Test star Lou's new life on the road

This piece appeared in The Cricket Paper, published 13/06/2012.

Ten years ago, Lou Vincent was preparing to embark on a New Zealand tour of the West Indies after an impressive start to his test career which saw him score a century on debut against the all-conquering Australians.

A decade on, he is in the midst of another tour, but this time of England, and it is slightly less glamorous than his trips around the world with the Black Caps.

The 33-year old has chosen to spend the English summer travelling around the country in a campervan in a bid to raise awareness and money for those suffering with mental health and depression; an illness Vincent has previously suffered from.

The former Worcestershire and Lancashire batsman is now playing for Oxton in the ECB Cheshire Premier League as well as for friendly teams such as the Lashings, and he is splitting his time between cricket and fundraising.

Vincent, who has a test best score of 224 against the Sri Lankans in 2005, made the decision to live on the road whilst he was coaching in Hong Kong, but things did not get off to a good start.

“I had a mechanic up in Scotland who I found on the internet who I got to come and check it out for me before buying it,” he explained.

“He said I could leave it with him for two days. That then turned into two weeks and about £10,000 worth of work before the guy did a runner with all the money I’d got through sponsorship and charity donations.

“It’s just sickening that you employ someone who you think is a professional and the next minute they turn out to be a conman.”

Vincent, a veteran of 23 tests and 102 one-day internationals, has overcome that setback and begun raising money in any way he can.

“I was at a golf day at The Grove and was just playing golf with four guys and I got bored so I asked how much they would give me if I swam across the lake on the sixth hole.

“I raised £100 just like that for three minutes work.”

The New Zealander has been interviewing a number of celebrities and cricketing personalities since he began his travels, with his subjects ranging from Graeme Swann to Ainsley Harriott, although he still believes he has a lot to offer on the pitch despite being released by Sussex at the end of last season.

“I’ve got the Champions League in September for Auckland so that has given me a little lifeline because if I hadn’t had that I would have seriously thought about what’s next.

“The thing with cricket you’ve just got to keep patient and keep cool. You have to believe in your ability and eventually it comes out.”

Vincent made an unbeaten 103 only two weeks ago for Oxton, and although he will probably not reach the heights of the international game again, his drive to succeed in cricket, as well as in his challenging summer of charity work, is there for all to see.

To donate visit whereislou.co.uk

Walker records season's best

Taken from The Lancashire Telegraph, published 14/01/2012.

Blackburn's Paula Walker gained her best result of the season in her latest FIBT World Cup Tour race in Königssee, Germany.

Pilot Walker and brakesman Gillian Cooke finished joint-seventh in their first race as a pairing, a result which sees Walker sitting in 9th position in the overall rankings.

The 25-year old British number one didn't have the best of starts as she sat in twelth after her first run, but a strong start in the second run meant that the pair were able to move up five places in the final positions.

Walker, who finished eleventh in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, finished in a combined time of 1.44.92, and had the fastest second run outside the top five competitors.

The former World Junior Bobsleigh champion has recovered from a poor start to the season to secure two top-eight finishes since the turn of the new year, and her new partnership with the 2009 World Champion will hopefully start to bear fruit as the tour moves to St. Moritz in Switzerland next week.

Waterfoot's Kristan Bromley goes today in the men's skeleton race as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing 14th place finish last week.

Murray can win Australian Open, says East Lancs tennis star Thomas

Taken from the The Lancashire Telegraph, published 14/01/2012

East Lancashire's top tennis player believes Andy Murray could go all the way in this year's Australian Open, which begins on Monday.

Elizabeth Thomas, who has a career-high world ranking of 529, feels the Scot can put his defeat to Novak Djokovic in last year's final behind him and pick up the first Grand Slam trophy of his career.

She says "He's got a very good chance. He got to the final last year and he's got his new coach in Ivan Lendl now so that should help. He obviously won in Brisbane last week so he's in good form too."

The 27-year old, who in the past twelve months has begun coaching at the Ribble Valley Tennis Centre in Clitheroe, thinks that a Murray victory in Melbourne could be the catalyst to an increased interest in British tennis.

"If he won it would be fantastic for the sport in this country" she explains. "Hopefully it would get more kids playing in the playground wanting to be like him when they're older."

Whilst Murray's quest to become Britain's first male Grand Slam winner since Fred Perry in 1936 may grab the headlines, Thomas believes that the women's game is in a much stronger position than its male equivalent.

"We've got Elena Baltacha, Anne Keothavong and Heather Watson all in the main draw for the Australian Open, as well as Laura Robson and Naomi Broady in qualifying, which shows how much depth the women's game has, especially compared to the men, who only have Murray and then there's no one.

"It's fantastic because it's a long time since we had three girls qualify automatically for a Grand Slam, and hopefully they can do well."

In the current world rankings, there are four British women inside the world's top 200, compared to two in the men's game, and the former Clitheroe Grammar School student is hopeful that the success of Britain's women can lead to more interest in the game from the wider public.

She says "Obviously Andy Murray is always going to grab the headlines because he's number four in the world, but hopefully if the likes of Robson and Watson can do well in the next few years then the women's game will get a bit more press."

Thomas ended her professional career during 2011 and began coaching some of Lancashire's brightest tennis hopefuls, and she feels that tennis in Great Britain has a bright future.

"At the minute there's a lot of positives in British tennis. We've got a lot of good juniors like Liam Broady who reached the boy's final at Wimbledon last year, and if we can work on widening the pyramid at the bottom and get more kids playing then we could have some success in th next few years."

Thomas will this year be looking to become a senior performance coach as she looks to move up the national coaching ladder. For the time being, however, she will be remaining in the North-West as she tries to uncover the next British tennis sensation.

Hall keeping cool as Barlick roll on

Taken from The Lancashire Telegraph, published 11/01/2012

Manager Ben Hall is refusing to talk up Barnoldswick Town's chances of promotion, despite his side picking up a pair of victories over the festive period.

 

Town, who currently sit third in the North West Counties Premier Division, picked up wins over Padiham and Congleton Town either side of New Year, and are three points behind leaders Bootle with four games in hand.

 

Despite their seemingly strong position, Hall still believes there is a long way to go in the battle for promotion to the Evo-Stik League, saying "We're not thinking about the title at the minute, there's about five teams who can still win it and we're just going to take every game as it comes."

 

Amongst the sides who can rival Barnoldswick for promotion are Ramsbottom United, but Hall doesn't believe that there is any animosity between the two sides.

 

"There isn't really a rivalry between us and Ramsbottom, we're just looking to win as many games as possible and get promoted" he said.

 

Hall was pleased with the way his side performed over the Christmas season as they bounced back from defeat at Glossop North End to win 3-1 against a Padiham side who currently sit in mid-table.

 

Rob Smith bagged a brace to give Town an early 2-0 lead, whilst top scorer Spencer Jordan grabbed a third late  on, despite Sam Heap pulling one back for the visitors.

 

Hall was unhappy that his side gave their opponents a chance to get back into the match, but was pleased with that his side were able top pick up a vital three points.

 

After a postponed match against Colne, goals from Liam Garbutt and Jordan secured a 2-0 win over Congleton, a game which gave Hall a great deal of pleasure.

 

"We weren't at our best against Padiham, but we were excellent against Congleton in what was a tough game" he said.

 

With 2012 now well and truly underway, Hall and his co-managers Stewart Aidrie and Kevin Richardson moved to bring in Chris Ridehalgh from Padiham and Hall admits he is still looking to improve his squad, saying "Chris has come in and done well, and although we can't afford some of the players that we want, hopefully we'll be able to bring in some new faces."

 

The manager's attentions must now move onto their match on Saturday against lowly St Helens Town, a game which could kickstart a run towards promotion for Hall and his side.

England's Performance Squad 2010- where are they now?

England's Performance Squad for the forthcoming winter was announced earlier this week, and it boasts a number of highly talented young cricketers; some of whom have already broken into the national side.

The tour is designed to give those who are selected a chance to play in conditions that are very much different to those in England, something which the selectors feel will give them an advantage when these players hopefully make the transition into the full side.

However, it has been asked whether a full winter of cricket on foreign soil is good for the future of the English team, as burnout is now a genuine worry after what happened at the World Cup on the sub-continent in March.

A look back at how the players who travelled to the West Indies last winter have performed over the English season could shed some light on whether the Performance Squad can enhance a player's international prospects, or if their careers take a backwards step once they arrive back home.

Jimmy Adams (Hampshire): Scored over 900 first-class runs in a season of relegation for the Royals. Looks set to take over the captaincy from the retiring Dominic Cork, and at 31, may have missed the boat in terms of national selection.

Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire): A breakthrough season for the young wicket-keeper as he topped the batting charts at Headingley whilst announcing himself on the international stage with a breathtaking innings in the final one-dayer against India. Touring India next month with the one-day side.

Jonny Bairstow has already starred in an England shirt

Ravi Bopara (Essex): Bopara was not at his fluent best in 2011, but still picked up two test caps after an injury to Jonathan Trott. He remains a key member of England's limited overs sides and should also tour with the test side this year.

Danny Briggs (Hampshire): Only 38 wickets in four day cricket in a disappointing first-class season for the slow left arm bowler. Continues to impress in limited overs cricket, especially on the spin friendly pitches at the Rose Bowl.

Maurice Chambers (Essex): Chambers disapponted this year, only taking 23 wickets in Division Two. Looks to be well down the England pecking order after his own poor form and the emergence of others.

Jade Dernbach (Surrey): One of the success stories of the summer as Dernbach burst onto the international scene with impressive performances in both one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches. His ability to mix out and out pace with a number of variations on the slower ball means he could be a potent weapon for years to come.

Steven Finn (Middlesex): Despite falling behind Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan in the test match pecking order, Finn has still had a decent season after helping Middlesex to the Division Two title. He also improved his one-day game and was rewarded with selection for the matches against India.

Andrew Gale (Yorkshire): Gale had an indifferent season with the bat, despite a few good innings. He missed out on the final matches of the season after breaking his arm in the nets, meaning he was powerless to help as the Tykes were relegated from Division One in an unceremonious fashion.

James Harris (Glamorgan): 44 first-class wickets at an average of less than 27 is a sign of more progression for the Welsh seamer. His selection for this winter's Performance Squad shows that he is still very much on the radar of the selectors.

James Hildreth (Somerset): Despite playing half a season at the batting paradise that is Taunton, Hildreth failed to reach 1000 runs in first-class cricket, and the form of others may mean he has missed out on pushing for an England place. Still one of the most talented batsmen in county cricket.

Craig Kieswetter (Somerset): South African-born Kieswetter has established himself as England's one-day and Twenty20 wicketkeeper due to some impressive performances behind the stumps and with the bat at the top of the order. Still has a plenty to do to force Matt Prior out of the test team.

Adam Lyth (Yorkshire): After being tipped as the man to replace Andrew Strauss, Lyth had a massively disappointing season which culminated in him being left out of the Yorkshire side for a large part of the season. 2012 could be a make or break year for the left-hander.

Liam Plunkett (Durham): Of all the players who toured the West Indies over the winter, it is Plunkett who has disappointed most during the 2011 season. He featured in only two first-class matches for Durham, and despite signing a new contract at the Riverside, it seems his international career may be behind him.

Adil Rashid (Yorkshire): Rashid was another Yorkshireman who disappointed this season as he looked to be half the player that he has been over previous seasons. A total of 33 wickets in four-day cricket is an incredibly low total for a man of his talents, and it seems that he has fallen down the England pecking order.

Ben Stokes (Durham): Despite being hampered by a serious finger injury for almost half of the season, Stokes made a big impression in the domestic game as comparisons were drawn with Andrew Flintoff. Even a slightly disappointing one-day series against India hasn't spoiled a good season for the 20-year old.

James Taylor (Leicestershire): Described as the best middle-order batsman in Championship cricket, Taylor scored almost 900 runs at an average of over 38. An England call-up seems to be a matter of not if but when, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him selected for the Test squads over the winter.

Taylor has already starred for the Lions

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire): Despite not figuring for the national side as much as many would have hoped, Woakes confirmed himself as one of the top all-rounders in the country as he picked up 56 wickets and scored almost 600 runs. If his form continues, he could be an England regular for years to come.

The performances of last year's squad are varied, and whilst some have prospered and gone onto bigger and better things, others have failed to live up to the expectations that were placed on them.

Eight of the seventeen players who toured the West Indies have featured for the national side since the start of the 2011 domestic season, whilst five of last year's team have been selected for the this winter's Performance Squad.

Time will tell whether the Performance programme is of a benefit to England teams of the future, but for now many of those who have been selected are beginning to prove that it is a worthwhile exercise.

Yorkshire Premier League Round-Up (30/07/2011)

Taken from The League Cricketer's Association, published on 1/8/2011

Barnsley and Castleford played out a thrilling tie after both teams racked up 249 from their 55 overs.

It was Barnsley who made first use of the pitch, and had Matt Wilson (70*), Jason Booth (64) and Steve Nuttall (55*) to thank as they posted a very competitive score. Chris Young was the pick of the Castleford bowlers as he returned figures of 5-122.

Andrew Chadwick was the main stay of the reply as he made 66, whilst Jamie Pickering (38) and Scott Hopkinson (31) both chipped in as the league’s sixth place side equalled the score of their opponents, despite Oliver Hannon-Dalby taking 4-60.

Leaders York extended their lead at the top as they posted two victories over the weekend. On Saturday they crushed Appleby Frodingham by 179 runs. The champions again set a score of over 300, with Nick Kay (72*), Andrew Tute (64) and Oliver Hairs (63) all making half-centuries.

Appleby never got close to reaching their target of 321 as Tom Pringle (4-33), Kay (3-23) and Ryan McKendry (3-32) shared all ten wickets.

The following day, the league’s top side again posted a large score, as they made 322-9, with Liam McKendry hitting 141. Nick Taylor was the pick of Harrogate’s bowlers as he took 5-72.

York again tasted victory as they restricted their opponents to 232-7, although their failure to take all ten wickets meant that they only took six points from the match. Ross Sedgley’s unbeaten 86 secured a point for his team, despite Dan Woods returning figures of 4-90.

Rotherham remain in second place after a five-wicket victory over Harrogate. Excellent bowling from Nathan Smith (5-37) and Gurman Randhawa (3-48) restricted the North Yorkshire side to 197. Smith then made 58 in support of Jordan Lowe (84*) as Rotherham reached their target in less than 49 overs.

Cleethorpes now sit in third place after a brace of victories. It was the Osmond’s who starred on Saturday as first Alex took 6-19 as Doncaster were bowled out for 107 before Rory struck an unbeaten 62 to see his side home by seven wickets.

On Sunday, it was Sheffield Collegiate who fell to defeat as it was again the same family who did the damage. Collegiate made 235-9 from  their 55 overs as Alex and James Osmond shared six wickets.

It was then left to Rory to again provide the runs as he made 112, despite Will Street taking five wickets.

Elsewhere, there were victories for Yorkshire Academy, Scarborough and Sheffield Collegiate over Driffield Town, Sheffield United and Hull respectively.

York increase their lead

Taken from The League Cricketer's Association, published on 18/7/2011

Oliver Hairs was the star of the show as York stretched their lead at the top of the league with a 131-run victory over Barnsley at Shaw Lane.

Hairs struck 103 from 72 balls to set his side up for a total of 269-9 from their 47 overs. He gained support from Alex Collins, who made his fifth half-century of the season, and opener Duncan Snell (45). For the Tykes, Yorkshire seamer Oliver Hannon-Dalby took 6-81 from his 17 overs.

Barnsley made their way to 71 without losing a wicket, but were then bowled out for 138, with James Stuart top scoring with 37. Leg-spinner Tom Pringle claimed figures of 6-42 as his team went eleven points clear at the summit.

Second-placed Rotherham had to settle for three points from their rain-affected match at Sheffield Collegiate.
Rotherham chose to bat after winning the toss and made 174-8, with Gerhardus Rudolph and Stuart Gray making half-centuries. In reply, Collegiate made 130-9 from 28 overs, as Ed McKenna made 58 whilst Ollie Jackson took 3-23 for the visitors.

In the weekend’s only other match, Scarborough beat Doncaster Town by 45 runs in 30-over game.
Scarborough, who are unbeaten since May, made 171-6 as Darren Harland made 70 from 63 balls. For bottom side Doncaster, 16-year old Curtis Free took 3-39 from seven overs.

In reply, the South Yorkshire side were restricted to 126-8 despite Alex Gosney’s patient 41.

The four other matches were all washed out without a ball being bowled.