Thursday, 18 April 2013

North Wales Cricket League returns for new season

With the winter sports drawing to a close for another year, the summer sporting season is upon us, and the North Wales Cricket league is ready to explode in to life.

Reigning Premier Division champions Llandudno are ready to defend their crown against all-comers, with Hawarden Park and Llanrwst looking forward to testing themselves at the top table after earning promotion from Division 1 at the back end of last season.

Llandudno have dominated the cricketing scene in recent times and will be hoping to add to the seven Premier Division titles they have won in the past nine seasons.

They begin their campaign away at Pontblyddyn on April 20, who finished mid-table last term, before hosting Northop on April 27 and then travelling to newcomers Hawarden Park on May 4.

Last year’s batting totals were impressive for the club. Darren Midgely picked up the North Wales Chronicle Batting Award for his efforts, which included the region’s fourth and fifth highest scores of the season. These came against Mold (173) and Brymbo (171). They will be hoping their attacking players again step to the fore as they defend the title.

The only other clubs to have won the division since 2004 are Mold and Connah’s Quay, and they will be hopeful of putting together a decent challenge to the dominant force. Mold, in particular, will want a better finish than in 2012, where they only avoided relegation by seven points.

Hawarden Park’s other opening games will see them host fellow newcomers Llanrwst on April 20 before travelling to Menai Bridge on April 27, while Llanrwst’s other early fixtures are at Pontblyddyn on April 27; and at home against Mold on May 4.

In Division One, Bangor and Llay Welfare will be looking to bounce back to the Premier Division following relegation at the end of last season, while Buckley and Bodedern are the newcomers after promotion from Division Two.

With Hawarden Park and Llanrwst comfortably outrunning any of the division’s other teams last time around, a large part of the league will be hoping to be in the mix come the end of the season and stop each other running off with the title.

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