Cricket

[wilsdenrover]

I think the rain will end up the winner today but getting some overs in Bumrah’s legs might benefit us later in the series. 

[Gav]

20 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

Or it might rain all day 😬

 

2 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

I think the rain will end up the winner today but getting some overs in Bumrah’s legs might benefit us later in the series. 

Are you an India fans wilsden? 

Give over man.......☔

[wilsdenrover]

4 minutes ago, Gav said:

 

Are you an India fans wilsden? 

Give over man.......☔

No I’m not - how very dare you 😁😁

I meant to tire Bumrah out not increase his fitness/form. 😀

[Gav]

11 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

No I’m not - how very dare you 😁😁

I meant to tire Bumrah out not increase his fitness/form. 😀

You're a bloody jinx......

The good news is, I'm about 20 miles away from Headingley and its blue sky and sun here, hopefully the weather is heading that way.

[wilsdenrover]

4 minutes ago, Gav said:

You're a bloody jinx......

The good news is, I'm about 20 miles away from Headingley and its blue sky and sun here, hopefully the weather is heading that way.

I’m around 7 miles away (as the crow flies) dry here at the moment too.

A nice uneventful hour once they get back on would be good. 🤞

Edited Tuesday at 15:40 by wilsdenrover

[wilsdenrover]

Suck on that Balaji 

[Gav]

Phenomenal, historical, colossal.

Stunning from this England side, but let’s not forget India gave us so many chances with dropped catches and missed stumping, but we’ll take that.

1-0 England 

[den]

5 day test cricket. It’s the tops.

How much improved is test cricket now since,  limited overs cricket arrived onto the scene? The modern cricketer has skills and ability far beyond the guys of 50 years ago. They’re incredible.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Great win. We played and missed at a few but you make your own luck sometimes 

[K-Hod]

Unbelievable that, yesterday. 

Fair play to the whole team.

[47er]

Was a great game, one to remember for a very long time. But its the Ashes I really crave victories in, can anyone see us bowling out Australia in Australia with that pop-gun bowling line-up?

Need a fit Wood and  a fit and in-form Archer at least---unlikely?

Edited 22 hours ago by 47er

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

5 minutes ago, 47er said:

Was a great game, one rot remember for a very long time. But its the Ashes I really crave victories in, can anyone see us bowling out Australia in Australia with that pop-gun bowling line-up?

Need a fit Wood and  a fit and in-form Archer at least---unlikely?

We need Wood and Archer really if we’re to have any chance.

[DeeCee]

Fantastic cricket! 

Had a bit of everything except controversy 👏

[Gav]

On 24/06/2025 at 11:48, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I don’t follow cricket as much as I used to.
I did see Underwood bowl out the Aussies. I had just got home from work about 4-50 pm and I immediately turned on the tv to watch the cricket. it was on the BBC live back then. One camera only at one end ! As I recall it the Aussies were about 50 for 2 with just over an hour to play. I thought that’s it - a draw. Then Underwood got going and we brought the field in around the bat. If my memory serves me well one of the Aussies openers dug in but Underwood kept bamboozling the incoming batsmen. Even when we had 6 down I thought we’d run out of time. However we got down to the last couple of wickets every England outfield player was in camera shot. They were all in an arc around the bat. They picked up the last wicket with minutes to go. Unforgettable. It’ll be on YouTube somewhere.

 

So many memories. Colin  Cowdrey coming in as last man see out the last couple of balls to get a draw with a broken arm. Only he was facing Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith.
Cowdrey , who was a really top slip fielder, taking a catch and then whipping the ball into his pocket so fast that nobody knew where the ball had gone.

Brian Close and John Edrich facing the most hostile fast bowling I’ve ever seen. The only time I’ve thought “ Somebody could get killed here “ at a cricket match. Just batting in a cap ! The photo of Close the next day with ball marks , complete with seam mark p, all over his upper body. 
 

The Aussie Bob Massie swinging the ball like a banana to skittle out England and take about 17 wickets in the match.

 

Just too many memories really.

Brilliant Tyrone, I've seen clips of Brian Close, not for the fainth hearted and no wonder Ian Botham thought the world of him.

One more qustions from me, did you go to the games? England or Lancs? Local Rochdale league? 

I still find it bonkers that Viv Richards played for Rishton:

https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1115974/rishton-s-summer-of-viv

Allan Border played for East Lancs 'up corporation Park' and Shane Warne played for Accy!

[jim mk2]

Michael Holding played for Rishy too. Saw him play at Ramsbottom early 1980s, wanging it down at amateur batsmen. He was very fair though, no short stuff and kept the ball up to the bat. Dennis Lillee played for Haslingden in he mid 1970s.

Great win yesterday and it will be good to beat India in this series. But as above it's the Ashes that really counts for me and England's pace bowling attack in this Test would not be good enough down under. If Archer and Wood (and Atkinson, who I really rate) were fit and firing on all cylinder we might have a chance. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

Brilliant Tyrone, I've seen clips of Brian Close, not for the fainth hearted and no wonder Ian Botham thought the world of him.

One more qustions from me, did you go to the games? England or Lancs? Local Rochdale league? 

I still find it bonkers that Viv Richards played for Rishton:

https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1115974/rishton-s-summer-of-viv

Allan Border played for East Lancs 'up corporation Park' and Shane Warne played for Accy!

I watched the Central Lancashire League a lot. I remember seeing Gary Sobers making 140 odd for Littleborough against Castleton Moor at Partington St. They ended up with 9 fielders all on the boundary ropes. Just the bowler and the wicket keeper near the bat. Sobers walked out to one ball, missed it, and just kept walking. The keeper ran up and stumped him. Garys knees were knackered. He was wearing the most elegant whites I’ve ever seen. He looked a million dollars.
 

The Moor were financed by a local bookmaker, Tommy Heneghan. A typical bookmaker, a little tubby guy in a suit. He’d set up a table by the ground entrance to take all the entrance fees himself. With Sobers playing it was going to be a big gate.

I’d arrived about 10 minutes late. Just in time to see Sobers hit the ball out of the ground right by where Tommy had set up his little table. The ball was in the gutter so I said to Tommy -  “ Give me the ball Tommy, I’ll throw it back on “. Tommy said - “ No it’s OK I’ll throw it on”. 
So Tommy goes to throw the ball back on, only It stuck in his hand a bit, and went straight through the windscreen of some poor spectators parked car. This was just as the owner was getting out of the car !
 

The guy wasn’t pleased to say the least. He marched up to Tommy saying- “ What the f—k are doing you dozy little bastard ! “ Tommy shit his pants and said “ Look at that sign up there, you park at your own risk “
 

The guy said - “ I’ll take my chances with Soberx but not with a fool like you “

 

Edited 17 hours ago by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Gav]

7 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Michael Holding played for Rishy too. Saw him play at Ramsbottom early 1980s, wanging it down at amateur batsmen. He was very fair though, no short stuff and kept the ball up to the bat. Dennis Lillee played for Haslingden in he mid 1970s.

Well I didn’t know that, but what I do know is the Lancashire league was once seen as the place to play cricket, hence why all the players above came over.

Who did you follow in those days Jim? East Lancs? 

[47er]

18 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

We need Wood and Archer really if we’re to have any chance.

Mind you Australia's batters are as weak as I can ever remember.  Their strength is in their bowling.

Edited 4 hours ago by 47er

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

11 hours ago, Gav said:

Well I didn’t know that, but what I do know is the Lancashire league was once seen as the place to play cricket, hence why all the players above came over.

Who did you follow in those days Jim? East Lancs? 

I remember going past one of the grounds - Haslingden ? And there was a big poster advertising Clive Lloyd as the pro. This was before he played for Lancashire.  If you look back at history of the Central Lancashire League and the Lancashire League the only top player that didn’t come over as a pro was Don Bradman. He was coming over until the Aussie cricket authorities put a stop to it by buying him off.

A old workmate of mine played for Milnrow in the CLL. The pro there was an Aussie all rounder called George Tribe who’d had a bust up with Bradman ( just like another great Aussie  CLL player Cec Pepper ) and came over to England to try his luck. He later had a long career at Warwickshire. They were playing in the Wood Cup final and Tribe bowled out about 7 of the opposition to win the game. As was the custom he got a collection. Back then it was all three penny  bits , sixpences, shillings etc.  All in  buckets. Instead of standing all the rest of the team to a round of drinks at the bar after the game Tribe tipped all the buckets into the boot of his car and drove off without a word !

Cec Pepper was a long time CLL stalwart before he became a first class umpire. Towards the end of his career his was driving up to the ground at Castleton Moor in his car through the fans. It was a hot day and he had the windows down. One guy shouted out to him - “  Bloody hell Cec, you’re not still playing are you ? You must be past it “. Cec replied - “ Past it ? , I’ll give you my address after the game, you can send your wife round . I’ll show you who’s past it ! “

Vinoo Mankad, the Indian all rounder , was the pro at Castleton Moor in the early 1950’s. He was on £50 a week when the average wage was about £10. He left the Moor to go to one of the Lancashire League clubs ( Haslingden ? ) for more money !

The Leagues were buzzing then was really large gates. All the pros were household names, top Test cricket internationals. You had to get down to Dane St in Rochdale early to get a good seat. Becoming a member was really difficult.  Within 10 years all that had gone and crowds were quite sparse and becoming a member was easy.

Edited 36 minutes ago by Tyrone Shoelaces