DOTTERS WINS UMPIRES’ AWARD

Date: 2nd January 2014

A Paul Edwards copyright exclusive for L&DCC Official Website.

...a 'phone call from Kevin.....

When Rainford’s John Dotters lets in 2014 he will probably do so with warm memories of the twelve months just gone and high hopes for the year to come.

On December 20 the Lancashire Under 17 slow left-armer was informed by Kevin Wilson that he had won the Merseyside Cricket Umpires Association’s Mike Leddy Young Player of the Year award.

That pleasant news recognised 17-year-old Dotters’ achievement in taking 57 wickets and scoring 371 runs in the First Division of the Med Imaging Liverpool Competition, in addition to performing with distinction for Lancashire’s Under 16-17 team, taking five wickets in the match against Cheshire.

“I was a bit shocked when Kevin phoned me to tell me the news,” said Dotters. “In all honesty I didn’t know of the award, but I will now be honoured to receive it on February 20.

“Over the past year I think I’ve managed to gain a lot of control and put the batters under pressure. I’ve tried to cut out the bad balls and take on board the advice I’ve received over the years, first at Sutton and then at Rainford. I’ve also picked up a lot of knowledge from my coaches at Lancashire, Rudra Singh, Steve Titchard and Chris Benbow.

“My aim now is to take 60-70 league wickets and score 450-500 runs in the coming season to help Rainford win promotion back to the ECB Premier League. We have a lot of good young players at the club and there is a lot of ambition to get back into the top division.”

However, while Dotters may be only in the foothills of his cricket career, the peaks scaled in the professional game by Simon Kerrigan and Arron Lilley at Old Trafford have not gone unnoticed.

“Simon’s performances for Ormskirk helped him get into the Lancashire side,” he said. “If I do well for Rainford, I hope it will get me selected for Lancashire’s Under 19 team. We can then take it from there.”

* Each MCUA umpire has one vote for the annual MCUA Young Player of the Year Award, now named after Mike Leddy.