NDCC Yearbook 2026 - Flipbook - Page 15
NDL Review
This year’s NDL side finished 5th in the league claiming 4 wins from a total of 9 games played, with
the moist Devonshire climate getting the better of us on three occasions. Despite not finishing in a
position to claim any silverware the side viewed the season as a successful one. Admittedly this may
seem strange to those who aren’t closely involved but those who are will know one of the main
targets of the team is provide up and coming youngsters with added exposure to a strong level of
men’s cricket. This meant more than 15 different juniors played in the NDL team and on several
occasions we had upwards of 6 juniors playing and at times as many as 8 played in the same team.
All the juniors that played did more than simply participate, they held their own against seasoned
cricketer and at times were the standout performers. Most notably was Jools Hughes taking a hatrick
in the first over of the innings against Nomansland and Navindu Vanderbona scoring 96 in the return
fixture against the same side. Further success of the NDL side this year can be found in the support
and experience provided by Steve Moore and Roshan Lakmal, two exceptional role models to all the
juniors which played as well as the chance to play with other senior members of the club like first
team captain Jack Moore, an opportunity which youth players otherwise would not get this early in
their senior playing careers. Hopefully we can continue to build on the progress made over the last
few seasons and hit the ground running in our first NDL fixture of 2026 which is fast approaching on
the 26th of April!
NDL T20 KO CUP Review
Going into the tournament as defending champions naturally means you are the team that people
want to beat and unfortunately this year that happened at the last hurdle. Credit to Bideford they
outplayed us in all departments even a fantastic solo effort of 68 from Jack Moore couldn’t prevent us
from walking away with a silver medal this year. However, all the players involved were proud to
represent the club in another final and there are numerous positives to take leading up to the final.
Notably the 7-wicket semi-final win against Hatherleigh in which a quick fire 57 from Reuben Windley
and an economical 3-26 from Simon Wright saw us over the line. Further positives can be taken from
big wins in the ground stages against B&P (10 wickets) and Westleigh (9 wickets) featuring significant
contributions from Jay Rothery blasting his way to scores of 51 and 54 along with Jack Popham
claiming an impressive 5-4. Perhaps our best win and most dramatic game was a last ball thriller
against Braunton which saw Jack Popham get us over the line with a maximum off the last ball of the
game while his brother Tom made the trip to A&E with nasty injury which we hope to see him back
from soon. As well as significant contributions from experienced players it was good to see a number
of young players like Freddie Tucker, Navindu Vanderbona and Ed Wilson featuring alongside them in
what was largely a successful campaign. But the team are keen to go one step further next year and
return the NDL T20 trophy to the Sandhills in 2026!
2024 Club Awards
The annual Awards Night did not take place in November 2025, but the season’s award winners were
as follows and will be presented at the beginning of the new season.
Captain’s Player of the Year – James Tyson
Bill Shepherd Memorial Cup – (1st team player of the year) – James Tyson
Terry Tyers Memorial Cup – (2nd team player of the year) – Noah Tovell
Gordon Nicholson Memorial Cup – (3rd team player of the year) – Wes McKellar
Norman Rattenbury Fielding Cup – Richard Screech
Roy Tamlin Memorial Cup – (U21 most improved player) – Noah Tovell
Tom Allin Memorial Cup – (U18 most improved player) – Jools Hughes
Peter Yandell Memorial Cup – (for “above and beyond” contribution to the club) – James Tyson
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