By Mike Latham
MCC out matches give the PCW (Professional Cricket Watcher)
plenty of opportunities to enjoy some decent all-day games during the summer and
visit new grounds.
Commendably, the MCC undertake a packed programme of fixtures
throughout the season. A full list of their Fixtures can be viewed here:
https://www.lords.org/mcc/mcc-cricket/mcc-fixtures
Often the games are arranged to mark a club or league’s
special anniversary whereas others are annual games, against a league under-21s
side, school or university.
Back in 2012, when I was involved in the Northern Premier
Cricket League (NPCL) as vice-chairman I had the pleasure of arranging the
League’s inaugural fixture against the MCC, as an Under-21s side was selected
to do battle at Lodge Quarry, Carnforth.
The NPCL Under-21s side which played MCC at Carnforth in 2012
Carnforth CC were then members of the NPCL and their professional
Toby Bulcock was captain. Looking back three of the side have gone on to play county
cricket, Danny Lamb and Liam Hurt with Lancashire, Jack White with Northants.
Several more members of the side had the ability to do so but for one reason or
another didn’t get the opportunity. Bulcock was the classic example, instead
becoming a highly valued league professional and a prolific wicket-taker in
Minor Counties cricket.
I learnt a lot about the MCC approach to these games that
day. Their selected side featured some current cricketers of note, often from
premier leagues, with some of more distant vintage. Roland Horridge, a highly
successful skipper of the Chorley CC side that won three national club
championships in the 1990s, was captain and the XI included Clinton Perren, a
former Sheffield Shield cricketer, and Rudra Singh, a former Carnforth
professional.
The game was played as time cricket, starting at 11.30am,
with lunch and tea and the last hour commencing at 5.30pm. MCC made 160-9
declared, Perren top scorer with 47, the NPCL Under-21s earning victory by 7
wickets, Cumberland CCC’s Jon Miles making 53.
Fast forward nine years and I’ve been fortunate enough to
watch several MCC games this season and enjoyed them all. Several of the
players from that Carnforth game are still turning out regularly, including
Horridge and Rex Purnell (both ex-Chorley), Perren (Littleborough), Nick
Anderson (Didsbury), and Jimmy Dixon (Sefton Park).
Some of the games are now 45-over affairs instead of time
cricket, but with the odd exception it is the convention that the MCC bat
first.
MCC batting against the NPCL Under-21s at Chorley CC
In early July the MCC racked up 267-7 off 45 overs at
Chorley, Anderson scoring a majestic 107, but the NPCL Under-21s overhauled
their total and won by five wickets, Leyland’s Kurtis Watson scoring a very
fine hundred. It was a great shame that such a splendid match was given scant
publicity, so far as I can see.
I’m told by one of the players involved that the MCC’s
recent win over the Lancashire League Under-21s at Middleton (230 plays 222) was
one of the best games in which he’d been involved in a career stretching over
40 years. And only last week the Liverpool Competition Under-21s chased down
210 to defeat the MCC at Bootle, yet again a fine effort from a young side.
Astley & Tyldesley CC’s centenary game against the MCC at Gin Pit
The MCC visited Gin Pit to mark Astley & Tyldesley CC’s
centenary and a good-sized crowd saw a splendid game, containing nearly 500
runs. Ben Marsden scored 100 in the MCC’s 275-6, Perren making a high class 69,
A&T replying with 202, captain Alex Heaton 84.
Heywood CC played host to the MCC side in July
When the MCC visited Heywood to play the Greater Manchester
Cricket League Under-21s it was unusual to see the hosts bat first. They batted
well, reaching 208-7 which the MCC overhauled for the loss of four wickets on a
beautiful, sunny day.
The Palace Shield side in the field against MCC at Fylde CC
Last Wednesday it was the turn of the Palace Shield to
entertain the MCC, the game played at the lovely tree-lined Moorland Road ground
of Fylde CC, in Poulton-le-Fylde. This was a ‘time’ game which went well into
the last hour and was again an interesting and enjoyable watch.
Westhoughton CC’s Rob Houghton hit an unbeaten 112 after his
side had been 40-3 at one stage, enabling the MCC captain Michael Walling to
make the declaration at 250-4. The Palace Shield Under-21s started with a fine
opening stand of 70 between Matt Stevenson (45) and Joe Pearson (28) but then
lost wickets quickly, until Alex Rhodes hit a defiant late order 44 to take
them to a respectable 170 all out.
With another month or so of fixtures to go, get along to an
MCC game if you get the chance. You won’t be disappointed. And make a note to
peruse the fixtures when released for 2022 and mark a few in your PCW’s diary.
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