England gave Seniors cricket in the UK a significant boost by winning the Over-50s World Cup in Cape Town this week, beating the host country South Africa by 65-runs in a rain trimmed Newlands final, Essex run gun Giles Ecclestone hitting 120.
England made 267-6 off 40 overs and restricted the Proteas to 202-8.
Cricket at seniors level constantly evolves and it is continually necessary to recruit cricketers aged 49 and over.   Hampshire Seniors are looking for more cricketers to join their County Championship teams, who play weekly at 50s, 60s and 70s level. Full details on www.hampshireseniors.play-cricket.com
Hampshire 60s start the ball rolling with April fixtures against Kent at May's Bounty, Basingstoke (18th) and Sussex at Horsham on 25th.  The 50s begin against Surrey at Chertsey on 3 May 2023.

Bashley Rydal’s Brad Currie cannot wait for the new season to start after spending a busy winter finding out about the demands of being a full-time cricketer. 
The 24-year-old Poole-based left-arm seamer made a successful transition to first-class cricket last July when he took six for 93 on his debut for Sussex in the LV= County Championship match against Middlesex at Lord’s. 
Currie went on to play three more Championship and eight Royal London Cup matches which led to his initial short-term contract being extended to a one-year full-time deal.  
After a busy winter of training both indoors and outdoors – Sussex have erected a giant marquee over part of the square at Hove – Currie is now ready for the new season which, weather permitting, will begin with a home three-day friendly against Surrey on Monday. 
“We were actually supposed to start this week with a two-day match against Hampshire which was called off which is not surprising given the amount of rain we have had down here,” Currie said. 
“Hopefully we get a dry weekend and we can get some outdoor practice before we face Durham in the Championship the following week. 
“Last year at this stage I was still at university and I would have been fretting about finishing my dissertation, gearing up for the new season with Bournemouth University, Dorset and my club, Bashley (Rydal) so it’s been completely different this year.  
“I played for Scotland in the European T10s in Spain in October and I probably had two weeks off before we were back in for indoor training with Sussex in November. 
“So there was a lot of travel up and down the M27 between November and January – I can pretty much tell you where every pebble lies on that stretch of motorway - and then it has ramped up a bit more over the past two months. It is such a change from playing cricket as what is basically your hobby to cricket as your job. 
                                                                                   Mental pressure
“From the outside people can have a perception that it’s quite easy. There are certain challenges it brings. It’s physically demanding, there’s a lot of mental pressure there, we have a new head coach in for us in Paul Farbrace and you want to impress him, you are in your first full year as a pro so you want to put your name out there and stake a claim. 
“There’s a first team shirt to grab. Ideally, if last season could have kept going it would have been brilliant for me. But it’s a new season, people are back fit, people want to throw their name in the hat as well so there are pressures that come from team selection. 
“It’s been pretty full on. My body has had a bit of a wake-up call getting into the daily routine of a professional athlete. You make sure what you are putting into your body is the right stuff. I have certainly tried to watch my sleeping patterns and I am definitely going to bed a lot earlier now. I come home and I’m absolutely knackered. 
“But I have really enjoyed the lifestyle that being a professional cricketer brings. It’s been an interesting winter but one that I wouldn’t change. 
“We have had a lot of pre-season chats on all types of things like ethnic diversity and inclusion, Muslim culture, anti-corruption and anti-doping. We have spoken a lot about our culture, winning mentality, respect and things like that. All those little things keep you grounded and help you want to work hard every day.” 
                                                                                             Franchise
Currie hopes that all the hard work and preparation will be rewarded with a season in which he would like to build on the excellent start he made to his Sussex career last summer and also make his T20 debut for the county in the Vitality Blast. 
“One thing I really want to check off this year, and I don’t know how realistic it is because we have such a good team, is that I’d like to make my debut in the Blast,” he said. 
“If I could do that I would have played in all three formats. Four or five years down the line getting a franchise gig would be awesome and that could start with a couple of good Blast games where you bowl a good death over that seals the game. 
“I appreciate that with Tymal Mills, George Garton, Ravi Bopara and Shadab Khan you do wonder where’s the space for a third left-armer – a young lad from Poole ? 
“It would also be amazing to see the club get promoted in the Championship. There is a red ball focus at the moment and we have spoken about that as being a real drive for the team. If I can contribute to that by taking wickets then, happy days. 
“In the Royal London I still have a bitter taste from losing last season’s semi-final against Lancashire. Talking to some of the other lads, we have progressed really well in the last couple of years in that tournament. 
“We have improved on what we have done the previous year. We have great strength in depth at the club, a lot of promising talent and we are very up for having another good run in the competition.” 
Although Currie’s focus is on establishing himself as a first-class cricketer he has not forgotten the part that Dorset played in helping him get there and he will be available to play National Counties cricket for his native county when his Sussex commitments permit. 
“I’m still available for Dorset. They have been very supportive of me which is great. They have said if you are available it would be great to have you, if you are busy, then we understand,” Currie said. 
“Dorset have done so well in T20 cricket recently but fallen at the last hurdle so it would be great if they could get through the group stage again. If there’s an opportunity to play for Dorset than I will definitely be taking it.”    ​Paul Bolton.

​Record run scorer Tom Morton has dismissed speculation linking him to a move away from South Wilts – but, as things stand, he doesn’t plan to play ECB Southern Premier Division cricket this summer.
The 37-years old plundered a new record 1,217 league runs for the Bemerton club last season, hitting five centuries along the way.
Though cricket remains his livelihood as Wiltshire’s Head of Pathway and head coach to Solent University’s promoted team in the British Universities Championship, Morton plans for a change at weekends.
“I’ve been playing top recreational cricket for 20 seasons. It’s been massively enjoyable and rewarding, but it’s very time consuming and in the past couple of years my family situation has changed,” he explained.
“I’ve got two very young, lively kids now, so I plan to spend some family time with them, with a few holidays and surfing trips to the beach.”
But Morton has no plans to hang up his bat or store his gear in the loft – and that’s not good news for Southern Premier Division 3 clubs, because what Saturday afternoon cricket he will play will be for South Wilts second team !
“I contemplated a move to a more local club, but when it came down to it, I couldn’t bring myself to leave South Wilts CC yet. It is a fantastic club who have been brilliant to me since I moved to the area, so I am happy playing in the twos or threes, wherever they want me. 
“A big motivating factor for me was getting my game back to where it was before I got treated for thyroid cancer in 2020, so having achieved that, I now want to pursue some other hobbies I have.” he added.
                                                                                        Marvellous time
​A fitness fanatic, Morton also plans to spend several Saturdays participating in triathlon events, which involve swimming, biking and running.
Alongside South Wilts team-mates Raff Hussey and Jack Mynott, Morton participated in a triathlon in Bournemouth last June and, after a gruelling morning, promptly drove to Bemerton and hit a match winning century against Bashley (Rydal).  
He closed: “I’ve had a marvellous time playing Premier League cricket at South Wilts, celebrating five titles, and winning the Middlesex League with Ealing back in 2017, but time moves on, and stepping back it creates opportunities for others at the club.
“I think the Southern League has been a great environment to play in, and I move away from the top league having formed some great relationships with opponents, which I am very thankful for. The league has, generally speaking, maintained good values and I hope it continues in that way. 
“My advice to any young player in the league is to really invest in league cricket, buy into trying to make your club a successful one and it’s amazing how much individual satisfaction and success you will experience along the way.”
“Ben Draper has a lot of good players to pick from and I gather there are some signings in the offing, so the club remains in a strong position.” 

Stephen Chalke and Fred Rumsey will be the Dorset Cricket Society's guest speakers at Hurn Bridge/Christchurch FC on Thursday afternoon (1.45pm) as they discuss Fred’s book “Sense of Humour, Sense of Justice”. 
A left-arm fast bowler, Fred played county cricket for Worcestershire, Somerset and Derbyshire, and also for England including an Ashes Test. Following his retirement he was employed by Somerset for PR and fundraising purposes. He also was the founder of the Professional Cricketers’ Association. This should be a cracking afternoon. Why not come along ?
Where: Hurn Bridge Sports Club/Christchurch FC
When: Thursday 23 March at 1.45pm

The draw for the first round of the Southern Premier League T20 knockout has produced several stand-ot pairings, with Burridge set to host near neighbours Sarisbury Athletic, cup holders Havant against Bashley (Rydal) and Portsmouth drawn at home to the Hampshire Academy.
Bournemouth, Gosport Borough and Liphook & Ripsley have opted out, leaving six first round ties - including the Burridge-Sarisbury Athletic derby - to be played on May 21 and the remaining ten a fortnight later on June 11.
SPL newcomers Parley will host Hambledon, who face close on a 100-mile round trip, with Premier Division champions St Cross Symondians visiting Totton & Eling's Southern Gardens.
The way the first round draw has panned out means that at least two ECB Premier Division sides will play in the Plate competition.
Cup draw -  
Sunday 21 May
Burridge v Sarisbury Athletic
Calmore Sports v Portsmouth & Southsea
Havant v Bashley (Rydal)
Old Tauntonians & Romsey v Fair Oak
Paultons v Waterlooville
Trojans v Ventnor
Sunday 11 June 2023
Alton v Fawley
Hartley Wintney v Fareham & Crofton
​Lymington v Langley Manor
New Milton v South Wilts
Parley v Hambledon
Portsmouth v Hampshire Academy
Rowledge v Andover
Sparsholt v Hook & Newnham Basics
Sway v Basingstoke & North Hants
Totton & Eling v St Cross Symondians

Having passed 100 wickets on Australian soil a few weeks ago, former South Wilts pace bowler Luke Evans is closing in on a century of dismissals for St Patrick's, whom he has helped reach the CAW (Cricket Albury/Wodonga) Grand final. 
Taking two cheap wickets in his first three overs, the Cadnam-raised Evans ensured semi-final opponents East Albury would face an uphill climb chasing St Patrick’s 189 all out. He finished with 3-14 off six overs to take his club wicket tally to 98. East Albury were all out for 149, leaving Evans with the incentive of completing his ‘century’ in next weekend’s Grand Final. 
Back on the Weston shores of Southampton Water and watching every ball was Luke’s grandfather, our intrepid photographer Roy Honeybone, who gave up a night’s sleep to watch the action unfold !   He’s waiting for the milkman to wake him up …

Four batsmen bagged ducks as Bournemouth crashed to 57 all out and an eventual four-wicket defeat by Neyland in the ECB indoor sixes championship regional finals at Taunton.
Undone by late swing, Ben Rogers and Tom Robinson lasted only three balls between them before the talismanic Jonny Coombs had his stumps rearranged fourth ball to leave Bournemouth in total disarray at 2-3.
Connor Smith (10) departed at 18-4 and Rob Pack (the fourth duck) at 25-4, leaving Cole Rushforth to pick up the pieces with 32. 
Pack took two wickets, but Neyland were never threatened.  They went on to beat Cheltenham Civil Service in the final and clinch a place at Lord's.​

Jonny Coombs will be treading in his father's footsteps when he turns out for Bournemouth in the
ECB national indoor sixes south-west regional finals at Taunton on Sunday.
His left-arm spinning father Rob was on Somerset's books after his studies at Exeter University, often bowling in tandem with England's Vic Marks.  He even topped the English first class bowling averages one season at Taunton.
And Rob, now based in the west country, might well be temped to come and watch his son in action against Welsh champions Neyland, from Pembrokeshire, in the 2,30pm semi-final.
Coombes, who skippers Bournemouth seconds in the Hampshire League these days, plugs the gap left by speedster Oli Bracken, who is unavailable.  Otherwise, skipper Rob Pack relies on side that knocked Havant out in the first round.
Bournemouth's team for Taunton is: Rob Pack, Tom Robinson, Cole Rushworth, Jonny Coombs, Ben Rogers, Conor Smith.
The winners will play Cheltenham Civil Service in the regional final - and a place at Lord's - the Gloucestershire side having been given a bye when Ventnor were unable to raise a side.

Academy captain Joseph Eckland, who played for England U19s last summer and in short-form ODIs against Australia in Brisbane last month, is among four promising young cricketers to be awarded a Rookie contract by Hampshire.
The others are Fletcha Middleton, and pace bowling duo Harry Petrie and left-armer John Turner. All four players fly to Spain for a pre-season training camp later this week.

Dan McGovern (left) and Matt de Villiers, whose heavy run scoring was key to Hambledon's Southern Premier League Division 2 championship triumph last season, notched hundreds in the latest round of club matches overseas.
McGovern blasted 152 (21 fours and two sixes) for Wallsend against Waratah in the Northern NSW Premier League. It was his second century in four games.
De Villiers, meanwhile, hit a six and seven fours in his 108 for top Western Province CA League side Claremont against Belville in Cape Town.  Claremont won easily after scoring 262-5.
It appears unlikely De Villiers will return to Ridge Meadow this summer and Hambledon are believed to be exploring other options.

South Wilts looking to recruit a scorer for their Southern Premier League Division 3  Second Xl side.
They would like to hear from cricket  loving indviduals with or without scoring experience,  who are keen to join a progressive and inclusive senior club in a satisfying and enjoyable role.
Full training provided, through upcoming courses, and transport and teas provided. 
If you feel you fit this bill, we would love to meet with you.
For further details please contact either
Steve Hatcher   07722141033 (hatcher23@hotmail.co.uk) or Sean Burke (burkes131@gmail.com).

The IWCB is inviting applications for a Cricket Development Manager (CDM), salary £34,000-£38,000 per annum dependent upon experience. 
The CDM will lead and manage the Isle of Wight Cricket Board to engage, inspire and develop clubs and communities to improve people’s lives through cricket. 
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CDM is responsible for growing and diversifying recreational cricket across the Island and increasing the impact that cricket has in our communities. 
Interviews will be scheduled for week commencing 3/4/23. Full details on www.isleofwightcricket.co.uk. 
To apply for the position, please complete the application form and submit to chair@isleofwightcricket.co.uk with a covering letter. Applications close on Friday 17 March at 17:00pm.  

​Bashley (Rydal) left-armer Brad Currie has signed a contract extension with Sussex, for whom he made a sensational six-wicket debut against Middlesex at Lord's late last season.
He took 6-93 in his first outing in the LV= County Championship, helping Sussex secure a draw. 
On signing for Sussex, Currie said: “I absolutely loved my time here last year and I'm very excited for this opportunity and season ahead. I'm hoping I can contribute to a very successful season with Sussex in all formats of the game. It also goes without saying that I am very excited to play with our overseas players this year. Let the outdoor pre-season training begin...”
Currie, whose younger brother Scott is on the Hampshire staff at the Ageas Bowl. went on to play a major role in the Sussex Sharks’ Royal London Cup campaign last year that saw them reach the semi-finals of the competition.  In 8 appearances for the Sharks, Currie took 12 wickets at an economy of 4.87, with his best figures of 3-38 coming in an emphatic 201 run victory over Somerset.
The Poole Town raised quick, though, made only three Southern Premier League appearances for Bashley in 2022, against Lymington, Hook & Newnham Basics and Totton & Eling, taking four wickets.

Any familiar faces here ?  Holts Colts in Denmark in 1966. 
Jack Davies (back row blazer) was a Gosport-based schoolteacher at Privett (where Trevor Jesty was schooled) ... John Harris alongside .. Richard McIlwaine (middle) .. George Knights, next to Arthur Holt.  Julian Shackleton (front left), Keith Wheatley far right.  Bill Hughes and Bill le Breton also pictured.

The Hampshire Association of Cricket Officials is running a Club Scorer course at Portsmouth and Southsea Cricket Club, St James’ Hospital, Locksway Road, Milton, Portsmouth, PO4 8LD on Sundays 18 and 25 March.
The course will start at 10:00 and finish at 3:00pm each day. 
All appropriate materials will be provided but participants will need to bring their own lunch.  The course costs £30.00 and places can be reserved using the following link: Club Scorer Hampshire ACO (ecb.co.uk)
The HACO anticipates a large response to this course and places will fill quickly, please register as soon as you can.

​Bashley-Rydal's long standing second and third team scorers have hung up their respective pens to relax on the boundary line, so the New Forest club is eager to recruit a couple of 'notchers' for Southern Premier Division 3 and Hampshire League Division 3 South cricket this summer.
Bashley boast among the most attractive grounds in the Hampshire recreation cricket pyramid aned all expenses will be covered. Experience is not necessary for the lower teams and all tuition and travel costs will be covered.
Id you're keen and sound interested, then contact John Neal 07767 256 038.

Hampshire Cricket Board (HCB) is responsible for growing the recreational game in the county and aims to inspire girls and boys to play cricket through the delivery of school, club and community-based programmes.
HCB is recruiting a Cricket Development Manager (salary £26,000pa), who will play a vital role in supporting clubs to drive the growth and accessibility of junior cricket in Hampshire. This will be achieved by providing a fantastic first experience for young people through the delivery of All Stars and Dynamos cricket, as well as well managing all junior competitions in Hampshire.
For further information, download the full job description via https://ageasbowl.s3.amazonaws.com/2021/Cricket%20Board/Documents/HCB%20CDM%20Junior%20Cricket%20Job%20Description.pdf
To apply, please download the application form and return to recruitment@ageasbowl.com .
Closing Date: Monday 13th March 2023 at 09:00
Interview Date: Thursday 23rd March
Should you wish to discuss the role, please email Ben Thompson (Cricket Development Director) at ben.thompson@ageasbowl.com.

Simon Lee, Hampshire's head groundsman at the Ageas Bowl, is the guest speaker at the Dorset Cricket Society on Thursday afternoon, 1.45pm.  The meeting at Hurn Bridge/Christchurch FC is open to non-members for a small fee. Tea/coffee and biscuits afterwards.
Simon is a multi-award-winning groundsman who started his career at Somerset County Cricket ground in 1999 and rose through the ranks to become head groundsman ten years later. Simon can boast (although not his style) the honour of having won back-to-back ECB Groundsman of the Year awards for one-day cricket and perhaps, through his square preparation skills, helping to produce spin-friendly wickets which helped Somerset finish second in the Championship in three of the past four seasons.
After being associated with Somerset for twenty years, Simon made the leap to become the head at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton back in January 2020 taking over the reins from Nigel Gray. Simon recalls, "I'm a Somerset boy by heart, so it was a massive decision to make. I could have happily stayed with Somerset as there was no particular reason to leave. But opportunities like this don't come around very often, especially with such a big site and the chance to improve somewhere which is an international ground."
Among the topics Simon will discuss will be how he and his work acholic deputy Tom Cowley dealt with the Covid epidemic in 2020 and its impact on stadium ground preparation and the introduction of hybrid pitches in local recreational cricket.

Did you watch 'live' the climax of the New Zealand-England Test in the early hours of Tuesday morning or may have subsequently seen the highlights on BT Sport ?  If so, read on ...

In these days when officiating in just about every top-level sport is under the spotlight and technology based, how can Cricket, along with Association Football, tolerate so many glaring errors when the solutions are already in place ? Both Rugby codes & Tennis don't seem to have these problems.
The penultimate ball in the Wellington test bowled to James Anderson was clearly above head height but missed by the on-field officials or more likely blatantly ignored given the game situation. An extra run would have meant level scores.
The 3rd umpire now controls all "no ball foot faults" using the square of the wicket DRS cameras. Why on earth does he also not adjudicate on deliveries which pass the batsman above head height or indeed full tosses above the waist height using the same technology? Any future debate would be irrelevant. 
Too simple for the cricket authorities ? 

The Southern Premier League leading wicket taker is about to test his spin bowling skills in a 14-nation Over-50s World Cup in South Africa starting next week.
Julian Ballinger (above, pictured by Howard Gadsby) has been selected to represent Wales in the tournament and, if selected, will play in the opening pool match against Pakistan at Claremont, in the heart of the wine region, on Monday.
Wales are pitted against the host nation, South Africa, England, India, Namibia and the USA, while pool B features veterans teams from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the West Indies and Zimbabwe, who include three former Test cricketers in a formidable looking squad.
Ballinger, 50, played Southern League cricket for Alton for 28 years, taking a record 645 wickets, including 25 five-fers.  He left the Brewers in 2021 to return to his native South Wales with his family and now turns out regularly for Miskin Manor.  He described it as "a great honour" to be selected for the o50s World Cup.

Wales (159-9) were beaten by seven wickets by Pakistan, Ballinger soring 9 not out and bowling six wicketless over for 22 runs. 

Tom Robinson and Connor Smith came to the fore as Bournemouth recovered from early losses to post 108-5 and beat Havant by 22 runs in the ECB national indoor sixes championships at Hurn Bridge.  Their success takes them to Taunton for the south-west regional play-offs on Sunday week, March 12.
Ben Rogers, Cole Rushforth and Robbie Pack fell before Robinson (39) shaped the innings and allowed the emerging Smith to strike a fluent 39 not out and lift Bournemouth to a competitive 108-5.  Run scoring wasn't easy on a bouncy surface.
Although Harry Gadd (25) and young Ben Feeney (23) prospered, Havant were never able to score at the required rate and were eventually restricted to 86-5, Pack taking two late wickets.
Bournemouth:
Standing (from left) Ben Rogers, Cole Rushforth, Connor Smith, Oli Bracken. Kneeling: Tom Robinson, Robbie Pack.
Havant: Freddie Gadd, Harry Gadd, Kai Ziemkandorf, Charlie Whitfield. Kneeling: Ben Feeney, Harrison Barnard.

Bournemouth have selected a young side for Sunday's ECB National Indoor Six-a-side Championship qualifying round tie against newly crowned Hampshire winners, Havant at Hurn Bridge (Christchurch FC), 2.30pm.
Hard hitting left-arm spin all-rounder Robbie Pack skippers the Lions, alongside Ollie Breckon, Ben Rogers, Tom Robinson, Cole Rushworth, and teenage spinner Conor Smith.
The winners will qualify for next month's south-west regional finals at Somerset's indoor school in Taunton.
Bashley (Rydal) won the ECB title in 2022, but have not played any indoor cricket this winter.

Sarisbury Athletic have carried out extensive work to their Allotment Road outfield to improve the surface for the coming season and the future. 
In addition to the usual winter work, they seeded and put fertiliser down on the whole of the outfield in October and will be repeating the exercise in early March. Also, all the drainage runs at the pavilion end have been levelled off and seeded. A new water supply to the square has been laid to replace the inadequate existing one.
Club President and Facilities manager Andy Oliphant said: The club has moved on leaps and bounds since I started playing many, many years ago and under the current Chairman Tom Kitcher and the committee things have moved on even further.
“The off-field facilities have improved substantially and with more and more local people using the clubhouse during the winter months and more sponsors coming on board we have been able to increase the money spent on the ground and its facilities.
“The outfield has had its issues over the years but the work we did in October improved it greatly so we felt after taking advice from soil experts that we would repeat the process in March.
“This has been a large financial outlay by the club, add to which new sightscreens are required for the ‘white ball’ cricket that our first team will be playing in Southern Premier Division 1 this summer. I think it’s fair to say we have made a considerable effort to improve all aspects of the ground and facilities at the Hendy Hollow’.

​Emerging St Cross Symondians’ teenage talent George O’Connor produced a best yet six-wicket bowling return for his adopted South Australia Grade club Southern Districts.
O’Connor, who is enhancing his all-round game at Darren Lehmann’s Cricket Academy in Adelaide, took all six Northern Districts wickets in the second innings of the SACA West End Premier Division match, albeit at a personal cost of 83 runs off his ten overs.
The Winchester based youngster bowled unchanged as Northern Districts went on a 20-over run scoring blitz in an ultimately unsuccessful bid for pull off an outright victory in the two innings match played over two weekends.
Northern Districts (182 all out) led by 30 runs after bowling Southern Districts out for 152 and then smacked 172-6 off 20 overs – O’Connor bagging all six wickets to all, including chunky South Australia left-hander Mark Cosgrave for the second time in the match. 
​Three of his other dismissals weren’t bad either, Hobart Hurricanes’ BBL player Josh Kann, Australia U19 all-rounder Aiden Cahill and former Worcestershire second teamer Jacques Banton.  Southern finished 151-6 in their second dig.
Across in Melbourne’s Southern Bayside competition, Lymington’s Dan Cox hit an unbeaten 41 and later took three wickets for Division 2 side Middle Park, who beat Aspendale.  Cox plays his final match this weekend.