Morecambe made a winning start to their Palace Shield Premier Division campaign on Saturday with a two wicket victory over Fylde at Moorland Road.

Fylde were put into bat first and made a positive start with Usama Abrar (29) and captain Keith Moore (6) giving the innings early impetus.

However, Moore fell to Louis Backhouse (1-37) after he was caught by Mark Woodhead, and Abrar was caught by Reuben Orr off the bowling of Jamie Cassidy (2-25).

Deno Baker was in impressive form for Morecambe, bowling Matthew Johnson (3) and Craig Outram (29) while Graeme Cassidy (2-31) did likewise when he took the wicket of Samuel Davies (1).

Baker also removed Fylde’s leading run scorer on the day Jack Davies (30), Backhouse taking the catch, and Graeme Cassidy struck again to remove Zohaib Jafferi (2), Woodhead taking another catch.

Anthony Churchill (18) was run out by Lewis Smith, and there was still time for Baker to bowl Anthony Ellison (0) and Jamie Cassidy bowled Jonathon Lee (1) as the hosts were all out for 140 from 44 overs.

Morecambe’s response didn’t get off the the best of starts as they lost Sam Owen (0), who was bowled by Ellison (4-38), and Woodhead, who was caught and bowled by Churchill (3-19).

However, Ryan Pearson put in a captain’s performance with the bat and steadied the ship, he managed a knock of 46 before succumbing to Ellison lbw, as did Baker (7).

Alex Briggs managed 26 runs before being caught by Craig Outram off the bowling of Churchill, while Lewis Smith (19) was bowled by Ellison.

Churchill bowled Graeme Cassidy (5) and Abrar took the wicket of Orr (7), but Morecambe reached their target in the 42nd over thanks to Jamie Cassidy (2no) and Stefan Dixon (7no), as the visitors finished on 141-8 and picked up 12 points.

Lancaster made a convincing start to the new season at the weekend with a resounding 145-run win over Great Eccleston at Lune Road.

Lancaster skipper Ben Simm won the toss and decided to bat first, and it proved to be a very good decision as his team finished on 300-3.

Sandy Richards only managed a single run before being run out by Joe Davies, but fellow opener Jamie Heywood managed an outstanding knock of 78 before being caught by Will Thistlethwaite off the bowling of Phil Booth (1-71).

Thomas Newark managed just six runs before being bowled by Davies (1-81), but the star of the day was Charlie Swarbrick, who finished on 151 not out, and he was supported superbly by Kieran Moffat, who also remained unbeaten at the crease on 53.

In reply, Adam Green (69) tried to take the fight to Lancaster, but despite reaching his half century, he was eventually caught by Swarbrick off the bowling of Ben Simm (5-69)

Liam Moffat (4-45) bowled Matthew Moat, who could only manage a single run, and the Lancaster bowler struck again to remove Davies (18), caught by Rahul Gupta, and Thistlethwaite (7), who was bowled.

Alex Swale (13) reached double figures but he became another Simm victim, Steven Fisher taking the catch, and the Lancaster spinner struck again as he bowled Robert Swale (4).

Moffat took another wicket when he got rid of Peter Whittle, who didn’t trouble the scorers as he was dismissed lbw.

A couple of tail enders managed to reach double figures at least, captain Michael Rigby managed 13 before before being caught by Moffat off Simm’s bowling, and Phil Booth also managed a knock of 13, he also fell to Simm with the help of Steven Fisher who took the catch.

Great Eccleston finished on 155 all out and were dismissed in just 32 overs, well short of the required target as Lancaster picked up 12 points in what was a convincing start to the new Palace Shield Premier Division campaign.

Strategy and execution is everything in cricket and poker

Becoming a successful cricketer is just as much about having the mental attributes as it is about having the technical attributes. Although cricket is often derided as a slow sport, if you aren’t a step ahead in your head than your opponents, you will often get found out at the crease. That’s why some people say that the most consistent cricketers are those who think and act like poker players. Let’s take a look at some of the key attributes of poker players that cricketers can adopt to take their game to the next level.

They admit that they can’t hit every ball for six

The best Test Match players and those planning to head to the 2019 Cricket World Cup are those who don’t lose focus or self-discipline for a second. Most average cricketers will get into bad habits and lose their discipline, but the best batsmen can stay switched-on. They accept that they can’t hit every ball for six or take a wicket with every ball they bowl. Instead, they remain sharp and focus firmly on the target in mind. Self-discipline is the bedrock of any profitable poker player; they must have the ability to play without going on “tilt” and undoing all their good work. It’s the same for world-class cricketers who go beyond half-centuries and turn those knocks into hundreds, and even double-hundreds.

They know their opponents’ moves inside and out

In both disciplines, cricketers and poker players need to study the game and know their opponents inside and out to be able to react to their moves. The best cricketers have an awareness of their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, which enables them to hone in on the weaknesses and guard against the strengths. For instance, the best batsmen know what deliveries a dangerous spin bowler has in his arsenal, which enables them to plan for all eventualities. Profitable poker players are trained to spot their opponents’ “tells”, which gives them an insight into whether their hand is strong or weak. It’s these fine margins that make all the difference at the pinnacle of any profession.

Because they need to be durable

According to this infographic comparing cricket and poker stars, the very best pros need to be prepared to clock up the miles to reach the summit of their profession. Cricketers can tour as much as 24,494 miles in a year, while poker pros can also travel 18,100 miles to feature in the biggest live poker tournaments. Durability is certainly a vital trait to have for any successful cricketer or poker player. In poker, the most prestigious live poker tournaments can go on for days, even weeks, such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. The best cricketers selected to represent their countries will embark on two-month-long tours around the world and be required to cope with everything from homesickness and jet lag to different cultures and weather in order to prevail.

The best batsmen make winning decisions based on positive expected value

In poker, all decisions a player makes carries an expected value (EV). Over time, the best players are able to calculate the strength of EV and make the most positive EV decisions, even under significant stress. If they make more +EV decisions than -EV decisions, they will be profitable over the long term. The best batsmen in cricket also know how to judge each delivery on its own merits. Their ability to know within a split-second whether or not to leave the ball or attempt to attack it is awe-inspiring. The batsmen that play aggressively with +EV on their side— i.e., focus on rank long-hops and half-volleys—will make consistent runs, more likely than not.

They are capable of escaping the bias of past events

Professional poker player Maria Konnikova believes that when humans are in rapidly-changing environments, they are affected by “bias after bias after bias”. The human brain is often reliant on past experiences when making future choices. Konnikova believes that poker retrains the brain to remove bias by forcing players to rely on experiences set in the data of their previous hands. Those that can escape the bias of past experiences will think more clearly and positively. It’s the same for cricketers; those who are able to set aside previous losses or on-field errors—and keep faith in the methods and techniques that have served them well—will often prevail.

It’s little wonder why the likes of Australian spin king, Shane Warne, took to poker like a duck to water when he hung up his cricket boots for the last time. The mental attributes in both poker and cricket should never be underestimated.

Premier Division

Division 1A

Division 1B

Please see the note below from Freckleton - this will mean Division 1A will now compromise 11 teams and there will be 2 blank dates in the season for everyone.

Hi Dave, as discussed.

It is with regret that Freckleton have had to withdraw from the Palace Shield due to a fundamental loss of players to other clubs,  injury and other commitments.

We felt we could possibly raise some sides to compete, but a lot of time we would only have 6, 7 or 8 and we feel this is not a good position to be in.

Even though we have asked to withdraw, we are still a cricketing entity and are hopeful to resurrect ourselves in a near future and would like to be part of the Palace Shield again.

If the Palace Shield wish to discuss anything with ourselves then please do get hold of me.  

Please not that I have left a message with Whittle and Clayton-le-woods (our first game opponents on Saturday) and their secretary is copied in on this email.

Many thanks and do have a fantastic 2019 season.

Jon Goodin – Freckleton C.C. Secretary

Please find attached to download the LCF April update from James Cutt.

Rule changes Summary for the 2019 season

Playing Conditions (Main Competition)

18e. Wides. Any Offside or Leg Side delivery which in the opinion of the Umpire does not give the batsman a reasonable opportunity to score, shall be called a “wide”. Two lines shall be marked at each end of the pitch running parallel to the return crease, 17 inches from the return crease. (This is to assist umpires when judging wide deliveries on the Offside of the wicket). In the Premier Division only, for guidance purposes, any ball which passes leg side of the striker and leg side of the wicket, shall be called a wide.  Any ball passing on the legside of the batsman outside of the 17” line should be classed as a wide in division 1 and below – Legside wides will now only apply in the premier division, Wides was amended at the AGM so that it now states that "Any ball passing on the legside of the batsmen outside of the 17" line should be classed as a wide"

It should be noted that this does not override Law 22 which defines a wide as a ball which is not sufficiently within reach for the batter to be able to hit it with the bat "by means of a normal cricket stroke".

Rule 18(e) defines the 'extremity' of the legside delivery (i.e.) any ball passing outside the 17" line should automatically be called a wide, unless the batsmen had moved significantly. However, balls inside this 17" line on the legside would still be considered as wide if they do not meet the definition contained in Law 22. Particularly in Div 1, we would still expect umpires to be calling wide ball for balls which pass within the 17" line on the leg side.

There is no change to the rules for "offside wides" where the 17" line remains as a guide to umpires.

• Bowling Restrictions. In the Saturday divisions, one bowler may bowl a maximum of fifteen overs and all other bowlers will be limited to a maximum of twelve overs each. These restrictions will remain the same in any reduced overs innings (due to disruption mid game) and for the first 45 overs of any increased overs innings (with no further restrictions after the 45th over). Where the number of overs are reduced at the start of the game so are the maximum number of overs that each bowler may bowl. This is 1/3rd of the total for one bowler and 1/4 for all the others. This does not apply if the overs are reduced after the start - Clarifies how bowling restrictions apply if the number of overs are reduced at the start of a match due to a weather delayed start.  Eg a 32 over per side game would mean one bowler could bowl ten and the others 8.

Use of Duckworth Lewis System in the Premier, Divisions 1A and 1B and in Cup Competitions.

• Added to appendix E

It should be noted, as per Rule 19d, that unless 20 overs in the 2nd innings have been completed the game will be abandoned as an uncompleted game, unless a team opts to chase the target or bowl out the opposition in less than 20 overs as per rule 19E (DLS). If the available overs is less than 20 the side batting second and electing to chase the 20 over target as calculated by the DLS method in fewer than 20 overs will lose the match if it is bowled out for less than the said target score or otherwise fails to achieve that score but will be entitled to bonus points as per appendix C.

The side bowling second electing to attempt to bowl out their opponents if fewer than 20 overs are available will lose the match if their opponents achieve the said target score or if it fails to bowl out their opponents but will be entitled to bonus points as per appendix C.

In either of the above circumstances, should there be a further suspension of play during this stage of the game it will end as an uncompleted game and 2 points will be awarded to each team along with any bonus points earned –

This allows a team the chance to go for a result if fewer than 20 overs are available but using the DLS targets based on 20 overs remaining.

If a game is interrupted so that the 2nd innings will be less than 20 overs either Captain may elect to play the remaining overs, however:
a) if the batting side so elect but then fail to reach the 20 over DLS target score they will be deemed to have lost the game.

1. b) if the fielding side so elect and fail to bowl out the batting side they will be deemed to have lost the game.

• (vii) If a DLS target is reached in less than 20 overs there is no requirement to continue to play till 20 overs.
• (viii) In games where Duckworth Lewis is to apply, if there is a delay or an interruption occurs during the second innings of the game, the available overs shall be calculated as a count back from 8pm (7.30 pm in September), using 4 minutes = 1 over, 15 minutes = 4 overs. If the available overs is less that the expected total for the innings, a revised target should be calculated using Duckworth Lewis. Clarifies how the remaining overs should be calculated

Cups

• If a club cannot fulfil a cup fixture then the game shall be awarded to the opposition who progress to the next round. No further penalty to be imposed if the game is conceded by Friday 9pm. If the game is conceded after this cut off point a fine may be imposed and any costs incurred paid for by the team that concedes. If a team has incurred costs before Friday 9PM these will be considered and awarded if appropriate by the executive

• If a result is not possible on the nominated day due to bad weather the tie will be decided on the day by a bowl out or coin toss. There will not be a reserve day for any tie bar the semi-final and final of the cup competitions.

• .The winning Club inall cup ties must post the result of its match and notable performances on their play cricket website – using the prescribed procedure, as soon as possible after the end of the match, but not later than 10.00 p.m. or be fined £5.00

T20 competition

• Any player registered for the club, junior or senior, is eligible except professionals subject to the following

4a. When a club has multiple teams in this competition, A player may only play for one of these teams exclusively in one season. (The executive committee may give permission in exceptional circumstances)

4b. Anyone who has played 50% or more of league games in the Northern League cannot play in the T20 competition at any level

4c. Anyone who has played 50% or more of league games in the Palace Shield Premier Division cannot play in T20 Division 2

• If a club cannot fulfil a T20 fixture then the game shall be awarded to the opposition and a full 3 points awarded. No further penalty to be imposed. Provided at least 24 hours’ notice is given.

Code of Conduct

• iii) Any player receiving 2 L1Dos in any rolling 12 month period will receive an immediate and automatic 1 week ban. If the same player receives any further L1DOS in any rolling 12 month period they will receive an immediate and automatic 2 week ban for every additional L1DOS reported. – Clarifies the process if a player receives more than one L1DOS in a 12 month period

Administration changes

• Paper registration forms no longer need submitting, its is just a case of imputing the required details on play cricket
• Each umpire on the panel shall be paid £45 expenses for each match to which he is appointed and attends to officiate. Where no play is possible the panel umpire shall receive £25 expenses. Should a Panel Umpire, due to the non-attendance of his colleague, be required to officiate at the bowler's end throughout the match, he shall be entitled to £90 expenses Brings us into line with other leagues.

• The cost of panel umpires should be split between both clubs rather than being the responsibility of the home club
• Scorers & Scoreboard. Each team shall have a competent scorer, and failure to so provide shall incur a fine or points deduction as decided by the Management Committee. If a team fails to provide a scorer the team that does not have a scorer should pay £10 per innings to the person who is scoring the match on the understanding that they are doing both books. Clarifies what the payment should be if a club doesn’t provide a scorer, other penalties will still apply
• Rearranged games e.g. due to a club day - Games cannot be moved to after the final full set of fixtures in any Saturday division

Can all clubs not use any envelopes from earlier years which should be destroyed,

The royal mail references on the envelopes issued on Monday and tonight at the umpires meeting need to be used as the franked meter reference has been changed