Cricket teas are back on the table across the county border in Sussex following a re-vote by clubs on a previously approved proposal to remove the obligation for home sides to provide such delicacies as cucumber sarnies, a slice of fruit cake and a cuppa at next summer’s 1st Central Sussex Cricket League matches.
The original (confused) decision to effectively ditch teas got national publicity with the BBC, The Times, Piers Morgan and former England captain Michael Vaughan all picking up on the story.
​A second poll saw 114 teams vote against the motion, which had originally been met with uproar and overturned the decision to remove the provision of the mid-game meal.
Of the 209 votes, a majority of 114 were cast in favour of the motion, with 82 against. Six clubs abstained and there was seven no votes.
The outcome of the original vote held at the league's Annual General Meeting last Monday (November 23) led to a re-vote, which was conducted by email.
Part of the uproar was caused by the mechanics of the ballot, with those not in attendance at the AGM deemed to have voted in agreement.
                                                                                        Obligation
The first vote saw 114 clubs vote for the removal of tea provision, with 89 against.
New votes received from clubs who did not participate in the first poll were equally for and against second time around. The only votes that changed were from those from sides who had attended the AGM.
A letter from league chairman Gary Stanley read: "On behalf of the executive committee, I can now confirm to you that, following the re-vote, the proposal to remove the obligation of the home club to provide teas in the 2021 season has been defeated.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the rules around teas are therefore UNCHANGED from current rules. This is of course subject to any restrictions that may be imposed due to Covid, which we hope will not be the case.
"As you know, the executive committee did not propose this change and, quite properly, did not express a preference during the voting process. 
"However, we recognise that this is an important subject going forward, with valid opinions on both sides. We will be continuing the discussion with clubs over the winter and into next season to try to find a solution that suits everyone. We ask for your assistance in these efforts."

It could be a clip from a re-make of the HG Wells' War of the Worlds movie - but instead this mechanical monster is already on site at Holbury demolishing the old defunct dressing rooms and then the former cinema building.  It's the initial step towards the provision of brand new changing and social facilities for Fawley's Southern Premier/Hampshire Cricket teams and AFC Fawley, with whom they share the Waterside facility. 

​The Sussex Cricket League clubs are getting a second slice of the cake in the controversial AGM vote to remove the obligation for home teams to provide cricket teas.   The virtual vote is being re-run !
News of Sussex’s “no teas” decision went viral with Piers Morgan and former England captain Michael Vaughan getting involved in the debate. It was also mentioned on Friday's ‘Have I Got News for You’ show on BBC television.
The decision caused a lot of unrest with teams across the county - mainly due to the way the vote was run.
The vote to remove the provision of teas was carried 114 to 89. However, it appeared as though those not present at the meeting were deemed to have voted FOR the motion.
In an email to clubs on Friday the league conceded that they couldn’t be certain that there were no inaccuracies and agreed that the vote should be re-run via email.
League chairman Gary Stanley said this was the only option. He said: "The league had absolutely nothing to do with proposing the change, but it was properly proposed and seconded and therefore under the rules we were obliged to put it to the clubs.
"That is our job and is the beginning and end of our involvement. We do what the clubs decide they want.
"The re-vote is the result of an impossible task of trying to conduct a vote on a Zoom call with almost 200 attendees.
"This is open to all sorts of errors and, unfortunately, we concluded that a re-vote was the only fair option given the closeness of the original result. This is our only responsibility to the clubs, to get an accurate result. We understand all sides of the argument, but it is not our job to opine on what the outcome should be."
* We will bring you the latest news on the Sussex League teas saga once we get a bite on how the vote went.

The staff and directors of Hampshire Cricket Board invite affiliated clubs and organisations to an interactive workshop covering the following:
• Engaging with your members and local community over the close season
• Holding AGMs under COVID restrictions
• Club Funding
Registration link: www.ageasbowl.com/cricket/news/club-webinar-funding-engagement-agms
The webinar takes place 7pm-8pm, Wednesday 2nd December via Zoom.  Participants should click on link to receive event reminders and updates and the post webinar information pack.  
Hampshire Cricket Board development managers Rob Pfeiffer (marketing and communications) and Simon Jones (clubs and leagues) will be joined by Neil Higginson, Recreational Facilities Planning Manager for England and Wales Cricket Board (South West and Wales region).
The event will include polls and a live Q&A and places are limited to 100.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch for further information or in the event of any query by contacting HCB.Admin@ageasbowl.com. 

Simon Hughes’ Virtual Cricket Club’s guest tonight, Monday 30 November 2020, at 7:00pm is Alastair Cook England's greatest Test run scorer, BBC pundit and sheep farmer.
As a ‘Cyber Monday’ special Simon Hughes has made this event free for Hampshire Cricket Society members. You do not need to join the ‘analyst inside cricket club’.
The Zoom link for the event starting at 7:00pm this evening is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82917538006?pwd=TFlkQU5zL2pBWnlKbkVwYVNKUkJhUT09
It is exactly 10 years since the epic Brisbane Test of 2010 and the beginning of Sir Alastair Cook's amazing run spree. So he is appearing in the virtual cricket club created by Simon Hughes to look back at that series and his career in general. People can ask direct questions to Alastair and be invited on screen. There is also a celebratory signed Ashes winning miniature bat to win. It is all in aid of the Professional Cricketers Trust.

Former Hampshire captain Mark Nicholas has led the tributes to Alison Wilcocks, who has died, aged 75, after a brave year-long battle against cancer.
Mrs Wilcocks was an extremely popular PA to Chief Executive Tony Baker in the club’s Northlands Road days and very much part of the Hampshire cricket fabric of the time.
Nicholas recalled: “Alison, she was just terrific in every way. Such patience with us rogues and always kind.
“Northlands Road gave us the days of our lives in so many ways and Alison was as much a part of the highs and lows as any of us. A bright smile - the most splendid mickey-taker at her best - and the warmest heart.  God bless her beautiful soul.”
Mrs Wilcocks worked in the front office at Hampshire’s former ground and was a familiar face to members and supporters alike, always cheerful (in often trying circumstances), but above all hugely professional.
When Tony Baker retired and Hampshire relocated to the Ageas Bowl at West End in 2001, Alison took on a similar role working with Tim Tremlett.
During this time Alison found houses for many international cricketers (including Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden and Heath Streak) and was always looking to ensure that they were comfortable and looked after. 
Alison is survived by her husband Bob, a prominent past cricketer with Calmore Sports (where she often made the teas) and centre-forward for Andover in the old Western League, and two daughters Claire and Sally.  Bob worked on the Hampshire cricket groundstaff.
Mr Tremlett reflected: “Loyal and extremely popular, Alison was a lovely lady who always found time to listen to everyone else’s problems and will be very sadly missed by everyone associated with Hampshire.
“Whilst never pretending to understand the complexities of the game, the players and staff often had a laugh at Alison’s expense. However, she possessed a good sense of humour and happily continued to join in with the banter and laughter always knowing more than she let on.”
Tim’s team-mates BBC Radio Solent cricketer reporter Kevan James and left-arm spinner Raj Maru added their tributes.
“She was a fantastic lady. Made time for everyone. Great with my two young children when they came up to club,” James recalled.
Raj Maru added: “A great person, Alison was fantastic with everyone and helped me through my career as a player and a coach. She did think that it was funny how I had two jobs, one during the day as a professional cricketer and second as a night watchman.”
Speaking on behalf of the recreational game, Hampshire Cricket Board chairman John Wolfe said: “This is desperately sad news. Alison was a lovely person, always had time for everyone, and always exuded an air of calm in what must have been an incredibly busy office at the old County Ground.”
Alison showed strength of character throughout her whole life. She was stubborn yet kind and nurturing, always being there for those who were in need. She was generous and supportive, putting others before herself to the very end. Her sense of humour and smile were infectious, and she maintained this up until her last words. She will be greatly missed by everyone, but her legacy will live on.
Donations in aid of Alison - to Macmillan Cancer Support and/or Cancer Research UK - via www.funeralguide.co.uk/obituaries/83073 or to J. Lawrence & Sons (Undertakers) Ltd., 17, St. Denys Road, Portswood, Southampton, SO17 2GN.

Fawley cricketers will be among numerous sporting beneficiaries now that a proposal by Esso & ExxonMobil to enhance the off-field facilities at Holbury has been approved by New Forest planners.
Esso & ExxonMobil, who own the spacious 14.5 acre Waterside site, have successfully applied to the New Forest District Council for permission to bulldoze the 300-seat former cinema building in Long Lane, Holbury, that has stood empty for the past four years, and transform the shared site.
They plan to replace it with a new purpose-built sports pavilion, together with improved car parking - a proposal which the Holbury Community Sports Association believes will be an enormous asset to the entire Waterside sporting community.
It will also provide additional parking for the neighbouring school, New Forest Academy. 
The Holbury site off Long Lane is home to Fawley cricket club, who use the ground in the summer, and AFC Fawley in the winter – both thriving sports organisations heavily involved in grass roots development, and with numerous junior teams.
                                                                                 Youth academy
Fawley’s cricketers are due to be playing in Division 2 of the Southern Premier Cricket League next summer.
Their on-field activities were seriously affected by the coronavirus pandemic crisis this summer, but provided recreational cricket is given the green light to start again next spring they will be up and running with teams at adult and junior level in 2021.
“We normally field three adult league cricket teams, besides boasting a five-tier youth Academy which provides competitive summer sport for children from 9 to 19 years of age,” confirmed HSCA chairman Chris Tona. 
“We’re also involved in All Stars and were due to start Dynamo cricket for slightly older kids, so in midweek and on Sundays the ground is teeming with children all dreaming of being the next Ben Stokes.”
The demolition of the former cinema building will begin next month, after which work will commence on the new multiple changing rooms, bar and function facilities which will replace the pitch-side Portakabins which Have been used for the past 12 years.
                                                                                         Thriving
“The granting of planning approval has given Waterside sport an enormous boost,” Mr Tona added.
Similarly, AFC Fawley, members of the Sydenham Wessex Football League, field regular Saturday/midweek soccer teams and has a hugely thriving junior set-up
They have ten separate year groups, from 7 years of age upwards, benefiting from coaching and regular competitive soccer.
The Holbury sports ground is also the home of Waterside lawn bowls club, long standing members of the New Forest and Southampton Leagues, and Fawley tennis club.
AFC Fawley chairman Kevin Mitchell, a decent cricketer in his playing days, said: “Exxonmobil made a commitment to invest in the community and the sports facility, and they have done that for many years.
“They are the largest employer in the Waterside area and we have all benefitted tremendously over the years. They’ve recently installed new gates and fences and paid for essential maintenance and running costs, as well as contributing a large sum to the new football floodlights and temporary changing rooms for the cricketers.
“Its going to make a huge difference to the club. It will give us modern and fairly maintenance-free facilities, and visually it will make the existing club area much nicer.
“This will hopefully be a stepping stone for us to keep improving on and off the pitch.”

Former South Wilts pace bowler Luke Evans was injured and unable to bowl for his adopted Australian club St Patrick’s this weekend – but that didn’t prevent him from playing a key role in his team’s 64-run win over New City in the Cricket Albury Wodonga Premiership.
Elevated to number five in the batting order because of a tweaked quad, Evans arrived at the crease with St Patrick’s 92-3 and went on to top score before being the last man out for 58 off 49 balls.
He hit two sixes and six boundaries, ushering the St Patrick’s middle and lower order through to a match winning 225-9.
Shoaib Shaikh, who has past experience playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, slammed 111, but his team-mates mustered only 50 runs between them.  New City were dismissed for 161.

South African youngster Gareth Schreuder has called time on his two-year stay with ECB Southern Premier League club Lymington.
The 20-year old, who joined Lymington at the start of the 2019 season, is set to join Warminster, who play in West of England Premier League’s third tier.
Schreuder, a second-year sports coaching and development degree student at Southampton Solent University, has been offered a player/coach role at the Wiltshire club.  
Explaining his reasons for leaving Lymington, Schreuder explained: “I am disappointed the direction my cricket has gone in the past 12 months and I’ve certainly not moved on as I had hoped.
“I really need a fresh start in a new environment. They have an indoor centre at Warminster, where I can really push on with the individual and technical coaching side of my game, which is important for my university degree.” 
Schreuder joined Lymington in April 2019 following a successful winter in which he excelled at Hilton College, was selected for South Africa Under-19 Colts and helped Kz Natal Dolphins become CSA  U19 Cubs champions for the first time.
                                                                                         Swinging
But he feels he under-achieved at Lymington, despite being their leading 2019 batsman, with 471 runs in 17 SPL innings, noticeably two-thirds of his total coming in the ‘white ball’ 50 -over matches, including a late season century against Basingstoke & North Hants and 60-plus scores against Bournemouth and Alton.
“I struggled in the red-ball ‘time’ games, the conditions being alien to what I had experienced at home in South Africa. I never really adapted to the slow swinging ball, annoyingly getting out almost every time I’d made a start,” he added.  
Ironically, Schreuder produced his best red-ball innings for Surrey second team, hitting unbeaten half-centuries against Kent and a powerful Middlesex side.  He also helped Hampshire seconds reach the ECB County Second XI t20 final at Arundel in 2019.
Things got no better for the South African talent when he returned to the UK in August, scoring only 35 runs in the last four matches of Lymington’s unsuccessful Southern Premier League Cup campaign, all of which they lost.
Schreuder flew back to his Johannesburg family home this weekend and will play his first match for two years on South Africa soil for his home town club Boksburg at Kempton Park in the Easterns Premier League on Sunday.  

Fourteen-year old Bashley (Rydal) leg spinner Ethan Baker topped the Hampshire recreational cricket bowling charts with his eight-wicket spell in the Southern Premier League Cup victory over Hythe & Dibden in August.
His remarkable figures of 8-15, which sent Hythe crashing from 72-1 to 99 all out, represented the best individual bowling return produced in Hampshire during the pandemic shortened season.   They also propelled him into the national top 20 list of bowling performances.
Bashley (Rydal) seconds went on to win the SPL Cup Division 2/3 Cup, beating Portsmouth & Southsea in a thrilling final.

The Hampshire Cricket Foundation (HCF), the charity of Hampshire Cricket and The Ageas Bowl, has launched a ground-breaking programme to provide portable defibrillators to Hampshire cricket clubs free of charge.
The Hampshire Cricket Foundation (HCF) is partnering with the Club Cricket Charity (CCC), England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT) to provide defibrillators worth over £1000 each to cricket clubs in Hampshire at no charge.
This provision, which also includes training, insurance and registration with local emergency services, is part of the Hampshire Cricket Foundation’s Changing Lives Saving Lives initiative which aims to deliver a healthier future for people across the county. 
The offer means the cricket club needs to cover only the cost of replacement parts for the device at £126 plus VAT per annum for four years. 
So, why do clubs need a portable defibrillator? 
A cardiac arrest (the stoppage of the heart muscle) can be triggered by many factors: a heart attack; an undiagnosed heart condition; a ball hitting batsman or fielder in the chest or on the head.  
It can affect any age group from teenage to pensioner, and all between; player and spectator alike.  
A cardiac arrest can be fatal if treatment is not commenced within five minutes of the collapse of the patient.  
                                                                      Defibrillator saves captain's life
Many cricket teams play on cricket fields where professional help may not arrive within this very short timescale, but there is a potential solution by using the portable defibrillator - which gives an electric shock to ”reboot” the heart - whilst awaiting professional help.  
Never was this more poignant than at the Hampshire Hogs ground at Warnford three summers ago when during the latter stages of a Hampshire Sixties county match, Devon captain Nick Rogers suffered a cardiac arrest, collapsing on the boundary rope at the end of his innings.
The Hampshire Seniors had a portable defibrillator a matter of yards away in the scorebox. It saved Rogers’s life.
“We all hope that this piece of equipment never needs to be used, but that is evidence enough that it saves lives,” said the HCB’s Simon Jones.
• The defibrillator offer is open to Hampshire Cricket Board category 1 or 2 affiliated clubs – the last date for applications is 31 January 2021 - to simon.jones@ageasbowl.com 

Portsmouth cricketers have drawn up attractive plans to refurbish the 50-year old pavilion and clubhouse at their St Helen’s Ground on Southsea seafront.
But they need to raise £20,000 by early January to reach the figure of £70,000 to be able to undertake the whole project. Unfortunately additional funding from Sport England has been turned down.
The club has long out-grown the existing pavilion which was built back in 1970, when only Saturday and Sunday cricket, plus a handful of midweek colts matches were played on the ground. 
“In a normal summer, the ground is a hive of cricket activity seven days a week,” smiled Portsmouth chairman Rick Marston.
“We field three adult Saturday teams, plus occasional Sunday friendlies, with a strong and vibrant junior section. We have entered a 4th team in the Hampshire League for next season.
“Boys and girls as young as seven years of age come along in the hope of taking up and game, and progressing into our four junior age group sides.
“We run colts teams in the district under-nine, 11, 13 and 15 leagues and field successful sides in the U17 and U19 competitions, so you can see the level of activity we have at St Helen’s.”
                                                                                  Enhancements
Mr Marston explained that the pavilion was badly in need of refurbishment as well as a resign to meet growing needs.
Plans include:-
• A complete internal redesign of the pavilion, with a new entrance;
• Cladding and general external enhancements;
• Improvements to the ground floor changing, shower and toilet facilities, incorporating those for disabled persons and a flexible layout to accommodate women and girls;
• A roof top spectator balcony; and  
• An improved bar and beer cellar. 
Portsmouth are a long established ECB Clubmark organisation and a Senior Focus Club.
“The detailed plans we have drawn up – which have been submitted in a formal planning application to Portsmouth City Council – appear to have been well received,” Mr Marston added.
“We were very fortunate that a local architect and club member, Paul Watkinson drew up the plans and gave his time to the project for free.
“We are now seeking funding for the project from various sources, by means of grants, donations and a Crowdfunder, as well as setting aside ring-fenced  club funds.
“We are now seeking support to raise funds and deliver a tip-top pavilion to enhance not only the ground but also our status in the Southern Premier League.
To support Portsmouth’s project, please click the Crowdfunding page link below. 
“We have until January 3 2021 to generate £20,000 and if we hit this target with 100 or more supporters we can claim a further £10,000 from Sport England. Any contribution large or small will be hugely appreciated,” said Mr Marston.
"To help them with funding the project, Portsmouth CC need:-
• £20,000 from you, our Crowdfunding Team
• 100 Crowdfunding Supporters
• Pledges in by 11am on 3rd January 2021
“If we meet these targets, we generate a further £10,000 grant from Sport England and can develop the best pavilion in Hampshire!
“UK Taxpayers - Select "Gift Aid" on the Crowdfunder and HMRC will top up your gift by 25 per cent to support our cause,” Mr Marston added.
Take a look at Portsmouth’s plans below to see how they are seeking to improve the facilities at St Helen’s and sent any constructive comments on the proposals  to portsmouthcc@hotmail.co.uk
Crowdfunder details and the architects drawings can be found on www.portsmouthhitscricket.com

Former Andover and Totton & Eling all-rounder David Taylor [left] is plying his trade as head coach of Western Australian Grade club Melville.
The 45-year old, who scored over 2,400 runs during his four seasons playing in the ECB Southern Premier League between 2012 and 2015, has replaced Brad Thompson, who has had two spells with Bashley (Rydal) in a player/coach role.
Taylor, who hit five SPL centuries alongside a controversial ‘world record’ 330 when he dropped down four tiers to play for Totton & Eling II in a Division 3 match against Trojans, was appointed by former Hampshire opener and manager Paul Terry, right, who is Director of Cricket at Tompkins Park.
His son Sean (also late of Hampshire) is Melville’s first grade captain.  They have won two of their five matches so far this season.

South Wilts raised William Wade topped the batting charts in the ECB Yorkshire Premier Leagues this past truncated season, scoring almost 500 runs in nine knocks for his adopted club Acomb, based just outside of York.
He hit three 85-plus scores and two other fifties, boasting a healthy 70.57 average from his 494-run aggregate and helping promoted Acomb to a highest ever fifth place finish in Yorkshire Premier North.
Wade’s 494 runs is the highest tally in all four highly competitive Premier Leagues in Yorkshire, which includes the powerful Bradford League.   He scored some 110 runs more than the second highest batsman.
Bradford City fan Wade, 21, is in his third and final year at Leeds Beckett University, studying for a degree in Criminology. 
He explained: “The standard is fairly similar to that of the Southern Premier, but I’d say the depth (of the Yorkshire League) is stronger inasmuch that the weaker teams are better; however, the top teams in both leagues would compete well.” 
Having scored closed on 1,000 runs in his maiden 2019 season with Acomb and doing well for Wiltshire in Minor Counties Championship cricket, Wade was quietly confident he would be selected for Leeds & Bradford’s powerful MCCU side.
But the coronavirus pandemic and the suspension of cricket across the country put paid to his chances.
“I don’t know whether I'd have been in the starting XI. The season effectively got racked the same day I completed my fitness test (about March 17), so the team hadn't even been selected for the two pre-season games a week later. 
“But I was fairly hopeful about being picked for the three-day games against Yorkshire.  What a great experience that would have been !”
                                                                                      Dominated
But the Salisbury talent, who debuted in South Wilts Under-11s as a nine-year old and went on to score hundreds of runs in local and Wiltshire junior cricket, soon put that disappointment behind him.
Wade hit form directly the Yorkshire Premier North League got under way in mid-July, rattling off scores of 91 not out (v Driffield Town), 85 (Stamford Bridge) and 89 against York in his first four innings.
He went on to make 60s against Woodhouse Grange (who dominated the National Village Championships a few years ago) and Harrogate.
Returning south for one August weekend, he smashed a 50-ball 91 not out for Wiltshire against Devon in the T20 match at Sidmouth.
“We had nine league games at Acomb, so we had a fair amount of cricket,” he continued.
“Acomb is a village just outside York City Centre, so about 40 minutes away from Leeds. The club is run really well and in the right spirit. 
“They fully encourage everyone to succeed and provide maximum opportunity for players. I really enjoy playing there.” 

Ryan Burl, who spent three of his formative years playing Southern Premier League cricket for South Wilts and subsequently Sarisbury Athletic, top scored for Zimbabwe in this weekend's T20 international against Pakistan in Rawlpindi.
Arriving at the crease with Zimbabwe 65-4, he hit an intelligent 32 not out to ease the tourists to 134-7 - a target Pakistan breezed past courtesy of a century stand between Babar Azam (51) and aspiring teenager Haider Ali, who smashed 66 not out.

Portsmouth's favourite Aussie Fraser Hay celebrates his second WACA Premiership century of the season, hitting 108 for his new club, Gosnells against Waneroo.
Alas, his 108 was in a losing cause as Waneroo easily overhauled Gosnells' 228 to win by seven wickets.
Hay has been in good nick for Gosnells since moving from Melville, scoring 101 v South Perth and 65 against his old team-mates.  His 308 run tally from five knocks puts him second in the WACA Premiership batting log.
Hay spent four season with Portsmouth from 2016 to 2019, scoring a hefty 2,650 Southern Premier League Division 1 runs, including five centuries. 

Parley product Tom Barber [left] has agreed a new one-year deal with Nottinghamshire.
The Christchurch-based left-arm quick – who appeared in three of Notts’ five Bob Willis Trophy games this season, taking seven wickets – has confirmed that he’ll spend a second season at Trent Bridge having joined the club as a winter recruit ahead of the 2020 campaign. 
“From the moment I arrived at Notts, I felt very much at home, and I’m very happy to have extended my stay at Trent Bridge,” he said.
"I feel the work I’ve done with the likes of Pete (Moores, Head Coach) and Shiney (Kevin Shine, Assistant Coach) will make me a better bowler, and I’m looking forward to continuing to improve under their guidance.
"“We were all immensely frustrated not to get over the line with a win in the Bob Willis Trophy, but I think we can all be proud of the strides we made. We’ll stay totally committed over the winter and will aim to be in great shape ahead of next summer.”
Barber, who has played in the ECB Southern Premier League for the Hampshire Academy and Bashley (Rydal), signed an initial one-year deal with Notts last winter having impressed on trial following his departure from Middlesex. The 6ft3ins paceman had previously worked with Assistant Coach, Shine, on the ECB’s pace programme.
“When we signed Tom, we knew his best ball was really dangerous, and that his combination of pace and a left-arm angle had the potential to cause problems for batsmen,” said Head Coach Peter Moores.
“What we’ve seen over the course of this summer is him starting to get to grips with the demands of being a First-Class cricketer, and the consistency that playing regular red-ball games demands.
“Those good balls are starting to come more and more often, and we believe he’ll head into next season much stronger for the experience he’s gained with us so far.”

​Teenage South Wilts all-round talent Matt Falconer has been named Wiltshire Under-14s Cricketer of the Year.
A top order left-hand batsman and right-arm swing bowler, Falconer took 15 wickets in Wiltshire’s five county matches this summer, figures that included a remarkable return of seven wickets for eight runs in a six-over spell against Dorset.
Falconer, who lives in Amesbury, joined South Wilts as a nine-year old and has so far rattled off two centuries, alongside several fifty-plus scores in Bemerton junior cricket.
He dipped his toes into senior cricket this past summer and made his Southern Premier League Cup debut for South Wilts seconds in September.

Alan Rayment, Hampshire’s oldest surviving county cricketer, passed away this morning after a short illness.
Aged 92 years, he had been admitted to Lymington hospital on Monday with fluid on his lungs and was his usual positive self, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to beat the problem. 
He joined Hampshire in 1948 (having impressed Arthur Holt in a Second XI match for Middlesex - he ran the Coach out with a direct hit !) at a salary of £5 per week, made his county debut on 7 May 1949, and played (for Hampshire) in 198 first-class matches over ten seasons, scoring 6,333 runs at 20.36, with four centuries, 23 half-centuries - and 19 wickets. 
He completed 1,000 runs in a season on two occasions, in 1952 and 1956 and he was a member of the side that finished third in 1955 and runners-up in 1958 – both best performances by Hampshire at that time. 
As a batsman, he was enterprising at the crease, and when fielding superbly in the covers, quick on his feet; helped no doubt because with his wife he ran a dancing school in Southampton. They often performed together. 
After retiring in 1958, he coached at Lord’s and occasionally captained Hampshire’s side in the new 2nd XI competition. He led a fascinating and varied life after that and on his death in Lymington, on 27 October 2020, he was Hampshire’s ‘senior pro’ – the longest-serving of all their former professional players. In later life he wrote and published a fascinating social and historical account of his early life called Punchy Through the Covers, 1928-1949. 
Alan’s life was not always straight-forward but he ‘danced’ through much of it with a twinkle in his eye and a smile of gratitude for the many opportunities it presented. In 2018 he was entertained to a surprise 90th party by his friends in the Dorset Cricket Society and he was always engaging and entertaining at the reunions of former players, or when watching Hampshire.  He frequently watched Lymington play at the Sports Ground.
The picture above was taken on the occasion of Alan’s 90th birthday lunch, a memory of happier times.

​The Cricketer is delighted to unveil Voneus Broadband as the headline sponsor of the National Village Cup for the next two years, which will be known as the Voneus Village Cup for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Voneus is one of the largest wireless internet providers in the UK, specialising in the delivery of connectivity services into homes and businesses in remote and challenging locations.
Sue Barnes, Voneus Chief Commercial Officer, said: “As the UK’s fastest-growing rural broadband supplier, this sponsorship is a natural fit for us; allowing us to engage with such a passionate audience. This fantastic competition provides villages from across the UK a chance to play in a dream final at Lord’s. Becoming headline sponsor will allow us to align with broadband challenged communities, supporting their need for high-speed internet. We can’t wait to see how the tournament unfolds.”
Next year will be the 50th edition of this summer-long knockout tournament, which has been run by The Cricketer since its inception, with Hursley Park and Longparish among the past winners, and Liphook & Ripsley and Rowledge both Lord's finalists. 
The Cricketer magazine Editor Simon Hughes said: “This really is fantastic news and speaks volumes of the competition’s appeal to attract a headline sponsor of the calibre of Voneus Broadband. Ensuring rural communities stay connected has never been more important and we look forward to promoting Voneus across our print and digital channels.”
The Voneus Village Cup starts in April 2021 with more than 300 village cricket clubs from England, Scotland and Wales competing in 32 regional groups. The group winners enter a national draw that culminates in a final at the Home of Cricket in September.

The 2021 County Championship will be contested for across three divisions for the first time after a revolutionary new format was unveiled by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
For the first stage of the competition, the eighteen first-class counties have been split across three groups.
Hampshire are paired with Somerset, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Middlesex, and Leicestershire in Group 2.
After each has played one another home and away, the top two from each pool progresses to Division One.
The side who remains top after every team has played all outstanding opponents will then be crowed the county champions and awarded the Lord's Taveners’ trophy.
In addition, the champions and runners-up in Division One will face-off in a five-day match at Lord's with the Bob Willis Trophy on the line.
Essex, current holders of both pieces of silverware, will therefore have the chance to defend both titles in 2021.
Groups have been determined based on performances in the last two seasons of red-ball cricket. Derbies such as Lancashire v Yorkshire, and Middlesex and Surrey have been preserved.
The new format is currently only in place for next season and consultation will take place next year with a view to deciding on the long-term format.
The two-divisional structure, with 10 sides in Division One and eight in Division Two remains the default position.
"I am delighted that the counties have been able to reach this agreement less than three weeks after Essex won the Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s," said ECB chairman Ian Watmore.
                                                                                     Fixtures
"The success of that competition provides reassurance that this structure can help safeguard against any impact the global pandemic may have on next season while also ensuring the integrity of the County Championship."
The ECB hope to announce the fixtures for the entire 2021 campaign in November. It has been reported that the Bob Willis Trophy final could be staged as late as October 2.
A shortened red-ball season was introduction this year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the County Championship was not up for grabs.
It saw teams split into three regional groups, with teams playing their five group rivals once. The top two ranked group winners then progressed to the Bob Willis Trophy final at the home of cricket.
Somerset and Essex played out an entertaining final, with the latter taking home the trophy having led after both teams had batted once.
The Championship has been contested over two divisions since 2000 when it was split from one league to include promotion and relegation.

​Alton plan to have South African Thando Ntini, the 20-year old son of Proteas legend Makhaya Ntini, opening the bowling for them in the ECB Southern Premier League next summer.
Ntini has played at both provincial and franchise level for Western Province and the Cape Cobras since representing South Africa in the 2018 ICC Under-19 World Cup and has been picked by the Centurion-based Multiply Titans for the upcoming season.
In 26 domestic matches to date, Ntini has taken 43 wickets, to include best bowling figures of 4-36 on his Momentum One Day Cup debut for the Cobras against the Warriors in February 2020 
He had a brief spell with Kent Premier League club Canterbury in 2019, but played only four times.
​Subject to COVID, Ntini will arrive at Alton next April.

South Wilts have announced the appointment of Andy Stagg as their new chairman, with effect from November 1.
A product of Bishops Wordsworth School, Andy is a regular face among fellow vice-presidents at Lower Bemerton on match days, having captained the Salisbury club’s second team from 1992 to 1995. 
He played much of his early local cricket with Farley before joining South Wilts in 1988, and then moving to work in North London and playing at weekends in Hertfordshire.
Mr Stagg’s appointment as chairman coincides with his pending retirement from a senior managerial position within Salisbury District Hospital. 

Hampshire Cricket have awarded promising youngsters Scott Currie, Ajeet Dale and Tom Scriven extended Rookie contracts.
The trio, who all enjoyed breakthrough campaigns with competition debuts in 2020, have put pen-to-paper on new deals, keeping them at the club until at least the end of 2021.
Poole Town raised all-rounder Scott Currie, now with Bashley (Rydal), made his Hampshire debut in the Club’s 2020 Vitality Blast campaign, whilst also going on to feature in the inaugural Bob Willis Trophy, where he claimed three wickets on debut against Kent.
Currie also became the latest Hampshire youth player to go on to represent England’s Under 19 side in last winter's ICC Youth World Cup, having impressed as part of the triumphant Hampshire Second XI Championship side in 2019.
Fellow seamer Ajeet Dale is a graduate of Hampshire’s Academy and made his First-Class debut for Hampshire against Sussex in 2020’s Bob Willis Trophy. Dale, who possesses impressive pace, finished claimed four wickets in his two matches, ending his opening season with a handy first-class bowling average of 18.
Also a graduate of Hampshire’s youth system, Berkshire based Tom Scriven made his First-Class debut during this summer’s Bob Willis Trophy against Surrey, following his first appearance for the Club in a T20 fixture in 2018.
The all-rounder demonstrated his potential with both bat and ball during the competition, taking three wickets and striking his maiden half-century in the short campaign.
Giles White, Hampshire Director of Cricket, said: “Ajeet, Scott and Tom are three really exciting prospects for the future and they’ve all shown their potential this summer. This extension of their Rookie Contracts will aid their development, allowing them to continue their hard work over the next 12 months.”