TOMMY Prime takes over the captaincy of Netherfield CC for the new Northern Premier Cricket League season from

Grahame Clarke and also the wicketkeeper's gloves perma-nently from Simon Dutton, who has retired.

Netherfield, who open the campaign away to Chorley on Saturday, will be without the services of their opening pace bowler David Wheatman, who is taking a year off as he tries to recover from a serious illness.

Clarke has had keyhole surgery for a knee problem at the turn of the year but he is slowly making a return to full fitness and is expected to be in the side.

Netherfield's professional for the third year running is South African Pieter Strydom, who arrived in the coutnry this week.

Strydom, the captain of Border, played against England in one of the warm-up matches for the World Cup.

After breaking the Netherfield club's batting record on his debut season, he did not quite scale those some heights last year, but the genuine all-rounder is determined to make his mark this time around after a season overshadowed by the World Cup back home.

Into the side come two newcomers, although one of them Gareth White will be known to Parkside road regulars, having played with the in the 1996/7 season.

Gareth, who has had spells with the home-town club Cockermouth and Keswick, returns and is llikely to open the batting with Craig Walmsley, who switches from football, with Prime dropping down the order.

Left-hander Chris Parry from Carnforth comes into the

middle-order in place of

Dutton.

Rishi Girdhari, who came through the junior ranks at Netherfield, is back at the club after just over a year away and has impressed in net to go straight into the first team.

Eighteen-year-old Ryan Wilson is bowler quicker and better following his winter in Australia and either he or

Stuart Nixon is likely to open the attack with Scott Clement.

Leg-spinner Marc Hadwin complements Strydom's off-spin in the slow bowling department.

John Eccles is likely to miss the first handful of matches because of football commitments and his wife's preganncy.

Phil Hartley takes over the captaincy of the Second XI from Mike Dugdale.

KENDAL professional Kabir Khan may miss the opening match of the season against defending champions Darwen at Shap Road because of new British Government immigration rules.

All Pakistani visitors now require a visa and Kabir has obtained the document despite a big backlog of applications, but was still waiting for it to be rubber- stamped to fly in for the weekend.

If Kabir is delayed, Kendal skipper David Fallows says the club has lined up fellow countryman and international Anisur Rahman, ultimately North-East bound, as a substitute.

Fallows, who quit as Cumbria's County Cricket Development officer to go self-employed last year, has kept himself busy coaching for Sedbergh and Giggleswick private schools, and is also acting as a players' agent, selling cricket equipment and continuing help with schemes run by Cumbria Cricket Board.

The return of the well-respected Kabir for a third term at Shap Road which is at the centre of a redevelopment proposals is a major boost for the club as they aim to be thereabouts in the championship race again.

Opener Martin South missed much of last season with a back injury but is fit to resume his opening role with Steve Cooper, while ever-present Terry Hunte keeps the No. 3 spot with Simon Little and all-rounder Kevin Howarth maintaining the continuity of the side.

One newcomer is 18-year-old Chris Florence, from Giggleswick School, a left-handed who has played for Western Province U19s and he will share wicketkepeeing duties with Alan Fawcett.

With Fallows, Kabir to come down the order, there is plenty of powerful batting if Kendal can establish a good platform.

Improving seamer Stuart Parkin joins Kabir and Howarth to form the pace attack, with veteran Adrian Potts also still likely to play a part, especially in the cups.

Emerging talent such as Craig Barrington, Craig Caswell and Adam Cowperthwaite will probably get their chance as well.

Kendal warmed up with a friendly against a joint Arnside/Milnthorpe team last Saturday and made 209-3 with Hunte 623 and Fallow 50, while Craig Barrington took

3-53 as the opposition reached 167-7 in reply.

April 17, 2003 16:00