BPCC Tours

JUNE TOUR

This was a hard week for the British Police CC and especially for the Captain and Secretary, who were faced with selection headaches and a last minute squad reduction.

The police were far more comfortable in the 50 over games but the front line batting let them down. In the Berks game, following an opening stand of 76, the first 5 wickets then fell for 30 runs! In the Conference match 17 for 4 and 78 for 7 tells its own tale!

BP were thoroughly tested in all five T20 matches with just 1 win to show for their efforts.

This was a stiff learning curve and lessons have surely been learnt, in what until 2011 has been a totally 'alien' form of the game historically for BP - who in fairness had only played 2 such matches before - but it is a format they have to get to grips with.

An accurate contradiction would be that the younger service outfits all had greater experience at the shortest version of the game, coupled with superior technique. This in many ways, from a playing perspective, was a disappointing and disjointed week, with the reduced squad attempting to come to terms with two totally distinct forms of cricket. Many BP players will agree they were not at their best but the bonus was the contributions from debutants Steve Greig and Russell Bryan of the Met and the promise of Merseyside's Greg Gillespie

JULY TOUR

Off to the Midlands for the second leg of the British Police 2011 summer. Availability meant that 6 new caps had the opportunity to stake a claim during the transition period facing BP cricket. The six were, Dan Turner (Met.), Pete Barnett (Cheshire), James Ellis (Lancashire), Dave Morrell (GMP), Dave Jackson (Essex) and Ted Roe (Wiltshire) who becomes the only player to have followed his father, (Mike Roe of Avon & Somerset) into the BP side.

In particular the Welsh contingent hadn't been able to make the trip, so the Captaincy was shared between two previous skippers Graham Shaw and David Fraser-Darling, with a brief that included 3 x 50 over games and the 2nd Tri Services T20 tournament.

This was a testing 2nd 2011 week for British Police -

It was disappointing to lose the Tri Services T20 title, but 2 wins from 3 in the 50 over format was a creditable return.

With the retirement of three senior players it is now time for the next generation to grasp the opportunity and move the section forward. Perhaps having gone through a period of transition, which included 22 players tried and tested during the 2011 season, BP will be begin to show, (availability permitting of course!) more consistency and stability in selection.

There is certainly enough ability and depth of talent available.