English League Cricket Preview: Wallace fills Lambert gap in North-East (17 April 1998)

17 April 1998

League Cricket Preview: Wallace fills Lambert gap in North-East

By Andrew Collomosse

THE opening of the new season will be very much a "good news-bad news" scenario for bowlers in the North-East.

The good news? After 13 prolific years in the North Yorkshire and South Durham League, West Indies opening batsman Clayton Lambert has decided to seek pastures new in 1998.

The collective sigh of relief among those who have suffered at Lambert's hands during his years with Blackhall, Redcar and Normanby Hall, last year's NYSD champions, will not, however, be echoed a few miles further north.

For Lambert's Test partner, the redoubtable Barbadian Philo Wallace, is returning for another campaign in the Durham Senior League with Sunderland, for whom he has twice scored over 1,600 runs in a season.

It remains to be seen, however, whether even Wallace's swashbuckling approach will be enough to guide Sunderland to their first championship since 1978, particularly if Felling's Bilal Rana reproduces the all-round excellence that underwrote his side's championship success in 1997.

Meanwhile, early euphoria among NYSD bowlers over Lambert's departure will be tempered by the knowledge that his replacement, the South African all-rounder Pieter Strydom, proved a more than useful customer during his three seasons with Eagley in the Bolton League.

Lambert's former Guyana team-mate Roger Harper is due to return to professional duties in the Lancashire League after a year's sabbatical, coaching in Miami. The ex-West Indies all-rounder, who scored 7,700 runs and claimed 610 wickets during eight years with Bacup, has signed for Nelson, one of the likely championship front-runners.

Former West Indies pacemen Hamesh Anthony and Vasbert Drakes, have joined champions Haslingden and Todmorden respectively, while Neil McGarrell, whose off-spin troubled England on the recent winter tour, will play for Church.

Central Lancashire League champions Rochdale welcome back Western Australian all-rounder Robbie Baker as their professional and there will be interest in how Queenslander Clinton Perrin performs at Littleborough.

Perrin, recommended by Test all-rounder Stuart Law, formerly with Littleborough, is one five Australian professionals in the CLL, although the English contingent, headed by Middleton's Jeremy Batty and Dexter Fitton at Milnrow, will feature strongly.

Chorley's determination to banish their image of Northern League nearly men and win their first title since 1980 - they have finished runners-up five times in the last seven years - is mirrored in the signing of another Australian, fast bowler Jo Angel, as their professional. Champions Netherfield have recruited South African all-rounder Zander de Bruyn.

In Yorkshire, several leagues, not to mention the organisers of the Heavy Woollen Cup, have come to the inevitable conclusion that snow and cricket do not mix and called off this weekend's opening programme.

Games will be re-arranged for later in the season by which time a handful of the experimental two-day games to be played in the Yorkshire League should have been completed.

Former Yorkshire and Notts batsman Ashley Metcalfe can be expected to make a sizeable contribution to Pudsey St Lawrence's bid to follow last year's Bradford League Priestley Cup success with their first championship since 1991, although the likely absence of England A seamer Paul Hutchison on county duty will not help their cause.

Meltham, captained by former Yorkshire and Somerset all-rounder Ian Swallow, remain the team to beat in the Huddersfield League after three championships in four years - not to mention five Sykes Cup success since 1992.

And in the Central Yorkshire League, Methley have signed South African all-rounder Mulligan George to bolster their chances of repeating last season's cup and league double.

George, who plays for Western Province, is not due to arrive until the end of the month after attending Dennis Lillee's coaching academy in Madras. Hopefully, the snow will have melted by then.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)