As the 1999 season draws to an end, the Cricket Club celebrates the success and efforts of all players, officials, team managers helpers and especially parents during the past season. This Newsletter will give details of the progress of the Under 11's, the two Under 13's, the Under 15's and Under 17's teams. It will also highlight the success of the coaching week and the progress of our team in the Wirral Under 14 tournament. Arrangements for the end of season Presentation Evening and plans for next seasons Junior Cricket are also included.

Neston Under 11 (Wirral League) Report
The Under 11's had a good season in the Wirral league, ending with a record of five wins and two defeats, and but for a disappointing performance in the last match would have secured a share of the league title. No fewer than 18 players took part in the 7 games. Top run scorer was Lloyd Murphy with 90, closely followed by Tom Hickley with 74 from only 5 matches. Lloyd Murphy also shared the position of top wicket taker with Rob Wildman, they took 7 each. Rob Wildman's fielding and throwing from deep fine leg was a feature of the season, effecting a number of run outs. Other outstanding contributions with the bat came from AIastair Greenfield and Greg Baxter, who formed a solid opening partnership against some hostile opposition bowling, Alastair Drury with fine strokeplay in the middle order, including a matchwinnina innings against a strong Upton side, Hugh Morris, Stuart Smith and Carl Jarrel, who produced some fine hitting in the lower order, and David Wallis, Peter Carter and David Hurst, who were always ready to despatch the loose ball. With the ball, David Hurst's leg spin caused problems for most opposition, and there were also fine spells from Ian Hoggart, Michael Russon, Charles Clarke, Tom Richardson, and Harry Masters, whose spell of 4 overs, 1 for 4 at Birkenhead Park decided a close match. The wicketkeeping was shared by Peter Carter, who took a spectacular catch at New Brighton, David Wallis, and Jordan Barnes. Catch of the season came from Alastair Greenfield in the covers at Birkenhed Park. The one negative feature of the season was the running between the wickets, poor running was largely responsible for the two defeats suffered. Tom Hickley represented Wirral and Cheshire, and also performed well at under 13 level for Neston. Thanks are due to Mike Hickley for scoring, and Don Hurst, Chris Russon and Murphy for umpiring in various games. Next season promises to be even better with 8 of this season's squad still eligible for the team, and other promising younger players coming into the team.
Dave Carter

Neston Under 13 (Murray Smith Cheshire County League) Report
It seems more like last year than this, when on a cold, grey, overcast April morning we arrived at Chester B.H. for our first venture at U13 level into the uncharted waters of the Cheshire County League. With Chester including three county players it was to be a tough opening test. However, Simon Stokes and Owen Llewelyn soon had 50 runs up, followed by a brisk 23 off as many balls by Kris Archer, resulting in 114/6 from our 24 overs. Stuart Hanna and Owen opened the pace attack and Stuart was soon on a "hat-trick" finishing with 4 for 6 off 3 overs ! from which Chester never recovered and were all out for 76 from 21 overs. Neston had duly arrived - in style!
The next match was conceded by Cholmondeley followed by a southerly M6 trip to Congleton for a comfortable win by 66 runs. Llewelyn with 3 for 4 and Hanna with 2 for 5 did the damage and captain Simon Stokes had the rare luxury of using 10 bowlers to keep everyone fully involved . Next Bowden at home with another good win by 26 runs. Another tough test with a visit to Warrington, who like Chester included three county players. This was to be our best performance of the season. Warrington batted first with 3 batsmen retiring at over 25 no and reaching a total of 118/3, setting us a target of over 5 runs/over. As against Chester, Stokes 28 no and Llewelyn 28 no laid the foundation and an excellent knock by Nicholas Hickley of 24 no from 18 balls sealed the victory of 122/4 with 3 overs to spare !.
Another match conceded by Toft and then a visit by Winnington Park in a low scoring game in which excellent bowling by Nick Carter with 3 for 8 kept the visitors to 72/7. Our victory came with 75/4, Stokes and Llewelyn again being the main run scorers.
Another M6 - south trip to Middlewich resulted in a comfortable win by 27 runs, with Stokes finishing with 40 no (re-batted after retiring on 25 no) and taking 2 wickets for 4 runs.
In our final zone game we were playing Grappenhall, having already won our regional league at the first attempt, and victory would secure a 100% record from 9 matches !. Another low scoring event and with us only managing 88 runs some top-class bowling was much needed. Again our boys rose to the occasion and kept the visitors to 68/8 with Nick Carter 3 for 7 and Tommy Bates 2 for 0. We were now Zone 1 Champions and entered the final "Super Six" league - the top 3 teams qualifying from each zone.
Our first match against Brooklands was rained off with points shared, followed by a trip to Timperley with a hard fought and much deserved win with 129 scored (Llewelvn 28 and Stokes 26 ) against 117/9 in a somewhat unusual and disappointingly "hostile" environment, not experienced anywhere previously. Sadly this was to be the last occasion we were able to field our first choice team from the squad of twelve players we had previously had available. With three of our leading players (Simon Stokes on county duty, Owen Llewelyn and Stuart Hanna - holidays ) unavailable for some or all of our last three games we were always going to struggle. This resulted in defeats against Chester and Alderley Edge and in the final game at Warrington. However we did finish on a high-note at Warrington by taking them to the final over in a very compelling match played in excellent spirit, a great atmosphere and in the finest traditions of the game.
Warrington were the deserved champions and Chester runners-up, both from our previous zone league, which we had won so convincingly, and both of whom we had beaten previously when able to field our first choice team ! A big thank you to a super set of boys for a memorable season, some humorous moments and some wonderful cricket !.
Peter Stokes

Neston Under l3 (Wirral League) Report
The Wirral league side performed admirably often against opposition which included boys who had a full year's experience (and stature !!!) over a majority of the lads in our team.
Although the results show an even balance of achievement at won 5 lost 5 the lads gained plenty of experience and matured as cricketers. The realisation that cricket is a game that needs discipline and application was, I hope, not lost on the lads (or the England team come to that !!! ). The enjoyment comes from knowing you've played with a big heart and had some fun along the way !!!.
There were some outstanding performances along the way. Probably the highlight being an unbeaten partnership of 108 for the fifth wicket in the win at Irby with Alistair Wilson remaining unbeaten on 77 and Henry Clark with an undefeated 31.
Alistair Wilson, who loves to attack the bowling, finished top run scorer with a total of 149 at an average of 21.28 only one run ahead of Tom Hollingsbee who accrued 148 runs at an average of 16.44. Tom proved to be a real find behind the stumps and one of his diving catches at full stretch, down to the leg side, would have had any test match keeper admiring his anticipation and athleticism.
The player who could truly claim the accolade of 'all-rounder' would be Tom Gorton, leading wicket taker with 11 victims at an average of 7.2 from his leg spin and a contribution of 108 runs in total from the middle order represented a really valuable contribution from Tom. Add to this some excellent catches in the gully (plus a couple of valiant efforts ) and at least we can boast a genuine all rounder even if England can't !!!
Alex Tyler opened the batting and now looks to be an elegant stroke player whilst playing responsibly at the start of the innings. His improved running between the wickets was a factor in Alex amassing 118 runs at an average of 14. 75.
James Masters set an example with his keenness and appetite to perform well. James took valuable wickets and had a habit of knocking over the stumps when be pitched the ball up.
Alex Yardley also bowled well and his 3 for 3 in the victory against Castrol proved decisive. Alex was probably the nearest we got to a Jonty Rhodes in the field - swift on the chase and diving about so that we rarely saw a clean pair of whites come the finish !!.
Henry Clark scored 82 runs in total and bowled his left arm swing to good effect. As well as adding valuable runs Henry also caught a superb catch to get rid of the dangerous Lee Dixon against Upton.
It really was a team effort with real contributions from Richard Williams 2 for 1 in the first game of the season and Ben Griffiths ending up with 3 wickets at an average of 4.00 (perhaps we should have bowled him more often !!!) Ben has the best throw in the team hurling the ball in from the longest boundaries with no problem.
Owen Jones didn't play in the early games but showed later he will play a part next year with his effective leg spin, not too many sides have two "leggers" to offer the opposition.
Last but no means least, we must mention, swashbuckling batting of John Patrick who, with admirable concern for team performance instead of his own wicket, could be counted on to provide some lusty blows in the late order. His 17 not out against New Brighton being the highlight for a popular member of the team.
Next year only John Patrick and Tom Hofingsbee will move up to under I5's - all the other members of the side will, I hope, come through and present a formidable proposition at the Ul3 level in the millenium.

Neston Under l5 (Wirral League) Report
Doug Chadwick and Hugh Kelly have looked after the team during its league fixtures in July and August. As usual we have never been unable to turn out our strongest XI due to holiday and other sporting commitments but the team has won half of its games and only lost twice.
Outstanding batting performances include centuries for Adam Harris (against Tranmere Vics) and Elliot Berstock (against Irby) and a fine innings of 64 not out by Simon Stokes at Upton. Tom Bullock and Elliot Berstock were the main threat with the ball ably assisted by Steve Carter and Mark Garrett. The side was captained by Gareth Peers who occasionally took time off from his normal wicket-keeping duties to bowl tidy spells of off spin.
Several of the side are already making their mark in senior cricket and 15 of the 20 players who performed this season are available for next year.

Neston Under l7 (Wirral League) Report
Victories over Oxton, New Brighton, Caldy and Wirral plus a tie against Upton should guarantee first position in the League in a season which has been shortened by the weather and the inability of clubs to turn out a team. The side has been ably captained by Greg Shillinglaw who has shown great form with bat and ball. Simon Marshall has also played an important part as a top quality all-rounder.
Many younger players have been given the opportunity to play and this will prove to be good experience for them in the future. Manager Jim Marshall has no doubt that many of the side are capable of making an impact in senior cricket next season following the example of Greg and Simon over the past seasons.

Coaching Workshop - 2nd to 5th August
22 boys aged between 8 and 14 attended 4 days of coaching at Neston under the leadership of Paul Evans our Australian coach, who plays cricket in the Premier League for Neston 1st team.
The weather was not altogether favourable but the enthusiasm of the boys, their coach and his assistants ensured that little time was lost while learning and practising the basic skills of batting, bowling and fielding.
Paul introduced a number of excellent exercises (including "toilet roll" batting and cricket/baseball) to teach the fundamentals of the game. As the week progressed the boys were divided into 2 teams and were given the opportunity to try out their skills "in the middle".
Thanks to the generosity of Helen and Nick Mullen we were invited to spend Thursday afternoon at their house for a barbecue and to take advantage of the indoor swimming pool.
Liam Ward was presented with a Lancashire cricket shirt in recognition of his application, development and attitude during the week.
Those who attended were: Mark Armitage, Alastair Greenfeld, Ben Griftiths, Matthew Hardy, Chris Daniel, James Hartley, Ian Hoggart, Josh Honeybourne, Tom Hollingsbee, Robert Leech, David Hurst, Euan Morris, Hugh Morris, David Manchett, Karl Perry, Tom Richardson, William Rowlands, Alex Tyler, Peter van Berkum, David Wallis, Liam Ward and Alex Yardley.
The club and boy's wish to thank their coach, Paul Evans and his various assistants during the week: Simon Marshall, James Berstock, Andv McKeown, Adam Bass, Tim Ledsham and Peter Joslin.

Wirral Under 14 Festival of Cricket - 9th to 13th August
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral organised the first ever Under 14 Festival of Cricket in the form of a competition between 8 Wirral teams, hosted by Neston and Caldy cricket clubs. The competition was sponsored by Lancaster Audi, who provided match balls, a trophy and medals for the winners and runners-up. It took place from 9th to 13th August.
In spite of the absence of several key players on holiday or because of other sporting commitments, the Neston team, captained ably by Simon Stokes, progressed to the final, held at Caldy on Friday 13th, where they were beaten in a tense finish by 2 wickets against Upton.
Highlights of the week were our victory over rivals Oxton on the Tuesday, and a very impressive win against Birkenhead Park in the semi-final on Thursday. This was marked by an outstanding 94 not out by captain Simon Stokes, who shepherded the side to victory over 30 overs, after Birkenhead Park had scored a massive 154 for 9.
Kris Archer (47) and Simon Stokes (72) against Wirral, Matthew Hardy (30 not out) and Ed Johnson (15) against Oxton, and Mark Garrett (16) and Owen Llewellyn (22) against New Brighton were the main scorers of runs.
Simon Stokes (7 wickets), Owen Llewellyn (7), Alastair Wilson (5), Tom Gorton (4) and Mark Garrett (4) were the main wicket-takers during the week.
Owen Llewellyn and Alastair Wilson (5 catches each) were the outstanding fielders, while Ed Johnson with 3 catches and 5 stumpings kept wicket admirably throughout the competition.
The following boys played for Neston during the week:
5 appearances - Simon Stokes, Owen Llewellyn, Ed Johnson, Alex Tyler, Tom Gorton.
4 appearances - Mark Garrett, Alasdair Wilson
3 appearances - Matthew Hardy, Tom Bates, James Masters
2 appearances - Kris Archer, Daniel Poole, Lloyd Murphy, Richard Knowlson
1 appearance - Steve Carter, Nick Carter, Liam Ward, Alex Yardley, John Patrick

Plans for the 2000 season
The Club is determined to continue to develop as a centre of excellence for Junior Cricket and to provide coaching and playing opportunities for as many junior players as possible. The following steps will be taken, for next season, in order to achieve our aim of excellence.

The following teams will play in organised leagues;
Under 17 Wirral League
Under 15 Cheshire County League on Sundays in April, May and June
Under 15 Wirral League - midweek during the school holidays
Under 13 Cheshire County League
Under 13 Wirral League
Under 11 Wirral League
We have also entered the Cheshire Cup competitions in the relevant age groups

There will be a thorough review of practice evenings for all age groups to make them more structured and with more time for individual coaching.

It is hoped to offer two coaching weeks. One during the Whit holiday and the other as usual at the beginning of August.

Senior players and parents will be encouraged to attend coaching courses to attain the Club Coaching Certificate. If we have enough volunteers, Cheshire will be able to organise a course especially for Neston C.C. Details will be available as soon as possible on the Club notice board.

The senior Cricket Committee will also review the opportunities offered to junior players to play senior cricket at the weekend ,with the intention of providing matches for those who are thought capable of playing at this level.

ALL THESE STEPS WILL REQUIRE VOLUNTEER HELP FROM PLAYERS AND PARENTS. OFFERS TO HELP WITH TEAM MANAGEMENT, UMPIRING & SCORING AND AS SUPERVISORS AND COACHES AT PRACTICE SESSIONS WILL BE WELCOME. PLEASE CONTACT PETER JOSLIN, OR ANYONE WHO IS ALREADY INVOLVED, IF YOU FEEL YOU MAY BE ABLE TO HELP.

AND FINALLY !
Congratulations to

JAMES BERSTOCK - first senior Century for Neston IV v Oxton (113 n.o.)

SIMON MARSHALL - first half-century in lst team Cricket v. Bowdon (73 n.o.)

SIMON STOKES - century for Birkenhead School in the final of the National Under 13 Cup v Millfield School at Headingley & took the final wicket to win the match v Birkenhead Park on his debut for the Club 4th XI.

All junior age players who have made appearances in the Club senior sides this season. They have made a great contribution to the success of the Club in the Cheshire County League this season.

Don't forget !

PRESENTATION EVENING & ANY OFFERS OF HELP FOR THE 2000 SEASON

Thank you
To all players, coaches, team managers, supporters, parents, umpires, tea makers and anyone else who has helped to make this season such a success. The next one will be better !!!!.

And last but not least
Thanks to Ken Peers for putting this newsletter together.
Jim Marshall - Cricket section Chairman