knot out december 2011

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Inside this issue:

Kate Dicken 2

Social Media 3

District Under 13,

14 and 15 Trials

4

STAG 5

Disability Cricket In

Staffordshire

6

One to One Coach-

ing Now Available

7

Andy Grice Leaves

Full Time Role

8

SASSOT Courses 9

Diary and Contacts 10

KNOT-OUTThe Staffordshire Cricket Newsletter

www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk

December 2011

Chaudhrey, who is a level 2 coach, continued, The league is developing at an alarming rate; the interest in parks cricket is phenomenal,in the last year we have branched out to Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton and have teams joining from these areas. I think this is

fantastic for cricket and for all the areas involved. The next step is to work closer with Staffordshire Cricket and local clubs to ensure

cricket is enjoyed and played wherever and as much as possible (much like the game pictured below)

Currently 4 divisions strong, the league runs 40-over league, cup and shield competitions along with a T20 format, and earlier this year

took a team on tour to Mallorca. The league is now planning to branch out even further through closer working with the County Board.

The Sandwell League is providing fantastic playing opportunities for agrowing number of people in its community said Jason Britton, the

countys cricket development manager. There are increasing demandson peoples time and finding a format of the game which fits is crucialand the Sandwell Cricket League is clearly providing a popular solution.We are working with the league to grow areas like works cricket where

employees can take a bat and ball and play at lunchtime in the car parkmaybe even against a neighbouring company. Weve provided someUrban Cricket kit to Omar and are hopeful of helping to provide an arti-

ficial pitch to counteract our summer weather! continued Britton.

Plans for the future include an indoor league, a womens and girls leagueand coaching provision in the local schools as well as training CricketActivators to help take informal cricket formats, such as Easy Cricket, to

the community via a wide-range of local partners and local businesses.

Chaudhrey stated Were really excited about working with Stafford-shire Cricket to further develop our league. Who knows we could havethe next Nasser Hussain or Botham even a Tendulkar, in our midst - that

would be a massive victory for grass roots cricket.

For more information, contact any member of the development team staff or visit http://www.sandwellcricket.co.uk/

In 2005 Omar Chaudhrey took on the position ofleague secretary for the Sandwell Cricket League.

The league, which has now served grassroots

cricket in the Sandwell and surrounding areas forover 28 years, consisted of 6 teams with around 60players in total playing competitive cricket in parks

and public spaces. By 2011 the league had blos-somed to 26 teams with over 350 players playing in

a number of competitive formats.

When I got involved in 2005, we only had fewteams, mainly because of the standard of thepitches we played on. We met with the local coun-cil and the parks and countryside management team

and the pitch quality has improved massively, andwith it the number of players, teams and competi-

tions. said league secretary, Chaudhrey.

The league caters for a more informal approach to

the game, outside the traditional club cricket, but has a very professional approach which has seen itsnumbers grow and plans for even more formats to satisfy demand, and whilst the majority of cricket todate has been played on parks grounds the league have established close links with local clubs to use

their facilities for its top flight games.

Sandwell Cricket League Goes From

Strength To Strength


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December 2011

StaffordshireYoung Coach of the Year 2011

Kate Dicken

Kate was nominated for the Sky Sports Young Coach of theYear award as she is making great strides with putting new

impetus into the coaching world in her locality and in the

County of Staffordshire.

Kate undertook her UKCC1 qualification in January 2010

after having coached at her club informally for about 18months, and her Tutors identified that there was more toKate and fast tracked her onto UKCC2 in March 2010,where she coped admirably with her peer group and the de-

mands of the course.

Following gaining her UKCC 2 qualification in the Summerof 2010 she has taken on the role of Head of the Youth Sec-

tion at her local Cricket Club and put new energy and enthu-

siasm back into the Club. She has also ignited interest fromother potential female coaches, some of which have alreadyfollowed Kate onto UKCC 1 and UKCC2 coaching courses.

Kate has also gone onto Tutor training and is the latest re-

cruit to the Staffordshire Coach Education team.

Kate represents Womens and Girls Cricket on the Staf-fordshire Coaches Association Management Board and has

brought new life to the County in spreading the word toother fellow female colleagues. She is also involved with theCountys Womens and Girls representative sides as a player

and as Captain.

As a qualified physiotherapist Kate has added value to theCounty by writing papers on aspects related to the game to

assist coaches, and where one of the papers focussed on the

topic of Over bowling youngsters and the effects of doing

so.

The award provided Kate with a prize of attending a day at Englands Centre of Cricket Excellence venue at Loughborough, where she

was royally entertained being shown a variety of training sessions. Kate was then put forward by the National selection panel to the

Regional nominations, which culminated with a trip to Lords and Dinner in the hallowed Long Room with the guest speaker on thenight Nasser Hussain. Although Kate did not pick up an award she was recognised on the evening by her peers, and had a fant astic

experience, which she will remember for years to come.

Well done Kate

Ghazi Zaki,

Chairman, Staffordshire Coaches Association.

Kate Entertained At Lords Dinner


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December 2011

A study on the use of websites and social media in county cricket boards has shown Staf-fordshire to be right at the forefront of this area of the marketing media.

The report, undertaken by Gary Stephens of Adminsport, ex director of community cricket

at Kent Cricket Board, is based upon desk research into each of the county cricket boardsand their utilisation of current social media networks as part of their communications strate-gies.

Staffordshire Crickets website www.staffordshirecricket.co.ukwas identified to have a veryrecognisable URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and was ranked highest in its SEO (SearchEngine Optimisation) by Google.

In addition, Staffordshire Crickets Facebook and Twitter pages were one of only 6 and 10

respectively in terms having over 100 followers. In fact, Staffordshire Crickets Twitteraccount (@staffscricket) had the second highest number of followers of all county cricketboards, closely behind Essex County Board and our Facebook page likes accounted forover one third of all people following county cricket boards in England and Wales.

Communication is a key part of our Strategic Plan, said Jason Britton (pictured right),

Cricket Development Manager for Staffordshire Cricket, and we have tried to embrace as

wide a range of media as possible.Our website has served us well over the past three or four years now but we intend to com-

pletely review it in the near future. We have also ventured into the world of Facebook andTwitter to broaden the reach of our messages and with mobile phone technology now play-ing a huge part in many peoples everyday lives; we see this as a massive part of our com-

munication strategy.

For more information and links to our Facebook and Twitter accounts please visit our web-site homepage.

Staffordshire Cricket @

The Forefront Of Social Media

Nominations For The NatWest Staffordshire Cricket

OSCAs Will Be Open From March 2012

Please Think Of Nominating A Fantastic Volunteer From

Your Club Or Group To Reward Their Commitment
http://www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk/http://www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk/http://www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk/


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December 2011

Staffordshire Young Cricketers Player PathwayDistrict Programme for U13, U14 and U15 Age Groups.

Introduction - Following the introduction of this programme last season as a further enhancement to the Staffordshire Cricket - Player

Development Pathway, this programme will commence in January 2012. This format offers a Districtprogramme at u13,u14 and u15s to

run parallel to the County Age Groups and aims to provide a better test for players because it is a level above club cricket.

The major aims of this programme are to: Identify potential talent for County Age Group teams for inclusion in 2011/12 Winter Squads,Identify late developers, Broaden the opportunity for players at this age range to experience and compete in the longer game (40 overs),

Provide an opportunity for ECBCA Qualified Coaches to coach Representative Teams.

Programme -The programme involves Talent Identification, Talent Selection, Talent development and Confirmation.

Talent IdentificationPlayers nominated by clubs for the Age group trails in Sept/Oct 2011 and did not make the County Age group win-ter squads will be offered the opportunity to be assessed as to their potential for being a member of the District Squad. Plus Club Coachescan nominate players who they believe will benefit from developing and competing in the District programmes. Typically this would be

players who are not yet proficient to challenge for a County place but by taking part in the District Programme they would be able to de-

velop to possibly challenge for a County Age group squad in the coming seasons.

Talent Selection4 hour assessment session from which a squad of up to 15 players will be selected

Talent Development and Confirmation - there will be 4 x 2 hour Development Squad sessions followed by 2 Outdoor/middle practises

during May. This will be followed by 3 matches to be played during the Whit Week holiday and a further 3 matches played during theSchool Summer holidays, Following this programme those players identified as the best performers will be given the opportunity to play

in two matches against the current u13, u14 & u15 County Age squad players. These games will be used as Performance based trial

matches for talent selection for next seasons County Age group winter squads.

Eligibility - This programme is aimed at the current seasons under 13s (school year 8) and u14s (School year 9) and u15 (Schoo l Year

10) but County Age Group Players are ineligible.

Programme Schedule

The trials will not commence until January 2012 this is an early announcement to raise awareness of the programme. The nomination

process for the trials will be started in early December and will be announced via communications from the Junior Leagues, Cricket Devel-opment Groups and the Website. Please note the closing dates for the Nominations on the information below. Those players previously

nominated for County Age group Trials will be contact during December to advise on the trial details.

U13 District Trial Sessions (Closing Date2nd Jan 2012)

U14 District Trial Sessions (Closing Date9th Jan 2012)

U15 District Trial Sessions (Closing Date16th Jan 2012)

Should you require any further information please contact Bob Askey on email [email protected].

Date District Venue Time

Sat 7th Jan 2012 North James Brindley 12.30pm to 4.30pm

Sat 7th Jan 2012 Central Stafford Grammar School 1.30pm to 5.30pm

Sat 7th Jan 2012 South Wolverhampton Grammar School 12.30pm to 4.30pm

Sat 7th Jan 2012 East Rawlett Community College 12noon to 4pm


Sat 14th Jan 2012 North James Brindley 12.30pm to 4.30pm

Sat 21st Jan 2012 Central Stafford Grammar School 1.30pm to 5.30pm

Sat14th Jan 2012 South Wolverhampton Grammar School 12.30pm to 4.30pm

Sat 14th Jan 2012 East Rawlett Community College 12noon to 4pm


Sat 21st Jan 2012 North James Brindley 12.30pm to 4.30pm

Sat 28th Jan 2012 Central Stafford Grammar School 1.30pm to 5.30pmSat 21st Jan 2012 South Wolverhampton Grammar School 9.30am to 1.30pm

Sat 21st Jan 2012 East Rawlett Community College 12noon to 4pm

District Under 13, 14 and 15 Squad Trials
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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December 2011

URGENT - ECB Pitch Adviser Application Required

A key programme being supported and promoted by the ECB and the IOG isthe PQS programme. PQS (Performance Quality Standard) is aimed at assess-ing cricket pitches and providing advice and guidance on how pitches can be

improved. The role of the ECB Pitch Adviser is an important role for the carry-ing out the assessments and reporting and supporting clubs with the resulting

advice and guidance.

This role will be one of two advisers working across the County. At this point

we are looking for expressions of interest, so if you are interested and meet therequirements detailed below, then please email Bob Askey [email protected] a reason why you would be interested in taking onthe role of ECB Pitch Adviser for Staffordshire. This is a paid role and more

detail will be made available once expressions of interest have been received. Please email Bob with your interest.

Roles of a Pitch Adviser

To advise on the quality performance of specific pitches / squares and produce recommendations (where necessary) for any improve-

ments, which may include grant aid schemes (Prioritised Detailed Assessment).

To monitor the developments of any facilities on which recommendations are being implemented.

Available, if required, to assess pitches / squares in respect of various league criteria.

Create a response team for basic assessments (perhaps annual).Help to continue the development of role and objectives of STAG.

Adviser Selection Criteria

The individual selected to the appointment of County Pitch Adviser should meet the following criteria:

A minimum of 10 years experience preferably as a full time head groundsman and it is desirable but not essential to have attained at

least Level 3 standard or industry equivalent qualification.

Be confident and with good communication skills (especially report writing).

Be available to the county for a minimum of the next 5 years, with employers agreement.

Happy to take up the appointment in the pursuance of cricket excellence.

Courses:

To become a Pitch Adviser the candidate must be nominated to the ECB by the CCB. Once nominated, the candidate must be avail-able to attend a week long residential course, the next course is planned around March 2012.

January Maintenance

Cricket Square

Continue to check for disease activity and if identified, spray with a propriety fungicide. Continue to brush as regular as possible to

allow sward to remain upright and to remove excess moisture/dew, and if any earthworm activity is noticed try not to smear the casts.

If possible aerate using solid tines to a depth of 125mm. If climatic and ground conditions allow mow sward by topping off.

Outfield

Continue to check for damage especially if used for winter sports. If climatic and ground conditions allow mow sward by topping off.

If possible aerate outfield to 125mmAs all clubs will probably soon start thinking about the ground and facility preparation (if you havent already!!) remember to use the

NatWest CricketForce weekend to generate the support and resources to get the jobs you want doing. Clubs are able to register NOWand as an added benefit on the NatWest CricketForce website there is a new Pitch Doctor, Sign up to the NatWest Cricket Club and

watch the new Pitch Doctor series visit www.natwest.com/cricket .

STAG (Staffordshire Association of Groundsmen)
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://mxm.mxmfb.com/rsps/ct/c/1471/r/3663/l/2904/t/1http://mxm.mxmfb.com/rsps/ct/c/1471/r/3663/l/2904/t/1http://mxm.mxmfb.com/rsps/ct/c/1471/r/3663/l/2904/t/1mailto:[email protected]


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December 2011

DISABILITY CRICKET IN STAFFORDSHIRE

Overview and Future Objectives

Disability Cricket, what does it actually mean? What does Staffordshire Cricket offer, and what oppor-

tunities are open to children who show a passion and desire to play cricket?

First of all we are very lucky that the Chance To Shine

(Cricket Foundation) heavily support the development ofcricket throughout schools. With this in mind we have been

able to put a development plan in place to structure disabilitycricket throughout the county and develop ourselves to be-come the best county in the country when it comes to dis-ability cricket.

Currently at the moment we have a Chance To Shine projectfocusing on offering kwik cricket to special schools in theNorth of the county. This has been in place for a number ofyears now and the schools involved are extremely pleased

with the benefits of the project. With this in mind we are

looking to replicate the same project but in the East andSouth of the county, to maximise our delivery to childrenwho are disabled. The delivery involves curriculum and

after school sessions focussing on skill development, work-ing towards a competition at the end of the summer. Previ-ously Hem Heath CC have kindly donated their facilities to

stage this competition which has been a success in previousyears. As always, we are looking to improve the competi-

tion to offer a better day to all cricketers involved, bothboys and girls. Our future target regarding disability kwik cricket tournaments are to stage area based competitions in the North, Southand East of the county - with the winners/qualifiers attending a county based final, potentially filtering in to a regional/national organ-ised competition by the ECB.

We are also looking to drive Table Cricket throughout the county, which is a new, up and coming disability sport. Delivery is currently

being offered to specific special schools from all around the county, offering sessions to keen young cricketers who are not able to par-ticipate with kwik cricket due to their severe disabilities. Nationally, table cricket is growing rapidly and we aim to support this gameby developing it throughout the county. A county based table cricket competition is an objective in 2013, with the winners progressing

forwards to the regional competitions and the national final held at Lords.Jim Dawson

Disability Cricket Co-ordinator07929 744597

[email protected]

England LD Squad After Being Crowned Tri Series Champions

Obituary - Tony Giles 1928-2011

We have received the sad news that Tony Giles passed away at home on the 8 th December. Tony was a great sportsman and he and his

family got a great times at Milford Hall CC where he played his club cricket. He was also member of Swynnerton Cricket club for 20years. Tony was a right hand bat/wicketkeeper who represented Staffordshire County Club during the 1956 and 57 seasons in the MinorCounties competitions. He also played for the Midlands Club Cricket Conference sides. Tony a great cricket lover was often seen

watching the cricket from his car at both Milford and Stone cricket clubs. Our condolences go out to his family at this sad time.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.durantcricket.co.uk/mailto:[email protected]


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December 2011

One to One coaching is a great way to receive additional coaching that is aimed around the players own targeted improvement

areas. All of our coaches aim to make the sessions enjoyable as well as offering the opportunity to develop the player in all as-

pects of cricket. It is a fantastic way to gain confidence as well as improving specific cricket skills.

Aimed at players of all ages and abilities

Led by Level 3 coaches, who currently work with our county representative squads at all ages including both boys and girls.

Video analysis is available with certain coaches

The 4 session programme consists of 4 x 1hr One to One sessions, with the cost of the programme being 120. Below are the

dates for our January 2012 programme at Clayton sports centre.

CLAYTON SPORTS CENTRE NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME

Jan 2011 Tuesdays Wednesdays

Possible Times 3.45pm or 4.45pm 4.00pm or 5.00pm

Week 1 10th

January 11th

January

Week 2 17th January 18th January

Week 3 24th January 25th January

Week 4 31st January 1st February

FURTHER COURSES IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH

STAFFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Nov/Dec 2011 Mondays

Possible Times 5.00pm or 6.00pm

Week 1 9th January

Week 2 16th January

Week 3 23rd

January

Week 4 30th January

FURTHER COURSES PLANNED FOR FEBRUARY

Girls Only Development SessionsOpen to all ages and abilities

Stafford Grammar School

5.30pm till 7.30pm

Level 2 and 3 coaches usedcoach ratio 1:6

Sessions cover all skills using nets, games and drills.

Post Xmas Course 14th January 21st January 28th January 4th February 11th February 18th February 35 all inclusive

If interested, please contact Jim Dawson to book your place on the one to one coaching courses or if yourequire additional information.

[email protected] 07929 744597

ONE TO ONE COACHING NOW AVAILABLE
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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December 2011

Andy Grice Moves On From Full Time Role

Follow snapshots of news on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Staffordshirecricket You can find results, fixtures and updates of all things Stafford-

shire Cricket here.

Also find the time to add us on Twitter @staffscricket will keep you updated on

all our recent happenings

Andy Grice will leave his role as volunteer co-ordinator and club programmes officer at the end of

this month to take up a role in the hospitality industry.

Grice, will continue to assist Staffordshire in a coaching capacity and also as a nominated officer

for the countys Clubmark programme.

The county under 16 coach joined Staffordshire as a full time employee in February 2008 andserved the county first as a marketing and funding officer before taking on his current role. Thenear four year stint has seen a number of improvements including the introduction of a website and

a more structured kit deal for SYC.

Big areas for Andys work over the four years have been in NatWest CricketForce and theNatWest OSCAs. During the last three years the county have introduced a NatWest CricketForcecounty showcase club and with experienced help from the county officer, Staffordshire has seen

Cheadle, Uttoxeter and Whittington all finish runners up at the national awards for their projects.

NatWest OSCAs has seen two national winners in the last two years as Grice devoted his time toorganising a more structured rewards programme for volunteers in conjunction with a Stafford-

shire CCC game.

Grice said of his departure from the full time development team I have thoroughly enjoyed my full time role in cricket and i t was adream to be offered full time work in a sport I love so much, Staffordshire Cricket has developed a lot in the last four years. Griceadded I have spent some great times with people and clubs in the county, I wish everyone well and look forward to seeing Sta ffordshire

Cricket thrive even further in the next few years both on and off the field. I will continue to live in the county and play any cricket my

job allows with my many friends at Kidsgrove C.C.

Youre the Umpire (Sent by a reader)Often umpiring for a short spell while our side is batting. Recently I got very confused withoverthrows. The batsman hit the ball and ran. He completed the first run, and had crossed withhis partner on the second, when the ball was hurled in to the keeper, who missed it. By the time

it went over the boundary, the batsmen had completed their third run. I thought all this should

total seven runs. Was I right?"What Do You Do ?

Answer on Back Page

Dont Forget To Nominate Fantastic Volunteers From YOUR Club

For The 2012 NatWest Staffordshire OSCAs
http://www.facebook.com/Staffordshirecrickethttp://www.facebook.com/Staffordshirecrickethttp://www.facebook.com/Staffordshirecrickethttp://www.facebook.com/Staffordshirecrickethttp://www.facebook.com/Staffordshirecricket


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December 2011

SASSOT WORKSHOPS UPDATE

Note: Dates are continually being updated

For more information on Education and Training and how to book pleaseclickhere,or if you require any further information on other dates or work-shops please call me. Single and group bookings can be taken, as well asplanning a Closed event for your club members only. First Aid Courses avail-

able please ring Kam below.

Kam WebsterTel: 01785 619695

Email: [email protected]

Workshops 2011 Date TIME Cost VENUE

Sports Makers Wednesday 18

Jan 2012

6.30pm-

9.30pmFREE

Stafford Sports College - Stafford

Reflect and Practice Safeguard 2Thursday 24

Jan 2012

6.30pm-

9.30pm

25.00

Newcastle Borough Council

How to Coach Disabled PerformersFebruary 2012

TBA

6.30pm-

9.30pmTBA

Possibly Stafford TBC

Equity In Your CoachingTuesday 6March 2012

6.30pm-9.30pm

25.00


Safeguard and Protecting ChildrenTuesday 27March 2012

6.30pm-

9.30pm

25.00


CAN WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY FROM

THE DIRECTORS AND DEVELOPMENT STAFF

TO WISH ALL OF OUR READERS A VERYMERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS

2012
http://www.sportacrossstaffordshire.co.uk/Workshops1http://www.sportacrossstaffordshire.co.uk/Workshops1mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.sportacrossstaffordshire.co.uk/Workshops1


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Jason BrittonCricket Development Manager 07827 307745 [email protected]

Jimmy DawsonDisability Cricket Co-Ordinator & Community Coach 07929 744597 [email protected]

Bob AskeyCricket Development Officer, Clubs & Performance 07939 716884 [email protected]

Chris GuestCommunity and Club Development Officer 07969 364241 [email protected]

Steve WalkerFinance & Administration Officer 01902 897659 [email protected]

Alan HillHead Coach, Emerging Player Programme 07816 966939 [email protected]

Staffordshire Cricket

c/o Himley CC

Stourbridge Road

Himley

Staffordshire DY3 4LB

01902 897659


JanuaryDiary Dates

Page 10

5th January Black Country NGB Forum At Deckhouse 10.30am

6th January Staffordshire Cricket Development Team Meeting at Himley C.C. 10.00am

10th January Staffordshire Cricket Directors Meeting at Himley C.C. 10.30am

10th January Newcastle Cricket Development Group at Bignall End C.C 7.15pm

10th January SYC Executive Meeting at AREVA Sports and Social Club, Stafford 7.15pm

18th January Stoke Cricket Development Group at Longton C.C 7.15pm

20th January School Games Local Organising Committee Meeting at Keele University 10.00am

25th January Black Country CSP Board Meeting, at Deckhouse 2.00pm

25th January Staffs Moorlands Cricket Development Group Meeting (Chance To Shine) at Moorlands House 7.15pm

26th January Stafford Cricket Development Group at Barlaston C.C 7.30pm

Please Go to www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk and choose the calendar tab for more events.

Youre The Umpire Answer :No. The correct answer here issix runs. In this situation, the overthrows are calculated from the moment the fielder throws the

ball, not the moment it crosses the boundary. At the instant of the throw, having crossed on their second run, they score two. Add four for

the overthrow to the boundary: Total six.

If you have any dates of interest in the upcoming monthse.g. fund

raising events, beer festivals, club anniversaries, charity games etc.please contact any member of the team and well try to include them in

the newsletter. For details of any of the events listed checkout the cal-

endar section of the website or contact any member of the team.

Page 10

Team Contacts

Staffordshire Cricket is striving to provide all of the countys cricket playing public with as much relevant and up -to-date cricket related

information as possible. We rely on you to help to provide that information. If you think your particular area of interest in the game or

even your area of the county is under-represented, then why not submit an article? Well be more than happy to try and include i t.



December 2011

knot out december 2011

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