Zimbabwean Brighton Mugochi has been appointed head coach at promoted Southern Premier League Division 1 club Totton & Eling.
The 33-year old left-arm spin all-rounder took 80 wickets in Logan Cup cricket his native country before moving to England, where he initially played Sussex League cricket for Henfield.
When he enrolled at Southampton Solent University, Mugochi joined Burridge and took 38 wickets for them in 2017.
Bowling an accurate tight line and producing tidy returns, he subsequently took 27 wickets for Totton & Eling in their successful 2019 SPL2 promotion campaign, alongside making 111 (out of 173) in a remarkable tied match against neighbours Calmore Sports in last season’s League Cup.
An ECB Level 2 coach, Mugochi is heavily involved in junior cricket development and, once the currently lockdown restrictions are lifted, will take up his appointment at Southern Gardens.

Back in 2010, Hampshire Under-13s were the pride of the West, Taunton festival winners .. no wonder team managers Steve Oliphant and John Boniface look so delighted either side of Sheila, the scorer.
Hampshire's Joe Weatherley proudly holds the winner's shield, but do you know who else is in the squad photograph ?  A decade and a bit on, how many of them are still playing cricket locally ... or at all ?
The team managers will be providing the answers in a week or so's time.  Also be interesting to know who they came up against in that Taunton festival; Somerset, for example, may well have fielded some 'big names' in their side.  A current England spinner happened to play in the tournament for Devon.

​George Edwards could be excused for pinching himself when he took guard at the crease on debut for Southern Districts in South Australia’s demanding West End First Grade Premiership cricket competition.
​“It was an unbelievable experience, a level of cricket I It promised to be a baptism of fire for the recently turned 19-year old South Wilts batting prospect from Teffont, who was about to face one of the State’s most experienced bowlers and a Test cricketer to boot.
Chad Sayers, skippering rival Adelaide side Glenelg, had made close on 100 appearance appearances for South Australia and in February 2018 had been called up to play in the Wanderers’ Test for Australia against South Africa.
Later that same calendar year Edwards was turning out in South Wilts third team cricket under the tutelage of Jody Everett in Hampshire League, County Division 2.
There was a distinct gulf to overcome.
But Edwards (pictured left after a batting net session), who spent three months at Darren Lehmann’s Cricket Academy before Christmas, emerged from his ordeal with real credit.
                                                                           Unbelievable experience
Arriving at the crease with his adopted South Australia side 71-3 in response to Glenelg’s 219 all out, Edwards went on to hit a six and four boundaries in an hour-long stay in the middle, making his team’s second highest individual score of 33.
He was eventually seventh man out at 128. Three runs later Southern Districts were dismissed for 131 and beaten by 88 runs.
​“It was an unbelievable experience, a level of cricket I never expected to play as a couple of seasons ago I was playing for South Wilts 3rd and 4th teams and only last year the seconds before making my first team debut in the League Cup match against Calmore Sports,” Edwards smiled.
“Facing Chad Sayers was a really good test for myself and thankfully I didn’t get out to him. 
“I looked him up in Wisden afterwards and found he’d dismissed AB de Villiers (caught behind for 69) and Kagiso Rabada in that Wanderers Test, the match that followed the infamous ball tampering scandal in Cape Town which culminated in Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft being sent home.”
South Wilts have only seen glimpses of Edwards’s promise since he joined them from Steeple Langford in 2017.
                                                                                          Techniques
“I’ve been away at boarding school, initially at Dauntsey’s, then for the past two summers Millfield, so my only chances to play for South Wilts have only come in the school holidays,” he explained.
Edwards, who is headed to Oxford Brookes university to begin a sports development and coaching degree course next autumn, acknowledged the help and advice former Hampshire all-rounder Jon Ayling (Dauntseys) and Millfield coach Mark Garaway had given him in his school days.
“I couldn’t have asked for two better coaches,” he said. “Garas taught me the importance of being able to field well, as well as fine tuning batting techniques.”
Edwards jetting off to the DLCA in Adelaide shortly after South Wilts’ extended autumn season ended and spent three months at the Academy alongside Millfield school pal and South Wilts’ left-arm quick Josh Croom.
“It is a high performance programme with training every day Monday-Friday with matches on Sundays or midweek, with strength and conditioning training,” he explained.
“I found it tested me every day both mentally and physically, but I’m definitely stronger for it.”
Edwards’s DLCA coach has been former SA Redbacks left-hand opener Mark Cosgrove, a ‘gun’ player in the Big Bash League over the years.
He added: “Being coached by Mark has been unbelievable, it’s so good to be helped by someone who has as much knowledge and experience in the game as he does.
“Being coached by him, playing at the highest level of club/grade cricket in South Australia has definitely helped me develop my skills as a cricketer.”
Edwards also had the unique experience of spending Christmas and New Year away from his Teffont family home.
“I went to the Gold Coast over the holiday period and had a very Christmassy lunch with a Big Mac in McDonalds. 
“It was a very weird feeling because it didn’t feel like Christmas being away from family, but still had a nice day lazing about on the beach,” he laughed.
Now back home on the outskirts of Salisbury, Edwards will be crossing off the weeks and days before he can pick up a cricket bat again in earnest.
“I imagine South Wilts have earmarked mid-April to begin pre-season friendlies, but the government will not allow non-elite team sport to resume until such times as the Covid-19 pandemic has been brought under control, so I’ll have to be patient, along with everyone else.
“I really intend to push for a first team spot at South Wilts this summer. My time spent in Adelaide has provided me with goals to aim for and hopefully given me the platform to push off from, so I can’t wait for the season to start.”
Below: George Edwards shows off his batting skills in South Australia's West End Premiership competition for Southern Districts.

Hampshire Seniors' Fifties side pictured in front of the Arundel Castle pavilion during last season's match against Sussex.
Standing (from left): Dick Batchelor (scorer), Iain Griffiths, Keith Harris, Darren McBride, Zane de Monte, Andy Worth, Andy Parratt, Andy Giles, Sean Lilley (umpire). Seated: Neil Sutherland, Tim Wheatley, John Rickard (president), Nick Gargaro, Keith Harsham, Stu Shapland.

Hampshire will host the Channel Islands, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire in their eight-team ECB 50-plus County Championship south-west group this summer, alongside trips into deepest Cornwall, Devon, and the Isle of Wight.
Dates for the fixtures have yet to be confirmed, but any seasoned cricketer, preferably still turning out at either Premier or Hampshire League County Division level, is invited to join the Seniors' ranks, with 50s enquiries to nickgargaro@me.com Cell: 07917 163812.

The England and Wales Cricket Board have confirmed a new three-year sponsorship deal with LV= General Insurance.
The firm are the new title sponsor of England men's and women's domestic Test series and the County Championship, until 2023.
Former partners Specsavers opted not to renew their contract, thought to be worth £2m per year, in 2020.
After hosting New Zealand for two matches in May, England face India in five Tests this summer, starting on August 4 at Trent Bridge, before matches at Lord's, Headingley, The Kia Oval and Emirates Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, the revised County Championship begins on April 8 with a new three-divisional format following last season's inaugural Bob Willis Trophy.

​He is the man responsible for ‘hitting the winning six’ which ensures work can start on the £75,000 redevelopment of Portsmouth Cricket Club’s pavilion on Southsea’s seafront.
Club president Arthur Shaw [left], 75, has been associated with PCC ever since it was formed in 1989 via a merger of South Hants Touring Club, for whom he played, and Portsmouth & Southsea.
And over three decades later it is his generous donation which will help the St Helens-based club hopefully prosper - on and off the pitch - in a post-Covid landscape, writes Simon Carter of The News, Portsmouth.
PCC had launched an ambitious online Crowdfunding campaign in November which needed to hit the £20,000 mark by January 3 in order to proceed. Over 200 supporters had helped swell the total to over £17,000 by Christmas.
Step forward Shaw - along with his wife Diane and son Matt, who played for the club before nipping over the Hill to join Waterlooville - to pledge a whopping £3,500, leading to club chairman Rick Marston’s ‘hitting the winning six’ quip.
                                                                                            Refurbishment
​The donation is worth another £845 when Gift Aid, a scheme available to charities and grassroots sports clubs, is taken into account. Under Gift Aid rules, PCC can claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated.
Due to the Crowdfunding target being reached, work can start this month on internal refurbishment to a pavilion built in the early 1970s and now clearly showing its age. Patched up in places, it now needs a total makeover.
When completed, the facilities will be a far cry from those that greeted Shaw when he first played at the ground as a youngster for Cormorants.
Along with SHTC and Portsmouth & Southsea, Cormorants shared the rundown wooden changing rooms at the then council-owned and run St Helens (the ground is still council-owned, but PCC pay an annual rent and are responsible for all maintenance work).
Shaw had joined the junior section at Cormorants as the team was run by the father of his Portsmouth Northern Grammar (now Mayfield) School friend Dave Whymark.   There was no clubhouse, just a van near the boundary rope selling teas and cakes.
During his playing days, Shaw was an all-rounder, batting left-handed around the middle order - his top score was a chanceless and classy 110 against Fareham in a friendly - and bowling right-arm swing.
He captained the 1st XI on occasions and, according to his one-time SHTC team-mates Ian Preston-Jones, was a ‘good change bowler and partnership breaker.’
Shaw’s SHTC colleagues also included David Rock, who played 37 first class games for Hampshire between 1976-1979 as well as 18 one-day matches, and the late Barry Boorah, the leading wicket-taker in Southern League (1969-1999) history with 666 victims.
On retiring from playing, Shaw was elected PCC president in 2014 following the death of Geoffrey Elderfield, who had been on the Hampshire CCC committee and was a founding member of the SHTC.
                                                                              Strength to strength
PCC are in a far better state than they were just over a decade ago. Back in 2007 they were relegated two divisions for fielding ineligible players, and the other Southern Premier League clubs had been asked to vote on whether to kick them out of the league completely.
‘The club was on the point of going under, and that’s when the parents of the colts decided to take over the running of the club,’ recalled Shaw.  ‘It’s gone from strength to strength since then.
‘The parents have got more involved and there have been people prepared to take over and help. We’ve had that continuity, and it’s worked well.
‘This is one of the few places kids can play cricket in Portsmouth - there’s not much cricket played in the schools apart from the private ones at St John’s and Portsmouth Grammar.
‘It’s impressive to see how many kids we get here - every Friday during the summer it’s like a swarm of ants. There’s a real community feel, a real community spirit, and that’s what has got me more and more interested. Some of the kids have put their pocket money towards the appeal, which is lovely to see. I’m just happy to help out in my own little way.
‘The pandemic has been a disaster for everyone. If there was a worse time to ask people for money, I would be interested to see it.  That’s why I wanted to help.’

                                                                                            Little revenue

Marston (left) is hopeful the new facilities can help PCC - currently in the second tier - back into the top flight of the Southern Premier League. ‘The big goal is to get the first team back into the Premier Division,’ he remarked.
‘Having the new facilities will help to attract new players - a good bar helps, good changing rooms, a decent wicket.
‘We also want to carry on improving the facilities. The next big project will be to replace the nets - they’re a bit bouncy, a bit lively. That’ll cost around £20,000.  There’s always stuff to do.’
Like most grassroots sports clubs with their own facilities and bills to pay, the last nine months have been devastating financially.
‘We haven’t been able to hold any events that usually bring in the money, our bar has been shut for months so there’s been very little revenue coming in,’ Marston reported. 
‘January is normally the month we try and get the membership money in, but at the moment we’ve got nothing to offer. We would normally be holding indoor nets for colts and adults, so I don’t know how many people will pay up.  
‘January could be a very difficult month.  Our insurance costs around £400-£500 a month, and the pavilion insurance will go up once we do the redevelopment work.’
Due to spending around £75,000 on the redevelopment, they are hopeful of soon negotiating a new lease with the city council. Committee member Alistair Thompson, a former councillor, is heavily involved in those talks.
While rent, bills and insurance still need to be paid, PCC have been relying on grants to help them through the pandemic.
                                                                                     Sponsorship
They received £10,000 of Government help as a ‘small business’ shortly after the first lockdown was introduced last spring.  A £2,780 grant from Sport England was happily pocketed, followed by another one of £1,300 after the second lockdown was announced.
PCC had also been hopeful of landing a further £10,000 Sport England grant to help with the pavilion refurbishments. Though that fell through, the club have obtained major sponsorship from St Cross Homes to plug the gap in the finances.
‘There have been bits and pieces of work done over the years, and we’ve ended up with a rabbit warren of corridors,’ Marston said of the pavilion interior.  ‘This plan has been on the backburner for four or five years, but we have not had the money. The redevelopment work will put us in the Premier Division in terms of facilities; now we just need to get the team to that level.  For a city of Portsmouth’s size, we should be in the top division.
‘With the bigger balcony, this will be the best ground in the league in terms of viewing.  I know it can be cold when the wind is blowing, but we can’t control the weather!’
* The Crowdfunding campaign is still running, and as of yesterday had reached £22,581, plus another £4,837 in Gift Aid contributions. To donate, visit crowdfunder.co.uk and search for ‘Portsmouth CC redevelopment.’

​South Australian talent Jake Winter, who spent the 2017 summer at South Wilts scoring over 560 ECB Southern Premier League runs, is back in form Down Under after missing the entire 2019/20 Adelaide season following surgery on a hip injury.
He was in the form of his life and knocking loudly on the door for potential SA Redbacks selection the previous Australian season, thumping a double century, besides two other hundreds for his grade side Glenelg in the state's West End Premiership. 
“I had to have an arthroscopy to repair the labrum that had torn, so it took a while to get back playing again,” he explained.
But Winter came bouncing back with an unbeaten 112 which powered Glenelg to a nine-wicket win over Prospect in the latest round of 50-over matches.
“It definitely felt good to score my first ton in a couple years. But to come back from such a long lay-off and start to put some consistent scores together has felt very good.”
Winter says he'd love another crack at playing for South Wilts, but adds with caution: "It's the visas that are a problem."
South Wilts’ teenage left-arm quick Josh Croom, who is spending the winter at Darren Lehmann’s Academy in Adelaide, continues to impress in Second Grade cricket for Glenelg, taking 2-13 off an eight-over spell against Prospect II last weekend.
“I’d would have had a five-fer but for three spilled catches, ironically, all by the same fielder,” he groaned.

​Remember Logan van Beek, who played ECB Southern Premier League cricket for St Cross Symondians in 2017, scoring 556 runs and taking 24 wickets ?
Back in his native New Zealand, he’s just been immortalized for one of the greatest classic catches probably ever seen on a cricket field, certainly at Wellington’s delightful Basin Reserve ground.  It happened this weekend when he was playing for Wellington Firebrands in New Zealand’s Super Smash.
Sprinting into position, van Beek threw his body toward the ball and stuck out a hopeful hand.  It had been struck cleanly off the bat of the Northern Knights’ Brett Hampton, and the chances of van Beek claiming the catch were slim.
But it was one of those days for the Wellington Firebirds in their T20 clash. Van Beek, fielding on the boundary at cow corner, ran full pelt to his right, threw his hand out, and the ball stuck, leaving commentators, fans and the fielder in disbelief.
“I just somehow pulled it off. I’m not sure how it happened, but it happened,” van Beek said. “My tactic is, once I see it, I just put my head down and run as fast as I can, then it’s just about giving it a chance ... you just have to go for it.”
Former Black Cap Craig Cumming called the catch “as good as you will see”, while several, including Canterbury’s most notable sports broadcaster Elliott Smith, drew comparisons to Mayu Pasupati’s (Liphook & Ripsley 2000) famous catch at the same ground 21 years ago.
Another stunned TV commentator added: “What is going on out there?
“Unbelievable catch, Logan van Beek. I don’t think he can believe that himself.
Wellington’s 80-run Super Smash win came after they had restricted the Knights to 105, having posted 185-7 themselves, the emerging Finn Allen (remember the name) hitting 79.
If you we’re up in the early hours of Saturday morning, take a look at this clip to relive van Beek’s catch .. something he doubtless learned from his 2017 summer at the Green Jackets !
​https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyaTuQEzp6A

Alton have swooped to sign former Hampshire Under-17 captain Fletcha Middleton for this summer’s scheduled ECB Southern Premier League campaign.
He will link up with past Hampshire Academy teenage team-mate Tom South and incoming South African pace bowler Matt Arnold ahead of the Brewers’ Premier Division opener against Burridge at the Jubilee Ground on May 1.
Middleton will, though, be dual registered with the Academy, whose own campaign begins against Lymington on the Ageas Bowl Nursery Ground.
The eldest son of former Hampshire opening batsman Tony Middleton who spent his embryo years at Fair Oak, Fletcha has become a formidable run scoring force on the local scene in recent seasons.
A regular in county junior age group cricket since debuting for the Under-10s back in 2012, Middleton has scored over 2,000 runs for the Academy and Hampshire Under-17s.
He was among the leading batsmen in last summer’s Southern League Cup, scoring 333 runs, including an unbeaten 108 against Sparsholt at May’s Bounty.
Middleton is also under England Under-19 consideration for the next ICC Youth World Cup in the West Indies, having skippered the South in last summer’s trial matches at Loughborough.

Winchester sport has been saddened by the passing – at the ripe old age of 92 - of Compton & Shawford cricket stalwart Derek Igglesden, who skippered the Hampshire League club for a staggering 25 years before hanging up his boots in 1998, aged 70.
A decent batsman and medium-pace bowler, who converted to spin in his latter days, Derek was one of three talented sporting brothers in the Winchester area.
Playing a decent level of local football, he (with a certain Terry Paine as a team-mate) helped Highcliffe Corinthians win the Hampshire Junior A Cup.  He was also a useful table tennis player.
His long cricket playing career with Compton & Shawford began, aged 19, in 1947. During his period as captain, which ended two seasons after the merger with Compton & Chandler’s Ford, C & S carried off the HCL South West Division 1 title in 1976.
An accurate medium-pace bowler with an unusual action, Derek had a ‘special ball’ that got him many wickets – his team-mates always knew when he was going to bowl it when he licked his fingers at the beginning of his run-up.
He was a player who put 100 per cent into his game, playing hard and being competitive.
But as soon as stumps were drawn and play ended, he would be first in the bar, often the life and soul of the party, reeling off numerous amusing stories about the game he was passionate about.
He was fun loving, generous, cheerful and witty guy, with an infectious deep throated laugh.
Both during and after his playing days, Derek did a huge amount off the field, helping upgrade the Compton cricket square and outfield, and putting his building skills to work by improving the Shepherds Lane pavilion.  
Professionally, he was a director of the Winnall-based building company, Hampshire Contractors, originally founded by his father, Bert.  The firm build most of the Oliver’s Battery estate.
Derek was also heavily involved in the Winchester & District midweek Evening League for many years, both as a player and an official.
His father presented the Igglesden Trophy to the WDCCA, originally as a knockout competition for the local village sides.  Compton, appropriately, won the cup in 1981.

It was in 1966 with his long-term friend and ex-Compton & Shawford team-mate Tom Wilson (a right back with Fulham and Brentford in the late 1950s and early Sixties) that Mr Igglesden co-founded the Hampshire Stragglers, who toured Kent for over 40 years, using Folkestone as their long term base.
The Stragglers played leading club sides in Kent for four decades, and out of the cricket tour a golf society was born.  
A long standing member of the Royal Winchester Golf Club, Derek succeeded Tom Wilson (who became a director at Fulham after ending his playing days with Folkestone Town) as Stragglers’ president in 2006, a position he held until his death.  Such has been its success, the golf society now boasts over 100 members, many with steep roots in cricket.
Derek Igglesden was a very well respected businessman and sportsman, who put so much time and effort back in the games he loved.  His memory in Winchester sporting circles will live on for many years.

Five Southern Premier League sides are among the 128 teams to have entered this summer's Royal London national club championships, which the ECB plans to start on May 16 2021.
The competition did not take place last year due to then suspension of recreational cricket because of the on-going coronavirus pandemic.
Provided the epidemic has been brought under control and recreational cricket gets the government green light for the upcoming season, long standing SPL rivals South Wilts and Bashley (Rydal) face off (at Bemerton) in one of the RLC west groups, with the first round winners away to either Bath or WEPL champions Potterne.
Havant, who have been the SPL's most successful side in the competition over the years, renew rivalries with Surrey Championship side Weybridge, while Burridge host St Cross Symondians.

Farnham and Alton cricket clubs have paid tribute to Chris Burchett, who died just before Christmas. He was a fine opening batsman for Farnham in their most successful period in Surrey club cricket during the 1970s and 80s before joining Alton, where he went on to score runs in equally plentiful measures.
Long time Farnham team-mate Bob Shergold reflected: “Chris will be remembered by most for his bold attacking style, but this was fully complemented by a solid and correct technique that could suit all conditions.
“When in the right mood his batting could be devastating and he was one of few club batsman who could transform a game inside an hour at the crease.”
Chris Burchett joined Farnham in 1970 after starting out at Elstead and Thursley. He soon announced his arrival when he made 126 against the I’Anson league representative XI, always a traditional and keenly contested fixture.
Over the coming years he became one of the club’s most prolific batsmen with over 12,000 runs.  Only Alan Thorpe, Geoff Hebden and Bob Shergold scored more.  He topped 1,000 runs in a season on seven separate occasions and over the years scored in the region of 30 centuries for the club.  When he left Farnham, having been made a Vice President, he finished his playing days with Alton CC before donning the umpire’s coat.
                                                                                     Astonishing
Chic Stedman, Farnham’s leading wicket taker, past captain and president, played in the majority of games with Chris, continued: “He was one of the few players I was glad I didn’t have to bowl at as he could make any bowler look second rate. 
“Not many players are responsible for actually taking games by the scruff of the neck and turning them into victories and I think he won three or four games a season for us with astonishing innings. 
There were, of course days when Bob Shergold, batting at no 3, had to make sure he was padded up and ready to bat!!
“Chris was a very good player and genuinely nice bloke, never happier post-match than with a beer in his hand and socialising with the opposition.”
A classy, stylish batsman, Chris played representative cricket for British Telecom and the XL Club (alongside Bob Shergold and Chic Stedman). He joined Alton in 1980, reproducing his attacking flair with runs galore for all four of the club’s sides. 
One Alton game in particular stands out – a tour match in Gloucester when, after 13 overs, Chris was the first man dismissed. Alton were 120-1 – and Chris had made 101 of them !
Alton chairman Julian Ballinger added: “Stories of 100s in the 3rd and 4th teams are plentiful – as he got older, he scored most of his runs in boundaries. There weren’t many quick singles being taken in those days!
“However, the best recollections were of Chris as a man. So many Alton members simply remember Chris as a “legend”, a “top man”, a “great guy” and a “fantastic man”. 
“He was generous with his time and always had plenty of wise words of encouragement for his younger teammates. He also had a sharp wit and was well-known in his umpiring days for some razor-sharp put-downs to cricketers from both teams who thought they knew better than he did!
“Chris will be sorely missed and fondly remembered as a player, a clubman, a teammate and a friend. Alton will be paying tribute early in the 2021 season to a much-loved member of the club.” 

Geoff Beale has stepped down as Hampshire Sixties captain ahead of the 2021 vets season which sees the county elders pitched in a potentially demanding National Championship south-east group alongside Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex.
Kent will be Hampshire’s first opponents on April 27 when Blackheath’s Chris Swadkin will doubtless be looking forward to scoring his annual century !
Left-hander Beale, pictured, assumed the Hampshire captaincy in 2015 taking over from the late Geoff Owen. 
He is closing in on 1,900 runs for the Seniors, having made three centuries and 11 fifty-plus scores.
Hampshire qualified from their south-west in each year of his captaincy but progress in the play offs was always short lived, although in 2019 when qualification was changed to a league format, Hampshire narrowly lost their final game and hence a place in the final to Somerset who, in turn, finished national runners-up.
Due to the cancellation of the national competition, Hampshire played only two friendly matches – both against Oxfordshire – last summer.
President John Rickard and his selection panel are unlikely to be short of candidates to fill Beale’s boots, with Bashley Rydal’s Iain Britton, successful as county 50s skipper, and Lymington’s Neil Trestrail favoured among the bookies, with Rick Marston, Martin Shephard, and Chris Yates outsiders.  Given his First Division experience with Saints and Manchester City, Graham Baker may yet toss his hat into the ring.  
White smoke from John Rickard’s Kellett Road chimney will indicate when the 2021 Hampshire Sixties captain is chosen, but it may be a while yet as the President has no plan to turn off his central heating during this cold snap.

Hartley Wintney have rescheduled their delayed 250th year anniversary celebrations until next summer, with matches against Hampshire and the MCC set to take place in July, and a black-tie Lord’s dinner in the historic Long Room in mid-December 2021.
The North Hampshire club had planned to celebrate cricket being played on The Green since 1770 this past season, but on the on-going covid pandemic put paid to their celebrations.
So, all being well, the summer of 2021 will be 250 + one for Hartley Wintney.
“The club has hosted hugely successful Hampshire benefit matches since 2002 and Friday July 23 2021 is earmarked for the county’s next visit to the Green,” said HW chairman Ian Kerr.
“The previous day we will be hosting the MCC, so it should be a memorable 48 hours for everyone.
“We very much hope that, once again, we will be able to hold a fund-raising lunch event in a marquee, so fingers firmly crossed for the positive impact of vaccines and groups being able to mingle and socialize again.
“Hartley Wintney have made quite a name for themselves at hosting these functions in the past.  They are massively enjoyable occasions, with 300 or so diners sipping the odd glass of wine.”
The concluding celebration event will be Hartley Wintney’s Long Room dinner at Lord’s on Saturday December 11.
“That will be a great event in cricket’s inner sanctum and the dinner being postponed by 12 months after 250 years should not make much difference,” Mr Kerr smiled.
Hartley Wintney have already launched 1770 fund raising initiatives for two splendid causes, the future of junior cricket at the club and Parkinsons UK.
“The latter is especially important to us given that my immediate predecessor as chairman, David Harrison and former Hampshire & England cricketer Shaun Udal, an honorary HWCC member, are both afflicted by this under researched disease,” Mr Kerr added.
Contributions would be very much appreciated and can be made at: 
https://gogetfunding.com/hwcc-pledge-1770/ 
A fully illustrated hard-back book about the history of Hartley Wintney CC has been published and has been well received.
It weaves together the characters in the village with the evolution of Cricket, with copies available for £17.70 through  book.hwcc1770@gmail.com
"It is a fantastic and outstanding publication. The work and research involved are simply immense," praised Thames Valley League chairman Neil Doody, a long standing club member and vice-president.

​Portsmouth cricket chairman Rick Marston (above) has praised the club’s local community for getting behind their pavilion redevelopment plans. 
The Southsea seafront-based club recently launched an online Crowdfunder with the aim of reaching a £20,000 target by January 3, writes Simon Carter of the Portsmouth News..
With Christmas fast approaching, over 200 people have financially backed a project which will cost over £70,000 in total and make the pavilion one of the best in Hampshire.   As of lunchtime today, £16,881 had been raised - 84 per cent of the target.
‘We’re getting close, it’s really exciting,’ enthused Marston. ‘We could hardly have picked a worse time to do this. We haven’t been able to hold any fundraising events, and to do it in the run-up to Christmas is a bit suicidal as well. People have got better things to do with their money at this time of the year, so it’s been a perfect storm really.’
Despite the pandemic and the festive season, though, Portsmouth appear on course to hit their target.
‘The most positive thing for me has been the way the community has pulled together to support us,’ said Marston.  ‘To have got 200 separate individuals is a great volume of people, it’s brilliant.  To read the warmth of the feedback has been great as well, because we do see ourselves as a community-based club.
‘Having said that, there is a pyramid structure - we want to get local kids involved and at the top level get them playing the highest standard they can.’
The pavilion project - including roof repairs, a new balcony and major internal work - will cost between £70-75,000.
Local company PMC Construction - whose managing director Steve Cripps is chairman of Baffins Milton Rovers FC - are lined up to do the building work.
‘A big factor has been Paul Woolf, one of our members, he’s the CEO at the King’s Theatre,’ explained Marston  PMC are doing work at the King’s and Paul has been the link for us. I know PMC have a pedigree in terms of supporting sport, so we look forward to working with them. A local development company, St Cross Homes, has come in as a major project sponsor.
‘Also, so many local businesses have also supported us - Tenth Hole, Indian Cottage, Gtec, Woodgate Solicitors, The Eastney Tavern.
It is vital Portsmouth CC hit their target.  ‘We need to get to the £20,000 mark,’ said Marston. With Gift Aid, the figure will be over £25,000. If we don’t hit the £20,000, basically everyone gets their money back, so we will get there somehow.
‘If we can go over it, the quality of the overall project will be improved - better coat hooks, door handles, everything.’
                                                                                          Permission
PMC have said they can start work next month, with hopes the project can be completed by the time the 2021 grassroots cricket season begins.
‘We haven’t got external planning consent yet, but we have permission to work on the roof and internally,’ revealed the chairman.  PMC have said it’s an eight-to-12-week project.  The dream is for all the work to be done by the first home game of the season.’
With the Southern Premier League fixtures just released, that means Andover’s visit to St Helens on Saturday, May 8. Portsmouth are due to start the 2021 season at Rowledge the previous weekend.
Marston said the club have already pencilled in some special attractions for next summer.  They are due to host the MCC on a date to be confirmed.
‘We had one a few years ago, it was a very good fixture,’ he recalled.
Portsmouth are also hosting a fundraising event for charity Cricket for Heroes.  The cricket will be in the shape of a four-team T10 tournament - the first time St Helens will have staged such a competition.  One of the teams will consist of players drawn from the armed services.
Portsmouth’s new pavilion will obviously benefit the cricketing community, but Marston is hoping it will boost the club’s coffers as well through being able to stage more events.
‘With the new facilities, there will be a social side of the pavilion and a changing room side,’ he said.  ‘That means we could have a colts game going on, and also host a wedding, anniversary or other such party.  It will give us a lot more flexibility in terms of staging events.  We could even hold wedding receptions - there will be stunning views from the balcony.’
To support the pavilion project, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ and search for ‘Portsmouth CC redevelopment’.
The News, Portsmouth

Hook & Newnham Basics are keen to organise 1st XI pre-season friendly matches - preferably against Premier Division or Division 1 standard opposition - in mid/late April before the commencement of the ECB Southern Premier League programme on 1 May 2021.
They would like to play away on Saturday 18 April, but their KGV Ground is available the following week, 25 April 2021.  Email enquiries to Vince Gardner: vinnygardner1967@gmail.com

​South Wilts’ teenage left-arm quick Josh Croom helped put the Australia Test cricketers through their paces in Adelaide ahead of the first Border/Gavaskar Test, which saw India dismissed for an all-time low 36 all out and beaten by eight wickets.
The 18-year old from Stratford-Sub-Castle is spending the winter months at the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy and spent four training sessions bowling at the Aussies ahead of the Test.
He didn’t do badly either bowling out Travis Head (who played Southern Premier League cricket for Ventnor as an 18-year old in 2013) twice and then Aussie skipper Tim Paine – both in centre middle practice on the Adelaide Oval.
“It was a surreal experience bowling flat out in the middle of one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world with all the media and television people around,” Croom beamed.
“I bowled at all their top line batsmen, including Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Burns, and Matthew Wade, plus a host of the lower order.” 
Croom, who was recently awarded a Hampshire Academy contract for the 2021 UK season, has become a familiar face in the Australia camp.
“In September I was one of the Academy bowlers to join their bubble at the Ageas Bowl as they prepared for the One Day and T20 Series against England.
“It was great to have all the Aussie coaches and players from their England trip remember me when I rocked up at the Adelaide Oval and to have a good catch up and learn about the game with all of them over the last week.
“I’ve really enjoyed my experience with the Aussies Test players, especially in September at the Ageas Bowl.
“It made me feel as though I was an International, having the experience of seeing how the players go about their business, both on and off the field.”
It wasn’t a one-sided thing either as the Millfield schooled Croom picked up a tip or two from the Aussie players which he hopes will hold him in good stead for the future.
“Pat Cummings and Josh Hazlewood (who between them routed Indian in the second innings) went out of their way to take me aside and gave me some valuable advice.  They were terrific,” he smiled.
As a reward for his endeavours, Aussie head coach Justin Langer gave Croom complimentary tickets for the opening two days of the Test, which saw India dismissed for 244 and then bowl Australia out for 191.
“It was an incredible experience to watch two great days of cricket with very competitive teams up against each other.  What happened on day 3, when Indian were rushed out for 36, was unreal,” he added.
Croom followed in South Wilts’ team-mate Raff Hussey’s footsteps by joining the Darren Lehmann Academy in mid-October and after spending his initial two weeks on Australian soil having to quarantine in a hotel.
                                                                                 Recommended
He explained: “I spoke to many different people about joining the Academy, especially Raff (who went there two winters ago) and some of my Millfield school chums who recommended it highly. 
“I’m staying in a house with two other cricketers from the Academy – trying to follow mum’s cookery tips – and have training camps four days a week, Monday to Thursday, developing our cricket skills, as well as fitness and gym work.
“Every Friday our head coach takes us down the beach to do recovery sessions (swimming, stretching), before we have matches for our clubs every Saturday.”
Croom has joined the South Australia seaside town grade club Glenelg, where Jake Winter (who spent the 2016 season at South Wilts) plays.
“It’s a superb setting, with a sizeable grandstand come pavilion and grassed banks all around,” Croom enthused.
Ian and Greg Chappell played at Glenelg before going on to play and skipper Australia on many occasions.  It is also the home to Andrew Hilditch and off-spinner Ashley Mallett.
Croom certainly made a positive impression in his latest outing for Glenelg, taking 3-28 in an impressive seven-over spell with the new ball as Second Grade opponents West Torrens were rushed out for 100 and soundly beaten by 120 runs. 

Local sport has been saddened by the death of former Hampshire cricket treasurer Tim Jobling, who played club cricket for the Winchester side Hyde Ramblers in the mid-Seventies before moving across to captain Petersfield in the old Southern League.
Mr Jobling died recently, aged 74 years, after a brave battle against prostate cancer.
He captained the Peter Symonds Grammar School as an all-rounder – according to his brother Chris he was a decent away-swing bowler in his teenage years – the pair going on to play for Eastgate, who then became Winchester City.   The King George V Ground was the club’s home.
A subsequent merger saw Winchester City link up with Hyde Ramblers, where Tim played as a top order batsman in a powerful side which included Don Marks, Bob Lashley, Brian ‘Bumper’ Lush, Richard Edwards, Dave Stratton, Pete Green, Rob Savage and Ken Mould.
Team-mate Peter Green, now Hampshire 70s captain, reflected: “I played a great deal with Tim at Hyde Ramblers. 
“He joined when Winchester CC amalgamated with Ramblers and batted at number 3, keeping company with prolific batsmen such as Dave Stratton, Geoff Goater and Dave Hayter, pace bowlers Bob Laishley and ‘Bumper’ Lush, and spinner Kenny Mould. 
“It was a fine, all-round team, one of the original Southern League sides. With North Walls as the home ground, Tim was always great company at the many after match evenings spent at the King Alfred.”
Tim subsequently joined Petersfield and captained their Southern League side for three seasons between 1983 and 1985.  He played his Sunday social cricket with the Hampshire Hogs.
Mr Jobling joined Brooking Knowles & Lawrence, the Winchester accountancy practice, as a trainee, and, once qualified, became a partner of the Southgate Street firm.                                                                                Working alongside prominent Old Tauntonians cricketer Tony Baker (who was chairman of the Southern League), Tim soon became league treasurer – a fiscal role he continued with Hampshire  CCC in the latter days of Northlands Road.
Hampshire chief executive Rod Bransgrove takes up the story.
“I first met Tim when he was working for Tenon in the 90’s and hosting occasional relaxed working lunches with local businessmen. 
“These were genuinely productive and enjoyable occasions and I am sure that the network he established was of great benefit to his Company. 
                                                                                Cheerful and witty
“He was on the Hampshire County Cricket Club Committee in 2000, when I first got involved with the Club, and was the only committee member who voiced the full extent of his concerns about the true vulnerability of the business. 
“A Trustee of the Barker-Mill Foundation (alongside Naomi House) and a passionate Hampshire cricket and Southampton football devotee, he was consistently cheerful, witty and optimistic even when unwell in recent years. 
“My thoughts right now are with all his devoted extended family and the numerous good friends who, like me, will profoundly miss this honest, generous and entertaining character.”
Away from his love of sport, Tim had been a long-serving trustee of the Barker-Mill Foundation and former chairman of the Winchester Medical Foundation.
The Barker-Mill Foundation has paid tribute. Its chairman Richard Moyse recalled: “Tim was appointed as a trustee in 1995 and in his 25 years with us was a huge asset to the Foundation.
“His passion and continued championing for charities ensured support was provided to causes that most benefitted the wider Hampshire community, and his compassion, dedication and loyalty for helping others was admirable and unstinting, we shall all miss him.”

​Alton have lined up 32-year old South African all-rounder Matthew Arnold to replace Thando Ntini as their overseas player in the ECB Southern Premier League next summer.
A right-arm seam bowler and left-hand batsman, Arnold has made 130 appearances in South African provincial cricket, primarily for Easterns and Titans, taking over 270 wickets.
He played for a Cricket South Africa Invitation XI against England in Benoni last December and trapped Surrey’s Ollie Pope leg before wicket.
Arnold’s last provincial appearance was for the Titans last March, playing alongside Protea pair Aiden Markham and Dean Elgar.  South Africa cricket has just been suspended due to the rapidly escalating covid pandemic crisis throughout the country.
Regarded as an important stand-in player when the internationals are away, Arnold represented the SA U19 side that lost to India in a rain-affected final at the 2008 ICC Youth World Cup. 
A reliable bowler who has consistently been one of Easterns’ leading wicket-takers, Arnold is a wise old head, a clever cricketer and also very useful with the bat, the left-hander boasting a highest first-class score of 150.
Arnold will also uses his experience of more than a dozen first-class seasons to coach Alton's junior cricketers, the Brewers winning the Hampshire Under-19 Cup this past summer.

Alton have been unable to secure the services of South African Thando Ntini, the 20-year old son of Proteas legend Makhaya Ntini, for the 2021 ECB Southern Premier League season after all.
They planned to have the Titans youngster spearheading their attack next summer, but instead of playing at the Jubilee Ground and seeing his first glimpse of a steam train rumbling past on the adjacent Watercress Line, Ntini (pictured left) will remain at home.
Ntini, who played in the 2018 ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, has been selected for Cricket South Africa’s Emerging Players Programme from which the Proteas plan to fast track potential international cricketers.
Alton have wasted no time in securing a replacement for Ntini, who ironically has yet to play in the CSA season due to injury. They plan to formally announce the signing of another South African provincial cricketer (who played against England last December) before the weekend.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have today announced the schedule for the 2021 County Championship, with all 18 First-Class Counties in action when the opening round begins on Thursday 8 April.
Fixtures and dates for the remodelled 2021 Men’s County Championship have now been confirmed with a revised structure in place for next year’s competition to mitigate against the impact of COVID-19.  All teams will play 14 red-ball matches each next summer across Group and Division Stages. 
Hampshire, who have been placed in Group Two alongside Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Somerset and Surrey, will begin their 2021 campaign on Thursday 8 April away to  Leicestershire in the opening round of Group Stage fixtures. James Vince’s side will then return to The Ageas Bowl to welcome Middlesex on 15 April.
Gloucestershire will be the second side to visit The Ageas Bowl (22 April) before Hampshire travel to play Surrey at the Oval on Thursday 29 April rounding off the first month of four-day action.
Three red-ball fixtures are scheduled for May with Hampshire hosting Somerset (Thursday 6 May) and Leicestershire (Thursday 20 May), whilst a visit to Lord’s to face Middlesex (Thursday 13 May) is also scheduled.
A visit to Taunton v Somerset (Thursday 3 June) is the lone four-day contest in June before Hampshire take on Surrey at The Ageas Bowl (Sunday 4 July) and Gloucestershire at Cheltenham (Sunday 11 July) in the final two Group Stage fixtures in July. 
Fixtures for the domestic men’s white-ball competitions are set to be announced in early 2021.

​This website is saddened to convey news of the untimely recent passing of four local cricketing stalwarts -

• Retired Alton and Farnham batsman Chris 'Ollie' Burchett;
• Compton & Chandler's Ford, Hampshire Stragglers and WDCCA's Derek Igglesden; 
• Former Southern League treasurer Tim Jobling, left, Hyde Ramblers/Petersfield/Hampshire Hogs batsman and one-time Hampshire CCC accountant; and
• Cyril Sankey, prominent Easton & Martyr Worthy and more recently Sparsholt all-rounder.

We will endeavour to provide appropriate tributes later this week.

It looks as though it will be a case of evolution rather than revolution in club cricket in 2021 – although many of the lessons learnt during this extraordinary summer look set to be put to good use.
In a week that saw the first Covid vaccine administered, the fervent hope of all those involved in the club game is that next season will have more in common with 2019 than 2020. But with winter practice set to be severely hampered by the pandemic, it’s still likely that disruption to recreational sport will continue into the spring.
Regardless, the Club Cricket Conference having spoken to senior figures in leagues up and down the country, it appears that the club game is ready for whatever is thrown at it, writes Richard Edwards.
Some leagues – most notably Devon and Cornwall – are continuing with a business as usual approach. There will be no dramatic change, despite the upheaval of the past nine months.
Other leagues are making more subtle changes to the way they operate, particularly lower down the league pyramid, with greater flexibility being introduced when it comes to scheduling.
“Where we are thinking of change is at third team level,” says Keir Hopley, chairman of the rules and registration committee, at the Middlesex County Cricket League. “We want to produce some flexibility for clubs to play on Sundays if they want to.
“Some clubs have to hire grounds for their third teams, because there’s only a handful of our clubs who have two grounds.  If both clubs agree that they want to play on Sunday, they can play on the Sunday immediately after the Saturday when the game was due to take place. The only proviso being that the league has to be notified of any changes before the start of the season.”   
This change is a proposal that members of the league will be asked to vote on in the run-up to Christmas, meaning that nothing is currently set in stone. It’s clear, though, that extending  the weekend for league cricket is an eminently sensible move given the strain that is likely to be put on local authority grounds over the next 12 months. 
It’s one of a series of tweaks by the Middlesex league, with clubs playing below a certain level also set to be given the option of playing on artificial pitches, the expectation being that the pandemic might lead to an increase in non-grass surfaces in a bid by councils to keep maintenance costs as low as possible in the future.
The flexible weekend-long approach is one that has been used in Devon for a number of years. 
In the north west, there are plans afoot to ensure that cup matches are decided on the day, with the Duckworth Lewis System (DLS) being used if enough overs have been bowled and a bowl-out taking place if that’s not possible. Previously, teams had ten days to replay an unfinished or cancelled fixture but after piloting the one-day finish out of necessity in 2020, Chris West, president of the North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League, has said that it will now continue. Having played half a league season this summer, he is optimistic about the future.  
“By 2021 we are extremely hopeful that there will be a full season, of sorts,” he says. “We didn’t have promotion or relegation this year, we felt it was unfair to have that over such a truncated season, with players unavailable and matches likely to be called off as a result of the pandemic.
“But we are keen that we don’t go two years without promotion or relegation. We’re going to set some sort of benchmark, so if you complete two thirds of match-days during the season, then promotion and relegation will apply.”
                                                                                    Amazement
Other leagues will doubtless look to follow suit.
At the height of the crisis, when it appeared unlikely that any club cricket would take place at all, there were plenty willing to write the obituary of afternoon cricket, particularly in the lower reaches of the game. It would, some opined, hasten the introduction of Twenty20 cricket below first and second team level.
On the south coast, though, the opposite appears to have happened, the CCC’s newsletter revealing what happened at the Southern Premier League’s own annual meeting.
“We thought there was a desire to play less overs in the divisions, a lot of players said it would be great to stick with 40 overs and not go back to 50,” says SPL chairman Steve Vear, MBE.
“But we put that forward at the AGM in November and it wasn’t supported, to our absolute amazement. We honestly thought that the shorter game and the shorter days for people to go and do other things with their life, would work well. But that obviously isn’t the case.
“I would think at the start of the 2021 season, we will still be working with the previous Covid precautions. We’ve got some scenario planning going on and we know what we’ll be doing if Covid is still an issue and also what we’ll do if it isn’t. It’s very important that we lead in the way that people would expect Premier League’s to do so.”
That’s one of the recurring themes around the club season in 2020, with the leadership shown by recreational cricket acting as a shining beacon for other sports to aspire to.
The hope will be that 2021 offers significant respite from the problems of the past 12 months – but if they persist, then club cricket is ready to stand up and be counted once again.   
* Article reproduced by permission of CCC. 

Who can identify the players in this Hampshire Schools CA side, pictured at KES, and managed by Hedley Wooldridge ?  
The eagle eyed amongst you will immediately pick out Tom Pegler, Chris Thomason, Adrian Small (all in back row) and Jon Osborne front centre. 

​Ryan Covey’s career has gone full circle. After sampling Premier Division cricket with Sarisbury Athletic and Alton in recent seasons, he plans to be back opening the batting for Liphook & Ripsley, his hometown club, next summer.
The 28-year old described it as a “family decision” to return to Liphook, whom he helped reach the National Village Cup final at Lord’s in September 2018.
“My brother has moved back to the area after a couple of years away and will be playing at Liphook again next season, plus we have a lot of friends at the club with children around the same age as my little lad, so it will be a lot better for them having friends and family around on match days.
“I’m at the stage now where I am not really too fussed about the standard I play anymore. I’ve given the Premier Division a good go, but now it’s just about enjoying Saturday afternoons with friends and family.
“We’ll be trying to push for promotion from Southern Premier League Division 2 and hopefully we’ll have another good run in the Village Cup.”
Covey has scored over 3,000 SPL runs for Liphook, made 819 in his 2015/16 seasons at Sarisbury Athletic, and made 549 playing Premier Division cricket for Alton in 2019.
He celebrated his maiden SPL hundred playing for Alton, making an unbeaten 100 in a successful run chase against Havant. That late season century came after he suffered the acute disappointment of being run out for 99 at Bournemouth a few weeks earlier.