Cricket at Thorpe Arnold - Reflections of the season

As the cricket season for all the Leicestershire leagues has now come to an end as we pass into autumn, Thorpe Arnold cricket club can reflect on a remarkable season as it’s 1st team won the 2nd Div title under the captaincy of Mark Mattews, 3rd team led by Chris Waldron won promotion tp Div 2 in the Grantham and Melton league and the midweek teams won both the Salaman and Frank Woodhead cups during the season.

However junior success  took huge step forward with the under 13s, 15’s and 17’s winning all their respective leagues, a feat that they have never achieved before and one that very few local sides throughout the country could probably lay claim to.

The club has undoubtedly benefited from their decision to invest in top class coaching throughout the winter at the Leicester cricket academy and then throughout the season by it’s two level 2 coaches Brian Makwana and Carel Fourie along with it’s many level one coaches who took up the opportunity during the winter to gain this accreditation to support the club on set training evenings throughout the weeks in the season.

Many of these juniors are now a composite part of it’s senior sides on Sundays in the Grantham and Melton League which is great opportunity to prepare them for a longer form of the game than they normally play throughout their junior leagues

Along with the coaching each side has operated with a separate team manager who takes control of team selection, transport organiser, general well being of the team and all the admin for their sides. Without these valuable contributions by each of these mangers the sides would not have achieved this success

This achievement is so timely in the great strides made by these youngsters as the club has taken the decision to ambitiously enter a 3rd team next season in the Everards County League, the premier league in Leicestershire.

At the recent dinner and presentation evening the club celebrated all this success across all the teams in club.

The individual prize winners as follows:-

Batting ave - Rob Lecoyte 56.50
Most runs - Brain Makwana 1259
Most sixes - Chris Waldron 42
Bowling ave - Carl Fourie 12.77
Most wkts - Carl Fourie 60
Most kingpins - James Pepperdine 30
Most catches - Kingsley Miller 22
Most ducks - Andy Sibun 8
First Team player of the year - Brian Makwana  
Second team player of the year - Dave Frost
Sat Third team player of the year - Myles Hickman
Sun Third team player of the year - Ben Freer
Fourth Team player of the year - George Exton
Chairman’s award - Andy Sibun

Under 13a player of the year-Jaiman Mistry
Most improved under 13a-Toby Heaver
Under 13b player of the year-Dom Exton
Most improved under 13b-Iain Plowman
Under 13 clubman of the year Lewis Krzeczkowski

Under 15a player of the year-Kingsley Miller
Most improver under 15a player of the year-George Exton
Under 15b player of the year-Priyan Mistry
Most improved under 15b player of the year-Will Baker
Best under 15 batsmen-Harry Webster
Best under 15 bowler-Charles Baker

Under 17 player of the year-Sam Woods
Most improved player of the year-Mark Starkey
Best under 17 batsmen-Matt Winn
Best under 17 bowler-Issac Smith