Alvanley - striding to Lord's
Alvanley, Calmore Sports’ opponents in Sunday’s Voneus Village Cup final at Lord’s, finished runners-up in the Cheshire County League Division 1and, after winning their final matches last weekend, will join champions Lindlow in the second tier of the county’s pyramid in 2022.
At the start of the season, Alvanley Voneus Village Cup ambitions were simple: reach the national round.
Fast forward five months and the Cheshire & Clwyd champions, who only progressed to the national draw for the first time in 2020, are heading to Lord’s with just one team, Calmore Sports Club, standing between them and Village Cup glory – something captain, Michael Rowlands and leading 462 run scorer, is struggling to wrap his head around.
“I think just to win an actual game in the national rounds felt like quite an achievement,” confesses Rowlands. “Last year was the first time the club reached the national stage. We had a home tie against a local team we’ve played against a number of times and finally got through. Then we played Carlton Towers, came up against the leading run-scorer, didn’t put runs on the board ourselves, but had a really good weekend. It was a bit of a learning curve.
“We all agreed that we wanted to do it again and have a good crack at it. The aim was to get to the area final and having seen the draw, we felt pretty confident we’d get to the national stage and then just see who we’d draw. But to get to the final, it’s a bit hard to put into words.”
One paper, Alvanley had a tough draw, encountering four former champions – Caldy, Woodhouses, Folkton & Flixton, and Houghton Main – en route to Lord’s. They’ve also played every fixture away from home since round three, including a 350-mile round trip to South Wales in the semi-finals, and had several matches disrupted or rearranged by the rain and Covid-19. However, in reality, the Cheshire outfit have made light work of their seven challengers.
Alongside Rowlands, two players to look out for in the Alvanley side are all-rounder Stephen Charles and brother Chris, who have taken 66 wickets between them this season, and top order batsman Simon Gee (328 runs), who made fifties against Folkton & Flixton and Neyland.
Alvanley’s Road to Lord’s
Round 1: Bye
Round 2: Alvanley (224/7) bt Halkyn (131/9) by 93 runs
Round 3: Northop Hall (152/8) lost to Alvanley (202/8) by 50 runs
Round 4: Caldy (198/9) lost to Alvanley (243/8) by 45 runs
Round 5: Woodhouses (148) lost to Alvanley (179) by 31 runs
Round 6: Alvanley (274/9) bt Folkton & Flixton (149) by 125 runs
Quarter-final: Houghton Main (100) lost to Alvanley (128) by 28 runs
Semi-final: Neyland (102) lost to Alvanley (188/9) by 86 runs
Kicking off their tournament with a first round bye, the Alv cruised into the regional final with comfortable victories over Haklyn (93 runs) and Northop Hall (50 runs) before brushing aside Caldy to successfully defend their Cheshire crown.
Up next was a trip to 2011 champions Woodhouses where despite being restricted to 179 with the bat, Alvanley remained in control of a tight encounter and wrapped up a 31-run victory with two overs to spare.
Rain disrupted their home tie against 2018 winners Folkton & Flixton (beat Liphook & Ripsley in the Lord's final) in the last 16, resulting in a rearranged trip to Scarborough. However, unfazed by the unfamiliar conditions, Alvanley battered their way to 274 for 9 before putting in a clinical performance with the ball to pull off a shock 125-run win.
A low-scoring affair against Houghton Main followed, with Alvanley successfully defending 128 to win by 28 runs, before an emphatic 86-run victory over Neyland, memorable for Ste Charles’ 23rd-over hat-trick, secured their day out at Lord’s.
“Winning at Woodhouses in the national round gave us the belief we could go far; a lot of the lads feel Woodhouses were the strong team [we’ve faced],” says Rowlands. “And then to beat Folkton & Flixton, who were the most recent previous we’ve come up against, that when I knew we had every chance of going all the way.
“You could tell they were very confident and had their eyes on winning it again, and when we played them at home it was clear in the way they went about their fielding, it was a step up and one we had to make. But what’s been really good is after each win, the opposition and supporters have complimented how good of a team we’ve been and given us a lot of belief that we belong [here].”
Bat first and win
Interestingly, Alvanley have batted first in all seven matches and with their smallest winning margin standing at a fairly comfortable 28 runs, it’s a strategy which appears to be working.
“It’s a funny one,” reveals Rowlands. “In the league this year we’ve decided we’ll chase predominantly, but on Sunday’s [in the Village Cup] we just want to bat first, put runs on the board and look to apply as much pressure as possible. I’ve won five tosses and the two I’ve lost we’ve been put in to bat, which is exactly what I would have done if I’d won.”
Discussing the secret to his side’s success, he continues: “I think the one thing opposition teams have been expecting is that our change bowlers aren’t going to be quite as good. They’ve waited for [them], trying to get a few easy runs, and it hasn’t happened. We’ve been able to keep applying the pressure and strangle teams.”
Alvanley have also, somewhat unusually, had very few standout individual performances. Several players are in contention for the golden bat and golden ball – Rowlands, himself, is third in the batting standing with 282 runs while Ste Charles, winner of the Theakston Player of the Round award in the semi-finals, and Lee Ainsworth are among the top five wicket-takers – but no one in the team has scored a century or taken a five-for in the competition to date.
“It’s really been an effort from one to 11; everyone’s contributed at crucial times,” says Rowlands, crediting his side’s all-round ability. “There’s been a core group of players who’ve done the bulk of the work and then those who’ve tipped the game in our favour with a bowling spell or a crucial knock. I can think back to Folkton & Flixton when Charlie Fletcher came in at five down and hit a 19-ball 39 which deflated the opposition. We did the same at Neyland, putting on 30 or 40 towards the end.
“In terms of batting, Si Gee has been our rock in the middle order, he’s played some really important innings, especially in the national stages. In terms of bowling, Jimmy Ecclestone has bowled some really economical spells and been key to our success.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s final, Alvanley’s opponents are Village Cup debutants Calmore Sports Club who have come through a competitive Hampshire group, two final-over victories and a tied match with Goatacre to reach Lord’s. However, Rowlands is not planning on over-analysing the Hampshire side.
Alvanley’s leading run-scorers
Michael Rowlands – 283 runs @ 35.37
Simon Gee – 235 runs @ 39.16
Ste Charles – 157 runs @ 19.62
Alvanley’s leading wicket-takers
Ste Charles – 15 wickets @ 14.13
Lee Ainsworth – 13 wickets @ 9.00
Ben Tumilty – 10 wickets @ 13.90
“We know one or two people who’ve played against them, so we’ll do a little bit of research, get a feel for their bowlers and which batsmen have done well,” says Rowlands. “But on the day, we’ll just react to the players we come up against and stick to our own game plan. Most of the teams we were up against we knew very little about and the lads have enjoyed that. There’s less to worry about then.”
And as for the final itself, Rowlands is looking forward to sharing the moment not just with the 11 players in the Alvanley squad, but everyone involved with the club.
“We’re going there to win and I’m sure Calmore are the same, and we’re elated to have the opportunity to play at Lord’s,” he says. “But for me, what I’ll probably be most happy about is the chance for our members and supporters to come down and enjoy the weekend.
“We have a number of lads whose dads have played for the club. They’ll have played in the competition and were unfortunate not to get to the national rounds, so to be able to give them the chance to enjoy a day out at Lord’s and see their lads play, I think that’s something I will look back on quite fondly. It’s an achievement in itself, seeing how many people outside of the players will enjoy and cherish the day.”
At the start of the season, Alvanley Voneus Village Cup ambitions were simple: reach the national round.
Fast forward five months and the Cheshire & Clwyd champions, who only progressed to the national draw for the first time in 2020, are heading to Lord’s with just one team, Calmore Sports Club, standing between them and Village Cup glory – something captain, Michael Rowlands and leading 462 run scorer, is struggling to wrap his head around.
“I think just to win an actual game in the national rounds felt like quite an achievement,” confesses Rowlands. “Last year was the first time the club reached the national stage. We had a home tie against a local team we’ve played against a number of times and finally got through. Then we played Carlton Towers, came up against the leading run-scorer, didn’t put runs on the board ourselves, but had a really good weekend. It was a bit of a learning curve.
“We all agreed that we wanted to do it again and have a good crack at it. The aim was to get to the area final and having seen the draw, we felt pretty confident we’d get to the national stage and then just see who we’d draw. But to get to the final, it’s a bit hard to put into words.”
One paper, Alvanley had a tough draw, encountering four former champions – Caldy, Woodhouses, Folkton & Flixton, and Houghton Main – en route to Lord’s. They’ve also played every fixture away from home since round three, including a 350-mile round trip to South Wales in the semi-finals, and had several matches disrupted or rearranged by the rain and Covid-19. However, in reality, the Cheshire outfit have made light work of their seven challengers.
Alongside Rowlands, two players to look out for in the Alvanley side are all-rounder Stephen Charles and brother Chris, who have taken 66 wickets between them this season, and top order batsman Simon Gee (328 runs), who made fifties against Folkton & Flixton and Neyland.
Alvanley’s Road to Lord’s
Round 1: Bye
Round 2: Alvanley (224/7) bt Halkyn (131/9) by 93 runs
Round 3: Northop Hall (152/8) lost to Alvanley (202/8) by 50 runs
Round 4: Caldy (198/9) lost to Alvanley (243/8) by 45 runs
Round 5: Woodhouses (148) lost to Alvanley (179) by 31 runs
Round 6: Alvanley (274/9) bt Folkton & Flixton (149) by 125 runs
Quarter-final: Houghton Main (100) lost to Alvanley (128) by 28 runs
Semi-final: Neyland (102) lost to Alvanley (188/9) by 86 runs
Kicking off their tournament with a first round bye, the Alv cruised into the regional final with comfortable victories over Haklyn (93 runs) and Northop Hall (50 runs) before brushing aside Caldy to successfully defend their Cheshire crown.
Up next was a trip to 2011 champions Woodhouses where despite being restricted to 179 with the bat, Alvanley remained in control of a tight encounter and wrapped up a 31-run victory with two overs to spare.
Rain disrupted their home tie against 2018 winners Folkton & Flixton (beat Liphook & Ripsley in the Lord's final) in the last 16, resulting in a rearranged trip to Scarborough. However, unfazed by the unfamiliar conditions, Alvanley battered their way to 274 for 9 before putting in a clinical performance with the ball to pull off a shock 125-run win.
A low-scoring affair against Houghton Main followed, with Alvanley successfully defending 128 to win by 28 runs, before an emphatic 86-run victory over Neyland, memorable for Ste Charles’ 23rd-over hat-trick, secured their day out at Lord’s.
“Winning at Woodhouses in the national round gave us the belief we could go far; a lot of the lads feel Woodhouses were the strong team [we’ve faced],” says Rowlands. “And then to beat Folkton & Flixton, who were the most recent previous we’ve come up against, that when I knew we had every chance of going all the way.
“You could tell they were very confident and had their eyes on winning it again, and when we played them at home it was clear in the way they went about their fielding, it was a step up and one we had to make. But what’s been really good is after each win, the opposition and supporters have complimented how good of a team we’ve been and given us a lot of belief that we belong [here].”
Bat first and win
Interestingly, Alvanley have batted first in all seven matches and with their smallest winning margin standing at a fairly comfortable 28 runs, it’s a strategy which appears to be working.
“It’s a funny one,” reveals Rowlands. “In the league this year we’ve decided we’ll chase predominantly, but on Sunday’s [in the Village Cup] we just want to bat first, put runs on the board and look to apply as much pressure as possible. I’ve won five tosses and the two I’ve lost we’ve been put in to bat, which is exactly what I would have done if I’d won.”
Discussing the secret to his side’s success, he continues: “I think the one thing opposition teams have been expecting is that our change bowlers aren’t going to be quite as good. They’ve waited for [them], trying to get a few easy runs, and it hasn’t happened. We’ve been able to keep applying the pressure and strangle teams.”
Alvanley have also, somewhat unusually, had very few standout individual performances. Several players are in contention for the golden bat and golden ball – Rowlands, himself, is third in the batting standing with 282 runs while Ste Charles, winner of the Theakston Player of the Round award in the semi-finals, and Lee Ainsworth are among the top five wicket-takers – but no one in the team has scored a century or taken a five-for in the competition to date.
“It’s really been an effort from one to 11; everyone’s contributed at crucial times,” says Rowlands, crediting his side’s all-round ability. “There’s been a core group of players who’ve done the bulk of the work and then those who’ve tipped the game in our favour with a bowling spell or a crucial knock. I can think back to Folkton & Flixton when Charlie Fletcher came in at five down and hit a 19-ball 39 which deflated the opposition. We did the same at Neyland, putting on 30 or 40 towards the end.
“In terms of batting, Si Gee has been our rock in the middle order, he’s played some really important innings, especially in the national stages. In terms of bowling, Jimmy Ecclestone has bowled some really economical spells and been key to our success.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s final, Alvanley’s opponents are Village Cup debutants Calmore Sports Club who have come through a competitive Hampshire group, two final-over victories and a tied match with Goatacre to reach Lord’s. However, Rowlands is not planning on over-analysing the Hampshire side.
Alvanley’s leading run-scorers
Michael Rowlands – 283 runs @ 35.37
Simon Gee – 235 runs @ 39.16
Ste Charles – 157 runs @ 19.62
Alvanley’s leading wicket-takers
Ste Charles – 15 wickets @ 14.13
Lee Ainsworth – 13 wickets @ 9.00
Ben Tumilty – 10 wickets @ 13.90
“We know one or two people who’ve played against them, so we’ll do a little bit of research, get a feel for their bowlers and which batsmen have done well,” says Rowlands. “But on the day, we’ll just react to the players we come up against and stick to our own game plan. Most of the teams we were up against we knew very little about and the lads have enjoyed that. There’s less to worry about then.”
And as for the final itself, Rowlands is looking forward to sharing the moment not just with the 11 players in the Alvanley squad, but everyone involved with the club.
“We’re going there to win and I’m sure Calmore are the same, and we’re elated to have the opportunity to play at Lord’s,” he says. “But for me, what I’ll probably be most happy about is the chance for our members and supporters to come down and enjoy the weekend.
“We have a number of lads whose dads have played for the club. They’ll have played in the competition and were unfortunate not to get to the national rounds, so to be able to give them the chance to enjoy a day out at Lord’s and see their lads play, I think that’s something I will look back on quite fondly. It’s an achievement in itself, seeing how many people outside of the players will enjoy and cherish the day.”
