Players to watch

There are a host of new players venturing into the North Staffs and South Cheshire League for the 2021 campaign - and well-known performers who are either changing clubs or will form a key part of their club side. CHRIS TRAVERS looks at the players to wat

CLARK HADDRELL (Checkley)

THE young seamer measures in at 6ft 7ins and has linked up with Premier Division Checkley.

He has previously played for Hammerwich and more latterly Rolleston in the Derbyshire County League.

In fact, Haddrell helped Rolleston to win the shortened Division One South section last summer after the campaign was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic. Rolleston then went on to defeat Morton Colliery in the play-off final.

Haddrell, unsurprisingly for a bowler of his size, troubles batsmen with bounce and also has a yard of pace in his locker.

The former Abbotsholme School pupil has previously represented Staffordshire at age-group level.

And he’s now making a step up in standard to potentially share the new-ball at Four Trees with experienced campaigner Richard Cooper. Checkley will be hoping that the master and his apprentice can do some damage up front to help their side to figure at the right end of the table once again under returning skipper Michael Allen, pictured.

THE wily left-arm spinner will fill a crucial void in Meakins’ line-up in this summer’s Premier Division campaign. Long-serving overseas player Adnan Rasool is not returning to Ivy House Road this year, which meant James Menzies’ side were on the hunt for a slow-bowling option.

And they look to have dropped on with the capture of Byrne, who has made the move from Birmingham League side Walsall.

The slow left-armer is one of Staffordshire’s most successful bowlers of modern times with more than 200 Championship wickets on the minor counties circuit.

He has also won the Eastern Division title twice, in 2014 and 2019, as well as the overall minor counties title in 2014. Byrne has been an integral; part of Staffordshire’s bowling attack since making his debut in 2010 - even shrugging off a serious knee injury to return to the fold.

No slouch with the bat either, Byrne has Staffordshire 50s to his name - and Meakins will be expecting him to chip in with a few runs here and there. Meakins will be targeting a rich haul of wickets from the 36-year-old as they attempt to launch another Premier Division title bid.

PAUL BYRNE (Meakins)

BILAWAL BHATTI (Bagnall Norton)

BAGNALL Norton suffered a blow when original overseas signing Christi Viljoen was forced to pull out of his deal. However, the Premier Division club moved quickly to land an international seamer in Bhatti. The 29-year-old has experience of playing in the North Staffs and south Cheshire League after four seasons with Hem Heath. The Pakistan pace ace, who has played two Tests, 10 one-dayers and nine T20s for his country, had his most productive spell with the ball at Hem Heath in 2019.

He captured 48 wickets, including four five-fors - and his most devastating performance came against Premier Division runners-up Meakins.

Bhatti picked up 9-31 to rout the hosts for 70, although Hem Heath made heavy weather of the chase before finally winning by two wickets.

Bhatti’s use of the new ball

- plus his ability to score useful runs - make him a key component of Bagnall Norton’s side as they attempt to cement their place in the top division.

LONGTON have plenty of talent in their batting unit, but have added to that with the acquisition of Pakistan’s Saad Ali. Ali has played two one-day internationals for his country and was also part of the Pakistan Test squad which toured England in 2018, but didn’t feature in the five-day games, instead being limited to warm-up matches.

Ali represents Sindh in Pakistan’s first-class game and has also picked up honours at under-19 level on the international stage.

He was part of Pakistan’s team which contested the 2012 Under-19 World Cup.

Ali boasts an impressive record in the professional game in his homeland.

The Karachi-born player has scored 25 half-centuries and 11 tons in 74 first-class matches, averaging more than 44. He has a top score of 232. His excellent form in the 2017/18 Quaid-e-azam Trophy, where he racked up 957 runs, earned him selection for Pakistan’s Test squad. And although he didn’t play, he went on to feature in a couple of one-dayers against Australia in Dubai in 2019.

Ali has previous experience of playing club cricket in England. In 2016 he spent a season with Cumbria side Kendal, where he accumulated 754 runs and chipped in with 29 wickets. Something similar would suit Longton down to the ground. (Longton)

RECORDO GORDON (Audley)

DIVISION One Audley were determined to find a spearhead for their attack this summer and did so in Recordo Gordon. The Jamaica-born seamer grew up in Birmingham and was snapped up by Warwickshire after impressing in their youth system.

He made his first-class debut in 2013 - one of six appearances - and went on to play 12 List A matches and 25 Twenty20 games.

However, he was released from Edgbaston in 2016 and went on to spend a three-year spell on the minor counties circuit with Cambridgeshire. Gordon, who also turned out for Herefordshire in 2011, finished his professional career with 65 wickets across all three formats.

He spent last season playing for Walmley in the Warwickshire County League. Gordon, aged 29, has twice locked horns with Staffordshire during his minor counties career with Cambs.

He was part of the side which earned an unlikely Unicorns Championship Eastern Division draw at Wisbech in 2017 - and also played at Checkley in 2018. The right-arm quick took 6-48 in the first innings - his best minor counties haul - to put Cambridgeshire in the driving seat at Four Trees. But Staffordshire eventually turned the tables to win the contest, despite conceding a firstinnings lead to their visitors.

Haddrell has the ability to trouble batsmen with his bounce and yard of pace

The slow left-armer is one of Staffordshire’s most successful bowlers of modern times

Bhatti’s use of the new ball - plus his ability to score useful runs - make him a key component of Bagnall Norton’s side as they attempt to cement their place

Ali was part of the Test squad which toured England in 2018

SAAD ALI

Audley have found an attack leader...