Hampshire's Toby Albert celebrated his maiden century in WACA Premier 1st Grade cricket when he made an unbeaten 106 for his adopted Perth club Joondalup at Wanneroo. 
​He faced 191 balls, and hit only six boundaries as his side totalled 265-5 in the only innings of the match, day one last weekend having been rained out.
South Wilts’ left-arm quick Josh Croom pulled up lame with a side strain during Glenelg’s recent West End SACA match against Port Adelaide and hasn’t bowled since.  
Also sidelined is exciting Hampshire prospect Tom Prest, who has broken his hand playing for Eastern Suburbs in New South Wales Premier cricket. He hopes to be back playing in the New Year.
Joe Weatherley has arrived in Adelaide to play for Woodville in the West End South Australia League.
Bashley (Rydal) left-armer Ben Fletcher took two top order Camberwell Magpies wickets to put his adopted Melbourne side Richmond on top in the Victoria Premier Division Second Grade, finishing with 2-16 off seven overs.  It was Fletcher’s second brace, the other coming against Fitzroy Doncaster.  Melbourne cricket continues to be hit by bad weather, with three of Fletcher’s six matches being rained off.
Team-mate Michael Porter has been similarly affected and had to resort to a fact finding visit to Melbourne’s tram museum on one his rain days. Playing for Brunswick in the city’s sub-district league, Porter made 28 in this weekend’s 87-run win at Plenty Valley.
It took Dan Cox, Lymington’s Isle of Wight based spin all-rounder, until November 12 before he even got a game in soggy Melbourne, having flown there in late September.
Playing for Middle Park in the heady heights of the eight-team South Bayside League second division, Cox’s side were rushed out for 56 and beaten by eight wickets by Bentleigh, but they drew their next game with the islander making 43 against Beaumaris.  Cox took 3-27 in this weekend’s 100-run defeat by Parkdale.

Three members of Alton’s championship winning side are included in the Southern Premier League’s Division 1 Team of the Year, finally announced after a lengthy selection debate.
Scott Myers and Dan Harris, each with over 700 runs, are among the six specialist batsmen picked, alongside South African Bash Walters, whose 39 wickets was the highest in Division 1.
Sri Lankan Dineth Thimodya, rumoured to be making a Ventnor return in 2023, fills the opening slot with Calmore left-hander Ben Johns, whose team-mate Liam Carty gets one of the spinner slots.  Martin Blackman’s remarkable 701-run season gets him a middle-order place.
Joe Oates, who stepped into the Basingstoke & North Hants captain’s shoes midway through the summer, has nailed one of the seam all-rounder spots.
Premier One Team of the Year –
* Dineth Thimodya (Ventnor): 966 runs and 26 wickets
Ben Johns (Calmore Sports): 850 runs
Dan Harris (Alton): 773 runs
Scott Myers (Alton): 705 runs and 19 wickets
Martin Blackman (Ventnor): 701 runs
Nathan Feltham (Sarisbury Athletic): 686 runs
Joe Oates (Basingstoke & North Hants): 496 runs and 21 wickets
Liam Carty (Calmore Sports): 35 wickets
* Bash Walters (Alton): 39 wickets
*Ronan DeGrussa (Sarisbury Athletic): 38 wickets
+ Ben Wish (Rowledge): 29 dismissals
Water boy: Oli Baker (Rowledge)

​* overseas player. + wicketkeeper.

Pat Pocock, who played for Surrey and England, will be the guest speaker at the Dorset Cricket Society at Christchurch FC, Hurn Bridge, on Thursday, 1.45pm, so please advise any friends who might be interested to provide a bumper audience. 
Past was a distinguished Surrey and England Cricketer whose career spanned the years from 1964 to 1986.An effective off-spinner he took 1607 first-class wickets –figures which contained an extraordinary spell of 7 wickets in 11 balls v Sussex in 1972. He was instrumental in Surrey’s successes in the County Championship in 1971 and the Nat West Trophy in 1982. He skippered the county in his final season. His 20 Tests for England (plus 1 ODI) were spread over the years between 1968 and 1985. His experiences in an era when England was very well-stocked with quality slow bowlers and Test selection was haphazard should make for a fascinating afternoon.
Coming soon !
Thursday 1 December: Rod Bransgrove ... Thursday 8 December: James Tomlinson.

Below par outfield marks over the past two summers have cost Hampshire Cricket League champions Compton & Chandler’s Ford promotion to the Southern Premier League in 2023.
Compton were eagerly anticipating the prospect of playing in Premier Division 3 next season after winning 14 of their 17 matches this past summer to be crowned County Division 1 champions.
Having only been promoted to the top flight of HL cricket in 2019, Compton have spent only the past two seasons in Division 1, finishing mid-table in 2021 and title winners this year, the 2020 campaign having been cancelled due to the covid epidemic.
But outfield marks for Compton’s Shepherds Lane ground – seven (out of ten in 2021) and only six this past summer – fell short of the minimum required under the Premier League’s accreditation scheme. Ground marks are made by visiting captains and panel umpires.
A disappointed Compton & Chandler’s Ford captain Alex Spearing commented: “It’s obviously very disappointing for everyone involved at the club to be denied promotion to the SPL. 
“We have worked hard over the last few years to develop the facilities, deliver a thriving junior section and a progressive club so to fall short by such a small margin on the outfield scores is tough to take. 
“It’s been a hard few weeks going through all the appeals but we now have some clarity from the Hampshire Cricket Board and are looking forward to working with them and getting the support from the Premier League so we can get the accreditation sorted. 
                                                                                            Prominent
“We already had plans to keep improving the facilities and are working closely with the football club to get the outfield scores up. For now though it’s about making sure we deliver on the pitch again and defend our title in 2023.”
Premier League chairman Steve Vear added: “It is always disappointing when we are not able to grant accreditation - especially to clubs that are as prominent in the local area as Compton and Chandlers Ford. 
“That said, our accreditation requirements only updated in 2021 and re-validated by our membership to ensure we maintain the standards expected of a premier league club. Once Compton’s marks are consistently hitting the required levels, we will look forward to awarding the required accreditation level to be able to welcome them into the SPCL
Being denied promotion for failing to meet Premier League accreditation requirements is not unique to Compton & Chandler’s Ford, Parley winning Hampshire League championship in 2019 and finishing runners-up two years later, only to find their playing facilities were not up to scratch.  Only now, with ground marks having improved and upgrades to the West Parley pavilion scheduled, have they been allowed up.
Fareham & Crofton, who finished third in HL Division 1 this season 45 points behind Compton, join Parley in Premier Division 3 in 2023.

Andover teenage talent Sam Ashman has been named Hampshire Under-15 Player of the Year – and awarded a place on the Ageas Bowl academy.
He is pictured with the Peter Lewin Memorial Trophy awarded annually to the top county Under-15 player.
He made over 600 runs in Hampshire Pathway cricket this past summer – one innings of 140 against Sussex at Horsham was particularly outstanding – and played a significant role in Andover’s successful Southern Premier League campaign, scoring 547 runs at average of 36.47.  He made a century at Bashley (Rydal) and three other scores of fifty or more.
Andover finished runners-up behind Hambledon and will return to SPL1 cricket next season, having been relegated at the end of 2021.
Ashman, who is also a talented youth footballer on Swindon Town’s books, will play for the Hampshire Academy in the ECB Southern Premier Division in 2023.  He has already begun intense winter training at the Ageas Bowl. 
Andover’s Matt Hooper was delighted with Ashman’s award. “Sam is a cracking lad and has shown a maturity beyond his years. He has been a standout performer for Andover, despite being of such a young age and doing one of the hardest jobs in cricket, opening the batting. 
“He’s been dominating for us and we are pleased he’s taken this form into his county youth cricket. This award is richly deserved for his skill, hard work and dedication, we are delighted for him.”

​Southern Premier League Division 1 clubs have narrowly voted to ditch traditional red ball cricket in favour of using a white ball and wearing coloured kit for their 50-over matches in 2023.
A proposal for the second tier of the competition to go ‘white’ got a 6-4 majority vote from the ten SPL1 clubs at last night's annual general meeting.
‘White ball’ cricket for is for all 18 matches throughout the summer, with clubs receiving a £300 grant from the SPL to offset the cost of buying coloured cladding/stockings for pads.  Players will not be allowed to wear white pads in matches.
Season-long 'white ball' cricket will only be for Division 1. The ECB Premier Division will continue with a mix of 50-over/all-day 'time' matches using white and traditional cricket balls.  Division 2 and 3 will continue to use a red ball in their limited-over games. 
                                             Cladding: www.cricket-hockey.com/en/clads-4-batting-pads​
The Southern Premier and Hampshire League are scheduled to commence on May 6 next year, but the start date coincides with the coronation of King Charles III, which could have an impact on fixture planning and start times.  Both league are awaiting clarification from the ECB on a start date.

​​Andy Barnes walked through the gates of Priory Park in 1962, aged 16 years. What has followed is 60 years of playing and serving a Club with nothing but his total commitment.
Few people are so synonymous with a club across the County than Andy (or ‘Boss’ as he is affectionally known) is with Chichester Priory Park Cricket Club.
Six decades on, the Priory Park stalwart has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sussex cricket in recognition of his enormous contribution to the recreational game in the county.
During this time, he played and captained every XI in the Club, scored well in excess of 10,000 runs (including 2,796 first Eleven Sussex league runs) and taken over 300 wickets. He has been the instigator of junior cricket, instrumental in starting 4th and 5th Elevens and has been passionate about helping others enjoy the game of cricket. He wants to give everyone a chance to enjoy the game he loves.
A double England Seniors international at cricket and hockey – he skippered England 70s in Australia several winters ago - many will also know Andy from his exploits on the County Senior circuits, none more so than his Hampshire counterparts whom he has put to the sword on numerous occasions. He has now played more than 200 matches in Sussex Senior Over 50, 60 and 70 teams. Scored over 6300 runs, taken 78 wickets and 50 catches. Quite extraordinary numbers.
His work off the field has included Club President for 6 years, committee member for more years than anyone can count, a driving force behind Fundraising for the Club including Real Ale and Jazz Festival and umpteen Cricket Week Lunches.  
His energy has no bounds and as his time at the Family’s Sports Shop ‘Game Set and Match’ has slowed down, he has taken on more volunteering roles for the Club. This year he taken on responsibility for rolling the Goodwood pitches and Umpiring for the Second Eleven.
It is fully appropriate to mention his life partner in all of this, his lovely wife Jan.  No one has possibly done more for Chichester cricket over this period apart from Jan herself. Her roles have included Chairperson, Membership and Safeguarding, Fundraising, organising social events and countless years of scoring. She continues to serve the Club and can be found on a Saturday afternoon scoring for our 5th Eleven.
Andy’s passion for Sport and service to the local sporting community has no boundaries and when he is not on a cricket ground, he is at a Hockey pitch. An incredible sportsman he has represented both Cricket and Hockey at senior (over 60 and over 70s) international level. He works equally hard each winter coaching junior and senior teams and remains a driving force behind Chichester Hockey. 
He will tell you that he has been blessed with his talents (a high elbow at its core) which have allowed him to travel the world and make wonderful friends. 
Chichester Cricket and Hockey are honoured and extremely fortunate that Andy walked through those gates 60 years ago.

​Hampshire’s Tom Prest has notched his maiden half-century on Australian soil.
The exciting Wimborne-based batsman, who captained England to last year’s ICC Under-19 World Cup final in the West Indies, is spending a so far rain affected winter in Sydney.
He is playing New South Wales Premier first grade crcket for Eastern Suburbs, whose famous Waverley ground – where Australia’s David Warner grew up and Sir Geoffrey Boycott and the late Tony Greig played in the past - is little more than a six-hit from Bondi Beach.
Prest made his mark when he scored 55 (one six and five fours) as Eastern Suburbs posted 375-9 declared and then took two wickets, besides pouching a catch, when the University of NSW replied.
But his efforts were to little avail as an unbeaten double century by New South Wales and Sydney Thunder left-hander Matthew Gilkes swept the UNSW to a five-wicket victory.

Burridge stalwart Gerry Candy is the first recipient of Southern Premier League's Tony Baker Unsung Hero award, which will sit nicely alongside the prestigious NatWest OSCA Lifetime Achiever Award he collected from the England & Wales Cricket Board in February 2019.
Now a sprightly 84-years of age, Gerry was a founder figure and past captain of Burridge, having played a significant role in the club’s rise from the regional division basement of the Hampshire League to become an ECB Southern Premier League cricket side.
Some 40 years ago, he was a prime mover behind Burridge’s purchase of farmland and the establishment of their home on the eastern banks of the River Hamble. 
Since then, he has managed the grounds that have allowed the club to develop and flourish.  It has been his tireless effort and commitment that has taken BCC from a village team to the pinnacle of cricket in the county.
Gerry Candy is the heartbeat of Burridge, there seven days a week and on occasions 16 hours a day. From dawn to dusk throughout the summer months, he is preparing strips, mowing, moving boundary ropes, sight screens and covers and then locking up at the end of the day.
He continues to be almost irreplaceable and a worthy recipient of the inaugural Tony Baker Unsung Hero award which will be presented annually, in memory of the late Tony Baker, the former Hampshire Chief Executive and Old Tauntonians all-rounder, who died in 2017 having dedicated his life to cricket and was massively involved in club and county cricket in Hampshire.

Hampshire all-rounder James Fuller addressed the Dorset Cricket Society and provided members with a lively and interesting afternoon.
James was born in South Africa, but his family moved to New Zealand when he was only two. A keen cricketer, his English father was the route to a British passport, which led him to this country to play county cricket. He initially joined Gloucestershire before moving on to Middlesex where the lure of playing at Lords was the great attraction, to say nothing of the lunches.
He told of the unwanted record of conceding 38 runs off a single over in a T20 quarter final, but also of the upsides of cricket in winning the Royal London Cup in 2015 and playing a part in Middlesex winning the County Championship in 2016. He was invited to join the England Lions tour to the UAE, though the following season was wrecked by an elbow injury which needed surgery.
For Hampshire he has played a role as a back-up bowler, after the likes of Abbott and Abbas have performed and as a very dangerous late-order batsman, usually coming in around number 9 in the order. He has also proved very effective in limited over and T20 games and was voted the players Player of the Year in 2022. 
Future Meetings
Thursday 10th November Robin Brodhurst will be speaking about his grandfather, Harry Altham, who played for Hampshire back in the 1920’s, but was also President of Hampshire, Treasurer of MCC and also President of MCC. Robin is an author in his own right, having edited letters between his grandfather and Don Bradman, amongst other books.

WINCHESTER KS, pictured at North Walls in 1994, with Mike Rose back row, far right, and left pictured scoring with Phil Green for Solent University.
​
Mike Rose, an incredibly dedicated, likeable and conscientious scorer for Hyde Ramblers, Winchester KS and Solent University, as well as many representative sides, has closed his scorebook for the final time.
He died this weekend having not been in the best of health for several years.
A hard hitting batsmen with Flamingo in his playing days – he never really favoured the defensive shot out of the coaching manuals – he was forced to retire prematurely through illness, but continued his love and devotion for cricket from the scorebox for well over four decades.
When he wasn’t actually at matches, Mike devoted his time to compiling comprehensive statistics for the old Southern League and was left to regret that, in the embryo days of the early seventies, official result sheets were never printed. Despite exhaustive efforts in tracking down old club scorebooks, the early SL records were never 100 per cent complete. A great shame.
Mike retained his involvement in the SPCL results and stats process right up to the end, loading the 2022 T20 Cup and Plate final scorecards on to Cricket Statz, the Premier League’s official database. “He was a huge help to me every match weekend, often spotting errors and inconsistencies in scorecards before I had had a chance to look myself,” reflected Premier League statistician Stephen Jones.
“Over the last few years, despite his declining health, he was very keen to pass on all of his expertise and stats details, and following a clean up we performed during the first Covid lockdown, the League stats remain in rude health.”

A service to celebrate Mike's life will take place at 1:45pm on Wednesday 23rd November at Wessex Vale Crematorium. Family flowers only, donations if you wish to National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS). These can be made online at www.mike-rose.muchloved.com c/o Wessex Funeral Services 02380 371677.

A month ago today, Bashley (Rydal) batsman Michael Porter flew to Melbourne to spend the entire winter playing for Brunswick in Victorian sub-district cricket.
Four weeks on and the 26-years old has yet to get his bat out of his kit bag such as has been the appalling wet weather in Australia’s eastern states which has led to the initial three rounds of grade cricket in both Melbourne and Sydney being washed out without a ball being bowled.
“It’s all very frustrating,” Porter said. “The weather here has been terrible and appears likely to last a while longer yet.
“There’s a rain bearing weather system named La Nina which has lodged itself across the eastern states and, if the long-range forecast is correct, will remain over us for a few weeks yet.
“Fortunately, we’ve managed to have two or three midweek training sessions, but then along comes the rain and we are washed out again.”
Desperate to occupy his time, Porter has joined a local gym – he confesses it’s the first time since days on the Hampshire Academy he’s done any serious fitness work – and has taken up squash.
“Brunswick organized an inter-club tournament, which I managed to win, so that at least has been a bonus. 
“The club has been very welcoming and the other English guys I’m sharing accommodation with have been great.  But its not much fun when you get up every morning with rain belting against the bedroom window,” he added.
Porter kept a low profile watching England lose to the Irish in midweek, but as can be seen from the photograph of the flooded net practice area at Brunswick, is unlikely to get any Grade cricket again this weekend. 
Lymington offie Dan Cox is in a similar predicament and has yet to non his whites.

Two previous ECB Southern Premier League cricketers, Craig Ervine and Ryan Burl helped Zimbabwe beat Scotland by five wickets in Hobart and qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup Super 12s.
Ervine top scored with 58 and Burl hit the winning boundary as Zimbabwe chased down Scotland's 132-6 with nine balls to spare.   First up in the Super 12s is a showdown with Big Brother, South Africa on Tuesday.
Ervine had a brief three-match spell with Lymington in 2012, making a duck on debut against St Cross Symondians - Matt Perry-Lewis took 8-42 (why not ask him about it ?) - before scoring 46 not out against the Hampshire Academy and 18 in the win over Ventnor at Newclose.  
Burl spent the next three seasons in the SPL while at Solent University, initially with South Wilts then Sarisbury Athletic. 
Across the Tasman Sea, James Hartshorn is back in action for Wellington Firebrands after dislocating his shoulder in Lymington's final match of the season. He only took two wickets  but hit the winning boundary in a dramatic last gasp win over Northern Districts at the Basin Reserve.  

The Hampshire and Dorset Cricket Societies have launched their autumn guest speaker programmes in some style, with retired MCC Chief Executive Roger Knight addressing the HCS and current AFC Bournemouth soccer chairman Jeff Mostyn taking at Dorset's opening session this week. Both were superb.
So, who's coming next ?
Next Wednesday (October 26 at 2pm), former England assistant coach Paul Farbrace, who recently stepped down as Warwickshire's sport director, will speak to the Hampshire Cricket Society at the Romsey Golf Club (where excellent lunches are available).
Dorset's next main event is on Thursday 3 November when former Hampshire left-arm pace bowler James Tomlinson, now the county's Youth Pathway Director, will be on stage at the Christchurch FC, Hurn Bridge, 1.45pm.
Both Societies have attracted a good number of new members and will be delighted to welcome even more.  Just come along and join up. Guaranteed to be enjoyable ...

​ECB Southern Premier League club Bashley (Rydal) have renamed their BCG headquarters the Fagan Cricket Grounds to reflect the enormous support the New Milton based Fagan family has given the club over the past four decades.
Back in 1979, Rydal CC moved to Bashley Common Road (from the bottom pitch at Ashley) where the members created a cricket ground and built a clubhouse on agricultural land owned by the club President, Reg Fagan.  Reg and his family owned the local men’s outfitters in New Milton, which still bears the family name today. 
Since the initial work on the site, the grounds and clubhouse have been extended multiple times to create one of the best cricket venues in the region. The BCG frequently won the Premier League’s Ground of the Year award.
With two high class grounds and two pavilions, it regularly plays host to Dorset county matches. Hampshire and Dorset junior age groups teams are also regular users during the summer months.
None of this would have been possible without the support of Reg’s son Rob, and his wife Sandy, with their children Michael and Jacquie continuing the family’s support today.

Hearty congratulations to Alton who have won the ECB Southern Premier League's 'Ground of the Year' award for the second consecutive season.  ​
Club chairman Richard Myers (left) and Martin Whapshott, from the Alton Town council, collected the trophy at the Premier League dinner.
"The support we continue to receive from the town council is phenominel and, like us, they are delighted promotion back to the ECB Premier Division has coincided with this award," Mr Myers said.
"We had 4 hybrid pitches installed this season at the Jubilee by @sispitches that have proved a success, allowing us to get more cricket on the main square in 2022."
​Paultons received the Most Improved Ground award.

​Dorset Cricket Society members, especially those with football in their veins, are in for a treat at the Christchurch Football Club, Hurn Bridge, on Thursday afternoon (1.30) when AFC Bournemouth chairman Jeff Mostyn is the guest speaker.
Mr Mostyn’s long association with AFC Bournemouth is well documented and highly celebrated. He has been instrumental in helping steer the club from financial administration through all four football divisions to the Premier League, where the Cherries are currently enjoying a healthy mid-table position.  
“I had to pinch myself when we were promoted to the Premier League. If anybody had ever AFC Bournemouth was going to be in the Premier League, they would have been sectioned. 
Jeff bought AFC Bournemouth in 2006 only to discover the club had a mountain of hidden debt, eventually sliding into administration. Now with Jeff’s guidance the club is back playing in the Premier League, the most competitive and lucrative football league in the world. 
“What my experience taught me was never to give up. I want to try and inspire people to succeed irrespective of the odds, from the depths of despair – 15 minutes away from oblivion in division two in terms of my football career to now being the chairman of a Premier League club, something that we’re all very proud of in the town.”
Mr Mostyn will have much to tell the DCS of the activities at Dean Court since his last visit – they had beaten Chelsea 4-0 the previous evening and Thursday’s visit comes after Southampton’s 1-0 derby match  victory at the Vitality Stadium – with Bournemouth’s relegation and then promotion high on the agenda and maybe some lowdown on the takeover. 
The meeting is open to mature non-members at a cost of £7.50, which includes coffee and biscuits. Please be there by 1.30pm.   Memberships are available at a cost of £10.
[Photo supplied by AFC Bournemouth]

South African Matt DeVilliers and left-hand opener George Marshall, who made eight hundreds between them for champions Hambledon this summer, are among seven batsmen named in the Southern Premier League’s Division 2 Team of the Year, announced this evening. 
Cape Town based De Villiers raised his bat five times as he plied up an all-time SPL record of 1234 runs, while Marshall hit three centuries. DeVilliers, Fawley’s Sufian Munir and Andover’s Charlie Ayers also enjoyed decent wicket-taking hauls.
Division 2 Team of the Year –
George Marshall (Hambledon)
Jason Laney (St Cross Symondians II)
Matt de Villiers (Hambledon)
* Archie Reynolds (Waterlooville)
Hugo Hammond (Hartley Wintney)
Sufian Munir (Fawley)
Charlie Ayers (Andover)
+ Richard Featherstone (Fair Oak)
Babu Veettil (Andover)
John Nyumbu (Andover)
Matt Bampton (Old Tauntonians & Romsey)
Player of the Year: Matt de Villiers (Hambledon)

Promoted pair Portsmouth & Southsea and Langley Manor provide seven of the Southern Premier League Division 3 'team of the season' announced today.
Batting award winner Jack Davies and leading wicket-taker Ben Saunders have been chosen from champions Portsmouth & Southsea, alongside pace bowling team-mate Jake Peach, while the Manor are represented by batsman Jack Budd, Steve Harris and  Conor Browne, with Simon Peters (who routed P & S with a spell of 8-17 in late August) picked as Peach's new-ball partner.
South Wilts brothers Rob and Sam Pittman, hard hitting Paultons' opener Paul Longland and Sway all-rounder Dave Steadman complete the line up.
Premier Division 3 Team of the Season -
Paul Longland (Paultons)
Jack Budd (Langley Manor)
Jack Davies (Portsmouth & Southsea)
Steve Harris (Langley Manor)
Dave Steadman (Sway)
Conor Browne (Langley Manor)
Rob Pittman (South Wilts II)
+ Sam Pittman (South Wilts II)
Jake Peach (Portsmouth & Southsea)
Simon Peters (Langley Manor)
* Ben Saunders (Portsmouth & Southsea)
12th man/water boy: Elliott Pointing
SPL3 Player of the Year: Dave Steadman (Sway)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Teams have been selected on 2022 performances, on the basis of three pace bowlers, two spinners, the leading wicketkeeper and top run scorers.

South Wilts left-arm pace bowler Josh Croom has been named ECB Southern Premier League ‘Young Cricketer of the Year’ after his 48-wicket season for the Bemerton club, which also earned him the Premier Division bowling prize.
The 20-year old, who is spending a third successive winter with South Australian Grade club Glenelg in Adelaide, is the fourth South Wilts cricketer in recent seasons to have won the John Millett Trophy, originally awarded to Winchester left-hand batsman/wicketkeeper Neil Moseley back in 1981.
Team-mates Tom Morton (2006) and James Hayward (2007) won the award in consecutive seasons, while Luke Evans was Young Cricketer more recently in 2018.
Speaking from Adelaide, Croom said: “It’s a great honour to be named SPL Young Player. I would  probably have laughed if someone said back in early May, I’d take 48 league wickets.”
Croom’s 48-wicket haul is the second highest behind James Hibberd, who took 57 poles for South Wilts in 2008.
“Hibby certainly seemed more worried about his record than I was. At least he’s getting a good night’s sleep now.”

Dorset Association of Cricket Officials are hosting both a Stage 1 and Stage 2 Umpires course, to be held at Wimborne CC in November.
Both courses are £30, but anyone taking Stage 1 has the option of free ECB ACO membership for one year and then gets a £20 discount on Stage 2. Both courses are one day only, from 9.30am to 4.30pm
Stage 1 (12th November) -This Stage One Umpire course is designed to give you an overview of the basic Laws of the game and how to apply them and introduce the principles of field craft and match management. It will give you the tools to enable you to umpire recreational matches where there are no independent umpires appointed. https://booking.ecb.co.uk/d/m9qcdj
Stage 2 (19th November) – This course is designed to build on Umpire Education Stage One, covering further Laws and exploring the concept of working as part of a team with a colleague and the scorers. It is intended to introduce you to the skills and knowledge required to be a member of a league panel. https://booking.ecb.co.uk/d/q9qcd0

South Wilts left-armer Josh Croom underlined his growing claim for all-rounder status with a half-century on Australian soil in the opening round of First Grade matches in Adelaide's West End SACA Premier League.
The 20-year old, who hit a career-best 95 for Wiltshire against Cornwall at Bemerton in August, made 51 as Glenelg scored 229 before reducing East Torrens to 42-5 at stumps.  They hope to complete a comprehensive outright victory when play resumes on Saturday.
Elsewhere Grade cricket has been badly affected by the wet weather which has struck Australia's Eastern states. No play has been possible in either of the New South Wales or Victoria competitions.

Hampshire Academy captain Joseph Eckland has helped his franchise side, Gwadar Sharks win their opening two matches in the new Pakistan Junior T20 League League taking place in Lahore.
He made 15 runs before snapping up two dismissals behind the stumps as Gwadar defended 150-5 to beat Rawalpindi Raiders (116), but sat out the next game when the Sharks beat Hyderabad Hunters by five wickets off the penultimate ball.  

South Wilts all-rounder Arthur Godsal smashed 40 off just 11 balls, an innings which included four sixes and three fours, but was unable to save the National Counties from a fourth defeat by Italy in the European T10 Championships which they won in Malaga last year.
Godsal’s boundary spree helped the NC XI to 121-9 but Italy opener Amir Sharif went on a six-hitting spree of his own cracking five successive maximums, scoring 44 off 16 balls before Godsal (2-14) removed him.  
Italy needed six runs to win off the final over bowled by one-time Hampshire Under-17 all-rounder Andy Rishman (Berkshire), who conceded only three singles before being hit for a match winning six over extra-cover off the last ball.
The National Counties also lost by 30 runs to the Netherlands and lie pointless and bottom of the table after four rounds of matches.