By Charles Randall
8 June 2015
Sandiacre Town, the Royal London Club Championship winners in 2014, have already been knocked out of the competition, thanks to a superb century by the Loughborough Town batsman Alex Baum, but doubts linger that this eminent competition is not strictly fair.
Loughborough, visitors from the Leicestershire and Rutland League, beat their Derbyshire League opponents by five wickets and more than two overs to spare after Baum had rescued a bad start with 101 from 88 balls, hitting seven sixes.
An exciting match exemplified the spirit of a competition running since 1969, but the lack of structure in club cricket causes damage each year. For example, minor counties cricket too often clashes dates with the 45-over national club knockout, leaving some strong clubs weakened on the wrong Sunday.
Harpenden, the Hertfordshire League leaders, lost three high-class players to a Hertfordshire T20 match and were humiliated by Ealing, with Ollie Wilkin smashing 120 off 55 balls in a nine-wicket win. The target of 182 was passed at a rate of more than 10 runs an over, and one-sided matches like this are bad for cricket.
A glance at past trends shows that only 12 clubs from non first class counties have reached the national final in 46 years. Only five of these clubs have won – South Northumberland, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Bramhall. No club from a southern, western, Welsh or East Anglian minor county has ever won, apart from Saffron Walden in 2002. Only Bishops Stortford (twice), Cambridge Granta and Reading have even reached a final.
The national knockout is no longer dominated by London and Birmingham, though Ealing seem to be good bets to reach their fifth final this year and perhaps to enjoy their first success. After demolishing Harpenden the Middlesex County League leaders return to Hertfordshire and play the 2014 champions Radlett on 21 June. No doubt there are other factors beyond minor county dates why some elite clubs are better than others – for example, players with professional ambition tend to migrate to clubs in a major county or metropolis – but certain areas of England, especially across the south, habitually fail to impress on the national stage, even if clubs bother to enter.
Finchley, London rivals to Ealing, made a strong statement when Niraj Jadev hit 200 not out from 125 balls to guarantee a comfortable victory over Chingford, winners of the Essex League for the first time in 2014. The height of inconsistency must go to Ynysygerwn, from the South Wales Premier League. Having scored 373-2 in the first round, they were bowled out for 42 at Bristol in the next round, with Rhys Williams and Ben Rudge taking five cheap wickets each.
Sandiacre Town, the Royal London Club Championship winners in 2014, have already been knocked out of the competition, thanks to a superb century by the Loughborough Town batsman Alex Baum, but doubts linger that this eminent competition is not strictly fair.
Loughborough, visitors from the Leicestershire and Rutland League, beat their Derbyshire League opponents by five wickets and more than two overs to spare after Baum had rescued a bad start with 101 from 88 balls, hitting seven sixes.
An exciting match exemplified the spirit of a competition running since 1969, but the lack of structure in club cricket causes damage each year. For example, minor counties cricket too often clashes dates with the 45-over national club knockout, leaving some strong clubs weakened on the wrong Sunday.
Harpenden, the Hertfordshire League leaders, lost three high-class players to a Hertfordshire T20 match and were humiliated by Ealing, with Ollie Wilkin smashing 120 off 55 balls in a nine-wicket win. The target of 182 was passed at a rate of more than 10 runs an over, and one-sided matches like this are bad for cricket.
A glance at past trends shows that only 12 clubs from non first class counties have reached the national final in 46 years. Only five of these clubs have won – South Northumberland, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Bramhall. No club from a southern, western, Welsh or East Anglian minor county has ever won, apart from Saffron Walden in 2002. Only Bishops Stortford (twice), Cambridge Granta and Reading have even reached a final.
The national knockout is no longer dominated by London and Birmingham, though Ealing seem to be good bets to reach their fifth final this year and perhaps to enjoy their first success. After demolishing Harpenden the Middlesex County League leaders return to Hertfordshire and play the 2014 champions Radlett on 21 June. No doubt there are other factors beyond minor county dates why some elite clubs are better than others – for example, players with professional ambition tend to migrate to clubs in a major county or metropolis – but certain areas of England, especially across the south, habitually fail to impress on the national stage, even if clubs bother to enter.
Finchley, London rivals to Ealing, made a strong statement when Niraj Jadev hit 200 not out from 125 balls to guarantee a comfortable victory over Chingford, winners of the Essex League for the first time in 2014. The height of inconsistency must go to Ynysygerwn, from the South Wales Premier League. Having scored 373-2 in the first round, they were bowled out for 42 at Bristol in the next round, with Rhys Williams and Ben Rudge taking five cheap wickets each.