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 Wednesday at 11:48 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 Wednesday at 17:12 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 yesterday at 05:57 by 47er

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

12 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 with 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 yesterday at 11:25 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[47er]

I have very happy memories of watching East Lancs in the fifties with my Dad. as you say, big crowds.

First pro I remember was  the Aussie leg-spinner Bruce Dooland. he was a class act and only available because he couldn't get in the Australian team with Ritchie Benaud around.

Re the collection, for some spectators it was against their principles to chuck in for the pro on the basis that he was paid to play!

Must have seen the entire 1960's West Indies team in the Lancs League.

Great days, all gone now of course.

[den]

Don’t forget Rohan Kanhai. Sunil Gavaskar rated him as the best batsman he’d ever seen and named his son Rohan.

Saw him playing for saint annes at Leyland around ‘61. He lived in Blackpool for 60 years.

[jim mk2]

 Neil Hawke, another Aussie, was the East Lancs pro in the late 1960s. Yours truly faced him in the nets a couple of times. My grandad loved watching Learie Constantine (“Conny”) - one of the all time greats - at Rammy. He used to dash down to the ground when word got round that Conny was “in”.  Another Ramsbottom pro was Clive Rice, one of the best players to play for South Africa and had a great career with Notts. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Another ex workmate of mine captained Castleton Moor back in those days. He lived near the ground and was in the nets every night. The pro at the time was Ellis Achong, of “ Chinaman “ fame. In one game Achong was bowling and the wicket was doing nothing, the opposing team were scoring quite freely off Achong. So, with some trepidation, my pal approached Achong and said - “ I think it’s time for a bowling change Ellis “. Achong, quick as a flash said - “ I agree,  put Bill Jones on at the other end ! “.

He told another story about a New Zealand pro called Badcock. He’d batted quite well in the first innings and had got a collection. The tea break was interrupted by a rain shower so Badcock had spent some of the collection at the bar ! When the game re-started Badcock came on to bowl, and ran up straight into the stumps and fell over. He had to be helped from the field.

Edited 1 hour ago by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I just looked up Ellis Achong up on wiki. Apparently when he was the pro for Burnley against Todmorden he once took all 10 wickets. When he batted he made 0. That’s cricket for you.

[den]

Yeah, I’ve seen Cowdray, Barrington, Dexter and just about everyone since. Also been on Madras cricket ground 35 years ago - although there was no game on then. Such a lot of greats, such a lot of memories.

From all that two cricketers stick out in my mind. Firstly Shane Warne. Two reasons. Firstly what a fabulous bowler and secondly - what a man. I found him so interesting to listen to and would have listened to him all day. He had the lot, he did the lot.

Secondly Clive Loyd. Just seeing his 6’5” frame ambling slowly to the crease. He was immense. Never forget that sight. Then obviously his batting and the way he could destroy any bowler. Sometimes his fielding was overlooked. You would think he’d be so slow in the field but he fielded in the covers and was known as supercat. Try taking a quick single to Clive and you were taking a mighty risk. It only took him about three strides to cover the 22 yards. 
 

Fabulous players. So lucky to have seen them.