Archive for the ‘Recent News’ Category

Test

Tom Craddock has found himself a new fan in one of England’s most successful ever Test batsmen.

Essex batting coach Graham Gooch was full of praise for the leg-spinner after he starred yet again for his county in the Division 2 County Championship victory against Leicestershire. Craddock returned figures of 4 for 59 from 27 overs in the first innings and 2 for 12 from 12 overs in the second to give him superb match figures of 39-13-71-6. Writing in The Times, Neville Scott said that Crads’s performance had Grahom Gooch purring ‘this fellas just what we need’.

Until Craddock made his championship debut for Essex they had only won one out of their first eight 4-day fixtures. They have now won both games in which he has appeared, where he has snapped up 10 wickets for 146 runs from 71 overs, taking him to 3rd spot in the Division 2 bowling averages.

In the game against Leicestershire he also shared a crucial 9th wicket stand of 75 in 99 minutes with James Foster, contributing 11 runs from 37 balls and helping to see his skipper through to his century. Knowing Crads, he’ll be prouder of the 11 runs than of the 10 wickets!

He has now been summoned to Lord’s to bowl at the England batsmen prior to the first Test v India – at the request of England head coach Andy Flower, no less.

Former Leeds Bradford all-rounder Ross Whiteley has signed a 3 year deal with Derbyshire CCC.

Ross has featured in the first team on a regular basis this season and the promise he has shown has now been rewarded. The Leeds Met graduate had previously only been on a summer contract.

Click below to see the full story from the BBC website.

Ross Whiteley Contract

Tom Craddock starred on his championship debut for Essex at Chelmsford, helping his county gain a 171 run victory over Northamptonshire.

Having set Northants 416 to win, the home team dismissed the LV= County Championship Division 2 pacesetters for 244, with Craddock bowling a marathon spell of 30 overs, taking 4 for 70     with 8 maidens. His first scalp in first class cricket was that of former South African Test all-rounder Andrew Hall, the current Northants skipper, who was clean bowled by the 21-year-old leg       spinner. Craddock was well supported by another current MCCU player, Durham’s Tom Westley, who took 2 for 45 from 21 overs.

Essex First Team Coach Paul Grayson said ‘There were a number of pleasing individual performances from our younger players and on the final day I thought Tom Westley and Tom Craddock       bowled really well.”

This followed an amazing Second XI debut for Craddock against Sussex a few days earlier when he picked up 7 for 61 – the second best-ever figures for Essex by a second team debutant. Tom’s       two month trial with the county couldn’t really have started any better and if he maintains these performances a full-time contract should just be around the corner.

The pictures of Tom in action for Essex were taken by Nick Wood of Unshaken Photography, who run various courses in all forms of photography. See more about Nick & Unshaken at www.unshaken-photography.co.uk.

Note that the umpire on this picture is another former Leeds Bradford player – Ismail Dawood!

THE MCCU T20 FESTIVAL at LOUGHBOROUGH – 24 / 25 JUNE 2011

DAY 1 – Leeds-Bradford chose to bat first against Durham in our first game on the Haslegrave pitch. We totalled 151-6, a total that recovered well from the depths of 15-3, thanks to a magnificent 87* by Luis Reece (55 balls, with 7 fours and 3 sixes). He also played the “DiliScoop” 3 times and hit 2 fours and 1 maximum using this innovative shot and, more importantly, kept a full set of front teeth.

Such a total should have given us a fighting chance but, with the batters getting some runs, the bowlers failed to deliver and Durham promptly got home by 4 wickets, although with only 2 deliveries left.

Our 2^nd group game saw us take on Cambridge, also on the main pitch at Haslegrave. A very similar story can be reported as above. A better start saw us total an even higher 160-9, built around Ben Slater’s 64 (51 balls with 10 fours). That total got even better at the interval as the Umpires ruled that Cambridge had taken too long to bowl their 20 overs and so awarded 6 penalty runs to Leeds-Bradford, meaning Cambridge needed a very high total of  167. But the bowlers again could not deliver as Cambridge raced to 60 from the first 5 overs and eventually got home with 8 deliveries left.

DAY 2 – The above results meant we had to move to Brockington for the Saturday and play Oxford for the honour of 5^th or 6^th place. We did not need to beat our way through the crowds.

We had our worst start of the tournament as we slipped to 4-3 but Luis Reece, again, with 46* steadied us, with successive partnership with Brad Kruger and Harry Bush. At 85-5, with 7 overs left  and Reece still going strong, the 2^nd interruption occurred and it was then decided that enough was enough and the game was abandoned.

***************

CAMBRIDGE MCCU at WEETWOOD – 14 / 15 JUNE 2011

DAY 1 – Leeds-Bradford won the toss and elected to bat on a splendid day and went into lunch at 121-1, with Ben Slater and Harry Bush going well. A change in the batting order had seen Bush move to 3 while Skipper Rick Moore dropped to 5. Bush and Slater both looked good and the home side could claim with confidence to have won the first session..

But how it changed in the afternoon as just 70 runs were added for the loss of 5 wickets. Joe Leach’s bad trot continued, Sam Burge unfortunately played on and Luis Reece could not get the ball away. Captain Moore played well for his 34 and he and Harry Bush were building a partnership when both were dismissed.

The main change was that, after lunch, Cambridge introduced their spinners (Ansari and Lotay) and the scoring rate, on 4 per over at lunch, slipped to under 3 per over by tea as boundaries almost completely dried up.

We started the final session on 192-6 and the hoped-for score of 300 (and 4 maximum batting points for only the 2^nd time this season) seemed as far away as the distant Pennines. But that reckoned without Dan Hodgson as he batted for the whole of the final session to record our best effort (64*) in 2-Day cricket. He was ably assisted by Adam Wilson in his final game and by Tom Craddock, whose efforts enabled 33 runs to be added for the final wicket and take us to the magic 300.

DAY 2 – The day followed an almost exactly similar pattern to Day 1 until the rain spoiled what could have been an excellent conclusion.

The Cambridge openers looked likely to bat through the entire session until Luis Reece found a way through and had Hughes mistiming a hook to be caught at deep backward square leg. It was the worst delivery Reece sent down in an impeccable spell of 10 overs. Leeds-Bradford then introduced their spinners (Craddock and Bush) in the afternoon session and, by the time tea was taken early, had made inroads into the Cambridge innings, with 5 wickets down. Another short interruption after tea saw the players disappear again and we had reduced our opponents to 229-7 in the 71^st over when the final deluge arrived.

The game was duly abandoned and our best chance of obtaining as 2-Day win disappeared under   puddles and grey skies.

So we finish bottom of the table with 43 points but have the consolation of knowing that the coaching they have received via Andrew Lawson and his team as part of the Scheme has got a 2-month contract with Essex for Tom Craddock and 2^nd XI Championship cricket with Yorkshire for Dan Hodgson.

Dan Hodgson – called up by Yorks

***************

CAMBRIDGE MCCU at WEETWOOD – 14 JUNE 2011

A small sprinkling of rain did not stop play starting on time. Leeds-Bradford won the toss and asked Cambridge to bat first. We would have felt reasonably content when Cambridge were dismissed for 187 on a low, slow wicket. The total was not going to be an easy one to chase but, as about 3.75 runs per over, it was certainly not excessive

Wickets were shared around with all 6 bowlers used chipping in. Adam Wilson had 1-27 off 10 and, returning from his 1^st class debut with Essex, Tom Craddock returned 1-29 from his full allocation. Yasir Abbas, who has forced his way into the team at the end of the season, returned 2-19 off 7 but did not return for a 2^nd spell.

But then our old problems returned. The batting simply self-destructed and, at 66-6, the game had gone. Several players hit wide balls straight to cover or nicked to slip and trouped off disconsolately. Sam Burge restored a semblance of pride with a belligerent, undefeated 42 (60 balls and 6 boundaries) but it was sadly too late.

So our One-Day season has finished with just 2 wins and the tied game against Southampton to show on the table as we finished 6^th in the table of 8 teams, out lowest finish for several years.

EXETER UNIVERSITY at WEETWOOD – 10 JUNE 2011

We are safe and can all breathe again and enjoy the 3 days against Cambridge next week.

Rain prevented a prompt start but relented sufficiently to play 42 overs a side. We were inserted and went off like trains as Slater and Barrett pummeled the bowling to all parts. They were eventually parted at 105 in just 10 overs and 43 minutes. Simon Barrett continued in the same vein with Rick Moore as another 124 were plundered in the next 23 overs for the 2^nd wicket and Joe Leach helped his captain add 60 in 8 overs to complete the rout.

Exeter were never in the hunt but Chris Webb restored some pride with 56 but received scant support. Rick Moore felt sufficiently confident to give the ball to Messrs Barrett and Slater to bowl the last few overs. I don’t think, however, that opposition batsmen will be exactly quaking in their boots at the thought of facing such a demonic pair !

Simon Barrett`s innings of 111 is the highest individual one-day score for Leeds-Bradford in BUSA / BUCS Competition games. He also holds the highest score of 168 in 3-day matches after his marathon stint at Derby in early May. He has a chance next week against Cambridge to complete a splendid hat-trick but will have to go some to pass Gharib Razak`s 195, made at the Parks in 2006.

Leeds Bradford leg spinner Tom Craddock is due to make his first class debut tomorrow (Friday 10 June) against the Sri Lankan tourists at Chelmsford.

The 22-year-old Leeds Met student is starting a two month trial with Essex CCC after impressing head coach Paul Grayson over the last few weeks. Craddock has had a superb season for Leeds Bradford, performing with distinction in all matches – the highlight of which was a 5 wicket haul against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl. As Howard Clayton mentioned in his recent match report following the game against Lancashire Seconds, “it is interesting to note that, when we played Essex at Chelmsford in early April 2010, Ryan ten Doeschate pummeled Tom’s bowling (12-0-86-1). As Andrew Lawson commented “At least they re now on the same side !”

Although ten Doeschate won’t be featuring in the game against the tourists, Craddock will be captained by England star Ravi Bopara.

Craddock, who also plays for Honley in the Huddersfield League, has certainly earned his chance playing with the big boys. He has played a number of games for the Unicorns this season in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition, including an appearance against Essex at Chelmsford where he recorded highly respectable figures of 8-1-33-1.

Leeds Bradford squad manager Nick Davis commented, “Tom’s success so far is what the MCCU scheme is all about. He has not come through the county age-group route as he was a relative late-comer to the game, but his game has flourished whilst at university, thanks to the MCCU system. His hunger and eagnerness to learn and keep improving is an example to all, and just goes to show what can be achieved with commitment, enthusiasm, dedication and, of course talent.”

Everyone connected with MCC Universities will be wishing ‘Crads’ all the best for tomorrow and watching his progress with eagerness.

Leeds/Bradford MCC Universities (MCCU) legs-spinner Tom Craddock has signed for Essex on a two month trial, starting on 8 June. Craddock, who is in his final year with Leeds/Bradford MCCU impressed Essex Head Coach Paul Grayson in two matches for the Unicorns side against Essex this season.

Craddock, 21, has had an impressive season so far which included a five-wicket haul for Leeds/Bradford MCCU against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.     

The Huddersfield youngster will have his opportunity to impress the Essex coaching staff over in all formats of the game during his spell with the club.

Essex moved to sign the youngster who has also had trials this summer with Kent and Worcestershire.

Good opportunity

Essex Head Coach Paul Grayson was impressed by his new recruit.

“We’ve been looking at him for a while, we do need another spinner. I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen of him.” He said.

“I’ve watched him in a couple of MCC Universities games and Unicorns matches and the feedback from the lads who played against him was favourable, they were all very impressed with him.

“We’ll be able to have a closer look at him and see how he gets on in the professional set-up.

“We will be giving him a couple of months’ trial and as far as we are concerned, it’s nothing ventured, nothing gained.

“It’s a good opportunity for him. We are looking forward to him joining us.”