THE NORTH‑EAST MID‑WEEK CRICKET LEAGUE
Historical Notes (Updated March 2006)
In the late 1960's Field Sons & Co. Ltd. formed an association of teams with BSRA, Merz & McLellan and R.W. Gregory & Partners. In the early days there were only a few teams involved; the matches were a series of “friendly fixtures”.
In 1970 the first moves were made towards setting up a League, then in 1971 a formal committee of team secretaries was created by Denis Ambler and John Noutch (Fields). A league trophy was donated by the late Mr. Len C. Presland, the former General Manager of Field Sons and Co. The League was known as the North‑East Mid‑Week Cricket League but more familiarly as the Len Presland Friendly Cricket League. For the first three seasons the League was won by Field Sons & Co. Teams in the League in the early 1970's were:
| Bainbridge | Campbell & Isherwood | Blyth Power Station |
| BSRA | C.W.S. | Field Sons & Co. |
| R.W. Gregory & Ptns. | Hadens Young | Lennig Chemicals |
| Merz & McLellan | Wallsend NEEB |
In those days, a League of six teams was typical, casual clothing was worn and rules were almost non-existent. It was a veritable struggle for survival as teams dropped out and others joined, resulting in little or no progress in the numerical strength. At a meeting in Feb. 1975, Wes May (BSRA) was elected President and George Hall (BSRA) was elected Secretary. From this date more formal match rules were established and League tables kept. At the end of the 1976 season the League Laws were still insufficient to decide whether Brims or Merz & McLellan were Champions. After protracted discussions at the end of season meeting the title was shared; captains Les Cambridge and Malcolm Kennedy agreeing to each hold the Len Presland Cup for 6 months!
This period was the turning point of the League with steadily increasing numbers and enthusiasm of such influencial players as Les Cambridge whose team changed over several seasons from R.W. Gregory & Partners to Brims, McAlpine, Scheam, Throckley and then the Baron of Beef. At the end of the 1979 season, Les moved the formation of two divisions and the introduction of a knock‑out competition. Thus in 1980, Divisions I and II were formed and a knock‑out Cup was inaugurated. It was decided that the Len Presland Trophy should be regarded as the Championship Trophy. Tyne Gas donated The George Hall Cup for the Div. II Winners, while BSRA donated The Wes May Cup for the winning of the Knock‑out Cup. 1980 also saw the retirement of George Hall as Secretary but the George was made the first Hon. Vice President with Wes May continuing as Chairman and President. Don Catley (BSRA) who had acted informally as assistant to George for two seasons was voted the new Secretary. John McLackland and Ray Michinson became established as regular umpires for the Cup Final and other feature games.
The annual Fixtures Booklet was extended to include the Laws of the League and Club particulars. At the end of the 1981 season additional teams formed Division III, thus arriving at a League of twenty four Clubs. It was decided to formally name the League "The North‑East Mid‑Week Cricket League" whilst retaining the Les Presland Trophy as the main award. During 1982 Tyne Gas donated The Don Catley Cup for the Division III winners. Three Shields were made by Ingersoll-Rand and Killingworth Skill Centre for the divisional runners‑up. League meetings of some 40 members were hosted at the Willington Quay Social Club by George Hall. Also in 1982 Grange achieved the League/Cup double.
At the beginning of 1983 the Laws of the League were restructured by a specially appointed sub‑committee; an extended League Management Committee (MC) was formed with George Thornton (W. Bay Police) as Assistant Secretary and Management officers Les Cambridge (Throckley), Benard Lavin (Merz & McLellan) and Malcolm Batey (Killingworth SC). Tyne Gas completed their fourth League Championship win in five years but lost to Grange in the Cup Final; Grange completed a Cup hat‑trick.
For the 1984 season a fourth division was formed. The 1983 Champions, Tyne Gas were defeated by an Invited League XI in the first "Curtain Raiser" feature game. British Gas ERS donated a cup in their name for the winners of Division IV and Les Cambridge donated the Throckley Shield for the runners‑up. Ian Denton (Cooksons) and Dick Stanley (Ralph Gardner Lyons) organised the first Awards Presentation Evening, attended by 130 cricketers and wives/girlfriends. In addition to the trophies and shields, individuals’ medals (supplied by Owen Shaw) were presented for the first time to the Divisional winners.
In 1985 a fifth division was fully subscribed to. Modified Laws of the League were approved at the February meeting which was attended by almost one hundred cricketers. St. Nicholas HS and Kirkwood respectively donated the Bill Valance Cup and Kirkwood Shield for the winners and runners up of Div V. George Hall wrote to Wisden Cricket Monthly and their good wishes were received by the League. The attendance at the Presentation Social evening, held at the Cairn Hotel, Jesmond was almost 200. The Alnwick & District League defeated a representative League XI in an inaugural fixture, held at Whitley Bay. A first Sports Quiz for the League, organised at South Northumberland CC by Ray Robinson and Colin Bell, was won by the Customs.
In the 1986 season the League operated with a full complement of 40 teams. A name change was announced by BSRA, one of the founder teams, who became British Maritime Technology (BMT). Also, the 1985 Champions PTE (METRO) were renamed Newcastle City and the Post Office, playing at Benwell CC, became EXPO. Some changes occurred to the MC with the resignations, after several seasons, of Tony Railton, Dave Dansie and Malcolm Batey. They were replaced by Ian Dixon, Dennis Brown and Alan Thompson. The Ian Denton Shield and the George Thornton Shield were made by Kirkwood for the Divisions II and III runners‑up.
At the 1987 Annual General Meeting Mick McCann was appointed New Teams Secretary and he agreed to co‑ordinate friendly fixtures for those (five) teams which wished to join the League but for whom there were no vacancies in the divisional structure. Ian Dixon was appointed as Cup Secretary and three further Divisional Officers were appointed, viz: Malcolm Batey, Clive Purdy and Peter Siddle. Tyne Wear PTE changed their name to Newcastle Transport, Newcastle Teachers were renamed The NewTs and Travellers became D.J.M. Bathrooms. A new venue for League meetings was adopted at South Northumberland CC, hosted by Ray Robinson; the Concert Room at Willington Quay had now become too small for the numbers attending. Before the 1988 season Bob Horner was elected to the MC and celebrated as his team, Newcastle City completed the League and Cup double. At the fourth attempt, a League XI, led by Colin Thornton (BMT), comprehensively defeated the Alnwick & District League at Newsham. Sponsorship of three key fixtures was organised by Peter Siddle. Clive Purdy carried out research into previous seasons' records and the NEMWCL Records Sheet was introduced.
For the 1989 season Ian Denton (Cooksons) took over from George Thornton as Assistant Secretary and volunteered to look after results and information sheets. Peter Woodley, Steve Hall and Gordon Grear joined the MC. The annual fixture with the Alnwick & District League became the Duke of Northumberland Cup thanks to a donation from the Duke. The Cup was won by the NEMWCL Invited XI, captain Clive Purdy, at New Hartley. Gordon Grear organised a representative fixture for players from Divisions III, IV & V with Blyth CC at their ground. The Presentation evening was a barbecue at South Northumberland, hosted by Ray Robinson. Awards for the leading Man‑of‑the‑Match winners were introduced.
Two MC meetings were held prior to the 1990 AGM. Graham Jamieson and Phil Wisbach were co‑opted. Graham Jamieson arranged a weekend Tour for a League XI in Scotland with matches played against Ayrshire and Kilmarnock. A League Junior XI proudly defeated County Club Juniors in a fixture arranged also by Graham Jamieson and West Wylam Wanderers. Alec Dodd's Nine Pins arranged an invitation game won by a League XI, captained by Don Catley, at the National Garden Festival. Nick Clark Sports began sponsoring the representative fixtures; the League XI being renamed The President's XI. At the Presentation Evening at County Club awards were presented by Don Norton, a well known Northumberland League umpire. George Hall presented the Cup at the Cup Final. The awarding of trophies to the best performers batting/bowling in Cup and League was introduced.
Prior to the 1991 season, United CA, after showing a lack of commitment to the League, became the first Club to be expelled. Colin Scudder joined the MC and Chris Roberts took over from clubmate Peter Woodley. The Millstone (formerly Phoenix) were expelled part way through the season for not fulfilling their fixtures. The turnover for 1991/2 exceeded £1000 for the first time. The Presentation Evening was held at Four Lane Ends Social Club.
At the 1992 AGM Valerie Denton was appointed Information Secretary in an otherwise unchanged MC. League fees were increased to £20. Russell Perry attended the AGM on behalf of the Northumberland Cricket Association and arranged a donation of £200 from the NCA to the largest League in Northumberland. Further sponsorship was arranged by Tom Thornton and Graham Jamieson. A League Junior XI were defeated by Tynemouth Juniors in a pre-season game. A League XI lost to Sunderland CC but defeated Whitley Bay. Bob Howe and Dave Barnett joined the MC and the main topic of discussion at the AGM was the definition of a "professional player"; such players being excluded from League and Cup matches in a move to cap the steadily increasing competitiveness and to try and retain the traditional "friendly" character of the League. The awarding of individuals’ medals for the Divisional runners‑up was introduced and the scorecards and Fixtures Booklet were redesigned.
Following the serious illness of Phil Wisbach, a Shield in his name was donated by John Dawson for a fixture in which a League XI defeated the Van Plas Tyneside Evening League. The League assisted the Northumberland Cricket Development Council to advertise for a development officer for Northumberland. Nick Brown was appointed. The League became a voice on the NCA. Tynemouth CC was adopted for the feature games of the League.
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Sadly the innings of Hon Vice President, George Hall closed on 26th November 1993. A carriage clock was engraved in the name of the League and was presented to his wife Lena. Despite ill health, George had presented the awards at recent Cup Finals. |
In the 93/94 close season the League became involved in appeals against the closure of the University Longbenton pitches. This was to no avail but our activity helped to highlight the need for additional facilities in the area. The Northumberland Cricket Forum made progress with the introduction of several quality artificial wickets and additional courses for various aspects of the game and its administration.
For the 1994 season Gordon Grear became Information Secretary with resignations from Valerie Denton, Mick McCann and Peter Siddle. It was decided to dispense with Assistant Divisional Officers and Bernard Lavin was appointed senior adviser for issues involving the Laws of the League. Phil Wisbach was made an honorary Vice President. One of the two longest term member Clubs, BMT (previously BSRA) changed name to AH Accountants with Alan Hynd becoming their captain and sponsor. The Awards at the Presentation Evening were presented by Dr. Malcolm Kennedy, MD of Merz & McLellan, the other Club longest associated with the League. Malcolm Kennedy arranged sponsorship by Merz for the 1995 season Curtain Raiser. Tom Thornton arranged for major sponsorship from Waugh Transport and Jamar Liner Agencies; in particular Jamar Liner Agencies became our major sponsor of the Cup Final. Colin Thornton captained the winning President’s XI in the Duke of Northumberland Cup.
At the beginning of the 1995 season, several long established Clubs resigned leaving only four Clubs to play each other four times in Div. V. Roger Gibbs joined the MC. Guidance notes on no-balls and other interpretations of MCC Laws were included in the Fixtures Booklet. It was decided to ban 'temporarily visiting, overseas players' from playing in the League. The League supported a children's charity appeal. A window was broken at Tynemouth in the Cup Final! Davy Greener presented the annual awards at the (FED Breweries') Lancastrian Suite and became the first guest speaker.
For the 1996 season Gordon Grear became Chairman of Selectors for the President's XI and Valerie Denton was welcomed back to the MC as Information Secretary; Tony Tiffin (Kibblesworth) was elected. Tom Thornton and Dr. Malcolm Kennedy were made honorary Vice Presidents of the League in recognition of their tremendous support over the years and recent fund raising through sponsorships.
Malcolm Kennedy joined the list of umpires willing to adjudicate (when available!) in key fixtures. Gordon Swinbanks (Saints) provided illustrated clarification of a no-ball; this added graphics to the booklet. Further sponsorship was obtained from Lord Ralph Percy, the new Duke of Northumberland, with his blessing that the annual fixture with The Alnwick & District League should continue in his name. The Presentation Evening was held at County Club with presenter and guest speaker Clive Page. The main ‘Grand Draw’ prizes were a flight at the Borders Gliding Club, near Milfield and vouchers from Fenwick and Sainsbury.
The League celebrated its Silver Jubilee year in 1997 as Division V re-formed with eight new Clubs, including an influx of Clubs playing on University pitches. David Cunningham (Beamish) joined the MC as a senior adviser. Chris Scott made contact with the League following his appointment as full time Development Officer for cricket in Northumberland with Nick Brown moving to a similar position in Durham. SportsPACK took over from Nick Clark Sports as our sponsor and supplier of match balls for representative fixtures. Gordon Swinbanks (Saints) joined the MC as a senior adviser and umpire; he gave an illustrated talk at the April meeting on no-balls and wides. Meetings were moved to McCracken Park owing to the refurbishment of South Northumberland. Again for 1998 there was a full complement of 40 Clubs with Bainbridge, one of the founder members being welcomed back. For the first time rain prevented play in either of the representative fixtures; the Cup Final was just about playable. Exiled “Geordie”, Barrie Goodfellow, Chairman and Group MD of Jamar Liner Agencies based in Exeter and our ‘Angel of the South’, presented the awards. Barrie donated two NUFC replica shirts which were successfully auctioned that evening, so bringing in significant additional funding for the League.
The 1999 season commenced with Robin Humphrey (Adders) joining the MC and Ian Denton appointed to the new position of League Officer, ensuring consistency of supervision across all Divisions. The “four-week” rule was revised so as to permit multiple periods in which a fixture could be rearranged following its postponement due to an unfit ground. The Guidance Notes on wides were extended; a talk was given at the April meeting by Gordon Swinbanks, assisted by Fred Godson. There was further focus on the safety of young players (U17); helmets being made mandatory for batting and restricted close in fielding. Planet Trophies of Killingworth became the new supplier of trophies for the League and also a sponsor.
Following the resignation of Gordon Grear as Chairman of Selectors, Don Catley re-assumed the role of main selector for the President’s XI. The traditional Curtain-Raiser against the League Champions was renamed the Merz & McLellan Cup in recognition of repeated sponsorship; Nine Pines easily defeated the President’s XI. A closely fought Duke of Northumberland Cup game at Alnmouth was lost in the final overs to The Alnwick & District League. Several new “faces” played for the President’s XI in 1999.
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The innings of our President, Wes May closed on 14th June 1999 aged 79. A flower arrangement in the shape of a cricket bat was sent in the name of the League. This gesture was appreciated by his wife Peggy and family, including son-in-law Dave Lister who kept wicket in the 70’s and 80’s for Tyne Gas. Despite poor health and lack of mobility in his latter years, Wes had maintained his interest and was proud to have been our President since the inception of the League. |
In July, Dr. Malcolm Kennedy, Executive Chairman, Merz & McLellan was nominated as the new President and enthusiastically accepted his new role. Malcolm, still available as a League umpire, captained the Merz & McLellan team from the beginnings of the League in the 70’s and only much more recently decided to focus on umpiring as his main involvement, declaring his enthusiasm to keep the flame of friendly, recreational cricket alive in the North-East. In the close season Malcolm was awarded a CBE for export services and, when interviewed by the press, referred to his interest in cricket!
The League entered 2000 in a strong position both financially and with stability in Club numbers and MC. David Cunningham and Tony Crosby joined the MC. It was necessary to introduce a Law to deal with violent conduct on or off the field and also owe suffered a stroke provision for optional neutral umpires. Gordon Swinbanks provided a list of potential umpires to be included in the Fixtures Booklet. A structured Cup Draw template was introduced thereby alleviating the need for subsequent draws during the season. Sadly Bob Howe suffered a stroke which ended his playing days but fortunately not his spirits. AH Accountants were Champions with a record breaking 14/14 victories and the highest ever points total, 117.
Following an illness, so sadly and still young, Roger Gibbs passed away on 8th January 2001. A silence was observed at the AGM. Eric Wilson joined the MC to carry on Roger’s good work. Tony Crosby was appointed Chairman of Selectors for the President’s XI; Gordon Swinbanks represented the League at meetings of the Cricket Board and, with support from Graham Hoe (Lead Umpiring Instructor) and Colin Edwards (NE Regional Scorer’s Officer), gave an illustrated explanation of the new Cricket Laws and their interpretation by the League. The Secretary signed the Book of Condolence for Sir Don Bradman at the Australian High Commission in London. Howe Partnership became new major sponsors taking over sponsorship of the Cup competition; Fenwick continued with a donation of their now annual major prize for the Grand Draw. A significant sum, focused on a special Memorial game at Ryton between the President’s XI and the Cavaliers, was collected for the Marie Curie Cancer Care fund in memory of Roger Gibbs. Owing to Foot and Mouth restrictions the Duke of Northumberland fixture was not played.
At the 2002 AGM a silence was observed for the sudden and sad passing of Gordon Swinbanks. Gordon had spent much time in recent seasons in support of the MC. Steve Flanagan became a new sponsor of the League and Chris Jeffries joined the MC. Barrie Goodfellow continued his sponsorship of the League on a more personal level and his goodwill message was received. John Reed volunteered to create a major new website for the League and this was set up at www.midweekcricket.com of high standard and quite a coup regarding registration name. A lower profile website organised by Tony Crosby over the previous two seasons had been appreciated.
Following the AGM at Cochrane Park for the first time, the 2003 season ran successfully but with only four divisions. The Merz & McLellan Cup was held at Swalwell, Alec Dodds taking on the mantle of Chairman of Selectors for the President’s XI with winning skipper Steve Hutchinson. The President’s XI captained by Alan Hynd lost the Duke of Northumberland Cup at Alnmouth & Lesbury to make the score of wins 9-3 in favour of Alnwick and District XI. John Reed joined the MC as Webmaster and his company, Scientia Solutions became a recognised sponsor of the League. The website had a most successful first full season with many clubs making an active contribution. It was decided to abandon the Presentation Evening and present awards at the end of season meeting in a new format, i.e. no disco. This format was successful and well attended by winning clubs.
There were no major changes during the 2004 season, which welcomed back Whitley Bay and new members Gateshead Cavaliers and Newcastle College, but it was probably the worst for weather since the League commenced! Many key fixtures were washed out and the final tables could perhaps have looked somewhat different if more games had ben played. The MC were sad to lose Eric Wilson, owing to the resignation of Cavaliers, and David Cunningham who passed away towards the end of 2004. The use of Home Fixtures Declaration Forms was discontinued but, to aid reporting of fixtures in the press, full names were requested to be given on score cards. Increased use was made of the website and email for the prompt reporting of results. Swalwell CC was adopted as first choice ground for the League’s feature games. A return was made to 32 teams playing in four divisions of eight.
Before the 2005 season, the Management Committee suffered the joint resignations of Ian and Valerie Denton. Don Catley (now retired from the ‘rat race’) took on these additional roles, bought a small printer on behalf of the League and introduced the Progress Sheets to keep track of games played and points awarded. These were updated each week and made available on the website. Scientia Solutions took onboard the actual costs of running the website following its most successful two year trial period. Rowlands CA won the League and Cup double for the first time, the fourth club to achieve this feat.
At the 2006 AGM the League meetings moved to Gateshead Fell, south of the Tyne for the first time.
To be continued …… Don Catley, Secretary.
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