Where the weather is concerned this is rapidly developing into one of the worst starts to a cricket season that I can recall. Six 1st XI games (including one cup match at Lindal Moor) have been completed on the fixture list but Keswick 1st XI has only been involved in one game – the resounding win at Cleator – where the rain did not intervene and play a part, one way or another. The latest debacle came at home to Workington last Saturday and the visitors were struggling on 27/3 when the rain came down (it only rarely goes up I find) and that, as they say, was that.
Quite amazingly the same strip has now been ‘in use’ for all senior matches at Keswick’s Fitz Park ground since the rain-cancelled 1st XI fixture against Duddon on May 7th. The same wicket saw active service for the 2nd XI home win over Threlkeld on Saturday, May 14 and, most recently, for 13.3 overs of last Saturday’s home game against Workington. Hopefully the wicket will have a full match on its surface when Keswick 1stXI entertain Wigton 1st XI in the North Lancashire and Cumbria Cricket League ‘s Premier Division at Fitz Park this Bank Holiday Monday.
This week’s high winds on Monday resulted in one of the club’s sightscreens being damaged when it hit the deck. The covers on the wicket referred to above were shunted sideways by the gale force winds as they roared in from the west and the strip was laid bare. It received a soaking that, in truth, will not have done it any harm at all. The wicket was in danger of becoming over dry, having been under wraps since before May7.
Once again I am left looking for positives and I think the principal one this week is that water babe (see end piece) and Keswick CC professional Paul Hindmarch is certainly retaining confidence and form with his bowling after taking two of the wickets to fall against Workington on Fitz Park. Paul enjoyed a return of 2/10 from six overs and while there was a lot of cricket still to be played, Workington were struggling on 27/3 and Keswick must have been confident of forcing a positive result against one of the strongest teams in the league, currently in second place in the league. Every ball that that Paul bowled gave the batsmen trouble on a level surface.
The other positive, I guess, is that everyone was in the same boat last Saturday (all Saturday’s NLL Premier Division games fell victim to the weather) and Keswick are still only 19 points off the topAs I indicated last week, that is a situation that can quickly be quickly remedied – provided the weather gives teams a chance and, of course, the results are right.
The 1st XI is at Millom this Saturday and the club is currently second bottom of the league and in a relegation spot after a fairly abysmal start to the season. Richard Webster misses the match because of the wedding of his brother Michael. Ben Sharp, who was missing last Saturday because of yet another family wedding (it must be catching) returns to the team. For Monday’s game Keswick field the same team as Saturday, except Arran Davies (also at a wedding on Saturday!) replaces Dave Kearns who, fortunately, is already married.
1st XI captain Glen Weightman reckons that this weekend is critical to the 1st XI’s prospects this season. Two straight wins will catapult the team into the heart of the championship battle.
An extremely local derby
Keswick 2nd X1 is already leading the race to win the championship of Division Three of the Eden Valley Cricket League. The team is top of the table with three straight wins out of three and this Saturday is at home to the club’s 3rd X1. The game starts at 2pm and will be followed by a barbecue and the televised European Championship final between Manchester Utd and Barcelona in the clubhouse. So that’s two big games at Fitz Park this Saturday.
Encounters between two teams from the same club in the league always have potential difficulties. The leading team on this occasion – the club’s 2nd XI – must treat the 3rd XI as just another team which stands in the way of the side’s title challenge and concentrate on playing good competitive cricket. The same applies to the 3rd XI. While there is bound to be some light-hearted banter it is important that both teams give of their best and concentrate on the game and their own individual performances rather than the unusual position of being in opposition to their fellow club players.
And may the best team win what will doubtless be an enjoyable and competitive game of cricket. Looking at the sides I have no doubt that this will be a challenging game for both teams and some interesting scenarios are already starting to emerge with Albert D’Leny batting against the medium fast bowling of his son Jamie and determined, apparently, to smash him all over Fitz Park. Well, to Cow Corner any way . . . Albert was never a batsman who favoured the off side.
Eden Valley League Division Three
Threlkeld v Keswick 3rds
Arran sweater
Arran Davies has played in all three Keswick teams this season and on Saturday he played for the club’s 3rd XI (he also played for them at Wetheral two weeks ago) in a local derby at The George Hutton Oval, Threlkeld. And he certainly made a big impression before the rains came down.
Readers wondering why Keswick and Threlkeld appear to play each other a lot these days should be aware that Keswick 2nds, Keswick 3rds and Threlkeld are all in the Third Division of the Eden Valley League and will play each other two times this season. This can make life a little complicated perhaps and also explains why Keswick 2nds take on Keswick 3rds at Fitz Park this Saturday. The 2nd XI will occupy the home dressing rooms on this particular occasion, but not on August 21 when the fixture is reversed.
Last Saturday, Threlkeld were reduced to 54/9 against Tom ‘Tomdulkar’ Mattinson’s 3rd XI and were staring defeat in the face when the weather made its final intervention. It was a minor miracle that the Threlkeld innings lasted 27 overs as the threatened rain swept in periodically from the west. Only the stoicism of the players and the umpires who were determined to try their damnedest to beat the weather (John Knowles returned for a cameo performance in the white jacket) kept the combatants out in the middle for so long. Arran Davies (5/7 from 10), Manish Saxena (2/27 from 10) and Simon Grundy (2/1 from five) inflicted the damage for Keswick 3rds. Young James McGown also bowled well in a brief spell before the rain set in. Top scorer for the home side was captain Richard Bannister (24) standing in for the rock concert / Genesis-bound David Jackson. Rock on Jigger! Threlkeld were also without all-rounder James Price. However, two young batsmen, Luke Winter (11 not out) and Charlie Robson showed sound technique and courage to deny the Keswick bowlers towards the end. Threlkeld groundsman Gary Stevens, who has now retired several times this season, made yet another comeback to help his club out in their hour of need and when he wandered somewhat reluctantly to the middle with his team on 53/9 and the rain starting to fall, yet again, out of leaden skies, he was not an entirely happy bunny. Apart from the fact that he was trying to avert potential damage to his beloved square he was also convinced that play would not resume after an early tea and was already in a different post-match world and four pints to the good. He did not have long to wait to retreat to the shelter of the pavilion as the rain set in for the last time and the covers went on.At the bar afterwards a small diehard band of refreshment seekers (grounds man Gary, Alan Watson and your correspondent included) spent a pleasing hour or so supping beer and going over old score books contained in a battered brown suitcase that Graham Winter had rescued from the loft. These went back as far as the 1950s and included such local luminaries as George Hutton, Billy Robinson, Stan Hackett, Dennis Hayes, Ronnie Hadley, Tommy Stevens (father of the aforementioned grounds man) a hundred Aireys, and the brothers Hebson 1 and Hebson 2. There was also a lullaby (at least four) of Littles in the Gamblesby team that came to call one Saturday. Happy days - before Charlie Nicholson was born - when the summers were long, the sun shone out of an endless blue sky and only the annual hound trail temporarily stopped play on Threlkeld's old sloping pitch as the hounds thundered off towards Helvellyn. Rovers Return News next week of an important match at Fitz Park involving the former international cricketer, Henry Olonga, but in the meantime – and with the big football match this weekend in mind (don’t forget it’s showing in the cricket pavilion after Saturday’s Keswick 2nd XI v Keswick 3rd XI encounter) I wonder if Jimmy little and gang at Keswick AFC know which current Premier League football team played on Lower Fitz Park in May 1888?The answer is Blackburn Rovers and they played against a Cumberland representative team that included three Keswick players of the day. While they were in Keswick the Rovers went on a trip on the lake and one of their team got into some difficulty. In the Lakes Visitor and Keswick Guardian (forerunner to The Keswick Reminder) of May 26, 1888 it was reported under the heading A “ROVERS” MISADVENTURE: ‘On Wednesday afternoon the Blackburn Rovers football team went up the lake for a row, and as the water looked so inviting, Almond, the centre half-back, decided to have a bathe. Without due calculation as to the depth he jumped into water too deep for a non-swimmer and was in danger of drowning. An oar was thrown to him which hit him on the head but fortunately did not hurt him severely. In the meantime one of his colleagues, who is a good swimmer, jumped into the water and helped Almond out little the worse for his mistake.’For the record, Blackburn won the game 6-0.And finally, one last question, which modern day Keswick professional cricketer also had a close encounter with water this Monday when he somehow managed to drown his sponsored car in flash flood water on the road near his home in Rosthwaite? Answers on a postcard . . . enjoy your cricket. KTR. Teams for the weekend.
SATURDAY:
Keswick 1st XI away to Millom in the Premier Division of the North Lancashire and Cumbria Cricket League. Players to meet at County Corner at 11am prompt (transport is by mini bus). Shirt and tie. Team: Glen Weightman (cpt) Paul Hindmarch (club professional), John Bryson Jnr, Andy Clark, Stuart Dowson, Dan Gaskell, Simon Grisdale, Dave Kearns, John Philips, Andy Rigg and Ben Sharp. Scorer: Jonathan Pye.
Keswick 2nd XI at home to Keswick 3rd XI. Players to meet at 1pm prompt. No need to bring tea for two. Team: Graham Dixon (cpt), Jamie D’Leny (vice cpt) James Benson, Stephen Bragg, Steve Clark, Joe Grisdale, Simon Grundy, Paul Ireland, Keith Richardson, Manish Saxena and Sam Sharp. Scorers: Carol Sharp and Chloe Stephenson.
Keswick 3rdX1 away to Keswick 2nd XI in the Eden Valley Cricket League Third Division. Players to meet at 1pm. Team: Tom Mattinson (cpt) Lee Andrews, Sam Barrett, Albert D’Leny, Jake Doolin, Joppy Hodgson, James McGown, Steve Moss (wk) Tom Partington, Bill Richardson and Alfie West. No need to bring tea for two.
SUNDAY:
Keswick 1st XI at home to Wigton in the Premier Division of the North Lancashire League. Same team as Saturday except Arran Davies replaces Dave Kearns. Players to meet at 12.45pm.
WEDNESDAY, June 1. Skiddaw Rangers away to Threlkeld in the Village Cricket League. Meet at the County Corner at 5.45pm. Team: Keith Richardson, John Webster, James Benson (wk), Arran Davies, Joe Grisdale, Paul Ireland, James McGown, Steve Moss, Tom Partington, Ben Sharp and Sam Sharp. Scorer: Carol Sharp.
