CricSim Herald - Season 11, Edition 1

CricSim Herald Season Eleven - Edition One

Crazy season brings about some unexpected changes​

By JM Hughes

It’s that part of the season that often causes the most controversy in CricSim. It’s when contracts are up for renewal and we see world class backstabbing. People going against their word, people not telling their club they are leaving or even just someone leaving that no-one else expected… even if the club knew. The Season 10 to Season 11 contracts bonanza has been no exception with some major surprises throughout the off-season. Most of these have interesting stories behind them.

One of the early controversies was the shock change of club for Fast Bowler @MF Faithful who had apparently given his word to the Gamblers and then gone back against it to join the Ravens. Not only did this put the Gamblers in a spot of bother for Season 11 when it came to fast bowling options but the lack of respect Faithful gave the Gamblers was disgraceful, well in the eyes of the Gamblers anyway. Faithful claims that it shouldn’t matter where he ended up going anyway; after all he still knocked back numerous offers to go to other clubs so he could stay at the Gamblers, in what he claims is still an act of loyalty.

“In a manner of speaking, yes I did give them my word, and I did go back on that said word. However, a little contextual background ought not to be omitted” Faithful said.

“The fact of the matter is this; I turned down no less than five other offers to remain at the Gamblers. Apparently this counts for nothing, at least as far as Mr. Gemmell is concerned. Apparently accepting the sixth negates the other five particularly when one has already pledged allegiance”

Faithful also admitted that he regretted the timing of the whole incident and thought perhaps this is what made the move so controversial.

“I do regret the timing but I also think the Gamblers recruitment was complacent in not seeking out another pace option given the losses and or diminishing form of TG Bullpitt and @ C Man”

The Gamblers responded strongly against Faithful’s comments through Head of Recruitment Brett Gemmell. While admitting player movements were the norm in CricSim, leaving your club that gave you your break and doing so by going against your word is definitely not condoned by Gemmell who was told Faithful would be staying and it wasn’t until the contract was signed that he had been notified Faithful was leaving.

“People leaving the club is always going to happen but it's not good when someone says they are staying, so you base your recruitment around that and then they jump ship after the contracts are open. Using the doggy door isn't the best way to leave a club, especially a club that got you to where you are” Gemmell said.

Although evidently dirty at the club that gave him his first chance, Faithful was adamant he still held the club in high regard and insisted he would return there one day if the opportunity presented itself.

“My time at the club was for the majority, very enjoyable and I still maintain a good relationship with the majority of the members. I hold the club in high esteem and would certainly consider rejoining them at some time in the future”

M Faithful wasn’t the only major shock during the off-season. The shock change of clubs from RK Fittaman also surprised many considering he had only recently taken up the Presidency at the Cyclones and within two weeks of doing so signed a contract to join the Pumas. When The Herald asked Fittaman about the controversy and why he joined the Pumas, we got an intriguing back story which made the former Cyclone look like he wasn’t in the wrong as much as it was portrayed when the contracts were first signed. Fittaman was obviously hurt that he chose to leave the Cyclones but the reasoning behind it is something that makes his case a little more understanding.

“I left the Cyclones due to politics. I had zero power at the Cyclones. Even though I was considered president, the real man in charge was RG Cribb [Head of the CricSim Governing body] and he even admitted it.” Fittman said.

“I wasn't allowed to have the board I wanted and when I asked why I didn't get a clear answer. When I found out that both Cribb and Callum were conspiring against me to replace me with Eddie I knew my time at the Cyclones was up” he continued.

After explaining his decision to leave, Fittaman also wanted to make a brief comment on presidency in general. You can see that his experience has probably turned him off the idea in the future but perhaps it was just a case of bad luck this time around.

“Not a lot of people knew this was happening [the whole saga] but when you're given presidency, everyone thinks it's the bees knees. Maybe it is but it wasn’t in my case, due to having no power”.

Fittaman was grateful at the opportunities that the Cyclones had given him despite their falling out in the end. He bled blue and leaving the Cyclones was no easy choice for him and he was resolute that there was no bad blood between him and the Cyclones, from his end.

“There may be some bad blood between some cyclones and myself but from my end I have no bad feelings towards the club or its members”

The Pumas present Fittaman with new opportunities and they are an appealing club for any player. This is what his decision came down to and joining the Pumas clearly has Marto excited.

“I joined the Pumas because they have some quality members and they offer me a great opportunity to do well and I believe it is a club on the rise. I am really looking forward to the season ahead with them”

Perhaps one of the most talked about changes was Eddie Morris leaving the Sticky Wickets to join the Cyclones. This was more of a talking point due to RK Fittaman controversially leaving the Cyclones and leaving the President position wide open. It was no secret that the Cyclones wanted Eddie to run the club and this is what make the whole ordeal interesting, especially after he had already agreed to sign with the Sticky Wickets for a further season. And if it wasn’t for the fact Morris was to become the new President, it is doubtful he would have left the Stickies.

“I left the Stickies because I was offered the presidency over at the Cyclones” Morris said

“I’ve always admired them as a club as they have a lot of good members. The challenge of rebuilding the club was also motivation for me to leave, it had nothing to do with the Sticky Wickets”

Not all player movements can be considered back stabbing or sneaky. JB Dempsey went about his relocation the right way. The Cyclones were well aware of his departure well before he confirmed it when signing with the All Stars. It was all about a change of culture and a new challenge which gave Dempsey the inspiration to leave the club he cares so deeply about while also believing that it was time the Cyclones moved on and regained some stability at the top. Dempsey also wished Eddie the best of luck at his new club.

“While a change of culture certainly influenced my decision, it was more about new challenges for myself and my former club. It was about time the Cyclones stood on their own two feet, and finally after my protégé and the Dog failed it seems they're getting a bit of stability with Eddie in charge”

“It's never been easy at the Cyclones as Eddie will find out soon enough. I wish him and the club best of luck“.

While sad that he has left the Cyclones, the challenge of re-building the All Stars Cricket Club noticeably appeals to Dempsey and the excitement is evident on his face. The All Stars re-join the competition after a couple of seasons out of the spotlight. With a number of key signings taking place to ensure that the All Stars will be one of the best teams in the competition for Season 11.

“It's been great helping rebuild the club with RST Downpipes, AD Funkotron and @H Davis. We have assembled a bunch of great guys both new and old, who really complement each other well. Whether or not that will mean wins on the pitch remains to be seen, but the morale at the club hasn't been this good in 3 seasons!”

With the crazy season over, CricSim can once again rest easy while the competition takes place for another season. It should be a competitive season thanks to some interesting personnel changes at all the clubs. It’s refreshing to see blokes like JB Dempsey, RST Downpipes and GJ Weaver leaving their respective clubs the correct way, quietly and without a huge amount of disturbance. One can only imagine that the Season 12 off-season will be even crazier.

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Season 11 Team Previews
By M Burridge

Cyclones


Likely Starting XI:

1. AM Farhat
2. AJ O'Neill
3. EI Morris
4. S Verigotta
5. S Masters
6. TR Man
7. CJ Laing
8. N Hunt
9. CJ Smith
10. J McDougal
11. MJ Edwards

Predicted Finish: 9th
Range: 7th-9th

Strengths: Reasonable batting, and quite strong depth, too. While none of them are out-and-out BS quality, several of them (namely Verigotta, Morris, O'Neill and Masters) have had solid BS careers so far, or otherwise have high potential, with people like Verigotta consistently training the house down since joining the Cyclones. This side has a lot of good up and comers, so expect them to return to near the top in a few seasons maybe.

Weaknesses: It doesn't appear that any of the bowlers are BS standard, let alone quality. While several of these bowlers have potential, they haven't even really torn up trees at ALC level, let alone look like doing so at BS level. The fact that CJ Laing looks like their best bowler, who averaged over 50 last season, makes their hopes look very poor.

Assessment: Most of CricSim's insiders agree they will 'win' the spoon this season. Certainly getting 20 wickets looks a tough ask with this attack, and will struggle for victories. If their batting fires, maybe they can avoid the spoon, but they will almost certainly finish bottom 3.

Key Player: CJ Laing, the fact that he's the only bowler that has some degree of success in this attack means he'd have to carry a heavy load, at least initially. If he finds his Season 8 form again, then watch out.

Crusaders


Likely Starting XI:

1. P Retzel
2. S Bakkum
3. E Ames
4. M Perry
5. TJ Clough
6. BI Immanuel
7. V Noir
8. SB Wilson
9. JJ Ritchie
10. JH Ridd
11. DA Crowley

Predicted Finish: 8th
Range: 7th-9th

Strengths: There's still quite a few stars in this lineup. Certainly you'd consider Bakkum, Ames, Perry and Wilson among the BS elite. With these players, you'll certainly win some games, as shown in the Care Cup, which was without Bakkum and Ames.

Weaknesses: Their depth is horrible. Simply put, Crowley and Noir are not FGers at this stage in their careers, but have to play. Retzel, while having a solid career record, is coming off a sabbatical and it could really impact on his performances. Having Wilson at 8 will hurt, too.

Assessment: Will struggle but are capable of pulling off big upsets if/when their stars fire.

Key Player: SB Wilson, for the Crusaders to take 20 wickets, he needs to pull a 100+ wicket season. If P Retzel shows that his sabbatical hasn't hurt his batting, that should help too.

Sticky Wickets


Likely Starting XI:

1. DG Speirs
2. IV Narang
3. JP Thornton
4. AJ Parker
5. DA Alessi
6. LA Pilgrim
7. BMT Con
8. BC Jacobs
9. C Man
10. RS Hutchinson
11. SDR Laing

Predicted Finish: 7th
Range: 3rd-9th

Strengths: Pretty damn good top 5, so if they can score some runs, collapses won't hurt them as much. They also punch above their weight big time, and that generally means despite generally fielding a poor side, they usually go OK.

Weaknesses: Weak bowling attack, and long tail. While their bowling isn't horrible, it certainly isn't the best, and Con at 7 looks like a mistake despite a good Care Cup.

Assessment: This team is hard to judge, as while they don't have many strengths, their weaknesses are less pronounced than other sides. It's possible that their tendency to overacheive might burst on them this season, meaning they could be stuck at the bottom of the ladder. It is not surprising, however, to see this team finish 3rd if they continue to dine out on the underdogs tag, particularly given there's not a lot of strong sides this season.

Key Player: C Man, if his bowling returns to its old self, the Stickies could have a very good season.

Gamblers


Likely Starting XI:

1. MC Burridge
2. A Vago
3. BG Herd
4. BJ Gemmell
5. BL Hornby
6. L Popovic
7. BS Read
8. J Read
9. L Tyson
10. BJ Taylor
11. JU Rocker

Predicted Finish: 6th
Range: 3rd-9th

Strengths: Great batting lineup, and a very deep one. That middle order can be expected to score a lot of runs, and that should create a lot of scoreboard pressure on the opposition.

Weaknesses: Apart from Taylor, this is a terrible bowling attack. Losing 4 bowlers from last season has hurt, and to replace them, they have signed former guns who have been spending time in the ALC recently. They also expect Read and Popovic to be regular bowlers, despite them being batting all-rounders. This team also has a penchant of underachieving, or signing players who end up declining quickly.

Assessment: Unlike the last 2 seasons, they are lacking in big hopes, and they need some mammoth scores to go places. Get them, and they can make the finals. The fear of the Gamblers is, they may also finish last, if their batting underachieves like in Season 9, as well as their bowling not picking up the slack.

Key Player: L Tyson, as the only paceman that bothers showing up to training recently, he needs to produce some of the magic he's shown in Origin for the Gamblers to have a quality season.

Stingrays


Likely Starting XI:

1. DG Dafter
2. BH Borisc
3. SM Morgan
4. K Fung
5. ML Martyn
6. ZA Berkuta
7. S Das
8. GEC King
9. HJ Bots
10. AJ James
11. SJ Cambridge

Predicted Finish: 5th
Range: 3rd-7th

Strengths: High-quality strength in the bowling. King and James are serious BS bowlers, and while in CricSim Herald we don't like to discuss theories and stuff among that line, Bots may be due for a big season. Even Cambridge may finally show his talent in BS. Some decent bats like Martyn, Morgan and Fung will help things.

Weaknesses: Batting, or more specifically, depth in the batting. While they aren't lacking in bats, the tail begins at 8, and some of their bats are declining.

Assessment: Could be let down by their batting in certain matches, but it still kinda worked last season, and their batting isn't particularly worse this season. Should their batting not have the same problems, expect this side to finish 3rd. If it struggles, it'll be a tough season for them.

Key Player: SM Morgan, some experts have been tipping a monster season from him. If he does, then it'll help the Stingrays' weak batting.

Ravens


Likely Starting XI:

1. RG Cribb
2. SP Phlegm
3. PM Jackson
4. MJ Deane
5. DRP Taylor
6. G Shriram
7. NG Scott
8. DP Howell
9. M Faithful
10. MP Chung
11. JR Denton

Predicted Finish: 4th
Range: 2nd-8th

Strengths: Their biggest strength lies in 3 all-rounders - Cribb, Deane and Faithful. All 3 of these have had good CricSim careers so far, and they are expected to carry an inexperienced lineup. They bat fairly deep, and their squad is among the hardest trainers in CricSim.

Weaknesses: Inexperience is their biggest problem. Only Cribb, Deane and Shriram have had long careers so far, and they may drop some games due to inconsistency.

Assessment: This side is hard to judge, as while the side has a lot of potential, they haven't all stepped up to the plate so far in their BS careers, and there might be some issues. Losing 4 high-quality BS players will hurt, but if their players settle well, it might be a big season for them. They may also struggle.

Key Player: SP Phlegm, he is probably the most talented of their youngsters, and their batting probably needs big seasons more than their bowling. If he fires, things should go good for them.

Pumas


Likely Starting XI:

1. XX Meister
2. JE Harding
3. RK Fittaman
4. SA Flack
5. TA Miokovic
6. JA Chewie
7. LE Schaw
8. MD Dorn
9. DA Astele
10. AD Hunt
11. AJ Izett

Predicted Finish: 3rd
Range: 2nd-6th

Strengths: Hunt and Dorn is a strong 1-2 punch in the spinning attack, and that will help them take wickets. Middle order is as strong as anyone, and it bats fairly deep too. Should be tough to beat at home at the very least.

Weaknesses: Two big ones - their openers and their quicks. Against quality opening attacks, the middle order will be exposed to the new pill too early, perhaps causing collapses. Their seam bowling looks like a problem in order to get first blood in their bowling.

Assessment: They'll be tough to beat at home but won't be hugely successful away from home. That should still be enough to have a decent season, however.

Key Player: SA Flack, as arguably the best player on the Isle of CricSim, he needs to produce like normal, and also find some bowling form.

Allstars


Predicted First XI:

1. JJD Heads
2. BJT Manera
3. RST Downpipes
4. DW Lewis
5. JB Dempsey
6. B Olsen
7. CJ Devonshire
8. AP Farnsworth
9. AD Funkotron
10. HT Davis
11. HG Emm

Predicted Finish: 2nd
Range: 1st-3rd

Strengths: Well, the top 5 is probably the best in the comp. Fitting to the Allstars name, they probably have the most stars in their lineup. What's not to like?

Weaknesses: While their bowling isn't bad, it isn't that great either, and only Funkotron doesn't come into the season with question marks. Some of the players attitude has also come into question in recent years.

Assessment: Should easily finish top 3 and are the Vipers only real threat to the title. A lack of training shouldn't hit the squad that hard.

Key Player: AD Funkotron, as the most experienced and the best bowler in the lineup, he is expected to lead the way for the Allstars if they want to win the comp.

Vipers


Predicted First XI:

1. JE McGrath
2. JRE Luffman
3. T Delonge
4. J Torres
5. R Gee
6. SLO Graham
7. JM Hughes
8. GJ Weaver
9. WC Welker
10. DA Eggman
11. GR Smith

Predicted Finish: 1st
Range: 1st-2nd

Strengths: A bowling attack, with the additions of Weaver and Welker, that looks smoking hot. Two of the best BS batsmen in their lineup. No real weak links here. Perhaps the best BS lineup collaborated in a long time, and they have won the comp with weaker lineups than this, and in 8 rather than 9 team comps, too!

Weaknesses: Hard to see any. Maybe you could argue that they are lacking in quality batting depth, but if you can dig that deep, it's a sign of a quality lineup.

Assessment: Really should win the comp, and are all but certain to make the finals.

Key Player: J Torres, as while their batting isn't weak, it isn't quite as strong as their bowling, and a big season from him will certainly go towards a premiership.

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CricSim Herald Crystal Ball

by E Ames
​

Because the CricSim Herald boasts the most knowledgeable and best-looking CricSimmers around, we’re often right on virtually everything. But CricSim Season 11 is a topic that has split opinion amongst the Great Ones behind the scene. Here’s what they think.

Various names such as Luffman, Miokovic, Morgan and Verigotta have sprung up amongst the supposed top contenders for top Bannerman Shield run scorer of the season. But the elite three selected by our panel as most likely to become top run scorer of the season were: James Torres, the Vipers batsman who performed incredibly both for club and province last season; Rusty Downpipes, the Queensland middle-order cum opening batsman who topped the Ravens run scoring charts last season; and Sam Bakkum, the Crusader who has risen to fame with two phenomenal Bannerman Shield seasons thus far, averaging 48 and 58 in Seasons 9 and 10 respectively.

The prediction for the Bannerman Shield top wicket-taker was far more of a two-horse race – and I’m sure it won’t take long to guess who those two men are. Dave Eggman and Scott Wilson have long been terrorising batsman throughout the Isle of CricSim, and they shared the large majority of the votes. The only bowler outside of the ‘big two’ to even get a mention was consistent Gamblers leg-spinner Ben Taylor. It’s a testament to how good the Vipers fast bowler, Eggman, has become, though. In an attack comprised of Weaver, Welker, Smith and Hughes, there’s certainly no lack of wicket-taking options – yet he still gets a large number of votes for bowler of the season. Despite this, though, Wilson is the man we predict to take the most wickets for the season.

Predicting an Avo Lovers Cup Player of the Season is always difficult, mainly because you’ve got to consider who will play the majority of the games in seconds. With this in mind, our elite panel of experts picked Ben Storer, former Vipers all-rounder, as the man most likely to dominate the ALC this year. Honourable mentions also go to Bobby Blunder and Ted Bullpitt who were mentioned on more than one occasion. Alistair Son, admin-to-be Emm and Charlie Downes also got mentions.

The Most Improved Player of Season 11 also split many opinions but in the end it was underperforming Pumas President Alistair Son who got the most votes – after all, the only way is up for CricSim’s first specialist fielder. Sam Verigotta came in second place and a host of other names came tied in third such as Morgan, Adams, Callum Laing (who actually selected himself), Immanuel, Dong and Cambridge.

Then there were the table predictions. The votes were tallied and again it was a one-horse race. The Vipers came out on top with ease, with every single member of the panel voting for them to come inside the top two, and all but two voting for them to win the minor premiership. The Allstars were then in second, who were a very long way in front of the Ravens in 3rd. The men in black narrowly came ahead of their supposed rivals the Pumas, with the Stingrays also just behind in 5th. Then came the Gamblers in 6th and a fairly large gap before the Sticky Wickets in 7th. An even larger gap before the Crusaders at 8th and finally the Cyclones were the favourites to collect the wooden spoon.

Final Bannerman Shield Table
1: Vipers
2: Allstars
3: Ravens
4: Pumas
5: Stingrays
6: Gamblers
7: Sticky Wickets
8: Crusaders
9: Cyclones

Top Bannerman Shield Run Scorer
1: J Torres / RST Downpipes / S Bakkum
2: SM Morgan / BJ Gemmell / S Verigotta / JRE Luffman / TA Miokovic

Top Bannerman Shield Wicket Taker
1: SB Wilson
2: DA Eggman
3: BJ Taylor

ALC Top Player(s) of the Season
1: BA Storer
2: TG Bullpitt / BOY Blunder
3: CJ Downes / HG Emm / AJ Son

Most Improved Player
1: AJ Son
2: S Verigotta
3: SM Morgan / PW Adams / CJ Laing / BI Immanuel / SSD Dong / SJ Cambridge

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Out with the old, in with the new.
by CJ Laing

In every sport and competition there are advancements and new talents come through and other fall by the way side. With CricSim now heading into its 11th season, it is perhaps no surprise that some of the big names from the original pioneers of the competition are begin to fall by the way side or at least not look like their former selves. Season 10 and the Offseason Club Cricket tournament gave us a good idea of not only which players are heading downwards, but also gave us a look at the rising stars within the CricSim world. Before those who appear to be heading downwards are named (and we are inundated with hate mail from avid followers), it is not being said that these players cannot reverse the trend. Likewise, we are not guaranteeing the up and comers success, they all have a lot of hard work to put in before they actually become “stars”.

We’ll take a look at those going up and down club by club:

Allstars


Upwards:

JJD Heads – After a fantastic debut season, which saw him force his way into Bannerman Shield cricket and average 46.77, he has to be one of the most talented batsman on the scene. He will be looking to at least maintain his performances again this season and hopefully force his way into the New Zealand line-up.

JHF Howe – He only had half a season of Avo Lovers Cup cricket last season, but he immediately impressed. He then backed that up with a strong OCC tournament. Given his early promise it would be no surprise if Howe features in the BS before Season 11 comes to a close.

LV Himann – Coming into his debut season there will be a lot of expectation already on this youngster’s shoulders. He finished off the OCC among the top 20 run scorers and that was the first anyone had seen of him. He then scored a 61 during the Care Cup showing that we should expect more of what we saw during the off season from him.

Downwards:

TG Bullpitt – If at the end of Season 9 you had suggested that this man would finish Season 10 playing ALC cricket, they would have been calling for the men with the white coats. However, that is exactly what happened. Some suggest that this was just a blip in the great seam bowler’s career. There is the other view that the seasons of very little practice and work on his game are finally starting to catch up with him. Do not rule this great of the game off yet, but he has a lot of work to do this season to get his former reputation back.

@AJ O’Driscoll – Seasons 9 and 10 were seasons that he will be looking to forget. He was once considered to be one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen in the game. Given his performances in the last 2 seasons many people have been left wondering where that player has gone. Unlike his previously mentioned team mate O’Driscoll looks like he will be putting the hard work in to get himself back to his former glory.

Crusaders


Upwards:

JJ Jones – After having a reasonable first full ALC season and performing well in Provincial 2nd XI cricket, Jones first came fully into the public eye with his very impressive OCC tournament where he ended up as the 9th highest run scorer. He was also did well during the Crusaders march to the final in the Care Cup. In a club that lacks depth it is unlikely he will not get his chance to shine on the main BS stage this season.

JJ Ritchie – Two and a half seasons in ALC have Ritchie look consistently good, while not setting the world on fire. Like many of the up and comers it was the OCC that through (filt0wned because I can't spell, btw)st him into the lime light properly. He finished the tournament as the 15th highest wicket-taker and he will be starting the season in the BS. The question will be whether he can kick on from being an average bowler into a top bowler, that many have touted him to be?

Downwards:

BI Immanuel - He started off his CricSim career with a strong performance in ALC and played one BS game averaging 99. That was then followed up by a decent BS season averaging 35.44. However, his third season was completely dreadful he average less than 25 in both representative and BS cricket. While struggling so much last season he still has a lot of time to get back on track.

C Kovas – At one time he was one of the best all-rounders in CricSim. Now he isn’t even one of the best all-rounders in the 2nd tier competition. While he should still be able to contribute at ALC level, it does not look like this all-rounder will ever become a BS regular again.

JT Whicker – Another seamers whose day seems (no pun intended) to have past him. While back in his day he was one of the best seamers on the circuit, he can no longer even hold down a BS spot. While playing ALC he has shown he still has potential to pick up wickets and he must still harbour hope of re-establishing himself as BS bowler.

Cyclones


Upwards:

@AJ O’Neill – The biggest thing in the way of O’Neill becoming a top player is his discipline. The CricSim authorities have had to dish out a number of bans to this young man already during his short career. He broke into the BS at the tail end of last season and impressed early picking up his maiden BS century. In three Care Cup matches so far in his career he has notched up a double century and two centuries, showing he is certainly one to watch.

MJ Edwards – After his first two seasons playing ALC, Edwards did not look like someone who would be very impressive. However, in Season 10 things started to click more for him. It was in the OCC where he showed his potential. Ending as the 13th highest wicket taker, he was certainly one of the big surprises during the tournament. This was then followed up with nine wickets in two Care Cup matches. His club lacks bowling strength and he certainly has a chance to shine.

Downwards:

JP Gonzalez – Another former great of the game that seems to have dropped from a great height. Not only was he one of the top BS batsman, but he was also consistently strong in representative cricket too. In Season 9 Gonzalez struggled in BS cricket but was still very impressive for New South Wales, so a lot of people thought it was probably just a bad season. However, Season 10 suggested it was just genuine decline. Averaging just over 30 in FC cricket it looks like “Gonzo” may look at sharing his experience and coaching young ALC batsmen in the future.

SM Green – He is known to be one of the hardest bowlers to score runs off in the game, that may not have changed but he seems to have lost his wicket taking ability in recent times. However, he has recently been putting work back into his game again and he’ll be hoping that he can get that wicket taking ability back again in ALC and start making his back up again.

Gamblers


Upwards:

MC Burridge – After a brilliant debut season in Season 6, Burridge failed to perform again until Season 9 in ALC and Season 10 in BS. He then followed this up by being in the top 20 run scorers in the OCC. His career definitely seems to be on the up again and next he shall be setting his sights on representative cricket success.

BR Hall – After two solid seasons in the ALC many people (especially within the Gamblers camp) are talking up Hall as a future BS star. The fact he backed up his ALC performances with a good OCC tournament, it may show that these people could be right. In Season 10 his bowling showed signs of improvement and this is the area he will most need to work on if he wishes to become a top batting all-rounder.

Downwards:

BJ Gemmell – Once the number one batsman on CricSim, he now looks a very average Bannerman Shield batsman. He has only managed to average in the mid-thirties for the past two BS seasons. It has all been disaster over the past two seasons, Gemmell was one of the most impressive batsmen in representative cricket last season. However, if he does not start performing on the club front, he may find himself adding to his sole ALC appearance.

JP Wilkinson – Another bowler that was once one of the best in the game. Now Wilkinson can no longer even hold down a BS spot. Even once he dropped down to ALC last season he still averaged 45.92 with the ball, only a touch below his average of 46.00 in the BS. A lot of people put his sudden decline down to a severe lack of training in recent times, perhaps if he can get back into the nets and work on his game he can start getting back to the player he used to be.

Pumas


Upwards:

SA Flack – Some people maybe be asking how can one of the greatest players on CricSim be on the up? Well he is. This refers to his bowling. Flack had always been a useful bowler, but last season he showed that he is no longer just a useful bowler but could play as a bowler irrespective of his batting. Taking an impressive 51 wickets, at 29.65, in the BS last season. He then backed that up with good performances in the OCC and Care Cup. He will be opening the bowling for the Pumas this season and will be looking for more of the same.

JA Chewie – One of the stars of the ALC in Season 10, he has been touted for big things already. He certainly did people’s opinions of him no harm with a good performance in the OCC (averaging 45.07) and a very impressive Care Cup (averaging 63.38). He will now have to set his sights and efforts on replicating these performances in the BS and climb up the batting rankings.

Downwards:

NG Miokovic – A player who can only put their fall from grace down to lack of training and work on his game. In his first three seasons he looked like one of the brightest talents on the scene, since then in the past two seasons he has gone on a downwards spiral. In Seasons 9 and 10 he could not even break the 30 average marks with the bat. Even when playing ALC cricket he could only average mid-30’s. On a positive note he did manage to average 44.61 in OCC, showing that he still has a lot of talent.

J Ono – While it has been a long time since Ono was a BS quality regular, he had done well in the ALC and was a good back up player. However, last season seemed to suggest that even those days may be behind him now. The Pumas will likely use him to share his experience with the younger members of their squad and hopefully chip in with some performances for the Kittens.

Ravens


Upwards:

MP Chung – After completing three good seasons in ALC, Chung looks like he may be ready to take the next step and become a genuine BS level bowler. The OCC saw him finish as the 6th highest wicket taker and out of all of the top bowler he was easily the most economical. This was then followed up by a good showing in the Care Cup where he racked up 9 wickets at 29.11. This form seems to stand him good stead to make a real impact in the BS this season.

NG Scott – Given his first two seasons, not many would have expected Scott to perform as he did in Season 10. Overall in Second Class cricket last season he amassed 2210 runs at an average of 53.90. This fantastic performance was then back up by an impressive showing in the OCC. If he can continue to improve at the rate that he has then he could quickly become a top player.

Downwards:

P Charles – While never being a star bowler in the BS Charles was a good FC bowler and a very good SC bowler. However, it seems now that Charles has become an average SC bowler, who would struggle to make an impact in a higher standard now. Another who seems to have fallen prey to a lack of training.

H Marshall – Much like his team-mate, Charles, Marshall was not a start FC bowler, but he had a reasonable FC record and a very good SC one. However, last season in ALC he seemed to struggle to even hold his own at that level and the OCC furthered the outlook that Marshall is in decline, where he averaged 39.82 with the ball. It also seems difficult to see him be given a host of opportunities to turn things around with the amount of spin options his club possess.

Sticky Wickets


Upwards:

IV Narang – Another up and coming talent that starred in the ALC last season. He was especially strong with the bat and also contributed with some useful wickets. He also enjoyed success for Asia in the SC Provincial competition ending it with an average of 46.73 to add to his ALC average of 53.46. Narang then took the next step into the limelight during the OCC, where he finished the tournament as the 2nd highest run scorer, he also took a respectable 107 wickets. He looks destine for great things, however, he still needs to make an impact on a stage of a higher quality.

KG Rogers – A bowling all-rounder that still has work to do before being a BS player but has showed signs that he has a lot of talent. Rogers was particularly impressive for Asia in the Provincial SC competition, where he averaged 44.83 with the bat and 24.76 with the ball. He also showed in the ALC that he is progressing towards being a good bowler, by picking up 51 wickets. This was followed up by taking wickets at an average 25.47 during the OCC. He will looking to continue with his impressive bowling this season and with the Sticky Wickets not having the strongest seam bowling stocks he may be able to push for a BS spot towards the end of the season.

Downwards:

C Man – Perhaps not surprisingly another top bowler who appears to be in decline due to a lack of training. While Man seems to have declined less than some of his comrades, he still needs to prove to many that he is the same bowler he used to be. After spending last season in ALC, after going wicketless in a brief spell in the BS, and having his poorest season in Rep. cricket averaging 37.13. While being a long way from being a bad bowler, he will need to produce this season to be still counted as one of the top bowlers in CricSim.

SDR Laing – After a lot of seasons yo-yoing between BS and ALC cricket Laing looked like he had finally secured his spot in BS cricket in Seasons 8 and 9. However, last season he took a step in wrong direction again averaging 42.14 with the ball in BS and a very poor 72.33 in representative cricket, the poorest performance from him was in the Provincial 2nd XI tournament, where he should have been successful, he only managed to pick up 7 wickets at 65.29. Like his team-mate Laing still has a way to go before becoming a bad bowler, but he has work to do to get his figures going in the right direction again.

Stingrays


Upwards:

ML Martyn – Forget about being merely one of the best batsmen in the ALC in his debut season, he also went onto be one of the best batsmen in the BS in his debut season also. He started his career off by averaging 104.33 in ALC, the superbly continued to average 60.80 in BS. Martyn was also impressive in the OCC averaging 53.81. Big things are not only expected but have already been performed. He shall next be looking to the PC to try and make his name on that stage.

S Das – A batting all-rounder who for his two seasons was more than unimpressive, however, in Season 10 he managed to change his fortunes around and had a very successful season. He amassed 2115 runs in SC cricket and had a very impressive ALC average of 79.05. His bowling also improved in Season 10, taking 31 wickets at 33.68 is SC cricket, which is respectable for a batting all-rounder. He will likely have a place in the BS for Season 11 and he will look to keep his good form going.

Downwards:

ZA Berkuta – It may look like a harsh call to say that Berkuta’s career is heading downwards. He did not have a bad season in the BS, but he did not look his usual strong self. The main reason for reading into his drop in performance last season is how he followed it up in the OCC. Some batsmen did not have a great BS season, but showed their quality in the OCC against a lower standard of opposition, he did not do that and averaged a very, very poor 29.39, when you consider how good he can be.

DG Dafter – Since a successful debut season Dafter has been struggling to have any success in FC cricket. Something that has perhaps hampered his progression is the fact he has often remained in FC cricket due to the Stingrays not having anyone to come in to replace him. He may just be one of these players that could do with about a season in ALC to work things out again and come back a better cricketer. He OCC and Season 10 Provincial 2nd XI competition showed that he does still have the potential.

Vipers


Upwards:

J Torres – Well 3306 FC runs in one season really say it all, especially when it is done at an average of 63.58. He then showed there was no fluke in the matter when he finished as the top run scorer in the OCC scoring 3282 runs at 68.38. No surprise that he is now ranked as one of the top batsmen in CricSim. What the challenge for him next season will be is to keep performing at the very top level and prove that it wasn’t just a very good season and he is indeed one of the very best in the game.

GR Smith – A fast bowler who probably at this stage of his career should have been one of the leading bowlers on CricSim. However, due to going missing for Season 7, he suffered a major setback in his career progression. After to two and a half good seasons in ALC Smith once again broke into BS cricket and had reasonable success, he also enjoy success for New Zealand alongside it. He showed that he is continuing to improve when he finished the OCC as the 10th highest wicket taker. A major element standing between Smith and entering the elite bowlers club could be the fact that it looks like he will be the 4th best bowler in a very strong Vipers attack for Season 11 and this may see him struggling to keep pace and take a step backwards again.

Downwards:

KF Tait – During spending 3 seasons being considered one of the hottest bowling talents on CricSim Tait has spent his time failing to produce at the top level of club cricket. While his raw talent has always been too much for ALC line-ups to cope with, BS batsmen have found it a rather easier job seeing the young quick off. After 25 BS games he has a bowling average of 47.86 and only 64 wickets to show for it. Then during the OCC, a competition where many would have probably expected his pure talent to shine through, he failed to impress finishing with an average of 39.77. The opinion of Tait now appears to have changed from one of optimism and excitement into one of disappointed and the view that he does not have what it takes to take the step up.

BOY Blunder – He may well be the least deserving person to appear on the downwards list. However, due to new faces that have arrived at his club it is somewhat difficult to see things picking up again after a not great season in Season 10, or at least not as quickly as he may have hoped. Last season saw him fail to impress, without being bad. He took 54 wickets at an average of 38.43 in the BS, which was not the main down point for him, it would rather have been the 38 representative wickets at 47.29. He has been one of the most impressive performs for Britain since they gained Provincial status, however last season he failed to produce. This may have just been some bad form he experienced, however he will be hoping that he does not lose the edge that comes from playing at the top level through playing his club cricket in the ALC.