By Mike Latham
Last Sunday saw a remarkable feat in the Lancashire League
as the Rawtenstall captain, Keith Roscoe, set a new record for the most wickets
by an amateur in the history of the League.
Roscoe took six wickets for 63 runs to help his side to
victory by 43 runs over Nelson at the Worswick Memorial Ground.
His first wicket of the day, Jack Bradley caught behind by
Rizwan Shafiq, was the cue for wild celebrations, as a 92-year-old record, long
in Roscoe’s sights, was finally broken.
Roscoe celebrated by sprinting over to the terrace where his
mate Vinny Hanson, the Rawtenstall chairman was waiting to congratulate him.
Hanson, recently retired, was a fine wicketkeeper and the
Hanson-Roscoe combination captured many wickets between them, over 400 in
total.
The achievement was captured on film and has been viewed many times on social media during the past few days. It can be accessed on the Rawtenstall CC twitter feed: @Raw_10_stall
Such is Roscoe’s popularity the messages of congratulation flooded in from near and far, former team-mates and opponents alike. One of the first calls was from Matt Donlan, one time cricket reporter for the Blackburn Evening Telegraph, whose coverage of local league cricket was outstanding. Matt, who now lives in Edinburgh, had long been following his friend's record-breaking journey.
Keith Roscoe with Accrington’s Toby Bulcock, another slow left arm bowler, pictured earlier this season
Roscoe, known universally as 'Kes' will be 60 in October, and appears regularly for the
Lancashire Veterans side. Two days after his record-breaking feat I caught up
with him at Orrell Red Triangle CC as he bowled a typically miserly spell to
help the county defeat Northants and move into the last eight of the Veterans County
Championship competition.
He admitted to a mixture of relief and elation at finally
reaching the milestone and was overwhelmed by the reaction to his achievement.
Roscoe has had a remarkable career and thanks to the
diligence and expertise of Nigel Stockley, the Lancashire League historian and
statistician, his deeds are recorded for posterity.
Mr Stockley has overseen an amazing archive build of the
League’s rich history over the past two decades or so, in conjunction with
Cricket Archive, and every single league game is now recorded on the site back
to the League’s first year in 1892.
The previous record holder was Fred Duerr, whose feats
earned pride of place in the record books for nearly a century- until Roscoe
finally overhauled him.
Fred Duerr, the previous record-holder
Duerr was a right arm slow bowler, discovered by Bacup CC
after playing for a local junior club. Initially noted more for his batting
prowess, he went on to take 1,811 wickets at 10.37 in a prolific career,
finally retiring after the 1929 season at the age of 56. He played for just two
Lancashire League clubs, taking 334 league wickets for Bacup, then 1,477 for Ramsbottom.
When Duerr died in March 1941 at the age of 67, the League
minutes recorded a tribute that he was the ‘greatest bowler the Lancashire
League ever had.’
Roscoe is a very fine slow left arm bowler who still holds
his own against the League’s best batsmen, regularly including professionals
among his list of victims.
During Viv Richards’s one season in the league as
professional with Rishton in 1987, Roscoe captured his wicket in both home and
away games. For good measure he also captured the wicket of Steve Waugh that
season.
Like Duerr, Roscoe commenced with Bacup, but since 1985 has
played for Rawtenstall, save for two seasons as professional with Edenfield CC
in the Ribblesdale League, another two with Sunderland CC in the north-east.
He’s now played an amazing 851 league games, taken 1,817
wickets at 17.86 and an additional 121 in Worsley Cup matches, 22 in the League’s
Twenty20 competition. He has taken 123 five-wicket hauls, his best analysis
9-77 against Colne in 2003.
A wonderful achievement that may well stay in the League’s
record books for ever.
Rawtenstall Cricket Club, long-time home of Keith Roscoe, record breaker
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