Summer is Coming!

It's time!

Summer is here - you can tell by all the rain. Last weekend was spring - hot, sunny, dry. Useless for cricket. Now it's just right - damp and cool, the sort of weather that allows the players sit around watching the pitch get gradually wetter before giving up for the day.

Perfect. But beyond the vagaries of the British weather, the 2019 season is upon us and Riddlesden's finest are ready to sally forth once more.

We've lost a couple of friends to other local clubs - Shanny to Crossflatts and Towhid to Bingley Congs - both great players who we wish all the best at their new clubs (unless we somehow have to play them obviously, in which case golden ducks and pie chucking would be most welcome...) They will be a difficult to replace, and I'm sure will prove a success for their new teams. Also, club stalwart Bob Morrisroe has hung up his boots and taken 'early' retirement. For now! Being the committed club person he is, Bob has kept his registration in case we ever find ourselves short, and will step back into the breach when needed.

But we also have new players coming in. This week sees the debuts of Aqeel Aziz and Habib Aslam, and a couple of other new names are in the process of joining. We also hope to see some old friends make a comeback this season so good luck to both regulars and newcomers alike.

So this first round of games sees Riddlesden take on their longest trek of the season, away at Foulridge. I guess it at least gets that journey out of the way first thing. Captain Jamie will doubtless lead from the front as always but it's difficult to tell how things will pan out this early in the year. Pitches may not be perfect (ours isn't...), the weather will be a factor, players may be rusty, etc. On the other hand, the team have had an impressive winter training nets, and most were at the ground on Tuesday night honing their skills so here's hoping everything clicks and we get off to a winning start.

Back at our ground, Eldwick & Gilstead open their second season in division 2 against Sandy Lane. In Autumn there was a bit of chatter that Sandy Lane may have been about to fold, so it will be interesting to see what their team is like this year. Match starts at 2pm (if the weather forecast is wrong...)