Lincolnshire County Cricket League Official Handbook 2017

Associations has, in my opinion, been good for the County and its' clubs and, as is well known, I am a supporter of the "Pyramid" system for Leagues. It is just as well known that I'm not a massive supporter of imported overseas players although I've been involved with clubs who have had such players and I'm in regular contact with a number of them. I will be flying to Perth in a couple of days to spend some time with the parents of one such player and no doubt will be well looked after by Mr. and Mrs. Lavender as well as Shane. This season sees us lose Marshalls and Morton from the League, Marshalls after only one season and Morton after several years, will leave us with no representation in Gainsborough a situation which I hope will be resolved in the future. We have also seen the demise of Caistor 3rds who have battled manfully in Division 4 for some while. On the plus side however, we welcome back Horncastle and I wish them every success in future years. At the "Top End" the return of Nettleham after a season of ECB Premier League cricket and the elevation of Alford to that level gives our Premier Division a very competitive look particularly with Alkborough returning to the top flight and Lindum 2s gaining promotion at their first attempt. I will finish by thanking ALL those who have made my time in office so eventful and all those willing volunteers who put so much into their clubs particularly the groundsmen, scorers and tea ladies as well as those who regularly attend our League Meetings. Please make every possible effort within your clubs to attract retiring players to take up the role of Umpire as numbers are falling fast and the League and the Game would be much poorer without the services of neutral Umpires. Many many thanks to those Umpires of the past and those of the present for your efforts and do please keep up the good work. PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO MAKE 2017 A FINE FREE SEASON GOOD LUCK AND ENJOYMENT TO ONE AND ALL, ONCE AGAIN THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS. I WILL BE KEEPING A WATCH ON DEVELOPMENTS AND RESULTS IN THE FUTURE REST ASSURED, AND WILL STILL DROP IN TO WATCH GAMES WHEN TIME PERMITS! 808 /vELTlJ/f/ 3