ALL-ROUND HONOUR.

Golcar's Whitwam gets accolade as Hodgson and Glover are winners

GOLCAR'S Steve Whitwam has been chosen as the Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League's all-rounder of the year.

After returning to his village club on their first season back in the top flight, after a spell at Scholes, Whitwam topped 1,000 runs (1,059, ave 50.43) and also scooped 53 wickets with his slow bowling (ave 21.51), which helped the Swallow Lane side finish in a commendable fifth place.

Whitwam wins the Jack Gledhill Memorial Trophy, which will be presented at the league's annual dinner next month.

The Reg Haigh Trophy for the most promising young cricketer (which Whitwam himself lifted in 2000) has gone to Shepley's Danny Glover.

The youngest of Ian Glover's two sons, Danny, who also played with Huddersfield's White Rose side, was playing his second full season in the Marsh Lane club's first team and notched 33 wickets including a best of five for 55 against Slaithwaite.

Two other prizes to be presented at the dinner at the Cedar Court Hotel, on Friday, January 20, are the Johnny Hunter Rosebowl awards, for a cricketer who has produced a match-winning performance for his team in the first and second elevens.

The award for the first elevens goes to Kirkheaton's Gary Hodgson, who, almost single-handedly (but with a little bit of help from John Beaumont), took his side through to the Premiership with an unbeaten 69 in the Grand Play-off final against Marsden.

The second eleven prize is awarded to young Barkisland bowler Josh Travis, who was the most successful bowler in the Premiership last season with 62 wickets.

That tally was boosted by two excellent returns, for he claimed seven for 19 against Lascelles Hall, back in April, before he skittled Hall Bower with six for 17 in June, which saw him finish second overall in the League averages.

* The debate over the League management committee's proposal for clubs to supply an umpire for all their home second eleven games next season looks destined to rumble on.

Following discussions at the annual meeting, a special general meeting has now been called for January 4, when further talks will precede a vote on the issue.

Undeniably, acceptance will cause problems in some quarters, and one must have some sympathy for clubs who struggle even to put out 11 second team players. But with just 46 registered umpires on the rota, it is obvious that something must be done - and now!

Although the proposal may seem a draconian measure to some clubs, it is worth noting that in all the surrounding leagues, including Central Yorkshire and Aire/Wharfe, clubs must provide an umpire for their matches, while Huddersfield Central League clubs have had to provide an umpire for each team (but who have to travel to other matches as a neutral), for well over 25 years.

The accute shortage of officials, therefore, is not something peculiar just to Huddersfield.

Every league in the county is suffering. Indeed, last season, the Bradford League had to pull the plug on all their second eleven matches one weekend because of an accute shortage of officials.

The suggestion is perhaps not as severe when the proposal is broken down and examined carefully.

Although umpires secretary Ron Tindall requires a nominated person at each club, there is no reason why the `home umpire' role cannot be filled by several different people during the season.

And with Conference clubs having only 11 home games apiece, and the chances that at least a couple of those will be rained off, then should a club have three people willing to stand, they would be required to cover just three games apiece.

Of course the hope is - providing the proposal goes through - that one or two people who have stood in during next summer, will have enjoyed the experience so much, they may well take it a stage further and become officially qualified.