Cricket: Premier Division new boys Berkswell claim top spot in fledgling season

Premier Division new boys Berkswell Cricket Club (2011 Div 1 Champions)

Trevor Jordan reports on Berkswell Cricket Club’s remarkable start to their first season in the top flight of the Birmingham Cricket League, with a victory on the road at fancied side Himley, to leapfrog them into top spot in the Premier Division.

 

Birmingham Premier Division

Himley (60 all out)

lost to

Berkswell (145 all out) by 85 runs

 

Another outstanding team display saw Berkswell move to the top of the Birmingham Premier League after a comprehensive eighty five run victory that had skipper Dominic Ostler praising his bowlers:

 

“We bowled magnificently and kept the pressure on them from the first ball”, said victorious skipper Dominic Ostler. “Last week it was Babar Khan and Tom Milnes who did the damage for us, this week it was Chris Cheslin. Ed and Tom got us off to the perfect start with their control early on and then Chris and Babar maintained the stranglehold. Over the last two weeks we’ve proved what an effective bowling outfit we are.”
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May 15, 2012 |

Cricket: Berkswell braced for top of table clash at Himley

Premier Division new boys Berkswell take an unchanged side to early league leaders Himley tomorrow (Saturday 12th May), meaning former Warwickshire skipper Ian Westwood is available for the testing Birmingham & District League encounter.

 

Berkswell captain Dominic Ostler said:

 

“It’s great news for us that we have both Ian Westwood and Tom Milnes available for the trip, this is a big game for us and a great challenge, where we’ll find out how good we are. We had a great win last week in adverse conditions, it got a bit tight but was a good team effort.”

 
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May 11, 2012 |

Cricket: newly promoted Berkswell throw down early marker with first Premier Division victory

Trevor Jordan reports on Berkswell’s first ever completed fixture in the Birmingham and District League’s Premier Division, a close-fought victory away at Kidderminster, which propelled them to an exciting and unexpectedly early 2nd positioned place:

 

Birmingham League – Premier Division

Kidderminster 95 (all out) v Berkswell 112 (all out)

 

After a washout the previous weekend, Berkswell finally experienced their first ever encounter in the Birmingham and District Premier Division on a damp, green Kidderminster Victoria wicket to came out on top in a dramatic and close fought encounter.

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May 7, 2012 |

Berkswell Cricket Club youth cricket recruitment drive

Berkswell Cricket Club’s senior elite team won promotion to the Birmingham & District League’s Premier Division last season and will spend 2012 playing at the highest level outside county cricket.  The thriving junior section, under new Youth Manager Richard Blundell will be seeking to emulate the feats of the senior side in building a long term future of the club.  The club is always on the lookout for emerging talent and is currently holding regular junior indoor winter sessions on Sunday evenings at the Heart of England School. Richard Blundell says:

 

“The junior net sessions give the opportunity for new players to be associated with a successful and ambitious club.”
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February 21, 2012 |

Obituary and Tribute to Ian Keith Huckerby – 01/10/1941 to 22/01/2012

Notes from a friend – a tribute by Craig Burgess followed by many more, by many more…

 

Ian Keith Huckerby – 01 October 1941 to 22 January 2012

 

 

Ian Huckerby with his loving wife Sue

Balsall Common finds many of its’ souls mourning the loss of a much loved family man and community figure, following the departure of Ian K Huckerby, in the early hours of Sunday 22nd January 2012.

 

 

Ian Huckerby was known to many in the village for his 24 years of dedicated and unstinting service as Youth Manager at Berkswell Cricket Club.  He was deeply admired and respected by many children, parents and players past and present, both at Berkswell and Warwickshire County Cricket Club.  To many cricketers, Ian’s contribution went way beyond cricket and his loss has been deeply felt.

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January 31, 2012 |

Ian K Huckerby – 01/10/1941 to 22/01/2012

It is with deep regret that we report the passing of a great servant of the community in the early hours of Sunday morning. Ian Huckerby was well known to many people in the village for his 24 years of unstinting service as Youth Manager at Berkswell Cricket Club. He was deeply admired and respected by many children, parents and players at the club and on a wider level through his sterling work with youth players at Warwickshire County Cricket Club. To many cricketers, Ian’s contribution to their lives went way beyond cricket itself and his loss has been deeply felt. BalsallCom.Com will be publishing an in depth tribute in due course and residents are invited to contribute their reflections.

In the meantime we are able to report Ian’s funeral will take place at Oakley Wood Crematorium next Friday, 3rd February 2012.

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January 27, 2012 |

Obituary: Glyn Meredith Langton

Glyn the playful grandfather

It is with deep sadness and respect that we record the passing of Balsall Common resident and rock solid gentleman Glyn Meredith Langton :

[Editorial note: this article will be revised and updated with photos and tributes in the hours and days ahead so for those that know Glyn or his family please return again later]:

Glyn Meredith Langton – December 8th, 1944 – November 11th, 2011

A much loved family man, keen sportsman and true gentleman passed from this world on Friday morning (11th November 2011) after a short illness, leaving behind his loving wife Yvonne, four children and twelve adoring grandchildren. A keen sportsman, games player and outdoors type, 66 year old Glyn Langton from Clive Road built up a long list of friends down the years, including many at his beloved Berkswell Cricket Club, where he was a highly regarded and long serving member.

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November 16, 2011 |

Berkswell cricketers sink Attock to claim Division One Championship

Trevor Jordan reports on Berkswell’s final Birmingham & District Premier League Division 1 encounter of the season at Meeting House Lane, Balsall Common on Saturday (17th September 2011):

Berkswell celebrate as they join Birmingham League elite

Berkswell Cricket Club made a small piece of history on Saturday as they climbed into the Birmingham & District Premier League’s Premier Division for the first time by claiming the Division One title on Saturday.

And the scale of this achievement should not be understated. The Birmingham League is the oldest cricket league in the world and is held in the highest of esteem across the UK and beyond, attracting quality cricketers from home and abroad. The League – which has attracted a raft of Test cricketers in recent years including stars such as Alan Donald, Wasim Akram, Andy Flower and Shoaib Akhtar – is an elite 4 division structure perched above a pyramid of feeder leagues (Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Staffordshire).

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September 19, 2011 |