Ben Rhydding CC 2019 Season prospects

Ben Rhydding CC have entered 2019 with optimism after a busy off-season.

The first team will be led by Alex Miller and hope to continue a run of form that saw them lose just one of their final 12 matches in 2018. The addition of young seamer Zak Critchlow from Bradford & Bingley will strengthen their bowling, as will the availability of 2017 league averages winner Rob Withers and Michael Slater, who both return after a season off.

The club is hopeful that explosive batsman Struan Connor is available more often following his rugby commitments. All-rounder Elliot Jennings, signing from Follifoot, will add depth when he joins the squad after injury. Nick Smith and Henry Barrow will act as Alex’s deputies. Batsman Mitchell Dickson will act as overseas player and becomes the fourteenth young cricketer to take advantage of the link between Otorohanga CC in New Zealand and the cricket community in the Ilkley area.

The second team will be led once again by Matt Vowles as they look to bounce back from relegation from Division Five with a more settled side. Emphasis will once again be placed on offering opportunities to the younger members of the squad. It is hoped that new signing Mikey Hillas, from Harden, will be able to leave his umpire’s coat on the hanger once or twice during the season. Further additions are expected in the coming weeks and to date no regular player has left the club.

We are proud that club stalwart Matthew Grimes continues in his role as Secretary of the AWSCL. Ground improvements continue, and the club has launched an effort to gain planning permission for a new clubhouse to be built on the scorebox corner of the ground.

BRCC hopes for a repeat of last season’s stunning weather and looks forward to welcoming all comers to Coutances Way in 2019.