Another busy weekend for cricket in the island is forecast unless that pesky rain arrives.

There are five games in store starting with the league game between Hannan Law Crosby and Shimmin Wilson Peel and St John’s at the Memorial Fields on Saturday.

This time of year, everything depends on what kind of team the skippers can manage to get on the field.

This proviso will apply to all the teams mentioned this week.

Suddenly, come the end of July, everybody disappears. I know that it is the school holidays, but, like magic, willing cricketers become an endangered species.

I digress. Crosby reached the final of the Blincoe on Sunday, so they will go into the game with a spring in their step.

PSJ are starting to exhibit some of the problems that Valkyres went through a few years ago. Some of their players are getting older, with bigger family commitments so it is harder to get the same team out week after week, but especially so on the weekend of a ’double-header’.

Crosby with a decent team out should beat PSJ, but we shall see.

On Sunday, PSJ face Baker Tilly Isle of Man Cronkbourne in the second Tinker Cup semi-final and they will certainly need to call upon all their guile, experience and skills to take on a confident Tromode side.

The previous day, Cronkbourne will meet Valkyres in the Tromode derby.

Some of the regular Valkyres players will be unavailable because of work, injury or holiday so this could be a tough one for them.

I believe that Adam McAuley suffered a nasty injury last weekend when he collided with another Cronkbourne player going for a catch. We wish him a speedy recovery.

CTH Insurance Ramsey welcome Newfield Castletown to their home ground on Saturday.

Town are playing more like their old selves at present and a few of their players have made decent scores.

Dan Laughlin made 74 last weekend, playing for Peel and St John’s, and Sam Callister made 61 the last time the two sides met.

However, Ramsey’s Grant Atchison made 55 last time out and he can take a game away from the opposition very quickly.

The Callin Wild Development XI are back in action on Sunday against Ramsey Crookall Finch Hill.

Hopefully, Charlie Beard will be back after the unfortunate problem with his leg he suffered earlier in the season.

He will be very keen to break through the 1,000 run mark, a target his older brother Eddie surpassed a few weeks ago.

Fixtures

Saturday, August 11

Crosby v Peel and St John’s

@ Memorial Playing Fields

Valkyres v Cronkbourne @ Tromode

Ramsey v Castletown @ Grammar School

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Sunday, August 12

Development XI v Finch Hill

@ King William’s College

Tinker Cup semi-final

Peel and St John’s v Cronkbourne

@ Mullen-e-Cloie