Former Yorkshire star signs in for Widnes

Jan 16 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

ECB Premiership members of The Right Move Abroad Cheshire County League, Widnes have signed former Yorkshire opening batsman Simon Kellett as player-coach to replace Steve Titchard, who has moved to Grappenhall.

Kellett, 39, played for Yorkshire and in New Zealand for Wellington, from 1989-95, scoring 4,234 first-class runs including two centuries.

He has played Minor Counties cricket for Cambridgeshire in recent seasons where he has also topped the 4,000 runs mark including a county record of 223 not out against Bedfordshire.

Said Widnes spokesman Peter Hewitt: “Simon is an ideal replacement for Titch and will play regularly and carry out senior coaching at Beaconsfield Road.”

Widnes have been busy during the winter spending £15,000 paving and lighting the boundary surrounds, installing new security netting and upgrading their practice net area at a cost of £5,000.

A current first-class cricketer who will be playing in the County League next season is 25-year-old Lancashire all-rounder Oliver Newby, who has joined Alderley Edge.

Blackburn-born Newby, who stands 6ft 5ins, made his Lancashire debut in 2003 and has since made 20 championship appearances plus a loan period at Notts.

For the first time in 40 years there will be no member of the Marshall family playing at Neston in 2008. After former first team batsman and club chairman Jim Marshall packed away his cricket boots a couple of years ago, his son Simon developed into an outstanding all-rounder and joined the Lancashire staff in 2005. He continued playing at Parkgate, but was not regularly available last season.