Mmm...INTERESTING!

The hoped for unlikely twist in this season's title race arrived as Shepley's easy win at Hoylandswaine was followed by an equally emphatic win by Scholes over leaders Honley, who lost for the second time in three games.  Hoylandswaine won the toss and batted, but soon found life difficult.  Shepley's bowlers and fielders looked determined to put the previous day's disappointment behind them with an excellent display, leading to nine maiden overs out of the first eleven bowled.  Leigh Millar bowled particularly well, registering his best figures of the season (6-38) after not conceding a run in his first five overs.  Only the peripatetic Ian Simon (20) and Daniel Hoyle (36) made a mark.  The home side's 118 all out in 38 overs was never enough and SP Singh's blistering 77* off just 51 balls, with support from Tim Rees (27*) saw Shepley home to an early six points in the seventeenth over after a nine wicket win.  With three games to go and three points between the two sides, it will be interesting to see who's nerves hold best.  Click here for scorecard.

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ADVANTAGE HONLEY

Shepley's hopes of winning the league were dealt a blow as struggling Broad Oak took all six points at Marsh Lane; the first side to do so this season.  Rain delayed the start meaning a game of 32 overs a side began at 2.45.  Broad Oak opted to bat and got off to a confident start as James Howson (34) and Steve Rushworth put on 81 for the first wicket.  Rushworth went on to carry his bat for 72* as Broad Oak reached 151-4.  The total was a little more that Shepley would have wanted, but confidence was still high going into the second innings.  However, the early loss of Sam Haigh and Tim Rees put on the pressure and Rushworth (5-34) took full advantage, helped by a couple of run outs.  Honley took all six points against Hoylandswaine, leaving Shepley hoping for an unlikely twist.  Click here for scorecard.

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THIS WEEK'S SENIOR FIXTURES

SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER

at 12.30pm

  HOLMFIRTH v SHEPLEY

at Bridge Fold, Holmfirth

Drakes Huddersfield League Premiership

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SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER

at 12.30pm

SHEPLEY 2nd XI v HOLMFIRTH 2nd XI

at Marsh Lane, Shepley

Drakes Huddersfield League Premiership Two

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SUNDAY 5 SEPTEMBER

at 12.30pm

SHEPLEY v SLAITHWAITE

at Marsh Lane, Shepley

Drakes Huddersfield League Premiership

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SUNDAY 5 SEPTEMBER

at 12.30pm

SLAITHWAITE 2nd XI v SHEPLEY 2nd XI

at Hill Top, Slaithwaite

Drakes Huddersfield League Premiership Two

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THE RUN IN

As the season reaches its climax, only Honley and Shepley have a realistic chance of taking the title.  Their remaining fixtures are as follows:

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PLANNING APPLICATION SUBMITTED

A Planning Application for the new Clubhouse has now been submitted to Kirklees Council.  The building is broadly in line with the plans shared with residents at a public meeting last year, although the appearance is now far more pleasing.  The new Clubhouse will replace the existing Tea Hut and Clubhouse, and will be erected in the open space next to the new Changing Rooms built before the start of the 2010 season.  The new building's overall footprint is larger than the two old buildings combined, largely due to the need to meet current legislation on disabled access, toilets etc., as well as the addition of a stone entrance lobby.  The 'public' space has just a modest increase in size.

Like the Changing Rooms, the building will be single storey, predominantly finished in white render, with the same roof tiles, creating an attractive 'arc' around that corner of the ground; there will be local stone facings.  Similarly, the areas to the front and side will be finished with matching stone terraces.  Timing is still unknown as we await the outcome of funding applications.  Ideally, we will build in 2011, but that is by no means certain.

Copies of the application are linked below.  Anyone wishing to discuss the plans can call Ian Watkinson on 07825 129446 or speak to Richard Haigh.

Plans  Design & Access Statement  Application Form  Site Location Plan

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NEW SHIRT SPONSORS

Shepley Cricket Club is delighted to welcome a new 1st XI shirt sponsor for 2010.  NGC Networks Limited are a leading provider of Business Telephone Systems and Contact Centres based in Leeds and Manchester.  The Club wishes to thank both the company and Director Dean Harrop for their generous support and look forward to welcoming them to Marsh Lane during the coming season.

RAIN JACKETS

Click here for details

NEW CHANGING ROOMS

Planning permission for the Club's new changing rooms was finally given on February 15th and construction began the following day.  The work will be completed by the start of the 2010 season.

The project comprises the demolition of eighty percent of the existing building, with only the two-storey scoreboard block spared.  The ground floor of that block (currently the Home changing room) will be converted to a new tackle shed.  The new building will cover a virtually identical footprint to its predecessor.  It will comprise spacious Home and Visitors' changing rooms, each with four individual shower cubicles and a toilet.  A lobby between the two changing rooms will provide access to the field of play, as well as into the field behind used as a campsite during the Shepley Spring Festival weekend, offering a great facility to the campers.  At the northern (Clubhouse) end of the new building will be a generous room for the Umpires, also incorporating toilet facilities.  The whole building will have under-floor heating.

The project is funded by the generosity of Kirklees Metropolitan Council's Capital Investment Fund.  The Club would like to thank Claire Howe from Kirklees' Culture and Leisure Services for her encouragement and assistance in securing the funding; to our local councillors for their support in the funding and planning applications; and to Mark & Alyson Ronan for their generous in-kind sponsorship of the project.

Throughout the project we will provide a photographic record of the work as it makes progress.  Photographs (including a couple of surprise finds) are already on line, as well as a photographic record of the old building. Both can be accessed using the links below, as can plans for the new building:

As It Was    Progress Day By Day   Plans

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

A call from a senior club in the north-west considering employing Romain Grenville (2009) as their overseas player (although he elected to come back to the Huddersfield League with Broad Oak) prompted a quick trawl of the web to see what had happened to some recent Shepley overseas men.  Trent Copeland (2007) has had the highest profile recently.  He made his first-class debut for New South Wales this winter and his first ten innings produced 35 wickets; all the more remarkable when one considers he got managed just 23 wickets in a full league season at Shepley!  His successor, Ramesh Subasinghe (2008), played for Clay Cross in the Derbyshire Premier League in 2009 and returns to play for Denby in the same competition in 2010.  Rob Fairchild (2005), of course, plays 1st Grade club cricket in for Wanneroo in Perth, where he was a colleague of Danny Glover and Leigh Millar (2010) this winter.  Bevan Bennett (2004) is playing first-class cricket in South Africa for Border.  Ravi Chandra Sharma (2003) - or at least someone of that name - is playing fifth division cricket for the YMCA in Bangalore.

The above report prompted a phone call to David Hall from Shepley's 1998 overseas player, leg spinner Sarmad 'Sammy' Khan.  Sarmad, who played in the Section B championship winning side is now living and playing cricket in New York and has fond memories of his time in Shepley.  If Sarmad reads this, could you please contact ian.watkinson@shepleycc.com so I can pass your email details onto David to allow him and some of your former colleagues to keep in touch.

We'd also love to hear from any other former Shepley players, just drop us an email.