Season Preview: Greater Manchester Cricket League

The Greater Manchester Cricket League starts this Saturday, bringing with it a weight of hope and expectation for the 13 clubs in the Tameside area.

The winter has seen movement of players; a series of new professionals and evidence of much hard work as Clubs have been preparing for the 2022 campaign.

In the Premier Division Denton St Lawrence , (2019 champions) will be looking to recapture the crown from Prestwich, who pipped them to top spot by only 4 points in 2021.  They welcome new pro, Damitha Silva, a Sri Lankan all-rounder to Sycamore Park.  There is Tameside rivalry in this Division, as Denton West, Premier 2 Champions last year, return to the top tier after relegation in 2018. West have engaged Rohail Naxir, a Pakistani batsman / keeper, who has recently featured in the Pakistan T20 Super League, as pro. He will be joined at Windsor Park by young South African Caleb Daniels and Uzziar Shah who has featured in the Scottish Performance Academy. Elsewhere Prestwich will be a side to watch and the Division welcomes Edgworth and Walshaw who also move up from Premier 2. 

In that Division local interest is at Flowery Field and Glossop, who will both be looking for improved campaigns after flirting with the prospect of relegation until the latter weeks of the 2021 season. Flowery have lost the services of long serving Sean Gibson and Jamie Garde, but will be hoping  for great things from new pro Shreevats Gotswami, an Indian batsman / keeper who has vast experience in the IPL, having appeared for 4 of the franchises.  Glossop have lost Harry Dearden to Edgworth but have turned to Matt Sonczak as pro.  Sonczak return to the club he started at after a spell in the Derbyshire County League and scoring over 700 runs and taking in excess for 50 wickets in League and T20 games for Denton SL last year.

In the Championship both Dukinfield and Mottram will be looking to build on great seasons in 2021 when they gained promotion.  The way in which they both approach the higher tier will be interesting to watch. Dukinfield welcome Jake Fenton back to Higher King Street after a brief spell at Stayley and Mottram will be looking to the squad which gave them a great first full season in the GMCL to meet the challenge ahead.

There are three local teams in Division 1 – Droylsden, Hadfield and Stayley. Over at Oakfield Droylsden have recruited a number of players including Hashan Gunathilika from Woodhouses.  Callum Clayton moves from Denton to Stayley and will be joined at Oxford Street by Dario Seale, a Barbadian fast bowler.  Hadfield will be looking forward to the season and will be determined to demonstrate that a final placing of 5^th in 2021 did not flatter them.   Liam Doyle, (700 runs and 46 wickets in 2021), will be a key player for them.

Micklehurst pushed hard for promotion from Div 2B last year, and were hardly helped by the mid-season change which saw only one team, instead of the previously indicated three, moving up a level.  They have lost Amir Shazad, (47 wickets in 2021) to Stayley but will be welcoming Kabeel Akram from DSL and West Indian spinner Shamar Marshall.  Denton join the Richmond Hill team at this level following their relegation after a dismal 2021.  However, little has emerged from Egerton Street about the prospects for 2022.

In Division 3 there is the prospect on Ashton derby games as the Rayner Lane team and near neighbours Ashton Ladysmith both feature.  Ashton have invested significantly over the winter in ground improvements and will also have a pro for the first time since 2017, as Ruman Ahmed joins from Glossop. 

There is little doubt that after a Covid ravaged season in 2020 and a smaller impact of the pandemic 12 months ago that there is a real sense of anticipation as the days roll around to the start. As usual the Reporter will deliver comprehensive coverage each week during the new season.  

Premier: Clifton v Edgworth; Moorside v Egerton; Walshaw v Denton SL; Heyside v Denton West; Astley & Tyldesley v Woodbank; Prestwich v Roe Green

Premier 2: Flowery Field v Brooksbottom; Bradshaw v Flixton; Shaw v Bury; Glodwick v Heywood; Glossop v Greenfield; Heaton v Stand

Championship: Friarmere v Woodhouses; Dukinfield v Mottram; Stretford v Whalley Range; Westleigh v Winton; Elton v Monton; Swinton Moorside v Royton

Division 1: Roe Green 2^nd XI v Austerlands; Droylsden v Uppermill; Saddleworth v Edenfield; Oldham v Hadfield; Thornham v Golborne; SW Manchester v Stayley

Division 2A: Darcy Lever v Prestwich 2^nd XI; Adlington v Heaton 2^nd XI; Worsley v United Stars; East Lancs PM v Tottington; Daisy Hill v Deane & Derby; Radcliffe v Astley & Tyldesley 2^nd XI

Division 2B: Denton SL 2^nd XI v Oldham 2^nd XI; Micklehurst v Littleborough Lakeside; Milnrow v Friarmere 2^nd XI; Wythenshawe v Glodwick 2^nd XI; Greenfield 2^nd XI v Denton; Denton West 2^nd XI v Werneth

Division 3E: Woodhouses 2^nd XI v Ashton; Royton 2^nd XI v Glossop 2^nd XI; Springhead v Heyside 2^nd XI; Werneth 2^nd XI v Flowery Field 2^nd XI; Mottram 2^nd XI v Dukinfield 2^nd XI; Heywood 2^nd XI v Ashton Ladysmith

Division 4E: Ashton 2^nd XI v Milnrow 2^nd XI; Hadfield 2^nd XI v Springhead 2^nd XI; Stayley 2^nd XI v Moorside 2^nd XI; Denton 2^nd XI v Saddleworth 2^nd XI; Austerlands 2^nd XI v Shaw 2^nd XI; Failsworth Macedonia v Droylsden 2^nd XI; Sunday; Ashton 2^nd XI v Newton Heath