Into Lancashire

A foray into Lancashire - Littlebrough CC and also Heywood CC. Two significant CLL clubs.

Littlebrough were playing a home friendly. Not much atmosphere and the pavilion was also smaller than I remembered from my previous visit or two. Manchester United were on TV and quite a few punters - all United loyalists, obviously - watching and screaming.

I kept warm inside but also went for a couple of walks round the perimeter of the ground, taking some photos too. A nice ground with some great views out to the Pennine hills.

Littlebrough is the home club of one of my cricketing heroes: leg-spinner Chris Schofield, ex-Lancashire, Surrey and England. No great sign of him - if at all - but he did learn his cricket here. He's very fond of his home club - I know that. People laugh a little when I say 'Schoey' is one of my favourite cricketers but he was/is super-talented and should have gone further in the game.

Then to Heywood. An hour there. It was tea when I arrived and there was a big private birthday party going on in the pavilion. Another friendly - and the ground looked very neat and well appointed.

Heywood is very close to Middleton - where my late grandma used to live, so I got very nostalgic while I was there. All the hills around too - you could feel, and see, it was Pennine country.