The cricketers proffer their bats To the ladies in the big straw hats

 

The cricketers proffer their bats

To the ladies in the big straw hats

The chink of bottles and coins

Sounds the knell as the battle is joined

 

With battle due to commence in a few days time, it is time to look at the runners and riders and consider who may be carrying away the prizes. The prizes of course being the three promotion spots, with coming first an extra cherry on top.

First three teams to consider are Bournemouth 4s, Brockenhurst 2s and Mudeford 2s. They were all relegated from Div 5 last season. Talking to people from teams that are relegated it is nearly always a case of ‘we were unlucky / were going to win that game which was rained off / had illness hit the team at a crucial time / we did our homework but left it on the side could I bring it in tomorrow please’. So there is a good chance these teams are really annoyed to find themselves in Div 6 and are looking to bounce straight back. This is especially true of Bournemouth 4s, who find themselves in the same Division as their 5^th team. A club having two teams in the same league is not good so am expecting a big effort from them to get promoted. I am also aware that this season they are captained by an experienced and skilled captain and player so fully expect them to be at the top of the table come the end of the season. (Hello Dave – if that’s not a kiss of death I don’t know what is, you’re welcome…..).

Next up is Bransgore 2s and Cadnam 3s, who just missed out on promotion last season so can be expected to be in the hunt this year. So, 5 teams so far hoping for 3 places. So far so normal, but this year there are some extra circumstances that could make the league a lot more challenging.

Firstly there are two teams that have been moved from the North West League – I presume to balance numbers. Godshill 1s were relegated from NW Div 5 last season, so my above reasoning kicks in. Bramshaw 3s were close to promotion in NW Div 6 last year, so again will probably be looking to challenge.

Then the plot thickens with other moves. First up, Winton have 2 teams in the league, their 3s and ‘Development Team’ – the 5^th team (they have another team in Dorset). The 3^rd team were not demoted, they were playing in Dorset last year and seemingly for the very sensible reason outlined in a previous post are moving to play in Hampshire. As they are moving into the Hampshire leagues they have to start in the bottom Division, even though they are coming from a higher Division of Dorset, so it is more than possible they will be targeting a move up the divisions. I also hear whispers that Parley, although they have had a team in the division for a while, are planning to bring in stronger players from a Dorset team in an effort to get their 3rd team promotion. If this is true or not we shall see in the coming weeks. What this all means is that there may be over half the teams in the league targeting promotion. If this is the case things could be quite competitive.

But, I hear you ask. What team do you play for, and how do you think they will do? Well, I will be playing for Winton Development team. As to how they will do? This is my first season at Winton so can’t be too sure. But from what I can see we have a mix of some promising youngsters and decent older players. So I think it is fair to aim for a top half of the table finish. Don’t think we will be the weoakest team in the league and will be able to give any team a game, so winning more games than we lose I think is a realistic target.

Talking of targets, time to set some for myself.

1.       Have a game where I wear a pair of sun glasses whilst bowling. This is an important aim for 3 reasons. First, it means the weather is such that I need to wear sunglasses, which is always nice in the English summer but never a given. Second, it means that I have remembered to take the blasted things to a game rather than leaving them on the side so I am squinting into the sun when fielding. Finally, it looks cool, not quite ‘Lou Reed and Iggy Pop wearing sunglasses in a nightclub’ cool, but still pretty goddamn stylish.

2.       Not get run out by my son (yes, am playing with my son this year). Now, anyone that knows how the cricketing gods work will already know that this ambition is so unlikely to be achieved as to be nigh on impossible. But hey, let’s aim high.

3.       Score a fifty. Never done this before, but as I say, I have only been playing two years and only last year batted up the order. My top score was 42 so think this is a realistic target.

4.       Take 3 wickets in a match. I know 5 is supposed to be the magic number but in a 40 over match 3 represents a good strike rate. Again, think this is realistic as my bowling is coming along, I consistently land the ball in the right place and have developed my technique so I can actually get movement off the pitch.

Now, in the last few days I have been posting what seems like loads. In the future this will settle down to one or two posts a week. Maybe a pregame preview followed by an after game write up. The season is only a few days away - am really looking forward to it.