Lancashire hot-pot

Posted by Peter Davies

A Lancashire hot-pot of an afternoon - Todmorden of the Lancashire League followed by Walsden of the Central Lancashire League. Tod were playing Lowerhouse on a very autumnal day - windy and pretty cold. Centre Vale is a lovely ground and the views - of the cricket, town and nearby park - are great from all angles. ITV were filming at the ground for a special programme on Roses rivalry (Todmorden is famous for having a block of public conveniences where you can stand with one foot in Yorkshire and one in Lancashire!). The camera crew left as we arrived but then returned later in the afternoon.

Club historians Malcolm and Freda Heywood were in the tea room with many other hungry locals. Malcolm was eating some bilberry crumble - made out of local bilberries, he said - and Freda said that local plums were also used by the club tea ladies. We contented ourselves with a cuppa and some rhubarb pie. The Heywoods told us about the soon-to-be-published second volume of their club history and all their HLF-aided plans to bring the cost of the book down so as to make it more accessible to potential buyers. Tod's Sri Lankan pro was enjoying himself out in the middle - one of his sixes landed on the main road! Malcolm told me our 2005 exhibition boards were up in the pavilion - and I went over to have a look. They looked great, as did all the other photos and documents on the walls. Got talking to Malcolm later about the history of junior cricket and how, in the mid twentieth century, juniors were almost viewed as an annoyance by clubs. A far cry from today with U9s, U11s, U13s, U15s and U17s!

At Scott Street, Walsden, Unsworth were the visitors. Again, pretty drab weather and a few specks of rain. Another attractive ground with some beautiful greenery round about. The home side were about to lose but the stoic supporters on the boundary edge were staying put. Some blocks of flats - named after WCC stalwarts - were recently demolished close to the ground and the club went to great trouble to ensure that the replacement avenues and courts were given the same monikers. But club stalwart - and after-dinner speaker extraordinaire - Alan Stuttard told me that only two of the three cricketers' names were used again. However, he was pretty satisfied with that! Alan took me up to the old committee room to show me some club memorabilia and there was also plenty to photograph on the walls of the bar.

The WCC facilities are really top-notch - a very nice club to visit and be impressed by. On the TV in the bar, England were on their way to a second successive ODI defeat at Australian hands. The bar was also advertising a forthcoming 'Ladies Night' and end-of-season fancy dress party (with Cowboys and Indians as the theme!). Went on a nice lap of the playing area and I think Walsden may win the 'Most Plaques and Dedications on the Boundary Edge Award'. They're everywhere - due testimony to the number of long-serving club folk they have had over the decades.