Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Society Year Book 2022

32 a massive score containing a remarkable individual story. Ben Morley, dropped at slip on 16, went onto score a league record 237 not out. e next day he scored 199, being run out o the last ball of the innings and picked up 4-43 with the ball, an unreal weekend of cricketing exploits. A club scoring 400 for the rst time ever in their history is rare enough but doing so twice in a season is probably unheard of. Having not played at Rawdon I can only assume either the pitch or boundaries favour the batsmen. More insider information on this is welcome! https://bit.ly/3E7kiiS NOT HANGING ABOUT… In the lowest team total stakes look no further than the xture between Hillam & Monk Fryston and Eastrington in a York and District Senior Cricket League Division 4 Ebor League clash. Whilst musing on just how poetic some names for divisions and league can be, imagine how low the Hillam and Monk Fryston out t must have felt a er being rolled over for just… 7 runs. at’s... 7. All. Out. And as the total included 3 extras, only 4 runs were scored with the bat with two batsmen scoring just a couple each! Needless to say only two bowlers were required and Nathan Creaser helped himself to 7 wickets for 3 runs in only 4 overs. e miniscule winning target was achieved with James Kendra obliging, whilst his opening partner didn’t face a single delivery. Perhaps predictably, Hillam and Monk Fryston nished bottom, winning only once, and Eastrington lost once in winning the division. Hopefully both will nd their appropriate playing levels in 2022. https://bit.ly/32JkDdX STARS OF THE SHOW Moving on to individuals, a scenario that o en arises in batting averages is the player who gets enough runs to qualify but plays few games, resulting in a very high average. Look no further than Ian Dixon of Ripon 2nd XI. https://bit.ly/31agJdo In 2021 he had an incredible average of 281 with a top score of 266 not out, a total of 843 runs from only seven games of cricket in 2021! at almost beggars belief despite that 266no being accrued on the notoriously small boundaries of Crakehall Cricket Club. Now I have no story behind these amazing gures but the irregularity of Ian’s appearances suggest he was not available very o en, hence his second team berth. But it is clear that the very small sample sizes from 2020 and 2017 seem very di erent to his other league appearances, and I would love to know the story behind this. As I live in South Yorkshire I am keen to obtain records for players a bit closer to home - the examples used in the individual bowling section came from the leagues local to me. Firstly, the only 9 wicket haul found was that of Darren Birkett of Bullcro Main CC in Pontefract League Division 4. His 9-25 from 14 overs helped his side defend 96 all out, and although the surface at Uncle Tom’s near Doncaster is possibly not the most conducive to batting, Darren’s is one of the best individual performances I could nd in South Yorkshire. Unlike the batting exploits earlier it is evident that this bowling feat was achieved in a much tighter a air so Darren’s was a clear Man of the Match performance. https://bit.ly/3lj3wWQ His season average of 9.54 is highly impressive but huge in comparison with Zul qar Ali of Totley in the Yorkshire and Derbyshire League - he averaged only 6.04 in 2021, taking 55 wickets for only 332 runs. Again, the surface at Totley and a couple other grounds in this league are very bowler friendly but - just like runs on a at track - you have to