The Sporta Tours Over 60’s cricket festival will be held in the UAE in early March 2025. Sporta Tours is an official sponsor of England Seniors Cricket and have an excellent track record of delivering events of this nature to a wide range of clients including: ECB/MCC/English Professional Counties/HMC Schools/England Seniors.
The festival represents an excellent opportunity for some warm weather matches and practice ahead of the English cricket season.
Any English County Over 60s teams (joint teams welcome) wishing to express an interest to attend should contact Roger Myall at[email protected] for more details
Back in 2003 Barry Smith realised that a number of good club cricketers could no longer hold a regular place in the over 50’s County Championship and, like himself, were becoming a little disillusioned with regular League cricket. Hugh Milner of Sussex agreed that there was possible scope for an over 60’s competition but, after enquiring of other Home Counties, the only potential problem seemed to be whether there would be enough 60 year olds of sufficient standard in each county.
Hertfordshire, Essex and Surrey joined Kent and Sussex in the new venture for 2004 with the rules based on those which the over 50’s used. However, it was initially agreed that each county could play two 59 year old players in each game. As the instigator of the idea, Barry agreed to be the Competition Organiser and each county played home & away against each other – 8 games in the season with the two top teams playing in a final. The objective was that the counties would stage the Final in turn and Surrey undertook this in 2004. On an excellent Sunday in September at Dorking C.C., Sussex played Essex and the latter won by 49 runs. As Barry was presenting the cup to the Essex Captain, we were all interrupted by the Royal Bypass of Spitfire, Mosquito and Lancaster as they had just left Biggin Hill Airshow to return to their base – where ever that was. A true finale to the first season.
In 2005 the same two teams again met in the final at Radlett, Hertfordshire and again Essex were triumphant by 6 runs – no airshow this year!!
By 2006 the message had spread and Suffolk and Norfolk joined to increase the competition to 7 Counties. Essex hosted the final at Brentwood but were not one of the competitors. Sussex again qualified but this year with Kent and in a close game Sussex won by 4 wickets in the final over.
By now many counties, even if not playing in the Championship, had a regular list of friendly games and this encouraged Worcestershire and Berkshire to join in 2007. It was no longer practical to play games on a home & away basis with 9 counties and so each county only played each other once. This was gradually taking the competition outside of the Home Counties and distance travelling was becoming involved which some counties were happy with but others were not so keen. It was in 2007 that Barry managed to obtain some sponsorship for the Championship and this assisted all counties by subsidising the cost of the balls. Having played for 3 years and discovered that counties now seemed to have enough 60 year olds, it was agreed to phase out the under-aged players over the next two seasons. The competition had basically resurrected social club cricket, although it was competitive, for many club players who may well have hung up their boots had it not been organised. The weather in 2007 was horrendous and of the 36 scheduled games only 14 were played on their original dates, a further 15 were replayed and 7 never even happened!. Sussex again played Kent in the final at Sittingbourne and this match saw one of the highest totals ever scored – Sussex were 333 for 4 after 45 overs on what was described as a good batting track! Kent never managed to keep up the pace and were dismissed for 171.
In 2008 bad weather for 3 separate weeks during the season caused havoc with the fixture list but 43 of the 45 games were eventually played and the non-results of the two that weren’t had no effect on the finalists who were Essex and Hampshire, in their first season. Suffolk hosted the game at Copdock and for the first time in 5 years, rain struck. Hampshire completed their innings at 189 for 7 off 45 overs and in reply Essex got to 36 for 2 off 15 overs when drizzle appeared. All players wanted to keep going and Essex got to 100 for 2 in 26 overs when conditions were getting silly, if not dangerous, and the umpires decided that everybody had had enough. The two teams, with the Organiser’s agreement, agreed to share the trophy for 2008.
Howard started open-age cricket in the 1950’s when he was 14 for Dulwich Wanderers C C. He joined Cuaco C C in 1959 (now ODCuaco C C0 where he can still be found on a weekendkeeping wicket at the ripe old age of 82!
Howard’s skills as a cricket administrator soon landed him in a role with the Kent Cricket League Committee, with him becoming Chair of the League for 7 years. A notable achievement of his time with the KCL was that he obtained £10K sponsorship from Shepherd Neame in his second year of office.
His involvement with the Kent Seniors started in 2004 as a player and in 2009 he took on the reigns as the administrator, this being his 15th consecutive year at the helm! During his time Kent have gone from one 60+ Team to four 60+ Teams and three 70+ Teams which is a wonderful achievement for the County. With over 55 home fixtures a season to arrange including all the game logistics this is quite an achievement.
He is referred to as The Administrator which is probably true.
Howard’s experience and the time he has dedicated to cricket at club, league and county level is un-matched. If you haven’t played with him, you have probably played in a league he has run or a Kent team he has managed.. And if not, you have almost certainly heard him speak, as a resident MC of the KCL end of season dinner, or as an after-dinner speaker at clubs across the County.
Kent Cricket would like to thank Howard for everything he has given to the cricket community in Kent. It is unlikely that you will meet a more deserving winner of the Lifetime Achiever Award or for that matter a nicer man.
The main award of the ceremony was the Lifetime Achiever Award. Which was awarded to Len Attard for his services to Gloucestershire Seniors cricket.
As Len explained in his interview over the last two decades he’s taken seniors cricket in Gloucestershire from one over 50s team to four over 50s, four over 60s and an over 70s side, where the county also provides the captain for the England team in each of the three age categories. The over 70s captain has just led the England team to win the World Cup.
Ridings first team took on the touring Western Australia team, including a handful of full internationals at the traditional county ground at Harrogate on Wednesday.
Continuing his 100 % record with the coin, Zai Ali won the toss and as is customary asked the tourists to bat first on a beautiful sunny day. It was good to have the returning Nigel Kenyon available again, but after an impressive three over spell, the opposition captain Graeme Tysoe decided to take a liking to him and he finished wicketless bowling his five overs for 39. At the other end, Rich Gibson continued his masterclass in flight and drift, and claimed two victims, a smart catch from Steve Lawrence before clean bowling skipper Tysoe for a brisk 52, to claim 2 for 35 in his 9 over spell.
Mike Scothern can consider himself unlucky to concede boundaries off the edge and through fielding errors but returned to claim customary late wickets, finishing with 2 for 60 including the prized scalp of international opener Sam Davis. It was also great to welcome Mike Newhouse back after a three year break through personal circumstances, and as always his mixture of well pitched leg breaks and top spinners had the Aussie batters back in their shell, a spell of 9 overs producing 3 for 39, including the valuable wicket of John Spilsbury caught behind, and also Aussie MoM John Pearce, who had confounded all other bowlers with his ability to find the boundary with all manner of shots, rarely out of the textbook! Ali Anthony bowled as well as ever getting plenty from the wicket and finished with 1 for 43 from his 9 overs, but the remaining two bowlers Zai Ali and for the first time a solitary last over from Steve Walton suffered from the class bat of Gary Green, father of full international Cameron Green, and their combined four overs went for 50 runs. So Western Australia, who had chased down 267 on Sunday to beat Cheshire finished their innings on 273 for 8, with Green unbeaten for the second match in a row on 37 from 27 balls. The total was aided by some unusually sloppy fielding and 21 leg side wides, and one unfortunate incident when Malcolm Barraclough, having taken an impressive catch on the boundary, found that he had inadvertently stepped backwards over the rope to give the classy Spilsbury an early reprieve.
Steve Walton joined David O’Kelly to start the reply, and they were met with the unusual sight of keeper stood well back, two slips and a gully, but that didn’t put them off, and the pair constructed an excellent opening partnership of 105 in 18 overs before Walton departed to a very fine catch in the gully from the aforementioned Green for a well made 33. Mike Scothern was next to join the maestro O’Kelly, and he too played shots all around the ground, before becoming the first of Pearce’s two clean bowled victims, and he departed for 30. Ridings at this point were still well in control, but the quick wicket of Steve Lawrence out for 2 from only three balls sent a few flutters through the large crowd of partisan Yorkshire watchers. However, Ali Anthony also taking advantage of a rare outing to the middle kept the score moving well, and shepherded O’Kelly to yet another century, before Anthony fell for 31. Ridings simply needed a run a ball at this stage, but the pace had gone out of the pitch and O’Kelly was struggling with a sore back, and so just to add to the entertainment there followed a period of mayhem where first O’Kelly was run out trying to get the strike from a wicketkeeper misfield, departing for a brilliant and match winning 127. The chaos continued with overthrows but in well scripted fashion, skipper Zai Ali pierced the tight infield to score the winning runs with one ball left, finishing with 7n.o. and Alan Lees at the other end on 10n.o.
And so finished a most enjoyable cricket match played in excellent spirits, well umpired by Barry Oliver and Jane Pratt, and impeccably hosted by Harrogate ( even the cold showers seemed strangely appropriate on such a hot day!)
There followed a barbecue for teams and supporters, presentations and thanks to all involved, David O’Kelly winning a lovely plaque for his performance, and John Pearce presented with a Yorkshire Ridings cap for the Aussies. The day finally finished in the bar with the draw for the many raffle prizes in aid of Prostate Cancer, a boomerang, Jonny Lawrence book of coaching and playing memoirs, and much alcohol and chocolates among the prizes, our grateful thanks to all who donated. The final act was to present Gary Green with a strangely unclaimed 3 DVD set of the Michael Vaughn Ashes series triumph, who despite an otherwise exemplary performance had the misfortune to drop a “dolly” as the game reached its climax. Pleasingly he held on well to the box set of DVDs!!
Thanks for the massive feat of organisation throughout the day to Harrogate Cricket Club but particularly club steward Andy Hawkswell and mum Linda, who was made up when the winning raffle ticket for the box of Black Magic conveniently fell into her lap!
Hertfordshire 3rdXI batsman David Spring hit the highest ever individual score in the competition’s 11 year history. His 167* in the match v Middlesex, surpassed the previous high of 161 posted by fellow Hertfordshire batter Bill Makin last year.
Congratulations also to Kevan Pratt of Essex. He has joined the 100 club,having taken his tally of 70s First XI wickets to the magical 3 figure total in the demolition of estuary opponents Kent. He is the third bowler to do joining an elite group joining Ted Elsey and Martin Woodward.
Seniors cricket saw a batting record smashed last week as Gloucester opening pair John Evans and Keith Daniels (pictured) put the Wales 70s First XI to the sword. Playing at the scenic BreconCC the dashing Evans(recently confirmed as new England 70s captain ) and the left handed Daniels racked up an impressive unbeaten 326*,which proved beyond the reach of the Wales battters.This is the highest partnership for any wicket in all Seniors cricket and surpasses the 304 set by Eames and Newing for Devon 60s in 2013. Earlier this season Daniels had become the all time leading 60s run scorer.
There must be plenty of good practice around the country but in case you need some inspiration here are extracts from the most recent communications from Cornwall and Lincs.
As a result of winning the South West group in 2022 our O60s 1st XI will host the Australia O60s Test team at Truro on Friday July 28th. This will be the match that precedes the final ‘Test’ match v England the following week. We plan to make this a big event and a meeting at Truro CC was held recently to discuss plans.
For now please make a note of this in your diary as we hope all O50s / O60s / O70s and friendly team players will come along to help out, along with former players. The Cornwall Cricket Board will help promote the match which we are hoping will be live on You Tube. Prior to the game there will be a walk around Boscawen Park for the Bob Willis Walk for Prostate Cancer. Here’s a link to how Warwickshire did this. More details to follow but it would be great if lots of you could join in that. Trevor has grand plans during the tea interval to organise a Bob Willis impression bowling competition. Trevor is also looking for a couple of co-commentators to do player interviews, on the day announcements, ball by ball commentary. If you fancy getting behind the mic please contact Trevor. After the match there will be food available, there will be an awards ceremony and Chris Dennis is organising a group of singers. It promises to be a specular day but we need your help to make it a success.
Pride of place this month goes to the over 60s seconds who secured their first ever victory on May 2nd against Bedfordshire. Chasing 186 to win, they won with an over to spare. The success was based on several individual contributions, notably Chris Bealby’s 64 and Zubair Ahmed’s 3 wicket haul .. we all were ‘ exzubairant ‘ afterwards! On reflection a crucial factor was the difference in fielding- we had no drops and smart running between the wickets to gather quick (well, less slow) singles. Whilst the old adage ‘catches win matches’ was relevant, the opposition’s fielding fits the old quotation about cricket as ‘organised loafing‘.
The month ended with another stunning performance by the above team but with several different players due to first team call ups. In contrast to last year’s away fixture in Nowton against Suffolk, Lincs managed to field 11 players (as opposed to 8 in 2022 when the game was conceded). they chased down 264 to win in the last over, after a century opening partnership (unusually the second one of the match) with Geoff Hawkins scoring a sumptuous 108 as the backbone of the innings.. At the tea interval stand in captain Clive Bayston had talked about a ‘Baz’ ball reply on a ground with a fast outfield. In the field he led by example, justifying his nickname of ‘Maradona’ with several footballing stops. However, it has to be said that the odd sceptic thought it was more comparable to Madonna In retrospect Clive’s idiosyncratic Captaincy could be termed BUD ball, standing for: B – Brave – he promoted Tony Downie from 11 to opening and was rewarded with a sterling 40 U – Unusual – he changed wicket keeper half way through the innings D – Decisive – amending the batting order as the run chase intensified, promoting Eddie Seymour who excelled in the last ten overs and who finished not out on 45 The ultimate victory was partly down to fewer wides behind bowled than previously , thus making the target slightly less daunting. Even so it was our best ever run chase .. such there was talk of a Steward’s enquiry and dope testing… Yes – several dopes were identified! The Committee would like to thank the following match ball sponsors – Steve Armstrong ( v Derbyshire), Andy Sharp( v Yorkshire) and Tom Ellis ( v Bucks ). Finally, there has been some talk about a golf day at the end of the season. Several years ago the over 60s team met up occasionally to play at Louth, prior to the preseason lunch and also at Christmas . If you are interested in such an event please let Keith West or Mike Kearns know.
