All our yesterdays and some new grounds

Lancaster Royal Grammar School

Posted by Tony Hutton

Saturday 24th April

Today's trip to Lancashire has been a long time in the planning. I have wanted to visit the Lancaster and Morecambe area, where my cricket watching friend Ian Cockerill is based, for some time. This is partly a nostalgic journey to see grounds I first visited as a teenager in the 1950s and also a chance to see some new grounds in the local Westmorland league.

First stop was Lancaster Royal Grammar School up the hill from the town just below Williamson Park with it's landmark monument which can be seen for miles around.
Ian was already in place in his favourite spot as the school first XI were playing Woodhouse Grove school with an 11.30 start.

The ground has marvellous views across Lancaster to Morecambe Bay, but the fine day brought something of a heat haze in the distance so that the Lakeland fells could not been seen clearly. Another coachload of boys from Woodhouse Grove arrived bearing the under 15s and under 13s who would start their games at 1 p.m. They were soon being put through their paces with fielding drills supervised by school cricket coach Arnie Sidebottom.

I then discovered master in charge of cricket for Woodhouse Grove, Ian Frost, doing the scoring. Knowing that he had scored a half century for Burley in Wharfedale last Saturday in their crushing defeat of my local club Adel, I asked why he was not playing today. However his school duties take precedence for the next five weeks, before he can return to league cricket action.

After a very pleasant hour or so it was time to move on and after lunch I called in at the ground of Northern Premier league club Lancaster in Lune Road, This brought back a lot of memories from previous visits in the 1950s when I watched my uncle, Geoff Stones, playing for Lancaster as their professional and subsequently for Morecambe as first professional and then later as captain.

Lancaster 2nd XI were playing Barrow 2nd XI in front of a handful of people, but with the sun shining it made a pleasant site with the castle and church on the hill looking down on the ground. The old railway line and goods sidings at one end had gone, only a grass bank remains, but I can remember the Australian Bill Alley hitting sixes against the railway wagons as he progressed to a century for Blackpool.

Then it was on to nearby Heysham, again with many boyhood memories of holidays here, but a first visit to the tidy cricket ground where Heysham were playing Milnthorpe in the Westmorland league. Also time for a walk up to the ancient church on the cliff top overlooking the bay. A beautiful spot but the ambience ruined by deafening pop music coming from the beer garden of a neighbouring pub.

Then on into Morecambe, more boyhood memories of holidays here too, and a quick call at Morecambe's ground where they were playing Leyland. The visitors batting and putting up a good score as they neared the end of the first innings with one of their batsman stranded on 80 odd not out.

Then on to nearby Trimpell cricket club, another member of the Westmorland League which straddles the Lancashire/Cumbria border now. The main thing about this ground is the huge sports and social club on one side which dwarfs the ground, and was full of happy afternoon drinkers. On the other side a very functional pavilion which adds little to the scenic appeal.

Next stop, helped by Ian's instructions, was to head for a sign to the crematorium just outside Lancaster, appropriately down a one way system ! This as it turned out was down a very narrow country lane. Then suddently as Ian had told me you come on to no less than three cricket grounds side by side and opposite to Vale of Lune's rugby union ground.

A real bonus to a collector of new grounds, three for the price of one. First stop was the ground of Torrisholme, who play in the Palace Shield competition, an entirely north Lancashire league, followed by Westgate and then Bare who both play in the Westmorland league. I watched the action for a while at Torrisholme, but only saw a few balls bowled on both the other grounds, before they all dissappeared for tea.

Then it was time to head a few miles north up the A6 to Bolton-le-Sands, where my uncle and his wife had a bed and breakfast hotel for many years, again the scene of many boyhood holidays. The village ground, where my uncle finally ended his cricket playing careeer is just a hundred yards or so down the road from their former residence and again I got their just in time to see the last couple of overs before visiting Silverdale were all out on the stroke of tea.

And finally as they say, it was on down country lanes through Halton to Caton, crossing the River Lune at the famous viewpoint and bend in the river, known as the Crook of Lune, made famous by Turner's painting. The cricket ground at Caton was not as scenic, again just as Ian had told me, being also used as a soccer ground. However I got quite a good picture with a wind farm on top of the neighbouring hills forming a backdrop to the play.

The sun was still shining as we headed home after a wonderful day rekindling old memories and visiting new places.