Primed for a new season

NICK CAMPBEL at Heyside has an altogether different pro at his disposal in all-rounder Gerrie Snyman.

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CRICKET:

THE waiting is nearly over. At 1.45pm on Sunday, the 2012 Versasteel Saddleworth and District Cricket League season gets under way.


Here is KEVIN RICHARDSON’S team-by-team guide.


Droylsden
Captain: Mike Schofield. Professional: None:

Overseas amateur: Usman Bashir (Pakistan).

THE loss of stylish young batsman Aqib Uppal — he is trying his luck for Bankfoot in the Bradford League — and medium-quick bowler Wasim Qasim is a blow to Droylsden.

On the flip side, all-rounder Paul Smith, Paul Phillips and Dave Lees are back at Oakfield.

They can also call upon an overseas amateur in Pakistani Usman Bashir, who is expected to bat at number three.

Lees is fit again — he missed last season after undergoing knee surgery — while Phillips returns to the club he first served as a junior.

But Phillips won’t be swapping his goalkeeper gloves for wicketkeeping gloves.

The 33-year-old, who is a regular between the sticks for Blue Square Conference North side Droylsden, will play as a batsman, with Matt Halliday continuing behind the stumps.



Friarmere
Captain: Andy Walker/Zohib Shah.

Professional: Asim Naseer (Pakistan).

Overseas amateur: TBC.

AFTER being threatened with extinction at the turn of the year due to a shortage of players, it’s now all systems go at Friarmere.

They have signed a pro, Asim Naseer from Pakistan, and can boast several fresh faces.

Leg-spinner Naseer played three years at Crewe in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League — he took 40 wickets in 12 games last season — and was recommended by Royton paid man Mohammed Zaman Khan.

Also new to West View are ex-Bradford League player Abdul Chand (right-arm bowler and middle-order batsman), former Droylsden opener Akbar Bari and Zohib Shah, who bowled medium pace for Meltham in the Huddersfield League in 2011.

Meanwhile, still pinning their colours to the Friarmere mast are long-time club servant and wicketkeeper Andy Walker, batsmen Asif Qayyum, Darren Graham and Ishtiaq Hussain, all-rounder Atiq Ur Rehman and teenage quickie Zafran Munir and left-medium pacer Abbass Ali, who claimed nine for 18 in a second XI fixture last year.



Glodwick
Captain: Nigel Stock.

Professional: Rehan Rafiq (Pakistan).

Overseas amateur: Anees Ur Rehman (Pakistan).

IT’S very much a case of as you were at Warren Lane, with Rehan Rafiq and Anees Ur Rehman in the roles of professional and overseas amateur respectively for another campaign.

Rafiq, former paid man at Stayley, is a consistent performer with bat and ball and a steadying influence at the top of the order.

Skipper Nigel Stock is relieved to hang on to the bunch of players which helped Glodwick finish a respectable seventh last season.

All-rounders Imran Asghar — he claimed 64 wickets last term — and Shahid Mahmood, left-arm spinner Imran Khan and wicketkeeper Adam Brown, who picked up the Neil Parrish Trophy for the most dismissals in 2011, will be key figures in their bid for a place in the top five.



Greenfield
Captain: Alex Peters. Professional: None.

Overseas amateur: None.

TALENTED wicketkeeper-batsman Chris Gill is back at Greenfield after spending a season at Broad Oak in the Huddersfield League.

A product of the club’s junior set-up, his runs with the bat and skills behind the stumps will be a great asset.

The arrival of Gill also means Peters will be able concentrate on his bowling — he is a useful spinner — instead of filling in as the gloveman.

This season also sees the return of Ryan Fitton.

Greenfield also have a couple of new faces, Ian Batterbee and Mike Jones.

Batterbee, previously of Prestbury, scored an unbeaten 90 in a warm-up win over Austerlands, while Mike Jones has arrived from Stayley. He has played for the league’s colts side.



Hollinwood
Captain: John Winterbottom.

Professional: Atiq Ahmed (Pakistan).

Overseas amateur: None.

John Winterbottom, who steered Hollinwood to the league title in 2006, is in charge again at Lime Lane.

He takes over from Mudussar Butt, who has left the club.

The move to appoint Winterbottom has coincided with the return of Rashid Khan, one of the leading exponents of leg spin in the competition.

Also back in the Hollinwood fold is seamer Mohammed Shazad who, like Khan, has represented the league. He has the ability to top 50 wickets, if he plays a full season.

Amir Afzal and Shakeel Saddique will also be thrown the ball. The latter is capable of making key contributions with the bat as well.

Wicketkeeper Atiq Ahmed is the pro. Regular league watchers will remember Ahmed as Glodwick’s paid player in 2007.

Another new face is Asmal Da. Formerly of from Denton, he is a left-arm medium quick bowler.

Shahid Naseer and Shazad Butt offer plenty of runs at the top of the order — the former scored 782 runs in the league 2011 — with Steve Bowers and Winterbottom offering solid support.



Micklehurst
Captain: Nicky Lawrence.

Professional: None.

Overseas amateur: None.

AFTER six years playing over’tops, Micklehurst return to the league with two or three familiar faces and a fair sprinkling of youth.

Nicky Lawrence, the former Saddleworth all-rounder, is captain and is joined by brother, Craig, who has switched from Well-i-Hole.

With a limited budget, the Castle Lane club have decided against employing a pro or signing an overseas amateur.

Andy Whitehead, many of you who will remember as a wicketkeeper, remains at Micklehurst, but in a different role — a medium pace bowler.

Forced to turn his arm over because of constant injuries to his hands, the painter and decorator has earned himself a reputation of breaking up partnerships.

The gloves have gone to Tim Wood, who has overcome shoulder problems to become a permanent fixture in the side.

Like the 'keeper, a number of the players have come through the Micklehurst junior system, and they include opening batsmen Danny Clough and Micheal Blomeley - the former also bowls spin - and Lewis Kippax, another batter who has progressed through the ranks.

Stuart Chamley, who had a spell at Greenfield, will form part of the bowling attack.



Moorside
Captain: Lloyd Kingston.

Professional: Stephan Grobler (South Africa),

Overseas amateur: Francois Mostert (South Africa).

WITH a pro and overseas amateur on board, the mood at Turf Pit Lane is positive.

A dismissal 2011 saw the 2001 champions finish bottom with just three wins in the league, all coming in the first three weeks of the campaign.

The loss of paid man Quasier Rashid early on was a mitigating factor, but with Stephan Grobler and Francois Mostert signed up, Moorside hope to push towards the top five.

Both players hail from Pretoria. Grobler is a right-handed batsman and leg spinner. He has most recently played for South Western Districts, after spells at Boland and Gauteng.

The well-travelled 29-year-old has previous experience of conditions in England as well as New Zealand.

For Mostert, it is the first time in this country, and the left-arm quick bowler is expected to make his mark after impressing back home.

Skipper Lloyd Kingston will have a few choice words with his dad, Hubert, if the overseas amateur does not live up to expectations as it was his 'Pater' who recommended the overseas amateur.

The first team will continue to feature Richard Baines, Danny Anchor, Chris Entwistle, Craig Monks and Miles and Aaron Barnes, but an Achilles injury has left Francis Sutherland a doubt for the season.

Kingston said: "The club have backed us and we owe it to them to do well."



Heyside
Captain: Nick Campbell.

Professional: Gerrie Snyman (Namibia).

Overseas amateur: TBC

GERRIE Snyman has a large pair of boots to fill.

The Namibian — drop me a line if you can name anyone else who has graced the league from that part of the world — is following in the footsteps of prolific wicketkeeper-batsman Roelof Hugo.

Snyman has swapped the warm climbs of Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in March, for Oldham in April.

As for the opposition in the United Arab Emirates, he came face to face with Ireland, Italy, Oman, Kenya, Uganda, America, Scotland and Afghanistan!

First up for 30-year-old... Bamford Fieldhouse at home.

It would rash to underestimate Snyman. Averaging more than 38 with the bat in first-class matches — he has a highest score of 230 — he has also chipped in with 70 wickets at 38.08.

Steve Firth, who missed the best part of last season with a broken finger, is back and sure to slot in at the top of the order.

Of the Heyside departures, spinner Danny Cashin is trying his luck again at Crompton, while Dukinfield (Lancashire County League) is the next port of call for all-rounder Liam Garnett.

With Hugo back home, James Cummins will get his chance behind the stumps.



Saddleworth
Captain: Steve Howard.

Professional: Peter Skuse (Australia).

Overseas amateur: Josh Butler (Australia).

SADDLEWORTH mean business after the capture of Josh Butler — the Australian bagged 67 wickets as Friarmere’s professional in 2012 — and former Moorside paid man Quaiser Rashid.

Butler, who has qualified as an overseas amateur this time, joins another former West View player in all-rounder Danny Meehan at Well-i-Hole.

Rashid had a brief spell at Moorside at the beginning of last season, after bagging league and Tanner Cup honours at Turf Pit Lane in 2001 and 2000 respectively.

More recently, he scored an unbeaten ton for Skelmanthorpe as they overcame Delph in the Huddersfield League‚s Sykes Cup final two years ago.

With the slow medium of Steve Holmes, coupled with the medium pace of Ryan McGrath, Rashid and Meehan, as well as a trio of spinners in Peter Skuse, Butler and captain Steve Howard, Saddleworth possess plenty of bowling options.



Austerlands
Captain: Adam Young.

Professional: Humayun Farhat (Pakistan). Overseas amateur: TBC.

Austerlands are hoping pro Humayun Farhat will carry on his good work from the domestic competition in Pakistan - he smashed a couple of centuries for Habib Bank Ltd - into his second league campaign at the club.

The 31-year-old is an explosive performer, and at his best can take games away from the opposition in an instant.

He was on course for 1,000 runs last season, only to miss the last handful of fixtures with a hamstring injury.

Farhat keeps wicket back home, but that job will go to Mark Peters, captain Adam Young's right-hand man. The paid man will instead turn his arm over.

New boy from Delph, medium pace bowler Steve Broadbent, replaces Uppermill-bound Dave Oldfield.

Of the younger brigade, much is expected of medium pace Andrew Cadd and batsmen Jack Stanton and Adam Sunderland, while the return of Mike Schofield from Ashton will shore up the top of the order.



Bamford Fieldhouse
Captain: Paddy McKeown. Professional: Grant Hodnett. Overseas amateur: None.

BAMFORD Fieldhouse will have three former Test players in their line-up for 2012.

Joining Marlon Black (West Indies) and Warren Hegg (England) at Hollin Lane is Chris Schofield, who was released by Surrey at the end of last season.

The Littleborough lad won two England caps against Zimbabwe in 2000.

Best known as a leg spinner, Schofield spent six years at Lancashire prior to his switch to Surrey, he is also a useful middle-order batsman.

The 33-year-old has played in the league before, having acted as deputy pro for Saddleworth in a Tanner Cup semi-final.

With the acquisition of opening bat Michael Stevens, who captained Lancaster in the Northern League last term, batsman and off-spinner Ammer Mirza from Undercliffe in the Bradford League, and ex-Stayley and Moorside pro JP Lee, chairman Andy Barton reckons this is the strongest squad in Bamford history.



Shaw
Captain: Andy Young.

Professional: Lundi Mbane (South Africa).

Overseas amateur: Oral Rankine (West Indies).

WHILE spin dominated the bowling attack in 2011, pace is the name of the game at Holebottom Clough this time round.

New professional Lundi Mbane, who plays for Border and Warriors at home in South Africa, is a medium-quick bowler with a more than 100 first-class wickets at an average of 32.16.

The 29-year-old has experience of English conditions after a spell at Bromyard, where he was vice-captain, in the Worcestershire County League in 2010.

Overseas amateur Oral Rankine, standing 6ft 4in and hailing from Jamaica, is no slow-coach and will take the new ball alongside Mbane.

A leaner Andy Young — he says he has lost three stones in weight — will rely on Callum Jones for spin, but all-rounder Rick Harrington will be restricted to batting duties early doors because of a foot injury.

As for wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Lavin, he is out of action until mid-June after breaking his arm in a car accident.



Stayley
Captain: Steve Bird.

Professional: Kamran Hussain (Pakistan).

Overseas amateur: Usman Malvi (India).

KAMRAN Hussain’s return to Stayley as professional — he topped the league bowling statistics in 2006 and 2007 — has lifted spirits.

Down in the dumps after finishing second-bottom in 2011, the Millbrook outfit are targeting a place in the top five.

Hussain bowls medium pace or spin — he also averaged almost 50 with the bat in his two previous seasons in the league. Alongside overseas amateur Usman Malvi, they form excellent twosome with bat and ball.

Malvi was the club’s pro in 2010. In that campaign he took 65 wickets — he did bowl a lot of overs — and scored more than 1,000 runs.

Craig Smith, formerly of Ashton in the CLL, will open the batting with Paul Barrow and keep wicket.

Like Hussain, Ronnie Cameron has also returned to the Stayley camp.



Uppermill
Captain: Alex Griffiths.

Professional: Darren Shadford (England).

Overseas amateur: Jason Langshaw (Australia).

“I’M sure we’re more than capable of finding 120-odd wickets,” said Alex Griffiths, captain of reigning champions Uppermill.

The wicketkeeper-batsman was referring to the loss of Pakistani professional Imran Aslam, whose 125 victims in the league came at an average of just 9.1.

There is no doubt that the batting line up at Leefields is stronger, after the signing of Darren Shadford, from Friarmere, Paul Thompson, who spent many years at Oldham in the Central Lancashire League, and Australian overseas amateur Jason Langshaw.

Shadford, named as pro, was the leading amateur batsman in the league in 2011 — he averaged 39.1 — and also chipped in with 51 wickets.

Another new face, seamer Dave Oldfield, bagged 55 wickets for Austerlands last season. He will also provide useful runs in the mid to lower end of the order.

Langshaw plays for the Bundalaguah Cricket Club in Victoria. An opening bat and occasional spinner, he played alongside Uppermill’s James Baron over the winter.