Secretary David J.Richards 01949 81297

Many clubs took advantage of the fine weather in April, starting their season early with arranged friendly matches, playing on hard wickets with fast outfields. What a start to the season we thought, looking forward to a long, hot, summer with plenty of cricket being played. How wrong could we be? In all my years of playing the game, I have never known a season where so many matches have been lost over consecutive weekends. Some clubs actually  had six successive wash outs. Over 900 matches were lost to the weather, a statistic that we hope will not be repeated for many a year.

Title contenders Plumtree and Long Eaton got their seasons off to winning starts, beating Eastwood and Ellerslie respectively; Radcliffe and Balderton figured in the season’s first tie. The new teams, beginning their lives in Division R – Kinoulton 11, Hoveringham 11, Wollaton 111, Notts Unity 111 and Young Lions – all boasted victories. Perhaps the most eye catching performance however was Wymeswold 11, for whom Sophia Hayes took five for 41 in their eight wicket success over Shepshed 1V.

The season progressed with clubs making large totals – Attenborough hit 266 for seven against Radcliffe-on-Trent, Long Eaton 252 for six against Ellerslie and Newstead Village 275 for seven against Edingley. The highest scoring match of all occurred in late August at Hoveringham when the home side entertained Kinoulton in a top of the table clash. The visitors batted first, scoring 372 for six, Tom Richards hitting 137; Hoveringham responded with 298 for seven, Stuart Welton making an unbeaten 152. Both clubs ended the season with promotion and Stuart Walton’s 152 was the highest individual innings in the League. A further 53 batsmen scored centuries, the youngest, aged just l5, was Jack Copley with 123 not out for Belvoir 111 against Kinoulton 11.

The damp pitches helped bowlers and no fewer than 75 recorded match figures of six wickets or more. The analysis was Ashley Stephenson’s eight for 13 for Wollaton 11 against Hucknall 11. James Bowker, aged 13, recorded impressive figures of seven for 2 for Newstead Abbey & Village 11 against Ruddington 11.

The final day of the season arrived with many promotion and relegation issues still to be decided. In Division A, Plumtree were already Champions, but at the foot, no fewer than five sides stood in danger of the drop. Bad light and a tied match meant that Attenborough, Radcliffe-on-Trent and Southwell survived, Eastwood Town and Ellerslie were relegated.

Victories for Keyworth, Gedling & Sherwood, Clifton Village 11, Belvoir, Wollaton 11, Newstead Abbey & Village 11, Carrington Caribs 11, West Bridgfordians 11, Keyworth 11, Caythorpe 1V meant promotion, while defeats for West Bridfordians, Long Whatton, Thrumpton, Newstead & Village 111 and Long Eaton 111 condemned them to relegation.
Congratulations to Oxton, Burton Joyce and Woodborough who went through the entire season unbeaten and to Wollaton 11 and Wymeswold 11 on achieving promotion in their first season of league cricket.

We thank Mapperley Sports for their continued sponsorship of our Sunday Cup Competitions. The Popkess Cup Final was played at Kinoulton between Attenborough and Carrington Caribs, the former winning the game with ease. Wollaton 11 and Eastwood Town 11 contested the Raleigh Cup Final at Radcliffe-on-Trent with Wollaton having little difficulty in retaining the trophy.

Sadly Bestwood Village club folded at the close of the season, lack of players being the principal cause. It is time that clubs talked to each other, especially the bigger ones with healthy junior sections to see if young junior players can help out clubs who are short of players,; these young players would gain valuable experience in league cricket by so doing. We are seeing too many ‘one team’ clubs folding.

The following clubs will be adding a team to the League in 2008, Flinthan 11, Eastwood Town 111 and Gedling Colliery 1V

Finally we are pleased to announce that Gunn & Moore have agreed to continue to sponsor the League for a further three years. We are most grateful for the support the firm has rendered to the League over the years.