In Conversation The Voice of League Cricket Issue 1. January 2016 HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN? use their influence to remove the with Conference who have gone on to legal obstacles to the playing of provide great service to our Summer Game - The League Cricket Conference was founded cricket and the collection of gate Doug Scholfield was a doyen of the early in 1962. Such was the importance that the money on Sundays; years of Conference with more recent years 1963 Edition of the Wisden Cricketers dominated by the presence of the late Robert Almanack devoted space and reporting, on “The Birmingham League be Cherry (1977 to 2013) and the talismanic page 783, that it was formed to meet the invited to join Conference”. Neil Edwards (1983 to 2015) who as aspirations of “an association of Northern Chairman and Secretary respectively and Midland Cricket Leagues”. League The concept of establishing an umbrella oversaw the expansion of Conference to be a Cricket had begun in these areas by the late organisation which could promote League truly national organisation with Leagues 1890s, the Birmingham League having been Cricket is still enshrined to this day in from Cornwall to the North East of England. founded in 1888, during the latter years of Conference’s Constitution, a point re- the reign of Queen Victoria. Wisden reports affirmed in the Questions and Answers Conference’s first President elected in 1970 at the first meeting held on Sunday 27th May Section at the end of this edition of ‘In was the famous West Indian Cricketer and 1962 at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground that Conversation’. long serving stalwart of Nelson Cricket Club the following Leagues were in attendance:- in the Lancashire League, Learie The Bolton Cricket League, The Bradford A second meeting took place in 14th October Constantine. (Nelson won the Lancashire League, The Central Lancashire League, The 1962, also at Old Trafford, where the League in 8 out of the 10 seasons in the Lancashire League, The Lancashire And Ribblesdale League was invited to join. This 1930s whilst Constantine, who later was Cheshire League, The Huddersfield League, meeting saw delegates from The National given a Knighthood and made a life peer, The North Staffordshire League, The Cricket Association and the Yorkshire represented that club). It was the West Indies Northern League and The Yorkshire Council. Federation attend as Observers. who provided Conference with one of its most famous successes in 1993. A Wisden stated that this inaugural meeting Conference Under 25 Side played the touring decided upon: West Indies Under 19 team in a three day game at Shenley winning by one wicket in a “The formation of a body “to be two innings contest. That West Indian Side known as League Cricket contained five players who went on to play Conference whose primary aims Test Cricket including Shivnarine should be to foster the needs of Chanderpaul and Dinanath Ramnarine. The League Cricket and to guarantee its latter took 6 wickets in the second innings future; with a mixture of leg breaks and googlies, but an unbroken 15 run last wicket stand between Barry Hamilton and Eddie Shah saw “The emphasis on the payment of highly paid professionals should be the Conference home to a dramatic victory moved to provide better coaching, Old Trafford before its 2013 rebuild chasing 216 to win in 46 Overs. Shah from better grounds and better facilities; Radcliffe of the Central Lancashire League In the early years the position of Chairman had taken 5 wickets in the tourists first “The Conference should meet in was elected for each meeting. The first ever innings, whilst Nathan Wood (son of the early March and early October meeting was chaired by Mr D M Haynes, Lancashire and England Test Batsman Barry each year {Editor’s Observation – then President of the North Staffordshire and Wood) scored heavily in both innings for Conference in 2016 is resuming District League. Between 1962 and 1977, 16 Conference. this noble tradition} ; different people chaired meetings of Conference. One individual, Mr J Burnhill (We will in future Editions look back in the “The MCC to be informed of the was to chair three meetings over an 8 year annals of the early years of Conference. If creation of Conference, of the period. It is only since 1977 that the position you have your own memories of the early interest of Leagues in the Counties of Chairman became a decision of the meetings of Conference, or of the characters Knock-Out Cup Competition and Annual General Meeting of Conference. who attended, please send them to the further that the MCC be asked to There have been many individuals associated General Secretary Rob Sproston.) “In Conversation” is a Publication of the League Cricket Conference Page 1 of 9 CROSS COUNTRY There will finally be a Champions Trophy in Boundary Park, the home of Oldham Athletic Yorkshire with the Winners of the Yorkshire FC. At the time of publication it is envisaged There is a major re-organisation taking place Premier League North, Yorkshire Premier that there will be two divisions of 12 sides, in the broad acres of Yorkshire League League South, Bradford Premier League and 13 sides coming from the Central Lancashire Cricket. April 2016 will see the formation of the North Yorkshire South Durham Premier League and 11 from the Saddleworth League. two new ECB accredited Premier Leagues League competing for the accolade of “top based on geography. dog” in “the Broad Acres”. The four ECB The Central Lancashire League made history champion clubs will play semi-finals at in 2015 when Kate Cross, the England Test Headingley and Scarborough in mid- Cricketer, became the first woman to play in September with the two winners meeting in the League when taking 8 wickets in an the inaugural final in Abu Dhabi in mid- innings for Heywood. Her cricket playing October. team-mate Sarah Taylor this winter became the first woman to play Australian Grade In the South of the County, Sheffield United Cricket. CC (formed in 1854) and Rotherham Phoenix CC (formed in 1933 as Steel Peech The Bolton Cricket League has subsumed a The Yorkshire League North will comprise and Tozer Cricket Club ) have announced a number of clubs from the Bolton & District the existing six “northern” sides from the merger. The newly merged Club to be known Cricket Association to form an expanded Yorkshire League plus the six top Clubs from as Sheffield and Phoenix United will ply its competition. 2016 will see a 21 team the York and District League. first team cricket in the ECB Yorkshire competition, all sides playing the other once Premier League South playing its home as a precursor to a two division structure The member clubs are Acomb, Castleford, games at the SHU Sports Park, whilst the commencing in 2017. The September 2015 Driffield, Dunnington, Harrogate, Hull, second team will play in Rotherham and the minutes state the top division will be called Scarborough, Sheriff Hutton Bridge, third team back across the Rivers Don and “the Premiership” and the lower Division Stamford Bridge, Woodhouse Grange, York Rother in Sheffield. The Club are hoping to “the Association” thereby keeping a link to and The Yorkshire CCC Academy. play Sunday League Cricket in the Barnsley the past. The Bolton & District Cricket League, though at the time of publication this Association had been formed in 1888, the The composition of Yorkshire League South is the subject of ratification. minutes of the first meeting suggest it took comprises the existing seven “southern” place two weeks before the formation of the clubs, from the Yorkshire League, four Across the Pennines In the Red Rose County, Birmingham League. Whereas the moving from the South Yorkshire Senior league mergers also abound. This has, in Birmingham League became the first league Cricket League and one drawn from the part, been caused by a new Greater in the Country in 1889 the Bolton & District Central Yorkshire Cricket League. Manchester Cricket League. The League Cricket Association ran the Cup which launches in April 2016 will be made Competition. The Cross Cup is said to be The member clubs are Appleby Frodingham, up of three divisions of 12 teams. one of the oldest cricket trophy’s which is Aston Hall, Barnsley, Cleethorpes, Doncaster still being played for in the cricketing world. Town, Rotherham Town, Sheffield (The Heavy Woollen District Challenge Cup Collegiate, Sheffield Phoenix United, is believed to be the oldest active competition Treeton, Wakefield Thornes, Whitley Hall having begun in 1883 in the Spen Valley of and Wickersley Old Village. Yorkshire.) History appears to be repeating itself in Bolton however, for the Bolton The two parallel competitions will be based The Premier Division comprises Bury, Cricket League was formed in 1930 on 50 Overs a side, a maximum of 16 overs Clifton, Denton St Lawrence, Denton West, following the breakaway of a dozen clubs per bowler, a minimum of six fielders Edgworth, Egerton, Flixworth, Glossop, from the Bolton & District Cricket including the bowler and wicket keeper Greenmount, Heywood, Prestwich and Association. within 30 yards of the bat at all times and the Unsworth. Games will be 50 overs aside. use of Duckworth Lewis where a game in There will be four up four down as the As a consequence of these mergers, The interrupted. League looks for a rapid fluidity. The new Lancashire County League disappears after League may well become, in cricketing 22 years existence. Meanwhile, the Bradford League (formed in terms, the equivalent of the words of the 1903) is to amalgamate with the Central Chancellor of The Exchequer a “Northern The West of England also witnesses a re- Yorkshire League (founded in 1938 ) with Powerhouse”.