SAF SAYS HELLO FROM AUSTRALIA

`FIRST OF ALL, CAN I SAY HELLO TO EVERYBODY FROM ALL OF US, WE MISS EVERYONE, AND HOPE YOU ARE WELL. SPECIAL HELLO TO RONNIE AND KEITH, WE HOPE THEY ARE RECOVERING WELL FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE OPERATIONS.

DAMIEN CONTACTED ME RECENTLY AND ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO DO A LITTLE SPEECH, I SAID I WOULD LOVE TO AND HENCE THIS SPIEL.

I RECEIVED THE SCORES OF THE UNDER 11'S 'A' GAME AGAINST FENISCOWLES FROM CLARKEY AND SHEENA, AND WAS REALLY CHUFFED TO SEE THE BOYS WERE SO STRONG AND WON SO EASLY (NEARLY 100 RUNS VICTORY!!).

I WAS REALLY PLEASED WITH THE SCORE LINE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THE WAY THE BOYS PLAYED AS A TEAM. I WAS TOLD EVERYOBODY PLAYED EXCELLENTLY, SO A BIG WELL DONE. I DON'T INTEND THIS SPEECH GOING ON FOR EVER, SO WILL GET DOWN TO THE SUBJECT OF UNDER 11'S 'A' TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR, FOR BATTING AND BOWLING.

AFTER A LOT OF DELIBERATION AND GREAT DIFFICULTY I EVENTUALLY CAME TO MY DECISION, WHICH I'M SURE YOU WILL ALL AGREE WITH.

BEFORE NAMING THE WINNERS, I FEEL IT IS ONLY RIGHT TO MENTION THAT THE WHOLE TEAM WERE ABSOLUTELY, BRILLIANT.

MATTHEW SCHOFIELD WAS EXCELLENT AS THE CAPTAIN ONCE AGAIN WITH SOME BRILLIANT THINKING, HE ALONG WITH MARLEY WON US THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON AGAINST EAST LANCS AWAY, BY RUNNING AN EXTRA RUN WHEN THE OPPOSITION THINKING THEY HAD FORCED A DRAW.

FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT ATTEND, THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE THAT WITH ONE BALL TO GO, WE NEEDED 1 TO TIE, 2 TO WIN. MARLEY HIT THE BOWL AND THEY BOTH RAN, MAKING THE SINGLE, WITH EAST LANCS HITTING THE WICKETS, THE BOWL ROLLED AWAY AND MATT CALLED FOR A SECOND, WHEREUPON THEIR PLAYER HIT THE WICKETS BEFORE THE BOYS MADE THE SECOND RUN.

I WAS A LITTLE GUTTED AS I THOUGHT WE HAD LOST THE MATCH, ONLY FOR MATT TO TELL US WE HAD WON BECAUSE THE WICKETS HAD BEEN BROKEN SO FOR THE SECOND ATTEMPTED RUN OUT, AND THAT SOMEBODY FROM THE FIELDING TEAM HAD TO PULL THE STUMP FROM THE GROUND BEFORE CLAIMIMG THE WICKET.

HE WAS CORRECT AND WE WON. HOWEVER WE DECIDED TO PLAY THE BALL AGAIN AND AGAIN THE BOYS HIT THE RUNS AND WE ONE AGAIN.

JAKE SHEPHERDS BATTING CAME ON TREMENDOUSLY, AND HE HAD SOME GREAT KNOCKS. HITTING SEVERAL MONSTER SIXES ALONG THE WAY. ONE MESSAGE FOR JAKE, KEEP PRACTISING WITH YOUR GRANDAD, AND DECIDE WHAT ACTION YOU ARE GOING TO BOWL. I THINK YOU SHOULD STICK TO SPIN, YOU CAN MAKE THE BALL MOVE, SO STICK TO IT MATE. GOOD SPIN BOWLERS ARE HARD TO FIND, ASK CLARKEY!!

CONOR AND JAKE BROWN PLAYED BRILLIANTLY. CONOR ALSO LOOKED LIKE HE WAS TWEAKING THE BOWL. KEEP SPINNING THE BOWL CONOR. JAKE BATTED WELL, BUT I HAVE TO MENTION THAT HE TOOK THE GLOVES AS KEEPER WITH ABSOLUTE EASE, AND LOOKED LIKE HE HAD DONE IT FOR YEARS. WELL DONE BOTH OF YOU FOR SOME GREAT CRICKET.

AKEEL CAME ALONG ONCE AGAIN AND DID VERY WELL WITH BOTH THE BAT AND BALL. HE WAS ALSO PART OF SPRING HILL SCHOOL WHO WON THE HYNDBURN SCHOOLS UNDER 11'S TOURNAMENT. HE ALSO WENT ON TO PLAY AT OLD TRAFFORD WITH THE TEAM AS A RESULT OF THIS. JUST REMEMBER AKEEL, USE THE RIGHT SIZE BAT AND SPEAK UP!!

MATTHEW HONEY, CAME IN TO THE TEAM THIS SEASON AND BLENDED IN AS THOUGH HE HAD BEEN THERE LONGER. HE ONLY MANAGED A COUPLE OF GAMES DUE TO ILLNESS AND OTHER COMITMENTS. WELL DONE MATT. AND SAME AGAIN NEXT SEASON MATE.

RYAN PEARSON WAS THE SAME AS AKEEL SOME GOOD ALL ROUND PERFORMANCES. ALSO WAS EXCELLENT IN THE FIELD. GREAT STUFF RAZ AND KEEP IT UP.

MARLEY AND CALLUM WITH HEATH STREAK.

MY OWN TWO SONS, MARLEY AND CALLUM HAD A GREAT SEASON TOO. MARLEY AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED HAD SOME GREAT KNOCKS, ESPECIALLY WITH MATTY. AS A VICE CAPTAIN HE ALSO GOT STUCK IN WITH THE FIELD SETTINGS AND BOWLED SOME GREAT STUFF TOO.

CALLUM BATTED WELL AND HIS BOWLING WAS EXCELLENT. TOWARDS THE END OF THE SEASON HE WAS BOWLING LIKE A STEAM TRAIN. MATTY SCHOFIELD ONCE DESCRIBED HIS BOWLING LIKE SHOAIB AKHTAR!! THE ACCRINGTON EXPRESS!! ALL THE BOYS WERE BRILLIANT AND MADE ME AND THEIR FAMILIES VERY PROUD. HOWEVER I HAD TO CHOOSE ONE WINNER FOR BATTING AND ONE FOR BOWLING.

IT WAS VERY VERY HARD, BUT I CHOSE THE FOLLOWING TWO PLAYERS:-
SOHAIL BASHARAT FOR BOWLING
JAKE CLARKE FOR BATTING

I FELT THAT BOTH BOYS EXCELLED IN A VERY GOOD TEAM. SOHAIL CAME INTO THE TEAM LATE IN THE SEASON, BUT SETTLED IN WELL AND BOWLED SOME EXCELLENT STUFF, VERY NIPPY TOO. I FELT HE DESERVED IT FOR SETTLING INTO THE TEAM SO WELL, LISTENING AND PERFORMING WELL WITH THE BOWL. JAKE GOT THE BATTING AWARD AS I FELT HE BATTED WITH INTELLIGENCE AND HAD SOME GREAT KNOCKS.

ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS HE WAS INTO DOUBLE FIGURES, AND FINISHED WITH AN EXCELLENT 15 IN THE LAST GAME. LIKEWISE HE LISTENED TO WHAT WAS SAID AND PUT INTO PRACTISE WHAT HE WAS TAUGHT.

AS REALLY YOU WON THE AWARDS TOO, BECAUSE WITHOUT YOU PERFORMING THEY WAY YOU DID, SOHAIL AND JAKE WOULD NOT HAVE PERFORMED TOO. YOU PLAYED BRILLIANTLY AS A TEAM AND LISTENED TO YOUR CAPTAIN AND VICE CAPTAIN.

I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED MYSELF RUNNING AND MANAGING THE TEAM, AND ASK YOU ALL TO REMEMBER THAT CRICKET IS FOR FUN SO ENJOY IT. MORE IMPORTANTLY STAY WITH ACCRINGTON, YOUR HOME TOWN, AND MAKE US ALL PROUD IN THE FUTURE.

PLEASE CAN I ALSO THANK ALL THE PARENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS FOR HELPING OUT DURING THE SEASON, AND LONG MAY THAT CONTINUE. I HOPE THE PARENTS / FAMILY MEMBERS GET A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

WE MUST ALSO THANK PETER CONROY FOR RUNNING THE 'B' TEAM. ALSO HIS HELPERS, JOHN, ALEX AND OTHERS. MY GLAMOROUS ASSISTANT CLARKEY, WHO HELPED OUT ON MANY OCCASIONS, EVENTUALLY TAKING OVER THE REIGNS ON MY DEPARTURE. PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYBODY, WITHOUT PEOPLE LIKE PETER AND CLARKEY YOU DON'T GET TO PLAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN CLARKEY HE HAD SUCH AN INVOLVEMENT WITH THE FIRST TEAM TOO!!

WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY A BIG THANKS TO NIGEL STOCKLEY FOR SUCH AN EXCELLENT WEBSITE. WE CHECK EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS, AND READING ABOUT EVERYBODY IS GREAT. PLEASE KEEP THE INFORMATION COMING IN, AS THE SITE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE INFORMATION ON IT!

FINALLY GOOD LUCK TO EVERYBODY, HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT YEAR AHEAD, AND WISH PETER BARRATT, THE COMMITTEE AND EVERYONE AT THE CLUB

ALL THE BEST. SAF, RACHEL, MARLEY AND CALLUM ALI
Email - accysaf@dodo.com.au