Premier Leagues crown 12 new champions

The 2008 ECB Premier Leagues were plagued by some of the wettest weather in living memory as hundreds of matches were cancelled or abandoned due to rain.

By the final round of matches in September however, finger nails across the nation had become chewed to the quick as half of the contests went down to the wire and produced 12 new champions.

Some rose to the top simply because the weather gods were kinder to them than their rivals while others put in consistently strong performances between the showers to prove worthy winners of their trophies. Many of the relegation contenders stood by helplessly, watching their hopes of competing in the elite division in 2009 swept away in a torrent of rainwater.

One of the most dramatic climaxes to the season occurred in the 3D Sports Northern Premier League where four teams were still in contention for the championship title as the curtain was falling on the season.

Netherfield were leading by three points having enjoyed a meteroric rise up the table in the previous few weeks and went on to complete a nerve wracking four wicket win over Morecambe to take the title, with a six point advantage over second placed Kendal. In five seasons, there have now been five different champions of the Northern league, proving just how seriously the competition is treated by each team.

Northern champs Netherfield

Similarly in the Beechwood Motor Group Derbyshire Premier League, Chesterfield won their first ever championship title, finishing just three points ahead of Ockbrook & Borrowash and eight points in front of Sandiacre, who along with 2007 champions Spondon were favourites for the 2008 crown.

Moddershall edged past Leek in the closing stages of the Waterworld North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League and refused to let go of the lead, to take the title by a tiny margin of just two points. Pakistani A leg spinner Imran Tahir played a pivotal part in getting them to the top and even when he was signed by Hampshire, continued to turn out for the Club. In the 18 matches he played for them, his contribution amounted to 80 wickets @ 11.14 - which represented 54% of all Moddershall's wickets - plus a useful 431 runs.

Mo Sheikh, the former Warwickshire and Derbyshire all-rounder who transferred to Walsall from local rivals West Bromwich Dartmouth at the start of 2008 was equally important in Walsall's successful campaign to retain the Birmingham Midshires Birmingham & District Premier League title. He took 43 wickets in 19 matches and added 459 runs to the champions cause while New Zealand batsman Brad Wilson contributed 671 runs.

The final game in the Home Counties Premier League between Banbury and Henley told the story of the season with the umpires leading off the players in torrential rain and conditions that were deemed to be unsafe. The match ended in a draw which deprived Banbury of the points they needed to win the championship while High Wycombe did just enough in their draw against Welwyn Garden City to earn the three points they required to wrestle the crown from 2007 champions Oxford.

There were some familiar names on the 2008 roll of honour with South Northumberland recording a sixth title in six years in the North East Premier League. Their strength in depth earned them a resounding 62 point lead over runners up South Shields. St Just remained unbeaten to retain the Jolly's Drinks Cornwall title for the fifth consecutive year despite having eight of their 21 matches either cancelled or abandoned and Llandudno claimed their fourth title in five years to stay champions in North Wales. Sully Centurions once again reigned supreme in South Wales while West Indian Cavaliers landed their fourth title in five seasons in the Nottinghamshire league.

Sidmouth CC enjoyed one of their best summers in years as the First and Second XIs won their respective premier divisions in the Francis Clark Devon League.

Exmouth were the last team to achieve this feat in 1999 but in 2008, they joined Paignton, who were champions in 2005 in the relegation zone and in 2009, the 11 times Premier League champions will play their cricket in the A Division for only the second time in their 165 year history.

Along the south coast, Havant retained the Southern Electric Premier League title in spectacular fashion, charging through the season without being beaten. They wrapped up the championship, their second in four years with a week of the season to go while St Cross Symondians and Hursley Park finished bottom of the table though their fate will not be known for a few weeks since neither of the leading Division 2 clubs, Ventnor nor Rowledge have been accredited for promotion to the Premier League. It will be an anxious wait for the two Hampshire sides.

Havant 2008 Champions

Former Hampshire batsman Lawrence Prittipaul contributed a bumper 816 runs @ 54.4 but it was South Wilts all-rounder James Hibberd, another ex-Hampshire professional who made the most impact across the league taking 57 wickets and scoring 493 runs.

Preston Nomads pulled out a 27 point advantage over Hastings Priory in the final 2008 table of the Shepherd Neame Sussex Cricket League with Eastbourne one point behind in third place. They needed just four bonus points from their final home fixture against Eastbourne but received ten when their match was abandoned due to rain which handed them their second championship title in three seasons.

A fiercely fought contest in Kent went down to the wire with Hartley finally crowned champions at the first attempt following back to back promotions in 2006 and 2007. They emerged victorious by just three points over Bromley with Beckenham in third place.

The nucleus of the team were playing Division 2 cricket two years ago when they resolved to achieve Premier League status and challenge for the title.

"To say that this has all happened a little ahead of schedule would be an understatement," the club reported on their website hartley.play-cricket.com.

"All the more remarkable when the feeling in the club is that we have performed nowhere near our full potential on a consistent basis this year. Our next objective must be to realise more of this potential as we mount a sustained challenge to retain our title next year. Bring it on!"

In Essex, Wanstead secured their first Shepherd Neame Essex Premier League title in seven years with two games of the season remaining. With 25 matches completed they were unbeaten and desperate to maintain that record to become the first side ever to achieve the feat.

But in the very next match, against Hainault and Clayhall, they fell to a heavy six wicket defeat having mustered a total of just 105 runs in 49.3 overs. Their 42 point lead over runners up Ardleigh Green, champions in 2007 suggested a well organised focussed group of players who will be back in 2009 to consolidate their new reputation.

Ormskirk went four whole weeks without a win yet still achieved 16 victories from 26 matches in 2008 to take the Business Assistance Liverpool and District Premier Cricket title with a five point advantage over last years champions Bootle and ten points ahead of third placed New Brighton.

Waterlogging prevented any play in the crucial penultimate game between Alderley Edge and Bowdon in the Right Move Abroad Cheshire Cricket League leaving Mark Walker’s talented team undisputed champions for the first time in 33 years of competition to add to their triumph in the 20/20 competition.
Beaten only three times in 22, including the final game where they fell to a 23 run defeat at the hands of bottom of the table Heaton Mersey, Alderley finished ahead of runners up Bowdon to take the Murray Smith Trophy. Last season they finished sixth in the Premier League, 38 points behind champions Oulton Park. Heaton Mersey and Urmston were the two sides to go down.

David Ripley's Northants Academy side completed an emphatic 203 run victory over defending champions Finedon Dolben in the last match of the summer to take the 2008 Hevey Building Supplies Northamptonshire Cricket League title in some style.

Nathan Hawkes struck 140 - his second consecutive century in two weekends as the youngsters blasted 319 in 55 overs and demolished their opponents, who have been champions in seven of the last nine years, for just 116 in 51 overs.