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Cheshire seeking another taste of title glory

Neil Goulding
7/ 6/2006

CHESHIRE have named a strong team for the defence of their Minor Counties Championship Western Division title.

Their three-day campaign starts against Berkshire at Chester Boughton Hall on Sunday.

Former Derbyshire duo Nathan Dumelow and Ben Spendlove have retained their places after the county's recent one-day knockout matches, while promising youngsters James Duffy, Tom Young and Danny Jones are also included.

Captain Andy Hall, who plays for Bramhall, is looking for a winning start to the season.

He said: "Berkshire are probably one of the toughest, if not the toughest team in our division. We know we are going to have to play well to beat them, but if we perform as I know we can, then I'm confident we can start the season with a win."

Last season Hall guided Cheshire to a seven-game unbeaten run in the three-day format of the game, which culminated in the county sharing the Minor Counties crown with Suffolk after a drawn final.

And having kept many of the players from last season's successful team, Hall is understandably upbeat about Cheshire's chances of going all the way again this term.

"We played so well in the three-day form of the game last season, there's no reason why we can't do it again," added Hall.

"We've lost some important players, but that usually happens most years and to be fair we've recruited well this season.

"Because of new rules we have to have a young team, which is good for the future of the county.

"A lot of the younger players have played for a few seasons now, so they have valuable experience under their belts."

Cheshire lost top all-rounder Chris Schofield this season when the former England leg-spinner and left-handed bat moved to Suffolk, while former Lancashire batsman Mark Currie retired from the Minor Counties game to concentrate on club cricket.

The J W Lees-sponsored side have signed former Derbyshire ace Spendlove, and with Jason Whittaker back in the frame, having missed games because of work commitments, Cheshire look strong on paper to test their Western Division opponents this season.

Hall said: "We proved last year that we can beat the best sides and, with a bit of luck, if we can keep a consistent side and do what we did so well last season, then I'm confident we've got a great chance of defending our title."