10 overs. Skelmersdale took it steady and won the game in the 28th over for the loss of 6 wickets. Ben Maddocks again did well contributing 26 not out. Autumn came early when Skelmersdale visited Sutton (St Helens) for the final game of the season. The game started on time, but the looming clouds eventually opened and the game ended tamely, when the players were brought off with the outfield flooded. A disappointing end to the season.
Skelmersdale had played particularly well in June and July, but an accumulation of factors meant that the squad was not as strong as it should have been at the end. Skelmersdale will undoubtably need to strengthen next season if they are to challenge strongly for the promotion places.
On a lighter note, our relegation in 2010 caused us concern. Would we encounter the same quality of eating establishments as we did when playing at Division 1 grounds?? In the main, we did find good quality chippies (apart from Caldy). But we did miss the Chinese outside Aigburth, and the one on Rainhill High Street. Next season we will undoubtably miss Fylde Road chippy near Fleetwood Hesketh. If anyone knows any good ones near to Prestatyn, Old Xaverians, or Birkenhead Park (or if one opens in Caldy)…..please let us know.
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How to find us:
From Liverpool area - Get onto M58 towards M6 and Wigan At Junction 3, take first exit, and immediately at next island, take 2nd exit B5240 (Lyelake Lane) Keep on this road for 1.3 miles to a 'T' junction on a sharp bend. Turn right onto A577 (Dickets Lane, which becomes Blaguegate Lane) for 0.7 miles. Ground is on left-hand side, 200 metres after SWL Farmers Ltd.
From Southport area - Take the main A577 thru' Ormskirk (Wigan Road) for 2.3 miles Go thru' Westhead and after sharp left-hand bend enter Dickets Lane and Blaguegate Lane. Ground is on left-hand side, 200 metres after SWL Farmers Ltd.
From Wigan area - Get onto M58 at M6 Junction 26, towards Liverpool. At Junction 3, take 3rd exit, then immediately at next island take 2nd exit B5240 (Lyelake Lane) Keep on this road for 1.3 miles to a 'T' junction on a sharp bend. Turn right onto A577 (Dickets Lane, which becomes Blaguegate Lane) for 0.7 miles. Ground is on left-hand side, 200 metres after SWL Farmers Ltd.
.......................................................................................... Our main club sponsors, Scott Rees & Company are continuing to promote our Club with the introduction of a blog, which can be followed at www.scottrees.com/blog .............................................................................................
Skelmersdale Cricket Club # Scott Rees Park # Blaguegate Lane # Lathom # Skelmersdale WN8 8TY # Tel: 01695 723678
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