Fylde CC collect Palace Shield club of the year award

The Poulton-based side were honoured at the annual Palace Shield Cricket League awards event at Ribby Hall.

Fylde’s two senior teams won their respective divisions, 1B and 5, while three players were recognised for impressive campaigns in 2023.

New first team captain Dan Smith was named batsman of the year for Division 1B with 665 runs with an average of 41.56.

Second team captain Mark Winder took the Division 5 batting prize with 449 runs at 49.89, while 17-year-old spin bowler Theo Slade was bowler of the year in Division 5 with 50 wickets at 6.22.

Fylde’s U15s went unbeaten to win their league and now a third senior Saturday team will compete in the Palace Shield next season, in Division 6, playing at Baines High School.

Last year’s overseas amateur, Australian spin bowler, Toby Cunningham is also heading back from Geelong for the 2024 season.

Chairman Keith Moore said: “It’s extremely pleasing to see all the hard work rewarded with this excellent recognition from the league.

“As with all amateur sports, what we do is only made possible thanks to the dedication of our volunteers, and we’re very thankful as a club to have so many people pulling in the same direction.

“2024 promises to be another exciting year as we further expand our junior and girls cricket offering, as well as reintroducing a Saturday third team for the first time in 14 years.

“We have set ambitious targets of where we’d like to be in the next three to five years and we’re on a solid pathway reaching them.”

Other Fylde coast winners at the Palace Shield awards included Thornton Cleveleys’ Joshua Sackfield, who took the league’s overall player of the year award with 900 runs at an average of 50.

South Shore’s Aravindhan Rajasekar was Division 4 batter of the season (921 runs at 70.85).

Kirkham and Wesham’s Justin Banks (49 wickets at 10.49) and Anthony Harrison (54 wickets at 8.2) were the Premier Division and Division Three bowlers of the year respectively.

Benjamin Heath (Blackpool), Richard Beesley (Kirkham and Wesham) and Mark Luxton (Wyre) were among the divisional winners of the wicketkeeper prizes.