|
|
Lintz Cricket Club |
|
Season Reviews 1992 to 1998 |
|
1992 |
|
Following a very successful season in 1992 with the 1stXI
finishing runners-up to Shotley Bridge and the 2ndXI winning Division B, we look
forward to another year with confidence and interest. Much of the interest will, no doubt, focus on the
proposed restructuring of the League in 1994, and we hope that the outcome
will be satisfactory and beneficial to all present member clubs and to those
who may wish to join. A sad loss to us all was the death of Gordon Baker Snr.,
a highly respected Umpire for many years standing and also a long standing
member of the Club. Our Congratulations go to Don Robson and Bob Jackson, recently
appointed President and Vice President of the League. Their efforts over many
years have ensured a strong and respected League. We are sure that Geoff White and Bill Graham, Chairman
and Vice Chairman, will continue to uphold the strong traditions of the
League. Cricket Clubs are built on voluntary effort and it is
with regret that the Treasurer, Mr Frank Smith, has decided to retire after
32 years. His loyal and magnificent efforts have been truly appreciated by
all at Lintz CC and his decision to continue on the Management Committee has
been well received. Well done and many thanks Frank. |
|
1993 |
|
1993 was a disappointing season for the Club following the
successes of the previous season, despite some outstanding individual
performances, and we look forward to the coming season with determination and
confidence. A big loss to the Club is the decision by David Nevin to
join the professional ranks with Leadgate, as he has given great service to
the Club and is a determined and enthusiastic player of great ability. Following the decision of the previous League Officials
and Appeals Committee not to seek re-election, after the decision of the majority
of member Clubs not to support the restructuring of the League and the
protection of the North West Durham League Clubs, we wish their successors
well and hope they will maintain the standards that have been the hallmark of
this League for many many years. Congratulations to Shotley Bridge, Sacriston and Bill
Quay on their Championship successes in 1993 and all at Lintz CC are looking
forward to meeting old and new friends during a dine and sunny summer of
1994. |
|
1994 |
|
The league and Cup successes of the 2ndXI were a great boost for the club and players. It is not stretching the imagination too far to liken the
championship success to a brilliant win by a thoroughbred of the turf in a
Classic race. Lintz 2nd XI tucked in comfortably behind the
leaders until mid-June before hitting the front and sprinting for the winning
post to outstrip the field by a huge 24 point gap. One cannot ignore the
contribution of Bob Cook as ‘jockey’, for his personal performances exactly
mirrored the pace set by the team. It was mid-June when he began scoring runs
with such powerful consistency that he averaged 64 from 27th
August; he took 50 wickets in 12 matches from mid June until 27th
August; that was the date when the championship was assured – and he promptly
got off “the horse”! it was a fitting climax to a career with both Lintz and
Durham County. Robert Cook is a player of respect and renown, a fast bowler
who has troubled the best and a man of integrity and modesty. Happily he will
continue as Club Secretary and his service to the Club and the game is
greatly appreciated by all of us. The First XI gained some excellent victories but lacked
the consistency shown by the Second XI. They are determined to being their
undoubted ability to reap greater rewards in 1995. Gordon baker was the
leading run scorer with over 700 league runs and there were some valuable
contributions from the Clennell brothers and the not out specialist McConnell
topping the batting with an average of 35. Our thanks go to Vaux Breweries
for the continued sponsorship of the League and our congratulations go to Don
Robson and Bob Jackson upon their recent appointments as Patron and
president, respectively, of the League. |
|
1995 |
|
To follow |
|
1996 |
|
Last season was a heartening one in so much as the
Juniors of Lintz were the most impressive performers. The Under 15 squad was the
most successful winning the Cameron Shield in most convincing fashion and
going on to represent the Tyneside Senior league against Darlington where,
unfortunately, the side had an uncharacteristic evening and lost. The Under 18’s were the ‘nearly team’, they were joint
winners in Group ‘A’ and lost the play-off against Burnopfield, they lost the
semi-final of the League Cup, the semi-final of the Willis Elliott Cup and in
the final of the Friarside Cup. At Under 13 level, the squad was very young
indeed and will be wiser and better for the experience of a tough season. Apart from performing well at their own level, Junior
players excelled in the senior teams and none more than Gary Christie who finished
eighth in the Division ‘A’ bowling averages in his first full season at
senior level. Anthony Ward also made a first team place his own after some
fine knocks in the seconds. The 1stXI were unfortunately void of consistent batsmen
with only Stuart Clennell featuring in the League averages. Added to that the
side missed the budding talents of the Innes brothers, owing to football
calls at each end of the season. Lee has 452 runs at an average of 34 and
Gary had 310 at 25. It was mainly the bowling of Graeme Clennell, Michael
Edmunds and Gary Christie which turned some difficult looking matches into
exceptional wins resulting in fifth place in the League table. A young squad made up the 2nd XI and a
respectable fifth place was a credit to all involved. Their time will come in
the next few years. |
|
1997 |
|
After becoming the ‘nearly men’ in 1996, Lintz Under 18’s
progressed dramatically in 1997 to win the league, League Cup, Friarside Cup and
the Willis Elliott Trophy. The youngsters deserve great credit for an
outstanding season during which they maintained a 100 per cent record. Gary
Christie continued his good form and, along with brother Michael and Anthony
Ward, represented the league at Under 25 and Under 18 level respectively. The Under 15’s finished runners up in the Cameron Shield
and represented the league in the Sun Life of Canada Cup before losing to
Durham City in the regional final. The Under 13’s were vastly improved upon
the previous season and finished fifth in the League. Altogether it was a
very encouraging performance from our grass roots cricketers. In contrast the senior teams found consistency difficult
in a season plagued by poor weather and indifferent form. The 1st
XI did produce many fine performances and, on their day, were a match for any
team in the league. Lack of consistency could not be levelled at Stuart
Clennell,. He finished eleventh in the league batting averages and scores 5
consecutive League fifties between 31st May and 12th
July, the last being an undefeated century. Graeme Clennell enjoyed
another successful season with both
bat and ball and is among the top four amateur all rounders in the league.
Anthony Ward and Gary Christie built successfully upon their Junior form with
superb contributions for the 1st XI. The 2nd XI had a very tough year and really
only found success toward the end of the season when senior players
availability improved. The youngsters of the team will be much wiser for the
experience. |
|
1998 |
|
One of the most difficult things about setting high
standards of performance over such a long period of time is maintaining them. This has been such a disappointing season for Lintz in
that our 1st XI failed in so many cases to compete with opposing
sides in both league and cup competitions. We are then faced with two options
in evaluating our season. We can either dwell on the negatives, ie our most
disappointing league position for well over a decade and a humiliating
batting collapse against Consett; or we can write the season off as an
exception to the rule and build on the positive experiences. The simple truth
for any cricket club is that survival and progression are dependant upon a
positive and forward thinking management team who can analyse all aspects of
performance and use this information to raise future achievement at all
levels. It is with this philosophy in mind that we must pay credit to
individual and team achievements that took place in the 1998 season. The
highlight of the season was the 2nd XI League Cup victory in July
against Swalwell, which was inspired by a match winning individual
performance by Neville Harrison. Second team performances were enhanced
throughout the season by some excellent individual contributions from David
Nevin with both bat and ball, The first team continue to be grateful to all
rounder Graeme Clennell who continues to be a match for the finest players in
this League in all aspects of performance and he was duly voted 1sty teams
‘Players’ Player’ for 1998. As far as the Juniors were concerned, this years Lintz
youngsters could never match the ‘four title’ winning side of 1997, but to
their credit, all our Junior sides continue to compete with the most competent
sides in the League and show progress in all aspects of the game. The
development of these young people in a great priority of the club and will
continue to be an integral part of its aims. Where we perhaps have to look at
our provision in the future is in assisting older juniors in their
progression to 1st XI cricket. Some of our players have found this
transition difficult without midweek Junior cricket and the confidence that
runs and wickets can bring at the level. When we consider the number of people who remain so loyal
to his Club in all aspects of its day to day operations we would be negligent
to be anything other than optimistic for 1999. |
|
1999 |
|
Last season was a remarkable turnabout after such a
disappointing season as that of 1998. A renewed confidence that flowed
through the first team spread to the rest of the players in the club. Major factors in the turnabout were the return to the
club of David Nevin and Lee Innes; Gordon Baker back again as Captain; and
that the players who comprised the 1st XI for the majority of
league matches were all nurtured through the Junior ranks at Lintz - a fact
of which we are all very proud. The 1stXI pushed for league honours until the
closing stages of the campaign and finished a creditable third. They were
rewarded for their efforts with an AM Brown Cup Final victory over a strong
Leadgate side. Special mention should be given to Gordon baker who, even
before the season had started, used his unique brand of enthusiasm and
optimism to rekindle the spirit of the team after the previous demoralising
season. Gordon led from the front and his 888 league runs included 2 scores
of 150 within a fortnight against Greenside. The 2ndXI was a nice blend of youth and experience. They
had a steady season under the captaincy of Chris Jones and finished fifth.
James Murray had a fine season, finishing top-third of the averages with 476
league runs, and Neville Harrison contributed 558. The 2ndXI fielded some
Under-15 players who made their places on merit as the season developed, and
Duncan Batty, a regular for a few seasons, progressed to the 1stXI. The Juniors gave a good account of themselves. The
Under-18's finished runners-up, defeated finalists in the Willis Elliott Cup
and semi-finalists in the Friarside Cup. They were ably led by Michael Christie
who is making a name for himself at league and county level as a fine
wicket-keeper. The side included many Under-15 and Under-13 boys which bodes
well for our Junior cricket for the next few years. The Under-15's, owing to
lack of consistency, finished in fourth place. The Under-13's suffered from
bad weather, having five matches called off, and finished mid-table. Among
notable performances for the Juniors were five stumpings in a match by
Michael Christie, a century by Paul Lumley, and 'hat-tricks' by Richard Moody
and Paul Forster. Everyone at Lintz is looking forward to being
part of the new structure that can only be a step in the right direction for
our local cricket. |