Following two consecutive 3rd place finishes in Division 3, many expected the 2nd team to go one better in 2010 and clinch promotion. This was certainly looking likely after 6 games with the team sitting in 2nd place having just beaten the top side Stony Stratford.

However, we visited Kempston the following week full of confidence only to suffer a dramatic batting collapse and a heavy defeat.

Two days later we effectively lost our Captain Andy Luck for the remainder of the season after he broke his wrist working on the Chairman’s new extension!

Another batting collapse at the Old Grammarians the following week saw all confidence disappear and the team went through a spell of 9 games without a win. Our promotion charge was well and truly over and at one stage relegation was becoming a worry but four wins in the final few weeks of the season saw us finishing just below half way in the table.

A disappointing season in many ways but considering the loss of our skipper, losing Simon Parsons to injury early in the season, the retirement of Harmit Bahra and the number of games missed by first team players maybe our position was about right.

There are lots of positives to take from the season however. The bowling of Jamie Perry was for me the highlight of the season. In the games I captained the side I knew that if I had Jamie opening the bowling at one end I could rely on him to keep things tight, create pressure and as a consequence take wickets. His bowling to left handed players was always threatening and his hat trick at home to the Old Grammarians was a terrific moment for both Jamie and the team. I know work commitments are a problem for Jamie but hopefully he will be available every week in 2011.

The emergence of Marcus Gross and Kieran Furniss as 2nd team regulars was another major plus. Both played an important role within the team and produced excellent performances. With other youngsters pushing for 2nd team places the clubs future looks secure.

Mention must be made of the back-to-back match winning centuries by Lewis Bates. Not only did they come at a vital time for the team they were also innings of great skill and maturity. A bright cricketing future is in front of him.

Thanks go to all those who did anything to help with the running of our club and to all those who helped Andy and myself on and off the field during the season.

Here’s to a successful 2011 for our wonderful club.                                                                                             Brett Hanson

With the First team in the Premier, new players joining us and a thriving junior section it was only a matter of time before a third team would be a prerequisite for a club of this size. Wollaston Cricket Club has grown!

So after speaking to one or two people within the club it was decided that we should investigate the possibly of fielding three Saturday League teams.

After further discussions it became clear that we would have sufficient numbers to make it work, but it meant that we needed to hire a ground that was up to the required NCL ground standards, and available throughout the season.

After contacting to a couple of clubs in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, we eventually made contact with Emberton who fortunately were seeking another team to share the ground with Wellingborough Old Grammarian lll’s on Saturdays. (Emberton only play on Sundays.) Following a meeting with them and a look at their facilities, it was agreed that we would play our home games there.

Obviously it’s not the same as playing at HQ but it is very pleasant with a good pitch and it is well looked after. It also has a clubhouse to match most clubs in the league.

The League duly accepted our application and we were up and running!

We had a pre-season friendly against Emberton CC which helped us acclimatise to the surroundings and started our league program at home to the eventual champions Oundle lll.

We hadn’t a clue what to expect and adding further to the uncertainty was the fact that the games could be only “won” or “lost” – a draw was not in the equation. We won the toss and, decided to bowl, and opened up with Jamie Perry and Marcus Gross. The former went on to produce a fine spell of 12 overs - taking 3 wickets for just 34 runs, helping to bowl the opposition out for 160 in 43 overs. Paul Jones and Scott Bailey did the business with the bat and we duly knocked the runs off with nine overs to spare with just 6 wickets down.

A great start – made even better when we heard that both the First and Second’s had also won. Three wins on a Saturday - it hadn’t happened before!

The next week we were brought down to earth at a cold, damp Old Wellingburians ground at Wellingborough Embankment.

We were keen to play despite the drizzle but the conditions were far from ideal. In the event we collected full bowling points for bowling them out, and were set 152 to win. We were all out for 116. But at least we finished with more points for playing and losing than abandoning the game. So it was probably worth getting wet and cold. Or not?

We won fairly comfortably at Brixworth where Rex Boddington and Haydn James put on 92 for the first wicket and Alex Melia took a hat trick and finished with 5 for 35 – a real “Champagne Moment”.

The next week we travelled a couple of miles and hammered Grendon with Kieran Furniss making his one and only appearance and scoring 52, and following that we watched at Mawsley as Marcus Gross scored a glorious 75 not out to take us on our way to our biggest score of the season.

Unfortunately we lost three games in July – all in the last over. The Weekly & Warkton and Geddington encounters were still enjoyable but at Old Northamptonians, except for Rex Boddington (88) and James Pegg who took 4 for 41 in 10 overs, we were poor in all three disciplines, and got what we deserved.

However, we “bounced” back against Irthlingborough on a “sporting” pitch at Redwell Sports Centre, progressed with a win at home to Mears Ashby and finished the season on a high in sixth place out of 16 teams after beating Bold Dragoon ll at Emberton.

Everyone played their part. We rarely had the luxury of the same team two weeks running – and wouldn’t expect it. That is the nature of having three teams.

As you would expect Rex and Paul Jones scored a lot of the runs but Scott Bailey was not far behind. They were ably assisted by a fluid middle order with players moving up and down the batting order depending on who was available.

Alex Melia, James Pegg and Marcus Gross added youth to our bowling attack and all three made an impact over the course of the season

Rex did most of the keeping but when necessary David Pegg and David Clarkson worked the gloves and we still had the chairman on standby should the need arise.

I said at the AGM that I would be happy to take on the job of Third Team captain as long as we competed on a week to week basis. And this is what we did. In every match, with the possible exception of O.Ws, we were always in the game to the final overs and put the opposition under

This was one of the reasons that made the season so enjoyable.

We were one of the few teams to have an umpire and scorer and thanks are due to Dave Ekins and Liam Yeo for officiating every week, also our tea ladies who were not daunted by catering outside the Parish and the various supporters who watched us at home and away.

I would also like to thank all the players for their support. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, and individually everyone was competitive and gave 100% in every game. No strops, monks, moods or dummies - just a group of players giving their best every week.

There is a change of format regarding the fixture list next season. With the Northamptonshire Cricket League adding a new division (Div 14) it means that possibly the standard of division 13 will be stronger in 2011 due to the bottom four teams dropping down to supplement the new section.

Unless there are late drop-outs, there will be ten teams, playing each other on a home and away basis—giving a total of 18 fixtures starting on May 7th with a game away at West Haddon.

Let’s hope for another successful season!

David Ward - Third Eleven captain

Our Under Fifteens had an improved season—winning six of the thirteen fixtures and finishing in 7th place in a division of fourteen.

Kieran Furniss led the batting with four fifties - including a majestic 92 not out and finished the season with 292 runs at a near Bradmanesque average of 98. He was well supported by Joey Jones ( top score 48* and 84 runs) and Luke Shanks (top score 38* average 22)

Liam Yeo led the bowling with six wickets but M Humphries and Kieran followed up with five each with Nathan Richards, Harry Matthews and Charlie Elderton taking three each.

It was a good effort from all the squad and hopefully the progress can continue in 2011.

The Under 13’s had a very good season finishing 5^th in the league and winning 8 of their 12 games, which is the best performance for some years. The team was very competitive and even when we lost games we pushed the opposition all the way.

Charlie Elderton lead the batting with 314 runs with an average of 52.33, whilst Nathan Richards scored the team’s highest score of the season with a near perfect 61 not out against Oundle. Will Holley won the team’s most improved player award based on his performances as one of our opening batsmen - scoring over 150 runs.

Our bowling was lead by Patrick Bright with 14 wickets and he was ably supported his U11 team mate Harry Broome who took 11 wickets. These two lads opened the bowling every week and never seemed phased by the responsibility and could always be relied upon to perform with the ball and the bat when needed.

George Roach and Cameron Wiseman shared the wicket keeping duties and both did a pretty good job and byes were kept to a minimum. The rest of the squad all played their part as did the parents who were all very supportive.

I would finally like to say a big thank you to Graham Richards for all his enthusiasm and help during the practice sessions and matches.

The U11 squad has had a great season in more ways than one. Having finished joint winners of the B league last season, we had mixed feelings about playing in the much stronger A and B league although with hindsight the team had nothing to fear! From 13 games played they won 10 and secured 3rd place which was higher than we had thought was possible. Everybody played their part in what was an enjoyable season with some great games played by a competitive, friendly and talented squad!

As a Club we are proud of all our players and it is pleasing to see so many playing representative cricket. Within the squad we have seen a number of players represent the County and District squads - Harry Broome (Northants U11), Nathan Healey (Northants U10), Beth Healey (Northants Girls U13), Patrick Bright (East Northants District U11,Captain), Chris Manktelow (East Northants District U11) and Cameron Pike (East Northants District U11).  Pat and Harry also opened the bowling for the U13 squad and had a great season taking 14 and 11 wickets, respectively.

Throughout the season we have seen all players emerge with stronger performances and development of their understanding and enjoyment of cricket.

Training was always undertaken with fun, enthusiasm and commitment and this has paid off with the amount of games won which has been achieved through great team work. Just a few words of praise for all concerned.

Patrick Bright - 173 runs, average 86.5, 8 wickets at 2.90 economy. Starred for the District and leading wicket taker for U13's. Vice-Captain.

Harry Broome - Leading run scorer with 41% of the teams runs with 192 at an average of 192! 11 wickets and winner of Batting award. Captain.

Max Halliday - Winner of the Most Improved Player award. Great team member whose bowling has improved significantly over the season.

Jack Harrison - Bowled well with 9 wickets at a strike rate of 16. Top score of 13 no in the game against Rushden A. Mad as a box of frogs!

Beth Healey - Emerging talent and the 1st Girl to play for Wollaston U11's for many years! Played for Northants U13's as an all-rounder.

Liam Healey - No bigger than the wickets but boy does he have potential! A star of the future and bowled well during the season.

Nathan Healey - 8 wickets in only 7 games and bowled well for the County. Natural bowling action which will cause many problems for batters.

Robert Machin - Did well in his 1st season. Good hand-eye co-ordination and a natural sportsman. Great game at Oundle on his debut.

Chris Manktelow - The "king of spin" - winner of the bowling award for his 10 wickets at 4.50 economy. Batting average 53. Leg-spin is a difficult art!

Lewis North-Row - A star in his 1st ever game against Rushden A - 12 no, a wicket with his 4th ball and fielded well. Watch him go in 2011.

Jamie Parker - Great fielder and top score of 12 no against Oundle. 8% of the teams runs and a steady bowler.

Cameron Pike - Kept wicket very well all season for both club and District. 3rd leading run scorer with 130 at an average of 43.33.

Harry Tobin - Confidence grew as the season went on and ended up bowling well. Improvements seen throughout his game.

Special thanks to Jason for his coaching assistance and umpiring, Graham for scoring, Sally for the bacon rolls and all the parents for their continued support throughout the season.

Thanks team for a memorable season and looking forward to working with you as part of the U13 squad next season. Nick Broome - manager

Statement ; Our aim with the Nine’s is to provide a safe, fun environment for the children to earn new cricket skills, learn a basic understanding of the game and to be prepared and confident when they move up to the Under Elevens’

The 2010 season saw our whole youth section take significant steps forward in numbers, and the abilities of players. The Under Nine’s won the Thrapston tournament - a big achievement for them and the club.  The fact that we now have over 10 coaches at the club qualified, or about to qualify at level one or two, shows Wollaston Cricket Club’s commitment to our young players and the future.

I am personally involved in the U9’s section, taking children as young as 4 years old for Friday night coaching throughout the summer, which whilst having it's obvious challenges, does prove rewarding when their progress can be clearly seen, thanks to the skills and training of our coaching.

As I write Winter Nets has just started at Wollaston Secondary School, all three age groups , under 9, under 11 and under 13 are fully subscribed, we have been building up the coaching numbers to support and ensure safety.

2010 saw WCC take on the challenge of hosting a Kwik Cricket tournament for under 9 teams around the county. A warm sunny day in August saw 15 teams enter the competition with Loddington being the deserving winners. The event would not have been possible without the help of the under 9 parents and club members who made themselves available and took charge of much of the tasks that were needed to make the day such a success.

Throughout the summer the parents have been proactive and supportive to everything we have tried to do, I am very lucky to have such a good bunch who appreciate the efforts we make with their children on the cricket pitch.

Finally, I would like to sat a big thank you to Ian Geddes for his help last season and wish him well for his coaching exam coming up. Here's to 2011.

                                                                                                                                                                             Darren King