CRICKET FROM THE NORTH: County Cricket comes to Lytham

By Mike Latham

There’s nothing like the excitement of being part of cricket history and in 1985 Lancashire followers were able to do just that.

The county took a first-class fixture to the Church Road ground at Lytham for the first time, a midweek County Championship game against Northamptonshire.

Played Wed-Fri on 14-16 August the fixture was eagerly awaited, and many cricket followers took part of their annual holiday to stay a few days on the Fylde coast.

The Lytham CC ground is just inland from the sea, picturesque, tree-lined, with a vast, well-kept playing area. Lancashire brought in temporary stands and marquees were erected to give the occasion a festival atmosphere.

Usually, Lytham has its own micro-climate and games can take place there when the rest of the county is rained-off, but sadly on this occasion the weather gods dictated otherwise.

The Lytham club made great preparations for the big day, obtaining a grant of £5,000 from the local council and ferrying in deckchairs from Morecambe, tiered seating from Mossley Amateur Dramatic Society, the pitch preparations planned by the late Old Trafford groundsman Peter Marron, a master of his craft.

A large crowd gathered on the first day, but the weather was dismal- rainy, windy and chilly. Finally, play began under leaden skies at 4.45pm and there was a gentle smattering of applause after Neil Mallender bowled the first ball of the game to the Lancashire opener, Mark Chadwick. But little more progress could be made, and Lancashire closed the first day 17 for 1 after six overs, Chadwick lbw to Mallender for 8.

Little more play was possible on day 2, the overnight pair of David Varey and Kevin Hayes taking Lancashire to 55 for 1 after more frustrating weather interruptions.

Morning rain on the Friday cast doubt over any more prospects for play but the forecast was better for the afternoon and finally the game resumed at 2.15pm.

The two sides were playing just for bonus points but there was still a good-sized crowd in attendance and the sponsors’ tents were brimming with the clink of champagne glasses and the popping of corks.

Lancashire batted on against accurate bowling and keen fielding and after Jim Griffiths was unlucky to take just the wicket of Hayes in his opening spell, David Capel came into the attack, working up a fair degree of pace in conditions which evidently suited his bowling style. Off-spinner Richard Williams took over at the other end and gradually Northants worked through a batting line-up which had a fragile look about it.

Wickets fell at regular intervals, Varey hanging around for 36 but with little resistance elsewhere. Capel was impressive as I recall, bowling with hostility and accuracy.

He bowled Varey and Jack Simmons, trapped both Mike Watkinson and Ian Folley leg before and accounted for Neil Fairbrother and Lancashire captain John Abrahams to catches, while Williams claimed the wicket of wicketkeeper John Stanworth.

As the afternoon wore on Lancashire’s total of 153 for 9 was a dismal way to mark the historic fixture and there was plenty of murmuring of discontent from some of the members present. Eight wickets had fallen for the addition of 93 runs, six of them to Capel.

David Makinson was joined by last man Patrick Patterson as the afternoon petered out and some spectators decided to call an end to their damp stay at the seaside.

Makinson, in his second season as a first-class cricketer, was well known in these parts. Then in his early 20s he was the professional for Leyland Motors in the Northern League, a high class left arm medium fast bowler who could bat a bit. But Patterson, a fine fast bowler and set to make his West Indies Test debut that winter, had no pretentions to be a batsman. Indeed, in his first-class career that stretched to 161 games, he averaged 5.83 with highest score of 29.

But somehow Patterson stuck in there while Makinson set about the twirly off-spin of Williams, hitting several huge blows that brought the crowd to its feet. He reached his maiden first-class fifty in 35 minutes off 39 balls and went onto make an unbeaten 58, hitting seven sixes, all off Williams’s bowling.

Patterson grew in confidence, also hitting a six before he was bowled by Capel after a highly entertaining last wicket stand had plundered 72 runs in nine overs of mayhem, Lancashire reaching 225 and Capel recording what was then his best analysis, 7 for 62 off 20 overs.

There was just time for Northants to start their first innings. Jim Griffiths came out to bat with wicketkeeper David Ripley to much amusement.

Griffiths, fine county bowler that he was, was no batsman. In his career he scored 290 runs at an average of 3.33 with highest score of 16.

But he calmly steered Mike Watkinson’s opening delivery for two runs before, with the clock just past 5.20pm Northants captain Geoff Cook declared.

It was a reminder that professional cricketers never work longer than they have to. Surely, after all the weather frustrations, they could have stayed until 5.30pm? A damp squib to end three days of frustration by the seaside, though Makinson’s innings remains a clear memory 35 years on.

Makinson forged a superb career as a league professional and after Leyland Motors closed down and merged with Leyland CC became one of the mainstays of cricket at Fox Lane. He has scored over 10,000 runs and taken over one thousand wickets in Northern League cricket and these days still captains the club, though his bowling style is now much changed from those county days, his deceptively slow style still accounting for top players.

David Capel went on to play 15 Tests and 23 ODIs for England and played for Northants until 1998. Sadly, he passed away earlier this year, aged 57. When the news came through, I immediately thought of that Friday afternoon at Lytham when he looked every inch the Test bowler that he went on to become.

Fortunately, I took along my camera on the third day and captured some photos of the game.