Great pride as town teams punch above their weight

With only three clubs to choose from, Burnley are often up against Districts choosing from clubs numbering indouble figures.

Chairman Stan Heaton said: “I would like to thank all those involved in the District programme, particularly managers Dave Nicholas (U15s), Wendy Taylor (U13s) and Charlie Cottam (U11s).

“In addition, I would like to thank both Burnley and Lowerhouse Cricket Clubs for hosting the games, and for providing tea room facilities.

“I would like also to thank the tea room staff.

“As chairman I am very proud of the efforts that we make to put district cricket on.”

The Under 15s lost the first two games against Wyre and Ribble Valley, before pride kicked in and scores of 339-6 v South Ribble and 251-8 v Hyndburn saw the team get through to the quarter-finals as league runners-up, where they lost to Rochdale, the eventual winner s.

The Under 13s also progressed to the quarter-finals as league runners-up . Again, opening defeats to South Ribble and Ribble Valley were followed by resounding victories over Blackpool/Fylde and Hyndburn.

Unfortunately the quarter final could not be played due to unforeseen circumstances and the side had to concede. A great pity.

Stars of the show were the Under 11s who progressed to the grand final, only to finish as runners-up after meeting a strong Salford team with numerous county players .

The team won the league with a maximum four victories against Hyndburn , Blackburn, Ribble Valley and Blackpool, and a quarter-final victory over the formidable Bolton was followed by a semi-final victory over Chorley. This was an outstanding performance and bodes well for the future .

Awards

Burnley District Under 11 – Divisional Champions and William Hurst Trophy Runners-Up.

Henri Cottam (captain) - 112 runs and six wickets; George Durkin – 109 runs; Keir Greenwood – 120 runs; Elliott Johnstone – 102 runs; Dec Metcalfe – seven wickets; Oliver Williams – seven wickets.

Performance awards – Keagan De Vries 51* v Hyndburn.

Batting Award – Keagan De Vries 194 runs at 48.50.

Bowling Award – Eliott Johnstone 8 wickets at 8.50; Oliver Spendlove 10 wickets at 12.00.

Team: Henri Cottam, Rory Cormack, Keagan de Vries, George Durkin, Keir Greenwood, Josh Holding, Elliott Johnstone, Roman Kilbride, Dec Metcalfe, Nathan Porter, Husnain Shah, Joel Sharp, Oliver Spendlove, Oliver Williams.

Burnley District Under 13 – Divisional Runners-Up and Quarter-Finalists.

Performance awards – Jack Spence 84 v Blackpool; Zaeem Shah 79* v Blackpool; Aman Singh 54 v Hyndburn.

Batting Award – Zaeem Shah 121 runs at 60.50; Jack Spence 143 runs at 47.67.

Bowling Award – Zaeem Shah 5 wickets at 18.20; Ibrahim Rehman 4 wickets at 15.25.

Team: Aman Singh, James Bridge, Liberty Heap, Mohammed Hussain, Phoebe Johnson, Yousaf Nadeem, Molly Rehbanks, Ibrahim Rehman, Zaeem Shah, Jack Spence, James Swift, Harry Tomlinson, Annabelle Uttley, Rehan Zore.

Burnley District Under 15 – Divisional Runners-Up And Quarter-Finalists.

Performance awards – Max Ingham 10- 74 -5 v Rochdale; Thomas Halstead 50 v South Ribble; Caleb Greenhalgh 56 v South Ribble; Bryce Johnstone 97* v Hyndburn; Qasim Shah 59 v Wyre and 54 v South Ribble; Leon Brennand 54 v Ribble Valley and 77 v South Ribble.

Batting Award – Qasim Shah 185 runs at 37.6.

Bowling Award – Yanis Chir 5 wickets at 21.8; Haider Ali Khan 5 wickets at 19.75.

Team: Bryce Johnstone, Haider Ali Khan, Jake Blakey, Leon Brennand, Kheiro Chir, Yanis Chir, Caleb Greenhalgh, Thomas Halstead, Sam Harrison, Max Ingham, Yousaf Nadeem, Tanbir Rahman, Qasim Shah, Hanaf Shahid, Jack Simm, James Wearden, Ben Woodall.