Annual Report of the Management Committee - 2002

"For the Bassetlaw League the year 2002 didn’t have an auspicious beginning as, even before the season started, two clubs, Mansfield Colliery Welfare after 80 years, and Genefax found it necessary to withdraw, resulting in Divisions One, Five and Six being reduced at short notice to 11 teams. Langwith Cricket Club were also forced to cease playing in mid-season leaving Division Four similarly reduced. Consequently, although the promotion of three teams from each of Divisions Four to Ten went ahead as planned at the end of the season, there were in fact only five teams relegated throughout the whole of the League, and none below the bottom of Division Four. The distribution of First Elevens and Second Elevens in the final tables for last season, especially in Divisions Four and Five, indicate that teams have now on the whole found their correct level and the Management Committee have decided that at the end of the 2003 season the whole League will revert to the principle of two up and two down per Division.

Those who have studied the constitution of the Divisions for Season 2003 will note that all five new teams to have been admitted in recent months are Third Elevens. Clumber Park, Mansfield & Pleasley, Woodsetts, and Worksop have been admitted to Division Ten, whilst Welbeck Colliery put forward to the Management Committee compelling reasons for being admitted at a higher level, and will fill a vacancy in Division Six.

The Management Committee has continued to strive to be fair to all clubs and to interpret League rules in a just and equitable manner. The interpretation of the Rule governing the qualification of players, and the re-allocation of points where this was deemed to have been contravened, proved particularly contentious because of the effect it could have had on teams not involved in the match in question. The Management Committee decided that all points gained by the offending team in such matches must be forfeited and the maximum of 20 points awarded to their opponents, and applied this consistently to all the matches in which it occurred. Rule 5: Qualification of Players has been amended several times in recent years and circumstances have changed, and it might be considered that a comprehensive revision is now required. Is there, for instance, a need for a system where all players must be registered before they play ?

Player ill-discipline was also more of a problem this year than in recent seasons with 10 players being sanctioned, ranging from reprimands to a ten-week suspension for violent conduct. Whilst not wishing to further castigate players by publishing such incidents in the press the Management Committee have determined that in future disciplinary action should be summarised and circulated via the Newsletter to clubs. On the positive side, congratulations to Weston Cricket Club who, after finishing second in 2001 have won the Fair-Play Award, the James Maude Trophy and £500, and also incidentally achieved more victories than in any season since 1986. Lea Park Cricket Club were second and Harthill Cricket Club third. Probably most of you are ahead of me by now and have looked on the voting card to find your club’s position in the table. Is it time now to simply publish the results for all to see ?

There were fewer occasions during the season of teams failing to fulfil fixtures, 12 of 1188 made plus two Mallen Trophy games, and again the application of sanctions was consistent; a deduction of 10 points with 20 points being awarded to the opposing team, and a fine of £10 except in cup matches, where as there could obviously be no deduction of points, a £20 fine was imposed.

The problem of the poor entry for the Tomlins Trophy cup competition and hence also the Mallen Trophy , 20 clubs in 2002 compared with 39 in 1992, is of great concern. In consultation with colleagues from other Leagues in the local pyramid we hope to enter discussions with the Sunday leagues to see if a way around this problem is feasible and enable more clubs to participate in both.

In addition to these pyramid meetings representatives of the Management Committee play an active role in the work of the Derbyshire Cricket Board, via the North Derbyshire Cricket Focus Group, and the Nottinghamshire Cricket Board including the Premier League. Officials of quite a number of our clubs are also active in the area of Youth Cricket and the Management Committee is pleased to give moral and financial assistance when it is able. Support groups have also been established in a number of Council Districts under the Active Sport initiative and information on these can be obtained from your County Development Officer.

The League Cricket Conference, which meets four times a year, is gradually spreading south and east from its heartland and is a useful avenue by which the views of this and other leagues can reach the E.C.B. For 38 years the Bassetlaw League has entered a team in the K.O. competition organised by Conference, winning the Trophy on four occasions with several other near-misses. At the Annual Dinner earlier this year the President made a special plea to clubs to encourage all selected players to take part, but sadly it was necessary to approach 23 before a team could be put on the field at Mottram Cricket Club against the Derbyshire & Cheshire League. The game was lost but all credit to those players, and the ageless 12th man Gareth Jones, who put up a tough fight. Similar problems of availability were experienced in selecting teams for the Under 25 and Under 21 matches but again those who took part gave of their best.

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