Cricket Cricket Section Celebrity Dinner - Derek Randall (Notts & England) and Dougie Webb (Nov.2002). Comedian Dougie Webb and guest speaker Derek Randall share a joke. Derek Randall listens in amazement, as Chairman Anthony Coyne re-negotiates his appearance fee. Derek Randall (above), Dougie Webb, and Northern's cameo impressionist Shaun Petafi take the microphone. Above (left) Derek Randall raffles off his co-star, while (right) Holders looks on. The moment (left) that Derek had been warned about, as he hurriedly searches his pocket for his car keys. Congratulations to our Merchant Taylors cricketing scholars Adrian Fraser, Gary Davies and James Cole, who were awarded their full colours at the end of the 2002 season. James also won the Sutherland Cup for fielding. John Wildman, in his last year at the school, won an amazing four awards: the Adams Cup for batting (highest aggregate), the Winter Cup for batting (highest average), the Ramsay Cup for bowling and the Hollowood Cup for best all rounder. Jon's batting average of 68.50 is the highest average by any Merchants 1st XI player for at least the last 20 years. Our 1st.XI skipper Phil Unsworth comments "All the boys from Merchants did very well for Northern CC last year, James Cole had some exceptional performances in the 1st XI and will be very much part of the team in 2003. John is currently playing in Australia and on his debut there scored 73 which is really encouraging. We talked before he left about how he could improve his game and he seems to be going in the right direction already. Adrian's opportunities in the team were limited last year but he has both the skill and attitude to become an excellent 1st XI player". The depth of talent available at the club should ensure a bright future not only for the players but also the Northern Club. Well done to the following 1st.XI players for their excellent disciplinary records, none of whom are suspended for the first game of next season. M P Edwards, D V Hadden, J Wildman, S Dutton, P N Unsworth, G Phillips, N Doggett, P Park, M Holden, J Cole. Cricket AGM and dinner. (Sep 2002) Among the end-of-season awards, Dave Hadden was voted the best performance for his century at Bootle, while Mike Jones received the Most Promising Youngster award. Other awards included Neil Scott, who was 4th.XI player of the year, and Jordan Rogers 4th.XI young player of the year. Jordan also collected the Simon Bell Memorial Trophy. Disappointment in Chelmere Homes cup final (15.Sep 2002) Northern's hopes of lifting the Chelmere Homes Trophy were thwarted, despite a spirited performance in the final at Wigan. On a sub-standard pitch, the previous day's 270-3dec run feast against the same opposition was soon a distant memory, as Northern lost 3 wickets cheaply. Greg Dimery 21 and John Wildman 16 steadied the innings, before both went in the space of 3 balls, with the score on 56. The remaining batsman all grafted hard, with James Cole 16 and Jack Woosey 15 making the major contributions, reaching a reasonably competitive 108 total on a poor track. Wigan too lost 3 early wickets to Park and Holden. The experienced Bradshaw steadied the Wigan reply with what proved to be a decisive innings of 31, but when he was 5th man out at 72, brilliantly caught and bowled by Unsworth, the game was in the balance. Both batsmen then played nervously, and both could have perished immediately in the same Woosey over, as miscued shots dropped tantalisingly close to fielders. But fortune favoured the home side until, with 12 needed, they finished in a 3-ball flourish of boundaries to claim the trophy. President's Trophy (1.Sep 2002) The Liverpool Competition team (featuring Phil Unsworth) defeated the Durham Senior Cricket League by 9 wickets in the League Cricket Conference President's Trophy final, to claim the inter-Comp title for the 3rd time. Scoreboard Northern voted top ground. (Apr.2002) With the new cricket season upon us, and the grounds once again looking in great shape, a belated 'well done' to the groundstaff from last season. Word has finally filtered through that the Northern Club was voted the top cricket ground in the Liverpool Competition over last season. Congratulations to Graham, Gary and Jack.