APRIL 2020 Darlington Building Society

NYSD NORTH YORKSHIRE AND SOUTH DURHAM NEWSLETTER ECB PREMIER LEAGUE Founded 1892

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

At the NYSD League Management Committee meeting held on the 31st October 1914 the decision was taken that no cricket would be played for the duration of the First World War. The League record books subsequently record- ed that there was ‘no competition during the Great War—1915, 1916, 1917, 1918.’ Cricket was played, albeit on a reduced basis, during the Second World War, so the emer- Inside this issue: gence of Coronavirus in 2020 is likely to cause the most significant disruption to the NYSD Coronavirus has been a game changer, but cricket calendar for more than a hundred years. DRS top dog 2 there will be other games in the future for most of us, so in the meantime we must give At this moment in time none of us can honestly support, and send an overwhelming message predict when the season will start, if indeed it Coaching down under 2 of thanks, to all those people risking their ever will – but let’s be honest, that pales into own wellbeing to protect ours, and we must insignificance against the pain, suffering and 2 ensure we do everything asked of us to mini- North East Player of the Year anxiety being endured by so many at this time mize the risk to those heroes and everyone of crisis. Seasons in the Sun 3 else.

Pre-season with Geoff Cook 4 2020 — 30TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR Quiz time 4

Let’s hear from you 4

2020 marks a very special ‘pearl’ anniversary for the NYSD as it is the 30th consecutive year DID YOU KNOW? of our partnership with Darlington Building Society. 2020 ALSO MARKS There are not too many such associations in sport that have gone on for that length of time and it is certain fact that everyone connected with our great League, be they clubs, officials, THE CENTENARY players and supporters, as well as the game of cricket in general, owe DBS a huge debt of OF THE KERRIDGE CUP gratitude. It is sad that this special season is likely to

be severely affected by the current crisis but DBS CEO Andrew Craddock comment- ed recently: ‘Despite the extraordinary circumstances, I am keen to support our local community and hopefully when we come out the other side we can get some cricket going and rekindle our partnership’. PagePage 2 2 Darlington Building Society NORTH YORKSHIRE AND SOUTH DURHAM ECB PREMIER CRICKET LEAGUE Founded 1892

GOUGHIE GETS IT RIGHT ICC Elite Panel and NYSD Hall of Famer Michael Gough (Junior) added another prestigious string to his ever growing bow recently. The 8 times PCA Umpire of the Year has the highest percentage of DRS referred upheld decisions in since 2017—his accuracy average a staggering 95.1% - some way ahead of second- placed Kumar Dharmasena with 78.7 %. There is an argument that his percent- age is so high because his decisions aren't reviewed as often as others — but that simply reinforces his standing as it suggest his original decisions are also spot on. Not bad lad!

MEANWHILE, IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

To New Zealand via Australia, Samoa and a Pacific Games Gold medal, former NYSD player Ian West has just been awarded the Club Coach of the Year Award by Auckland Cricket—a prestigious award handed out annually in Premier cricket in NZ. His award recognized the outstanding success of Parnell Cricket Club, where he is Head Coach, in winning the Hedley Howarth Two- Day championship as well as appearances in the two white ball competition finals. The NZ domestic season ended two weeks early because of corona- virus, but with Parnell already well clear after 7 wins from their 7 two -day matches the title was locked in. The club success added to success for the Auckland Aces where Ian also coaches—they won the Ford Trophy, the national 50- first- class competition. NORTH EAST CLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR—AGAIN!

An outstanding 2019 season from Richmondshire skipper Gary Pratt earned him the accolade of being adjudicated the North East Club Player of the Year for the second time in his career—he also won in 2013. A total of 1151 clubs runs, plus 51 , placed him head and shoulders above the other contenders, and he also scored almost 600 runs for Cumberland in Minor Coun- ties competitions at an average of 58. Gary nudged NEPL Player of the Year Karl Turner of Hetton Lyons (775 runs and 31 wickets) into second place. (Two former Barney pros, it must be playing at altitude!). The presentation of the award, which is sponsored by Darlington Building Society, was made by Peter Bowler, the former Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Somerset player at the Durham Youth Trust dinner at the Emirates ICG in early March. Gary is pictured with his award and Richmondshire chairman, Mark Layfield NEW LEISURE WEAR FOR THOSE LONG DAYS AT HOME New issue NYSD polo now available. Contact [email protected] Page 3 Darlington Building Society NORTH YORKSHIRE AND SOUTH DURHAM ECB PREMIER CRICKET LEAGUE Founded 1892

SEASONS IN THE SUN

Recollections from Stephen Brenkley, former Cricket Correspondent of The Independent and President of Barnard Castle Cricket Club

There are more important matters afoot, of course there are. They are being revealed every afternoon in the release of the latest number of deaths from Covid 19. And there are more, thousands and thousands more, still to come. In that context the delay to the start of the cricket season, which will possibly become a total cancellation, barely counts as a minor annoyance. Still, this is alien territory. For more than half a century the anticipation of the season and then its arrival and unfolding have been staples of my life. As doubtless they have for many of you. It is strange to do without. Though I should mention that not everyone involved with the game is necessarily crestfallen. My one per- mitted piece of exercise under government regulations (that is one thing that has definitely improved since, as I consider it an obliga- tion, I now exercise daily rather than, say, annually) inevitably takes me past the Barney cricket ground five minutes away. There, most days, is Steve Dixon, Barney’s inestimable head groundsman. In ten years Steve has turned what might have been brand- ed a cabbage patch, were that not a grave insult to growers of brassica oleracea everywhere, into a wonderful square and outfield. He takes his work seriously but there was a definite smile playing round his lips the other day. Happy in his work? Yes. Pleased with the way surface was looking and feeling? Indubitably. But there was something else. Steve, and he may not be alone among his blessed fraternity, was purring. No cricketers are going to come along any time soon and bugger up what he has so lovingly prepared by actually playing. This interruption to the natural order has allowed pause for reflection. The years have been clamouring for attention. In the early days in the Swaledale village of Reeth, where my mum and dad ran a hotel, cricket largely meant playing on the green. Some of you may recall the Fourth Test between and Australia at Old Trafford in 1964. It is generally deemed to be one of the most boring ever played. Not in our house it wasn’t. Australia made 656-8 dec and England replied with 611 all out, leaving time for one over in the third innings. Five days and 594 overs of cricket and at no point beyond lunch on the first day was anything other than a draw possible. We – my brothers and I - recreated England’s innings on the green with a cork ball, a bat bequeathed by a hotel guest and beer crates from the old man’s bar across the road for stumps. It went like this: England had lost an early , which in our game was me. Our lad, the elder brother who was 12 at the time, send- ing the beer crate cartwheeling. He then batted for almost two days, combining if I recall rightly both Ken Barrington (256) and Ted Dexter (174) while our other lad, younger brother who was 8, and I bowled 594 overs. It was never welcome to hear my mum calling us in for tea that August summer. Usually, we would have happily stayed on that lovely green all night, and and bowling and batting. But on that second evening it was a blessing. Two of us bolted across the green, leaving the undefeated batsman, who had struck in the region of 52 fours, stranded. And called it a draw. All dressed up and nowhere to go! Page 4 Darlington Building Society NORTH YORKSHIRE AND SOUTH DURHAM ECB PREMIER CRICKET LEAGUE

Pre-season with our CEO

Other than getting the players together for perhaps the first time for several months, I have never been totally convinced of the benefits of too much pre-season preparation. The nearer the match phase the better.

I suppose this approach was formed over the experience of many, varied March/Aprils and would have been totally different 50 years ago as I anticipated what would transpire to be my last season as a recreational player.

Normanby Hall was the club and after a few Tuesday evenings at the nets at Longland’s College the light nights gave a chance to test the handiwork of Wilf Atkinson, the legend of a groundsman and no mean leg-spinner as his record will confirm. Perhaps my research should have been a bit more thorough for this piece but it is sometimes comforting to mix up dates and periods so that the memories gel together very neatly. I cannot recall Normanby pushing hard to clinch the league around then. I think the two Cups were more our targets. Even so, practice was very orderly with groups of fielders waiting for a chance to impress the . Ken Thwaites, was and still is, the man ably assisted at various times by Gordon Middlemiss, two Browns, Jack Watson, Ray Horne, Pat Corbett and a wonderfully named dentist, Mike Sockett. The great Alan Glass was soon to be recruited which gave everybody a lift and players seemed to arrive and disappear just as they still do now. I don’t think we had much of a club house and certainly were more rural in the setting than today. It seemed a long trek to the Poverina, but the hearts were more than willing so the10p pint was well worth it! Since those wonderful times preparation has become much more sophisticated with specialist centres, specific coaching, local and non-local professionals. Fitness levels, overseas playing opportunities , amazing TV coverage, all bringing the game to different levels. I read recently that one of Durham’s players recalled our pre-season consisting of 3 days in Scotland for golf, fishing and climbing a mountain. England was a wash out so we were left with no other options. A couple of practice days were squeezed in before a season began with a win and finished with the ! There is no correlation , nor can there be, between time spent preparing and guaranteed success. That is why we love the game but the next couple of months are sure to be a real test of the passion.

IT’S QUIZ TIME — WIN THIS AUTOGRAPHED DURHAM BAT FOR YOUR CLUB (Autographs include Ben Stokes and Mark Wood)

Q1. Which two clubs have won the NYSD Premier Division the most times (4) in the 21st Century? Q2. There have been 4 ten-wicket hauls in the NYSD since 2014, 1 each in the Premier, Div 1, Div 2 and Div 3. Name the bowlers Q3. Which team were at one stage 2 for 8 in a Division One game in 2018, before recovering to 57 all out? Q4. Which is the only ever-present NYSD club? Q5. The last time a player scored 1000 Premier Division runs in a season was 2017. Which TWO players did it that year? Q6. Which two clubs were the first to be automatically relegated from the top flight in 1997? Q7. Which three clubs have been NYSD Masters champions? Q8. Which two teams have 4 title wins in the a) Premier 15s b) Division Two 15s Q9. The Chris Old Salver for NYSD Young Player of the Year was introduced in 1981. Which EIGHT players have won that and ALSO gone on to win the main Player of the Year award?

Answers to Graeme Smith at [email protected]— the bat will be won after all newsletter quizzes have been com- pleted. League tables will be published.

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