THE Cumberland View-Volkswagen Westmorland Cricket League gets undeer way on Saturday week and John Glaister , the league's official historian and 2002 personality of year, casts his eye over the forthcoming season for Gazette readers.

ALL Westmorland League cricketers are hoping for a proper summer after the new Millennium has been ushered in with more than its fair share of the wet stuff.

More than the weather will be concentrating minds, however, as big changes to the points system and other significant alterations to the rules are introduced.

From this season there will be 10 points for a win and the chance for both sides to bank up to three bonus points.

The aim is to try to encourage brighter cricket - especially in the second innings - as the accumulation of bonus points will have a direct bearing of promotion and demotion matters come the end of the season.

The eligible age for a youngster deemed ready to play senior cricket has been reduced from 13 to 12, partly because of the overwhelming success of the U-13 League for boys and girls started in 1997.

Divisions 3/4 witness another move. For the time time in league matches, bowlers will be confined to a maximum of 12 overs. This, too, fits in with the league's youth strategy and its adoption of the MCC code of October 2000.

This brought changes to the laws of the game and was designed to improve the spirit of the game.

The new 12-over rule will enable a captain to involve more of the team and give young players a chance to bowl a few overs. And a few overs is all they can bowl.

The ECB fast-bowling directive of February 2000 means a young player has to get to 19-year old before the individual can bowl mor than a seven-over spell.

It is ludicrous for there have been Test-match bowlers at this age.

Last year the best team won the championship. That's not always the case. The Westgate club have great team spirit, which has won them many a game and they always play positive cricket.

They set a standard to aim at and will be the team to beat for any club with title pretensions.

Ian Higson is back in the fold after a season out and there is talk of Mick Lamb from Morecambe joining up.

On paper, the other contenders are the usual suspects: Arnside, Burneside, Sedgwick and Warton.

It would be dangerous to discard from the equation Silverdale and Shireshead.

Silverdale, where a new pavilion could be in place for the start of the season, are fancied in some well-informed quarters.

At the helm this year is Phil Bovis, the former Kent Seconds player who caused quite a stir when he appeared on the scene last year. Occasionally, players of a higher class drop into the village game and raise standards.

In 1989/90 the arrival of Ray Blackwell at Shireshead turned a good team into championship winners.Bovis, who topped the league batting averages last season, could do the same for Silverdale.

Jason Smith may rejoin

Silverdale in company with David Greenwood, the ex-Carnforth player.

Despite several cup successes, Shireshead have not lifted the championship since the heady days of Blackwell's side.

With Andy Thomas expected to switch from Heysham and Sean Twiname spearheading the bowling this year, hopes springs eternal.

Twiname, of course, is one of the outstanding 20-year-olds in Westmorland cricket.

The other is Neil Jones of Warton. His batting ability adds to what is considered to be the league's strongest batting line-up, but they urgently require a match-winning bowler.

All eyes will be on 16-year-old James Rafferty to continue his impressive arrival on the scene at an extended Hyning ground, with tens of trees now planted in the field beyond which should enhance the setting in time.

At Sedgwick they reckon the ghost of its great patron Jacob Whitehead (Sedgwick House 1889-1941) does a turn of the boundary every time a game is played.

More tangible is the good news that George Willacy and Jonothan Mackereth are fit again after last season's limitations.

If George retains his wicket-taking prowess then Sedgwick have a team to beat anyone.

Burneside may just have unearthed a nugget in Gareth Walters from the Liverpool Competition. Phil Ellwood from Kendal is also a possible strengthening addition to the squad.

Whatever goes on at Burneside, there is a golden rule. Underestimate the most successful club in Westmorland League cricket at your peril.

Russell Stewart is also back from last season's injury and captain Mark Wilson will be as competitive as ever.

After their last two fine seasons, Arnside must be favourites to wrest the Bateman Shield from Westgate.

In Robert Baldwin, who topped last year's bowling averages, the seasiders have one of the league's all-time best bowlers.

His presence is critical and a first-class youth set-up at the club is ready to blood some of its talent at senior level.

Back in the 1990s

Windermere were an outstanding and feared team. The wheels have loosened somewhat since. Joe Stephenson is their new and thoughtful captain and could turn round the club's fortunes.

He will have available John Baines, one of the canniest bowlers in the league over the past 25 seasons. He can bat a bit too and there are also high hopes of Matt Hartnett, while the irrepressible Keith Donoghue is expected to play in the league for the 50th consecutive season.

Milnthorpe have lost a couple of players in the close season but the quality men from their excellent 2001 season remain, Mike Wills, in particular.

The Trimpell club who survived demotion last season at the 11th hour welcome back Peter McDermid after fighting off illness.

With 2000 wickets to his name, David Cocker is no longer available every week, so Peter's spinning finger may just make the vital difference. Graham Byram will once again shoulder the batting.

Promoted clubs, Bare and Ibis, have also had their fair share of ups and downs in recent years.Bare have recovered marvellously from the tragic loss of star bowler Alan Fielding in 2001 but will be without Paul Bransby this year.

His brother, Steve, will have a lot of bowling to do. Ibis were thrilled to receive the newly-restored second division trophy, the Willink Shield, as championship winners..Under captain John Coulston there is a good team spirit and with younger players like the improving Spencer Sampson, hopes are high of retaining first division status longer this time.

April 17, 2003 16:00