MVP CLUB RACE
While England hold a slender 1-0 lead in the Ashes, club cricketers the length and breadth of the country are slogging it out to become their club's most valuable player.
Highlights from this week include 5-35 for Steve Ottwell of Alvaston & Boulton CC, in their Derbyshire Premier League clash versus Rolls Royce. Steve has 32 wickets to his name in this competition and averages an incredible 16 points per league match. He leads the way in the club's MVP race, with Yasser Tariq trailing by 61 points in second place.
A quick glance across the Irish sea, reveals that Stuart Lester is shining for Armagh CC. His 5-11 in the recent fixture versus Portadown, which saw his side successfully defend their first innings total of 105 all out, saw him gather 27 points, propelling Steve to the top of the leader board.
Back in Blighty, its Sam Thompson who has been grabbing all the headlines for the Worcestershire based Badsey Cricket Club. With 333 runs, including a best of 112 v Alcester & Ragley CC and 13 wickets in the Cotswold Hills League, Sam has inched clear of the chasing pack, with Adam Westmacott in second place, just 15 points behind.
At Caythorpe CC in Nottingham, the race to be crowned the club's most valuable player is well and truly on. Former Notts off spinner Steve Randall leads the way with 34 wickets overall, but just fourteen points separates him from skipper Jim Hindson in second place and James Hemmings (son of England off spinner Eddie) in third.
At Hampshire Bowman CC, Southampton, it's a tale of the Smith's in the top three, with Adam leading the way from Phil and Matt. Mike Smith is in fifth place. Adam's 504 runs in Sunday cricket, made at a terrific strikerate of nearly a run a ball, plus 16 wickets, will make him hard to catch.
Mike Clarke is a man on an MVP mission, as he continues to lead the way at Winsford Cricket Club in Cheshire. A tally of 395 runs and 19 wickets, plus seven crucial dismissals in the field, have put him 32 points in front of Dave Tierney in second place.
You too can keep up to date with the very latest runs, wickets and news in amateur and school cricket, by visiting www.mycricketmvp.com.