Exciting Hampshire teenage prospect Tom Prest celebrates as his unbeaten 154 laid the foundations for England's 189-run victory over the UAE in St Kitts - a result which clinched top place in the qualifying group for next week's Super Eights in Antigua.  
Only Essex's Dan Lawrence has made a higher individual total for the England Under-19s, but Prest had to wait until the 12th over to get out to the middle as George Thomas (42) and Jacob Bethell (62) shared an opening stand of 69.
Prest, 18 from Wimborne Minster, had shown his form with 93 in the win over Canada last time out but he was not to be denied another century as he dominated the UAE’s attack from the off and shared half-century partnerships with Bethell and then James Rew (24).
When William Luxton, 47 off 45 balls, joined him at the crease, England were 182 for three in the 31st over but together they added 117 runs in just 92 balls.England climbed well past the 300-mark for the second game in succession despite the best efforts of Jash Giyanani, who was the pick of the bowlers with two for 60 from his ten overs.
The Young Lions’ total always looked like it would be a big ask to overhaul and the UAE were reeling when they were reduced to 61 for five in the 15th over, seamer Josh Boyden taking two wickets to take his tournament tally to ten. Ali Naseer’s counter-attacking 54 off 44 balls helped reverse some of the momentum as he put on 59 with Nilansh Keswani for the sixth wicket.
But when Nilansh departed, the last four wickets fell for 53 runs as leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed excelled on his first outing in the West Indies with four for 30 from his allotted ten overs. 
England dismissed the UAE for 173 to confirm their place as Group A winners as they progress to the Super League quarter-finals with their 100 percent record intact. 

Hampshire’s season will get underway when they host Somerset at The Ageas Bowl in the opening round of the LV= Insurance County Championship, starting on Thursday 7 April.
James Vince’s side will then travel to Surrey (14–17 April) and Kent (21–24 April) before returning to The Ageas Bowl to face Lancashire (28 April–1 May) and Gloucestershire (5–8 May). 
Hampshire Hawks’ Vitality Blast campaign begins with home matches under the lights against Middlesex (27 May) and Somerset (30 May). 
Two away matches follow before a blockbuster double header at The Ageas Bowl with the Southern Vipers on Saturday 4 June. Charlotte Edwards’ side will face the Northern Diamonds before the Hawks host local rivals Sussex Sharks in ‘el clasicoast’. 
In July, The Ageas Bowl plays host to two England Vitality IT20s against India (7 July) and South Africa (31 July) with both matches sold out. 
A home match against Worcestershire on Friday 5 August kicks off Hampshire’s Royal London Cup campaign with eight group matches across August. 
The business end of 2022 will see Hampshire face Northamptonshire (5 – 8 September) and Kent (20 – 23 September) at The Ageas Bowl before a potentially crucial last match of the County Championship season against current champions Warwickshire at Edgbaston (26 – 29 September). 
There is no county match earmarked for the Isle of Wight’s Newclose ground.

Hampshire teenager Tom Prest starred with bat and ball as England's youngsters clinched a place in the ICC Under-19 CWC 'Super Eights' in Antigua with an emphatic 116-run win over Canada at Warner Park, St Kitts.
Prest's innings was packed with innovative shots like the paddle and sweeps off seam bowlers. He crunched ten fours and looked all set for a century but was stopped by Canada leg-spinner Kairav Sharma, who got him lbw in the 37th over.  He hit a run-a-ball 93 as England piled up 320-7 and later took 3-38 with his off-breaks as Canada made 204 all out in reply.
England previously crushed 2019 winners Bangladesh and top the group with two big wins. Their next match is against the UAE.

Basingstoke & North Hants raised batsman Max Harsham has notched his first century in senior club cricket - in soaring temperatures in South Africa's Cape province.
Barely a week after arriving in Cape Town for the second half of the Western Province 'winter' season, Harsham strapped on his pads for the first time in over four months and promptly hit the first ton of his fledgling career.
The 23-year old, who spent his formative years as a junior at May's Bounty, was making his debut for the city's northern suburbs side Victoria, with temperatures touching the mid-nineties.
Harsham scored extactly 100, sadly in vain as Victoria's fell an agonising six runs short of Cape Town CC's 232-8 in a 50-over WPCA Premier Division match.
He batted all 50 overs of the Victoria innings, but the energy sapping heat gradually got the better of him and the side was only able to hit two boundaries in the last 15 overs of their reply.
Harsham punched his body in delight as he scampered a single to bring up his maiden 100.
"It was pretty demanding stuff. I've played a few games in the West Indies before, but never in heat like that.   It must have been touching on 100 fah in the morning, so fielding was gruelling as well," he explained.
"It got harder and harder to score runs as the day went on. It was disappointing we lost so narrowly. It was a great effort to get so close, but I've got to be pleased with the start I've made here and need to build on it."
Harsham last played for Basingstoke & North Hants in 2019, spending last summer with Bishopston, making five half-century plus scores for the Bristol side in Division 2 of the West of England Premier League.    
* Longparish product Billy Mead (29), who helped St Cross Symondians win the 2019 ECB Southern Premier Division title, was playing for Cape Town.  Hartley Wintney teenager Harry Broderick is playing for the club's second team. 

Hampshire have bolstered their batting ranks with the signing of Ben Brown following his departure from Sussex.
Brown, 33, adds experience and ability to the Hampshire middle order, bringing 8,649 first-class runs and an average above 40 with him to the Ageas Bowl.
He joins on all-format terms but it is in the red-ball arena where his impact is likely to be felt most keenly.
Among the most talented first-class wicketkeeper-batsmen on the circuit, and an ardent fan of four-day County Championship cricket, he is expected to start his time at his new club in a specialist batting role, while offering competition for the gloves to Lewis McManus. 
Brown, who has signed a two-year contract, has never been picked by England but is one of the most consistent performers in the county game.
He was not short of options after choosing to leave Sussex in the autumn, though a combination of Hampshire's chances of challenging for the Championship title, Division One cricket, an admiration of the coaching staff at the Ageas Bowl, and the fact the move would not mean uprooting his young family from their Hove home all factored into his final decision. 
"I looked at it holistically and it looked like a really good fit at the moment," he told The Cricketer.
"I'm probably a bit old school. Championship cricket is, for me, everything. I've always wanted to win the Championship: that’s my primary goal going to Hampshire.
                                                                                       Qualities
"You should always target playing international cricket and hopefully those goals always drive your standards. Whether you get there or not is sometimes outside your control."
Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said: "He brings many qualities and has a particularly impressive red-ball record; we are confident he’ll be a great addition to the squad."
The 2022 season will be Brown's first as a professional away from Sussex.
He asked to be released from his contract despite it still having two years left to run, having been replaced as captain by Tom Haines midway through the 2021 campaign.
Brown is a fine wicketkeeper and will compete for the gloves with Lewis McManus
Sussex reasoned that a young captain needed to be given the chance to bed in and develop at the same rate as the youthful project under way at Hove.
Just one of a host of senior players to leave the club over the course of the past three years, Brown continued to perform for his former team despite being stripped of the captaincy, averaging 64.4 in 11 innings after losing the responsibilities.
Across 2021, he averaged 51.36, scoring 976 runs in 12 games. No one in the country scored more than his four first-class centuries.
Sussex's loss is Hampshire's gain, with Brown joining a batting unit which also includes James Vince, Nick Gubbins, Joe Weatherley, Liam Dawson and McManus. 
Building nicely ahead of the new season, the county are now perhaps a heavyweight opener away from fielding a top seven which can stay the course in pursuit of a first Championship crown since 1973.

Hampshire teenager Tom Prest helped himself to a quick fire 91 as England ran up an enormous 359-7 in their pre-ICC Under-19 CWC warm-up match against Papua New Guinea in St Kitts.
Prest, who will captain in the tournament, hit two sixes and eight fours, scoring his 91 off 77 balls. Papua New Guinea were dismissed for 78.
​England have not won the tournament since 1998 but have a chance to prove their credentials from the off against defending champions Bangladesh on Sunday. 
England will also face Canada and United Arab Emirates in Group A and captain Tom Prest is confident they can make a run at the title.
“Obviously, we’ve come over here with the intention of winning the tournament. That’s kind of our ultimate goal as a side,” he said.
“We’ve had good run outs against West Indies and Sri Lanka in the summer series in England and then we went out to Sri Lanka before Christmas in December.  
“We’ve had good experience against some good quality international sides, so it will be a great experience for us all to play against more opposition, top-class players from all around the world. Hopefully we can come out on top. 
“It would be amazing to win. To even be at a global tournament, at a World Cup is a great feeling for all of us. I think to win the tournament as well would be an unbelievable feeling for all of us.” 

South Wilts teenage fast bowling prospect Josh Croom produced his winter season's best bowling figures of 4-37 to help his adopted Adelaide club Glenelg reach the semi-finals of South Australia's West End 50-over cup.
The 19-year old left-arm quick from Stratford-under-Castle is spending a second winter in Darren Lehmann's Cricket Academy and took over 30 wickets there in 2020/21.
By his own admission, Croom has yet to reproduce the form that earned him a regular slot in Glenelg's first grade side last year.
"It’s been a tough few weeks previously, being out of form with the ball. So, it’s always a great feeling to get back on track and find my feet again," he explained.
"I can’t thank our coach and my team-mates enough for their support and faith they have shown in me through the good and bad times. 
"The last few games not delivering with the ball has certainly tested me mentally when all you want to do is take wickets and show that you’ve contributed to winning games for Glenelg."
But, having played a key role alongside Australia Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey in winning a pre-Christmas game with the bat for Glenelg - Croom hit a crucial 17 not out to get side his across the line against Northern Districts - the South Wilts left-armer finally came good with the ball.
With 2017 South Wilts overseas batsman Jake Winter hitting 100, Glenelg posted a formidable 287-5 before Croom took his 4-37, ripping out four of the Southern Districts top six.
"Two were caught behind, one on the boundry and another at mid-wicket, so a very happy start to the new calendar year," Croom smiled.
"There were plenty of positives to take from Saturday and I have full-backing that we can keep the momentum going."

​Eight promising young cricketers, four of them selected from locally based clubs, are included in Hampshire’s new Academy intake for the 2022 season.
Six of them are new kids on the block at the Ageas Bowl, which will continue to host the Academy’s ECB Southern Premier Division matches on the Nursery ground, starting against Havant on May 7.
Two remain from last year, Winchester-based all-rounder Dom Kelly and top-order batsman/wicketkeeper Charlie Mumford, from Bedford School.
They are joined by six newcomers, Ethan Baker, Tommy Cheater, Joe Eckland, Eddie Jack, Max Simpson, and Jude Wright, the squad having begun winter training a month or so ago.
The Academy aims to identify and develop outstanding cricketers capable of performing at the highest level for Hampshire and England. 
Most recently, Toby Albert, Scott Currie and Tom Prest have progressed from academy ranks to play for Hampshire, with Prest shortly to skipper England U nder-19s in the ICC Youth World Cup in the Caribbean.
At 2021 Vitality Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston, nine of the 11 players that took to the field for Hampshire were produced from the Academy. 
                                                                                          Millfield
Two of the latest Academy in-take – Joe Eckland and Dom Kelly – are coached by former Hampshire 2nd XI cricketer Mark Garaway at Millfield.
“Eckers (Eckland) is in the Upper Sixth and has really kicked on in the past 12 months, displaying a really professional attitude to training which has enabled him to turn good looking 30’s into match influencing scores. 
“He is part of a four-keeper training group who are of similar level here at Millfield. They train so hard together and push each other on magnificently. 
“It’s a real “wicket keeping hothouse” of talent. I enjoy working with them all.
“Dom is still in his GCSE year and has worked diligently on his physical capacity and bowling technical work which would hopefully see him injury free in 2022. 
“His batting has moved on at an accelerated rate in the past 12 months and he is regularly influencing matches with Millfield, the Hampshire age group squads and the Academy. Potentially, a top all- rounder.”
Charlie Mumford caught Hampshire’s eye in the 2019 ECB Bunbury Festival and in the past two seasons has underlined his qualities, both as a top order right-hand batsman and a wicketkeeper.
He played in last season’s ECB Super Four regional tournament from which England’s U19 World Cup squad was selected.

 Leg-spinner Ethan Baker, all-rounders Tommy Cheater and Jude Wright and paceman Max Simpson are all from local Southern Premier League clubs.
Baker, in his GCSE year at Hounsdown School in Totton, has weaved his magic for Bashley (Rydal) for the past two seasons and, growing in stature, has been a regular pick for Hampshire’s junior age group sides.
Also Totton based, Cheater has emerged in the past two seasons, with his powerful hitting and right-arm seam bowling a major influence as Totton & Eling carried off last summer’s Division 1 title.
Jude Wright, from Churcher’s College, Petersfield, joins the Hampshire Academy as an U17 after an excellent breakthrough 2021 season for Alton.
An elegant batter with a high bowling trajectory, he often captained Hampshire’s age group sides, scoring a century in one county match at Winchester College.
Seam bowler Max Simpson has emerged from the Hook & Newnham Basics cadets and helped the club’s second team win successive promotions.  He been in the Hampshire pathway from a very young age and is developing nicely.
                                                                                          Impressive
Opening bowler and middle order batter, Eddie Jack is the latest Canford School pupil to join the Academy after Felix Organ and Tom Prest in recent years. 
Jack enjoyed an impressive summer and was made captain of the South & West team at the ECB Bunbury Festival. 
Charlie Freeston, Hampshire Cricket Head of Player Development, said: “It’s fantastic to welcome six new promising young players to the Hampshire Academy. 
“The aim of the Academy is to help players achieve their goals of playing cricket for Hampshire and England. 
“It’s the vehicle that hopes to turn potential into high quality and our job is to develop these young players, both on and off the cricket field.”
In recent years Tom Prest, Toby Albert and Scott Currie are the latest young players to break into the 1st XI, joining other former Academy graduates such as Joe Weatherley, Tom Alsop and Lewis McManus, all playing regularly alongside international players Liam Dawson, James Vince and Mason Crane.
Hampshire Academy Full Squad: Dom Kelly (U16), Ethan Baker (U16), Eddie Jack (U16), Tom Cheater (U17), Jude Wright (U17), Max Simpson (U18), Joseph Eckland (U18), Charlie Mumford (U18).

Hambledon’s ‘cradle of cricket,’ as we know it today, is to host a special New Year’s Day 250th anniversary match at Broadhalfpenny Down on Saturday January 1 2022 to launch a season of celebrating two and half centuries of First-Class cricket.
In the 18th Century, Broadhalfpenny Down was home to the legendary Hambledon Club, then the acknowledged authority on the Laws of Cricket, and was the location of the inaugural First Class cricket match in 1772 between Hampshire and an All-England team.
The picturesque ground, next to the Bat and Ball pub, was responsible for the development of new techniques and the laws of cricket, from the addition of a third stump to the size of the bat.
The Chairman of the charitable trust that now looks after the ground, Mike Beardall, said: “We hold the unique honour of starting the journey of First Class cricket in 1772 with a famous ‘grand match’ so now, 250 years on, we want to commemorate and celebrate this significant historical event by holding diverse and inclusive cricketing events throughout the year.”
Weather permitting, tomorrow will only be the third time that the ground has seen play on New Year's Day. The Broadhalfpenny Brigands will play the Hampshire Huskies, an invitational team of local club cricketers in a 20-over match starting at noon.
Among the participants are Havant father and son combo Peter and Matty Hayward, Portsmouth chairman Rick Marston, Hambledon brothers Chris and Jonny Pratt, Huw Turbevill (Editor of The Cricketer magazine) and Rory Tennant, son of the famed Times cricket correspondent. 

Relegated Alton face potentially the toughest possible test with an away match against National Village Cup winners Calmore Sports in the opening round of Southern Premier Division 1 fixtures on May 7 2022.
Calmore ruled the roost in cup ties at Loperwood Park this summer on the way to lifting the coveted trophy at Lord’s in September.
Traditional red ball cricket will continue to be played in Division 1 next season, a bid to introduce a ‘white ball’ element in the game for half the programme having narrowly failed to get sufficient votes at last month’s SPL AGM.
Sparsholt, who strongly opposed the plan, launch their SPL1 challenge with a tasty visit from old foes Portsmouth at the Norman Edwards Ground, while Ripsley Park hosts the Liphook & Ripsley-Rowledge derby.  Promoted Ventnor go to New Milton, while Basingstoke & North Hants host Sarisbury Athletic at Mary’s Bounty.
Hambledon, who dominated Division 3 cricket this summer, face a stern SPL2 baptism when Fair Oak come to Ridge Meadow.  There are three derby matches at Fawley, who receive Bashley (Rydal) II, Hook & Newnham Basics II (Hartley Wintney), and OTs & Romsey (relegated Andover).  Waterlooville go to St Cross Symondians.
Hampshire League runners-up Sway make their Premier 3 debuts at Gosport Borough, with county winners Havant II hosting Portsmouth & Southsea.  Langley Manor, Paultons and Purbroook all begin at home.
The Southern Premier League fixtures are via Fixtures - Southern Premier Cricket League (southernpremierleague.co.uk)

The 2022 ECB Southern Premier League season is set for a blockbuster launch with champions South Wilts hosting runners-up St Cross Symondians in the opening round of fixtures at Bemerton on May 7.
South Wilts completed the double over their arch Winchester rivals this summer, emerging victorious after two compelling matches.  St Cross were league champions in 2019.
Spearheaded by a league best 6-40 return by Matt Burton, South Wilts looked as though they would steamroller St Cross when, responding to 203 all out, Symondians sank to 84-9 – only to be revived by a remarkable century tenth-wicket partnership between Ed Ellis and Matt Haworth, which narrowed the visitors’ margin of victory to a mere 12 runs.  St Cross Symondians were eventually 191 all out. 
The return match at Bemerton in early August, typically affected by rain, was also in the balance, South Wilts winning by three wickets having slipped to 133-6 chasing an adjusted 165-7 run target.
May 7 is the first of four initial rounds of 50-over 'white ball' cricket in which South Wilts will entertain Hook & Newnham Basics in between visits to Lymington and Bournemouth.  St Cross entertain promoted Totton & Eling on May 14 before playing Havant and Burridge.
Round 1 also throws up a tasty early season New Forest derby between Bashley (Rydal) and Lymington at the BCG, while Hook & Newnham Basics make the long haul to Bournemouth, the Hampshire Academy receive Havant, and Burridge go to Southern Gardens to play Division 1 winners Totton & Eling.
Nine rounds of all-day 'time' cricket are inked in to start on June 4, with South Wilts hosting Bashley (Rydal).   50-over matches resume on August 6.
* South Wilts'  club captain James Hayward has received the perfect Christmas present with the arrival of a baby daughter.  Another boost for the club's growing girls' section !

Teenage Hampshire all-rounder Tom Prest has been picked to captain England in next month's ICC Under-19 World Cup in the Caribbean.
The 19-year old Canford educated top order batsman and emerging off-spin bowler will lead England in the qualifying round matches against defending champions Bangladesh, Canada and the UAE in St Kitts and, hopefully, into the Super Eights in Antigua.   The tournament begins on January 16.
Prest, who lives in Wimborne, recently returned from playing for England U19s against Sri Lanka in Colombo.   Picture Dave Vokes.

Denis Emery is to step down as Hampshire Cricket League chairman after six years in the hot seat.
The sprightly 73-year old, one of the county's best known sporting officials, will leave the post at the league's annual meeting next February.
Philip Wilson, who has been vice-chairman for the past 14 years, will retire with him.
With no succession plan in place and no one from the existing Management Committee keen to step up, the HCL is now seeking nominations for the two key positions.
"I'm only too happy to have a chat with anyone interested in succeeding Philip and myself," Emery clarified.
"We are fortunate to have an excellent committee, thoroughly experienced in cricket management."  
Emery, a real sportaholic, stepped into the breach in August 2016 - the league, at that time the country's largest recreational competition, having been without a chairman for since Ian Millington stepped down the previous March. 
A retired policeman with a deepening concern for Newcastle United,, Emery is well known in local sport, having played cricket for many years as a seam bowler for Ampfield, alongside several other clubs in the Romsey area.
He plans to continue umpiring on the county Second XI circuit and more specifically in the Southern Premier League, where he is appointments secretary.
Equally active in soccer circles, Emery will also continue as the Wessex Football League Registration Secretary, a position he has held for over two decades. 
Reflecting on his decision, Emery said: "I have decided to stand down having completed what I set out to do six years ago.
"That included the introduction of shorter length games,  providing more flexibility with  ground accreditation standards so teams can be promoted out of the regional divisions, and cutting down travel times to matches.  There is now majority voting in place at annual meetings. 
"Philip, who deserves a rest after a 14-year stint as vice-chairman, and I can do no more than hand over to others who have plans for the future of the Hampshire Cricket League. 
"The pandemic has made it difficult for all of us over the past two years, but we have managed to get cricket played again, with a full programme in 2021."
Nominations for the positions of HCL chairman and vice-chairman should be forwarded to league secretary Anne Carter - anne.carter@hantscl.com - by December 31 2021, certified by the Chairman and Secretary of two member clubs.  

Teenage Hampshire prospect Tom Prest bowled England Under-19s to a 48–run win over Sri Lanka in the final Youth International in Colombo, rightly being named Man of the Match after celebrating a career-best 6-41 return.
Like the majority of his England team-mates, the 18-year old Wimborne youngster found it difficult to impress with the bat in spin friendly conditions at the SSC Test ground and bagged his second duck in five ODIs, making only 44 runs in the five-match series.
But when England defended 215-8, Prest came into his own with the ball, taking a wicket with his very first ball as he opened the Young Lions’ attack.
England, beaten 3-2 in the five-match rubber, continued to take wickets at regular intervals, Prest clean bowling three of his last four victims, alongside getting two leg before verdicts and having another batsman caught.  Sri Lanka fell to 166 all out, Prest grabbing the last four wickets.
Prest, who took 2-36 when England won the opening match of the series, will now return to Hampshire’s winter training at the Ageas Bowl before packing his bags for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in January, where he is expected to captain the England side.
England have been paired against defending champions Bangladesh, Canada and the UAE in the qualifying rounds, with all three matches to be played at Warner Park in St Kitts, starting on January 16. If England finish first or second in the group, they will progress to the Super Eight competition in Antigua.

He spent a summer piling up the runs for Ventnor but now Travis Head is putting England's bowlers to the sword in The Ashes.
The 27-year-old left hander had a season at Steephill in 2013, when he topped the Southern Premier League batting charts with 733 runs.
Overnight he hit a scintillating unbeaten 112 for Australia in Brisbane and went on to make 152, including four sixes and 14 boundaries, as the Aussies posted 425 all out, having earlier dismissed England for a dismal 147.
After his successful season on the Island, he went on to play county cricket for Yorkshire and Sussex, where he will be captain in 2022.
This innings was his third test century and the third fastest in Ashes history.
Ventnor's other international cricketers include the Island's Danny Briggs (England) and New Zealander Cole McConchie.

Are you thinking about taking up Umpiring? Perhaps you need to stand for a while in a match where umpires have not been appointed, it might be that you feel that you are better suited to the role than some other umpires, or perhaps you just want to know more about the great game of cricket and how it is managed.
Hampshire Association of Cricket Officials will be running a Stage 1 Umpire Course at South Wonston Village Hall, Downs Road, South Wonston, Winchester SO21 3EW, on Sunday 16 January 2022 starting at 9:00, The course will cost £30 .
​Places on the course can be booked using the following link https://booking.ecb.co.uk/d/t8q057

St Cross Symondians raised Hampshire all-rounder Felix Organ has agreed to extend his Ageas Bowl contract until the end of next season.
The 22-year old from Winchester made his first-class debut against Middlesex in September 2017 before signing his first professional deal with the county in 2018.
"I'm ecstatic to have another year here and excited to see what I can hopefully bring to the team and how I can improve," Organ said. "I want to be in the team consistently and push to be in the T20 side."
The right-handed batter and off-break bowler made six County Championship appearances last season, scoring more than 200 runs in the lower order and taking eight wickets as Hampshire came close to winning their first title since 1973.
He also impressed in seven One-Day Cup matches, top-scoring with 79 against eventual finalists Durham.
Organ won this past season’s batting award at St Cross Symondians, who finished runners-up to South Wilts in the ECB Southern Premier Division. South African all-rounder Michael Booth, currently studying at Durham University, was top bowler – and recently won a varsity boxing award. 
                                                                                      Whitman double
Jason Laney and skipper Dave Orchard scooped the second team batting and bowling awards but St Cross II, who repeatedly lost players to the first XI was relegated. 
The Chairman Andrew Burgess congratulated the Ladies First Team on winning the Hampshire Cricket League for the first time in their history as well as the girls second team in winning Division 3.
Schoolmaster Alan Whitman and Murad Hayat carried off the fourth and sixth team batting and bowling prizes, respectively.
Symondians’ fifth and sixth teams each won promotions in the Hampshire League regional divisions. 
St Cross Symondians 2021 trophy winners (batting first) - 
1st X1: Felix Organ, Michael Booth
2nd X1: Jason Laney, David Orchard
3rd X1: Ben Gould, Steve Fryer
4h X1: Alan Whitman, Alan Whitman
5th X1: Tommy Stillman, Andy Stickland
6th X1: Murad Hayat, Murad Hayat
Ladies 1st X1: Finty Trussler, P.J Watkins
Ladies 2nd X1: Caity Smith, Steph Trueman
Sunday XI: Charlie Preston.  Oliver Knight
Peter Cooper Cup for Young Player of the Year: Ben Foster
Mansell -Adams Trophy for Club Person of the Year: Colin Smith

Karl McDermott, guest at the Dorset Cricket Society's meeting at Hurn Bridge, Christchurch on Thursday afternoon (1.45pm), took an unlikely route to one of the top jobs in world cricket having been appointed head groundsman at Lord’s several years ago.
The 43-year-old Dubliner started a once-in-a-lifetime role, literally, after taking over from Mick Hunt who held the post for 49 distinguished years.
Yet as a youngster, McDermott was more interested in tennis and hockey and only a chance request from one of his teachers in Dublin set him on the path to the Home of Cricket.
“My maths teacher at school was the groundsman at my local cricket club, Clontarf. I didn’t play cricket, I knew nothing about it,” he explained.
“I was 14 and he was looking for a non-cricketer to give him a hand in the summer. I did it for a couple of hours a week, for five Irish pounds.
“And I sort of kept it up really, summer after summer, and the opportunity arose to step into his shoes when he’d had enough.
“Clontarf held C&G and NatWest Trophy matches so we always had one county over here pre-season. That gave me a bug for professional groundsmanship.
“We had a World Cup game in 1999, West Indies played Bangladesh, so that was probably to date my favourite moment of my career. And then to get into Test cricket was the challenge.”
McDermott spent 17 years at Clontarf before taking up a role at Hampshire in 2009, becoming head groundsman in 2016.
Three Test matches were held at the Ageas Bowl during that time, but the schedule at Lord’s is a little more hectic, as he will tell the DCS on Thursday afternoon. 
​The meeting is open to all cricket enthusiasts for £3.

A full review of dressing-room culture is part of a wide-ranging action plan to tackle discrimination and racism in cricket in England and Wales.
It has been issued following allegations made by Azeem Rafiq and a number of other players.
The five-point plan has "12 tangible actions", while the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has pledged £25m over five years.
The ECB will also form a new anti-discrimination unit within six months.
Last week, former Yorkshire spinner Rafiq told a Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee the English game is "institutionally racist".
Rafiq's allegations against the county have been echoed by former academy player Irfan Amjad and another anonymous player.
Jahid Ahmed, Maurice Chambers and Zoheb Sharif have also made claims about their time with Essex.
Sports minister Nigel Huddleston said the government could take the "nuclear option" of creating an independent regulator if the ECB does not "put its house in order" over racism.
"The last few weeks have been very, very tough," said ECB chief executive Tom Harrison. "It feels like an earthquake has hit us.
"Our game has been portrayed in the worst possible way in the world's media. Azeem's testimony and testimony from others has revealed serious issues which we have collectively not dealt with for many decades.
                                                                                             Listening
"There are clearly large numbers of people in the country who feel like cricket has not been there for them. This is our latest attempt to say we are listening and we are desperate to solve the problem."
The action plan, jointly published by the ECB, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Professional Cricketers' Association, 41 counties, women's regions and recreational network is described as a "game-wide response to discrimination".
The 12 actions each fall under one of the five points, as follows:
* Listen, care and educate - the setting up of of a standardised approach to handling complaints, promoting the aims of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket and providing all who work in cricket with ongoing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) education.
* Address dressing-room culture - publish a full review of dressing-room culture in all professional teams, reassess player and coach education.
* Remove barriers in the talent pathway - improve support for people from diverse backgrounds, identify talent from non-traditional backgrounds and take action towards reaching a minimum 20% gender diversity and appropriate level of ethnic diversity.
* Create welcoming environments for all - full-scale review into crowd behaviour at professional matches, ensure venues are welcoming to all faiths and cultures, upgrade education in recreational cricket.
*Publish localised action plans within six months - each organisation will deliver board diversity (30% female, representative ethnicity) by April 2022, adopt an anonymised recruitment tool for all senior roles, every senior executive in the game to have personalised EDI objectives.
Harrison could not confirm who will lead the review into dressing-room culture, which will look at every professional men's and women's team in the country.
ECB central funding could be withheld where EDI minimum standards are not met, the governing body said.

Aspiring South Wilts teenage pace bowler Josh Croom is spending a second winter Down Under in Darren Lehman's Cricket Academy in Adelaide and has already helped his adopted South Australia Grade club Glenelg to a notable victory - with the bat ! 
Croom hit a vital 18 not out as Glenelg got home by one wicket chasing down Northern Districts' 271 to pull off a second win in the West End two-day premier competition.
Arriving at the crease with Glenelg 247-8, he hit two boundaries during a tension fuelled match finale before applying the finishing touch to a run chase that had been underpinned by Australia ODI star Alex Carey, who made 155.
"Batting with an International player of Alex Carey's class was something else.  We only put on 13 runs for our partnership, but it certainly felt like a lot more with the amount of the two's we ran," Croom smiled.
"Alex is very quiet and calm when he bats but he made it clear to me that he’d take strike for the first four balls of the over and I’dCarey is very quiet and calm when he bats but he made it clear to me that he’d take strike for the first 4 balls of the over and I’ll face the last 2 balls. 
"When Carey got out, I decided to carry on from his role with the new batters coming in that I’d look to score as many as I can for the first 4 balls of the over and I’d give the new batter the last 2 balls to block. face the last two balls. 
"When he got out and we dropped to 260-9, I decided to carry on from Carey's role and got us across the line, but it was tense stuff." 
                                                                                     Cementing
Earlier in the match Croom send down a wicketless nine overs for 31 runs, having taken two wickets in the previous weekend's defeat by Grade champions Kenilworth.
The 19-year old left-armer from Stratford-sub-Castle made quite a name for himself in Adelaide cricket over the 2020/21 winter by taking 32 wickets and, most unusually for an English cricketer,  cementing a place in Aussie First Grade cricket.  
Refecting on his decision to spend a second winter in Australia, Croom said: "I was determined to come back to Adelaide after the Grade semi-final heartbreak last March. 
"Glenelg is a brilliant club with a very talented and experienced group of players. After how close we came in March, I’m determined to do all I can to help them win a flag this season.
"I’m doing the Darren Lehmann Academy again this year as I noticed a massive improvement in my game working with coaches that played first-class cricket in their time.
"All I want to do is keep getting better as a cricketer and the Glenelg and Darren Lehmann academy coaches helped me with that massively last winter.
                                                                                       Handicap
"I'm playing and training with Sheffield Shield cricketers all the time.  Alex Carey has over 80 International caps and he's in the same team as me." 
Despite his successes in South Australia, Croom has been unable to land a Hampshire contract - a broken foot soon after his return proving a serious handicap to his prospects.
But, on the face of it, that should be good news for South Wilts, the defending ECB Southern Premier League champions. 
"We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but for the time-being I’m doing all I can to put in performances for Glenelg and enjoy my cricket," Croom added.
Discussing his batting, Croom explained his regular net practices with Tim Cowley at South Wilts had helped him get into shape.
"I did plenty of work at South Wilts with Tim Cowley before flying over to Adelaide. 
"He’d always come and meet me at the nets when I had a day off training and would do drills and sidearm at me for a couple hours. I can’t thank him enough for the time he gave me."

The Southern Premier League is anticipating a return to normal service in 2022, with the ECB Premier Division back to its familiar split format of all-day 'time' and 50-over 'white ball' matches and traditional red ball cricket being played in Divisions 1, 2 and 3.
It means all-day cricket lunches and teas being back on the meal tables when play begins on Saturday May 7.  The final 18th round of SPL fixtures is on September 3.  
Time pennant matches in the Premier Division, which will occupy the normal nine-week slab of fixtures in mid-summer, will begin on June 4, with umpires calling 'play' at 11.30am.
All 50-over matches across the four divisions will begin at 12.30pm.
"The Management Committee has decided to reset all of the SPL playing conditions to what they were in the 2019 season, save applying Duckworth Lewis to rain affected matches across the board," explained SPL chairman Steve Vear MBE.
"We know there has been much debate in the past 18 months about whether teas should return. We also know that it is simply not possible to keep everyone happy, so for the time being, the status quo shall return.
"In terms of the future of our playing format, we are committed to conducting a formal and focussed playing survey at the end of the 2022 season."
The Hampshire League programme also begins on May 7 and concludes on August 27, one week earlier than the Premier League. 

The Southern Premier League’s second tier clubs will continue to play exclusively ‘red ball’ cricket in 2022 after a proposal by Alton to introduce a half-season ‘white ball’ element into matches was defeated by one vote at last night’s league annual meeting.
Relegated Alton wanted Division 1 clubs to play identical 50-over cricket to that in the ECB Premier Division, with nine games at the start and end of the 18-match season played with a white ball and using coloured clothing and black sightscreens.
The traditional red ball would be used in the middle part of the summer.
Six clubs backed Alton’s proposal, but with Calmore Sports, Sarisbury Athletic,  Sparsholt and Ventnor voting against, the Brewers’ plans just failed to get the necessary two-thirds majority.
Things could change in 2023 though as a change of rule approved last night means that a 51 per cent majority will be sufficient to carry proposals through in future.
The Duckworth/Lewis system will be used in rain affected matches in all four SPL divisions in 2022.

​Ian Gould retired from the ICC's panel of elite umpires in 2019, after standing in more than 250 international matches over a 13-year career. He has since written a book, My Life in Cricket, covering his time as a player for Middlesex, Sussex and England, his subsequent spell as a coach, and then the switch to umpiring. 
He is the Hampshire Cricket Society's guest at the Romsey Golf Club on Wednesday (2pm) when he will talk about his experiences as an umpire, the importance of building relationships along the way, and his hopes for the future. 
A superb afternoon's entertainment.

​Relegated from the ECB Premier Division at the end of the season, Alton are seeking to introduce 'white ball' 50-over cricket into Division 1 in 2022 and are lobbying clubs to back their proposal at Thursday's league AGM.
Brewers chairman Richard Myers points out: "We play in the Hampshire cricket pyramid and as such we feel that Division 1 should be playing at least some of the same cricket as the Division above i.e., the Premier Division
"All being well, the Premier Division will return to playing 50-over White Ball and Timed cricket in 2022, neither of which are being played in Division 1. This will make it harder for clubs who are promoted to the Premier Division when they arrive, as they will have to play 2 different types of cricket they don’t currently play.
​"We accept that it is unrealistic to expect to play exactly the same cricket at all levels but feel that as we are in a pyramid there should be a progression and White Ball is the natural one rather than Timed Cricket which would involve longer games and earlier start times.
"Also, by playing half the games White Ball and half Red Ball it achieves two things. 
"The aim of the pyramid in that any one being promoted to the Premier Division will have experienced White Ball in their promotion season, and any one being relegated from Division 1 will still have played Red Ball cricket in their relegation season.
                                                                                        Struggled
It also achieves the aim of the pyramid in that a side being promoted from Division 2 will still play half their games in Division 1 based on the games they were promoted on.
"If you revisit teams who have been promoted to the Premier Division in the past 15 years, it is circa two thirds who are relegated the following year. One reason may be that they have struggled to adapt to a different type of cricket on promotion, and currently it is now the whole season which is different not just the half (Timed Cricket) it was previously.
Alton feel it would freshen up Division 1  from the current 18 games of Red Ball 50 over Cricket, if half the games were played with a White Ball and half with a Red Ball.
Myers continued: "I’m certain that most players in the Premier Division would agree that the introduction of White Ball cricket there has freshened it up. The half and half season worked well last season and the games were different.
"There is also the possibility of creating a White Ball and Red Ball pennant, which would give Clubs more to play for as there is only one Club promoted.
"I’m aware that there is some anti feeling generated around this topic usually based on cost, but I honestly don’t believe these are insurmountable to give most players what they want."
"Cost areas are usually based around 2 areas:
Kit
Alton players own their own kit, which we bought at the time of the introduction to white ball cricket. The way we financed it was that we got a new kit sponsor for the coloured kit, (we managed to get 3 – one for the front, one above the name/number on the back and one for the sleeve) and used the first year of sponsorship to subsidise the players costs. Year 2 and 3 of the sponsorship has then provided additional income to the club.
Sight Screens
Having visited many grounds since the introduction of white ball cricket there have been several options used:
* Painting one side black – South Wilts I believe now do this
* Use of existing black germination sheets, which have been attached to the screens using clips – Alton have used this method as have South Wilts and Burridge
* Use of a thick black polythene which has been fixed to the screen – St Cross Symondians are one of a few that have done this
* Use of Black Gorilla tape onto one side of the sight screen – Bashley Rydal do this
None of the options above are particularly expensive and are relatively easy to achieve the desired effect.
"My understanding is that the Southern Premier League would likely look favourably on making the same £300 payment made to Premier Division Clubs if this change came in, but clearly would not pay to a club that has already received the initial payment through the Premier Division.
"I think that none of the above are really ‘showstoppers’ and most of the players I’ve spoken to and who have played White Ball Cricket have enjoyed the experience."
In 2022, Alton will play alongside Basingstoke & North Hants, Calmore Sports, New Milton, Portsmouth, Rowledge, Sarisbury Athletic, Sparsholt, Ventnor, and newly promoted Liphook & Ripsley, who have seconded the proposal. 
What do you think ? If you are a Division 1 cricketer, are you keen to play 'white ball' 50-over matches alongside the traditional 'red ball'' games ?  Email vimpscricket@gmail.com with your thoughts.  

CHARLOTTE Taylor’s meteoric rise has been recognised by the Cricket Society, which crowned her the best newcomer in the ECB’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy competition.
The former Arnewood School pupil’s performance for the Southern Vipers took many by surprise after she was called into the squad as a late injury replacement.
New Milton’s Taylor, whose father Steve is chairman of the Fernhill club, produced the performance of her life in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final, taking six wickets to lead her side to the title at Edgbaston.
Despite playing in only half of the tournament, she ended the competition as the leading wicket-taker, with 15.
Taylor attended the Cricket Society awards dinner at the Oval, where she collected her award from MCC president Clare Connor. The award ceremony centred on the 2020/2021 season, after Covid-19 forced the cancellation of last year’s function.
Taylor’s start was far from plain sailing after suffering a potentially career-ending cruciate ligament tear in 2017. After battling back to full fitness, she earned a recall by Hursley Park before Vipers’ coach and former England captain Charlotte Edwards called her up
She learned to play at New Milton in the U9 boys’ team, later joining Hursley Park ladies as a 14-year-old.
Article produced by kind permission of Lymington Times/New Milton Advertiser.