Cricket
Ridlington and Belton Cricket Club Programme for 2017
Sun May 14 Islip (away)
Fri May 19 Uppingham 20 overs (away) 6.15pm start
Sun June 4 Harborough Taverners (home)
Sun June 11 Club Single Wicket competition (home)
Sun June 25 Uppingham (away)
Sun July 16 Great Dalby (home)
Sun Aug 6 Great Dalby (away)
Sun Aug 13 Reserve date (Single wicket competition and BBQ?)
Sun Sept 3 Hallaton (away) (15 over triangular tournament with Tugby)
Ridlington and Belton Cricket Club Fixtures for 2016
Sunday 24 April Charnwood Casuals (home)
May TBC Islip
Friday 20 May Uppingham (20/20) (away)
May TBC Langham (home)
Sunday 12 June Club Single Wicket competition
Sunday 19 June Harborough Taverners (home)
Sunday 10 July Uppingham (away)
Sunday 17 July Great Dalby (home)
Sunday 7 August Great Dalby (away)
Sunday 4 Sept Hallaton (away)
Sunday 11 Sept Tugby (home)
01.04.16
‘A VIEW FROM THE BOUNDARY’ 2015 PART 2
BELTON & RIDLINGTON CRICKET CLUB (“The Foxes”)
In early July, we hosted Great Dalby CC at the Ridlington ground and in a competitive game we went down by 30 runs, with skipper Steve Kind top scoring with 27 ably supported by young Barney Fox who made a career high of 21. The following week we made the short journey up the Wardley Hill to Uppingham CC and after winning the toss and opting to bat we posted a decent score of 156 for 8 from our allotted 35 overs with main batting contributions coming from Mick Wright (32), Ben Kind (25) and Mike Boyd (20). However, with us fielding a rather depleted bowling attack, the home side comfortably knocked off the required total and were victors by 8 wickets.
The return fixture at the picturesque Great Dalby ground on 23 August was somewhat rain interrupted, with much of the match played in drizzle. We just managed to play a 20 over a side match with Dalby posting 141 for 7 from their 20 overs with bowlers Paul Morton, Dave Fairley and Richard Merry sharing the wickets. In response, we made a good fist of it despite losing Mick Wright rather early in the proceedings (Mick taking time off from his debt collecting linked to the annual football sweepstake!) and we finished at 122 for 5, some 19 runs short, with chief batting contributions coming from Joe Pine (38), Steve Kind (35) and Dave Fairley (35).
The usual dreadful August bank holiday weather saw our home fixture with Hallaton washed out and our final match of the season was against our local rivals Tugby in early September, where we were defending an unbeaten run stretching back to 2006. On a sunny day, but with only 9 players and with a large and boisterous Tugby following in presence, we batted first and made a good start with Steve Kind (21), Dave Fairley (15) and Mike Bowen (28) helping us to reach a healthy 88 for 3 at the drinks interval after 15 overs. What then followed was a dramatic batting collapse, including two comical run-outs and more ducks on the scorecard than on a typical village pond, with us finishing on a disappointing 98 all out. To add to the challenge, Tugby had enlisted the help of a professional cricketer (!) with Leicestershire CCC opening bat Matthew Boyce promptly stroking his way to 40 before retiring and the victory target was reached for the loss of only 4 wickets. Revenge will hopefully be sought next year but it was a good afternoon played in excellent spirit.
Final statistics of the 2015 season:
Played 7, Won 1, Lost 6 with an additional 2 matches postponed due to adverse weather.
Leading run-scorers: Dave Fairley (125), Steve Kind (101)
It has been a somewhat challenging season as only once in the 7 matches played have we been able to raise a full complement of 11 players (co-incidentally the one match that we won) and often we have had to play with only 8 or 9 players, very few of those from the Belton end. If the cricket club is to continue going forward we desperately need more support and interest from the village in 2016. The 2016 fixtures will be out next March time and if anybody requires more information then please contact Steve Kind.
‘A VIEW FROM THE BOUNDARY’ 2015 PART 1
BELTON & RIDLINGTON CRICKET CLUB (“The Foxes”)
We have unfortunately really struggled to raise a full team thus far this season and a depleted ‘team’ of just 9 players including 2 ‘borrowed’ from the opposition took to the field at Islip in May for the opening fixture of the season and were duly beaten but far from disgraced with Ridlingtons Dave Fairley, more known for his fine bowling, recording his maiden half century with the bat.
The home fixture with Charnwood Casuals was postponed due to lack of players but we thankfully raised a full team for the annual 20 over Friday fixture against Uppingham at Castle Hill in late May and once again came away with an excellent and close victory with success achieved from the final ball of the match, the victory margin being a slender 3 runs. Batting first, we accumulated a respectable score of exactly 100 runs for 9 wickets from our 20 overs with Will Bell (27), Jack Salt (16) and skipper Steve Kind (12) top scoring. The Uppingham response indicated through-out that it was going to be a tight finish and so it proved with a boundary required from the final ball of the match for victory but thankfully for us a ‘dot ball’ secured us a victory margin of just 3 runs, the second year running that we have been victorious in the fixture off the final ball of the match.
A shortage of players and poor week-end weather ensured that our twice arranged home match with Langham didn’t take place in late May/early June but the weather relented on Father’s Day as we hosted the Harborough Tavernier’s. Batting first, we soon had the Tavernier’s in trouble at 5 for 3 from 3 overs but a fine recovery, dominated by one batsman, saw the visitors to a very decent total of 169 all out. In response, we made a poor start and loss wickets at frequent intervals, eventually being bowled out for just 82.
Next Fixtures:
Sunday 5 July at home to Great Dalby
Sunday 12 July away to Uppingham
Sunday 23 August away to Great Dalby
Sunday 30 August at home to Hallaton
If anybody, new or old to the village, wishes to participate in some ‘friendly’ cricket then please contact Steve Kind. We have really struggled to raise anything like a full or competitive team thus far this season with the exception of the Friday night fixture at Uppingham. We have kept this village cricket tradition going in Belton for several decades and it would be a real shame if we had to fold due to lack of support and interest.
Ridlington and Belton Cricket Club
2014 Season
Officials
Chairman:
David Batten
Joint Captains:
Paul Morton Tel: 01572 756 892 Mob: 07768 614 900
Steve Kind Tel: 01572 718 769 Mob: 07802 626 837
Secretary:
Lawrence Fenelon Tel: 01572 823 267 Mob: 07789 204 825
Ridlington & Belton CC 2014 Fixtures
Date Opponents Venue
Sunday 4th May Islip Ridlington
Sunday 18th May Great Dalby Gt. Dalby
Friday 23rd May Uppingham (20 overs) Uppingham
Sunday 25th May Langham Ridlington
Sunday 8th June. Single wicket comp. Ridlington
Sunday 29th June. Charnwood Casuals Ridlington
Sunday 13th July Uppingham Uppingham
Sunday 20th July Great Dalby Ridlington
Sunday 31st August Hallaton Hallaton
Sunday 7th Sept. Tugby Ridlington
We are holding a ‘Working Party’ up at the Ridlington cricket ground to spruce the main ‘pavilion’ up at 10am on Sunday 13th April together with some net practice – all welcome!
Anybody new to the village and interested in playing cricket this year then please contact Steve Kind on 01572 718769.
