Into Lancashire...

Posted by Peter Davies

The launch of the new Cricket Heritage Project-published book, You Couldn't Make It Up! - a history of Burnley CC authored by lifelong Burnley fan Tony Lister. Burnley were at home to Haslingden in the shadow of Turf Moor - the cricket ground borders onto the football ground a la Headingley. And football fever was sweeping the town, with the Burnley-Sheffield United play-off final scheduled for Bank Holiday Monday (this is why, the local paper explained, they failed to carry a report on the new book this week) . Maybe 40 or 50 people in attendance, with locals saying this was a poor turnout (with the Wembley event probably to blame for this). Haslingden were batting and losing wickets at regular intervals. The weather was drab - a mixture of gloom and drizzle. Tony, and also his mum and sister, were in attendance with loads of photos being taken of the author and his book. One of Burnley's famous old boys was also at the ground - all-rounder Jonathan Clare of Derbyshire. He is part of the golden Clare-Anderson-Brown-Brown generation of modern county cricketers who learnt their trade at Turf Moor. He passed on the news that Derbyshire's star bowler, Charl Langveldt, the South African, was out for the season. He also said Derbyshire's lower order were currently scoring more runs than the top order! Nigel Stockley came along too. He runs the excellent Lancashire League website and is going to publicise the book online. The book sold well and the club now have copies to sell to folk during the season.