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Lytham Lytham FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/CRICKETCLUBMAG CRICKET CLUB Lytham CC is based at The Pavilion on Church Road in Lancashire and their first team currently competes in the Premier Division of the Liverpool and District ECB League. They are led by Chairman Leonard Hackett who is supported by Secretary Susan Chiekrie and the club is looking to progress under their guidance. So far this season it would be fair to say that their first team has not perhaps enjoyed the campaign that they would have liked, having compiled a record of one win, three draws and nine defeats from their seventeen matches with the other four not reaching a result. This has left them sitting near the bottom of the table with 115 points on the board. The team will now be looking to put together a good run of results in their remaining fixtures in order to pull away from the relegation places. As long as they can keep all their players and perhaps make one or two quality additions they should be in with a good chance of doing just that. The season has not been without positives and one particular highlight was the unbeaten century scored by Tom Jefferson who made 124. He is not the only player to show quality with the bat either with Ross Zelem and Ben Saunders also chipping in with some valuable runs. Having batsmen who can be relied upon to score runs is important for any side and Lytham CC will be 24 Issue 51 hoping that more players can step up to the plate in their remaining matches. Ben Saunders has also been in fine form with the ball, taking twenty-six wickets at an average of around 20 and has formed a potent bowling partnership with Alex Mason who has thirty-four wickets to his name. They have been well supported by fellow bowlers Jack Saunders and Joshua Holden. If these players can continue to perform well with the ball then the team may well be able to pick up the wins needed in order to avoid relegation. Lytham CC is not a club to focus solely upon their senior section and this is reflected by the fact that they also run a number of youth sides. These teams look to provide young players from the local community with the opportunity to play the game in a safe and enjoyable environment whilst helping them to reach their full potential. It is important for any club looking to be successful over a sustained period of time to be able to produce their own talent and this is an area they appear to have covered. It will certainly be exciting to see how their youngsters can progress in the coming years. In order to help make sure that they enjoy a smooth transition into the senior game they also run additional sides. This allows them to gain experience of adult level cricket even if they are not yet considered ready for first team action which can be an important step in the development process. Another benefit of running an extra side is that it allows the first XI to benefit from far greater strength in depth. If they are ever left short on numbers through injury or work commitments they have the option of calling up replacements with a limited amount of disruption. Lytham CC’s difficulties at first team level this season should not take away from the good work being carried out at the club. If they continue in the same manner then they should be able to look forwards to a bright and successful future for many years to come. Cricket Club Magazine wishes them the best of luck.