HOW do you replace a 900 runs per season man?
That’s the question testing Delph & Dobcross captain Grant Jones this season as he looks to build on last year’s trophy-winning success.
The batsman in question is Bruce Cruse, who is now an ECB director and was fully involved as English cricket launched their Champions Counties initiative at Lord’s this week, which looks to build on the successes of previous plans to benefit all forms of the game, from grassroots through to the Test arena.
His commitment at top level means playing appearances for the Huddersfield Road club will be severely limited this season, so you can understand Jones’ needing others to step up when Cruse registered 856 runs last term at an average of almost 41.
Like every other challenge in the Drakes League, however, Jones is meeting it head on.
“Bruce basically scores 900 runs a season and he’s a hard act to follow,” said Jones, who put three previous disappointments behind him to lift the arrowselfdrive Sykes Cup for the first time last year.
“We’ve promoted Kevin Hook, our overseas, to open the batting because he likes to get himself in and it suits him, and we’ve asked him to try and take on Bruce’s role of anchoring the batting for most of the overs and let everyone else operate around him.
“There are strokeplayers in our team like Irfan Zahoor and Faizal Butt, who can change a game and win a game on their own (Butt’s 93 was pivotal to the cup win), and then we’ve got people like Arron Lilley, Graeme Simpson, myself, Matt Norvall and Luke Hargreaves in the middle order who are going to have to get runs this year.
“We have the ability and there are no issues with our batting, because we bat deep, but we do have to find those 900 runs from somewhere because there are some strong teams around again this summer. From our point of view we always want to win things and if we can have a similar sort of season to last year we’ll be more than happy with another Sykes Cup and a top-five finish in the Premiership.”
Jones has also had to mix-and-match in the bowling department after losing opener Adnan Ghaus to New Brighton.
“He’s a big loss as our strike bowler, because in this league you need to get rid of the top three as quickly as you can,” said the talented team leader, who had 22 victims behind the sticks in 2012.
“Irfan can open the bowling, but he’s not really got the pace you ideally want, so there will be times when we open with Arron Lilley at one end and attack, while rotating our seam bowlers at the other end.
“I think you are finding everywhere these days that there are very few good, quick opening bowlers around – not just in the Drakes League but all over. We’ve looked in the Central Lancashire League and there are very few.
“Maybe it’s the Shane Warne and Murali factor that everyone wants to be slow bowlers these days instead of a Michael Holding or Glenn McGrath, plus the fact that the emphasis in T20 and one-day cricket these days seems to be to take the pace off the ball.”
Jones fancies Shepley and Kirkburton to be among the serious title challengers this term, while he’s hoping Delph can replicate their Sykes Cup heroics – they’ve drawn Shepley away in the quarter-finals to be played on Sunday, June 16.
“Winning the Sykes Cup was a big monkey off our back with it being our fourth final in the 14 years we’d been in the league,” said Jones.
“I’ve known Peter Gledhill (the club’s highly respected president) all my life and the look on his face when we won said everything for all of us. Ever since we joined the league Peter always wanted that Sykes Cup, so to deliver it finally was very special and a brilliant day for everyone.
“Shepley are one of the best teams in the league, too, because they bat and bowl so well, so to chase down 275 the way we did was unbelievable.”
So how much is he expecting to have Lilley on Drakes duty in 2013?
“Arron goes to Lancashire with our blessing,” he answered. “They are hoping to introduce him to one-day cricket this year, so every game he plays for us will be a bonus.
“We know he is going to have a big future in the game with Lancashire and so it’s a privilege to have him in the team here.
“It’s been clear since he’s been with Lancashire over the last 18 months or so that he has matured. Maybe he was a bit hot-headed a couple of years ago, but he’s a cracking lad now and a superb cricketer and he adds to our team in every department as one of the best batsmen, bowlers and fielders in the league.”
