Oldham odyssey

Saturday 24 April

Posted by Peter Davies

An Oldham tour. First up, Austerlands, near Lees. They play in the Saddleworth League. It was a sunny day – according to the forecasters, in fact, the warmest day of the year so far. We visited Austerlands last year and really liked it, mainly because it’s at high altitude and the views out over Manchester – in the far distance – are amazing. You can make out the contours of the city-centre skyline, and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that, on a clear day, you could spot the outline of Old Trafford cricket ground, which would make me very happy.

The ground is well appointed with a nice white fence running most of the way round. There’s a compact, handsome scorebox, a Rastrick-type hill overlooking the playing area, changing-room block and pavilion. We had a 50p mug of tea and my Dad excelled himself by bringing a packed lunch of salad sandwiches, pancakes, bananas and low-fat pineapple yoghurts. Soccer Saturday was on the pavilion TV and one of the home side’s star players was hanging out with his attractive girlfriend by the bar. I spotted a print of the ground in a frame on the wall and asked the woman behind the bar if copies were available. She said I might be in luck. Dad did a few laps of the ground and I read my Sight & Sound film magazine.

We headed to Hollinwood CC in the Hollins area of the town. They play in the same league as Austerlands but when we arrived two hard-looking blokes told us: ‘No match’. We couldn’t work this out. But there was a game the day after. Then a few blocks away, Werneth CC. They’re a Central Lancashire League club so again, no match, because that league does generally play on Sundays not Saturdays. Schoolboy error on our part. We had a five-minute sit in the sun, admired the fading grandeur of the ground and bemoaned our luck or foolishness.

Woodhouses was our final port of call. An idyllic little village in the middle of Failsworth - inner city Oldham/Manchester. Weird. The club is famous for one cricketer: Michael Atherton. He spent his formative years at the club, and he describes this period in detail in his autobiography. His name is in lights – naturally – in the club pavilion, and there’s even a road named after him 100 yards away. The ground is very pleasant – well cared for and looked after.

Duckinfield were the visitors and the home side were struggling to get close to their first-innings score – 70-odd for 6 when we arrived. We had a J2O each and sat on a very sturdy bench in front of the changing rooms. This was a mistake as a Woodhouses batter was soon adjudged caught behind and, when he arrived back in the pavilion, took his frustration out on the changing-room wall with his bat. He also swore in a loud voice about a dozen times. I was sat about two yards away. All very embarrassing.