Darwen Cricket Club
Darwen Cricket Club
Birch Hall, Mostyn Street, Darwen, Lancs. BB3 0JS
Tel. No. 01254 701795
(email: m.horsfield@blackburn.ac.uk)
The History
(up to 1990 and 2003 as yet, but will be updated!)
CONTENTS
The First Darwen Cricket Club.
Darwen Etrurians and the Early Years, 1901-1910.
Darwen Cricket Club, Two World Wars and the Ribblesdale
League, 1911-1951.
The Northern League.
2002
2003
THE FIRST DARWEN CRICKET CLUB.
Cricket has been played in Darwen for at least 145 years. The first Darwen Cricket Club was founded at a meeting in the Greenway Arms on Friday 4th September 1846. Eccles Shorrock was elected president, Charles Potter treasurer and J.G. Nutter secretary.
For most of its existence the club played, presumably, friendly fixtures. In the first of these such fixtures on Wednesday 16th June 1847 Darwen lost away to Accrington by 5 wickets, the scores being Darwen 16 and 27, Accrington 14 and 30-5. In 1893 for 3 seasons they played in the Central Lancashire League and then for 2 seasons (1897 and 1898) in the Ribblesdale League.
There were two main reasons which brought about the demise of the club :-
¨ the Lord of the Manor sold the ground at Barley Bank at the end of the century, and
¨ the Darwen Amateur Cricket League, which was established in 1891 and existed for 80 years, proved to be immensely popular with many matches attracting hundreds of spectators.
Had the club applied to join the Lancashire League at its formation in 1892 (they unsuccessfully applied in 1893) it is quite possible that it would still be going strong today.
DARWEN ETRURIANS AND THE EARLY YEARS. 1901-1910.
On Monday 30th December 1901, a group of friends met in a small room in Knott Street with a view to forming a cricket club. Mr. Frank Briggs, who had invited the 6 other men, proposed that the club should be called the Darwen Etrurians, which was seconded by Mr. Claude Champion. It was decided to join the Darwen Cricket Alliance and that they should invite their friends to the new clubs first Annual General Meeting on the 1st April 1902. At the first annual meeting it was decided to join the Darwen League as opposed to the Alliance and Mr. George Place was elected as the clubs first president.
A ground was obtained at Moss Farm and the opening of the season was awaited with considerable interest. The first match was an away fixture against the United Methodists at the Ironworks Ground on the 19th April 1902. The Etrurians won by three wickets and the full historic scorecard is as follows :
United Methodists
| A.Rushton | bowled Cooper |
3
|
|
| R.B.Catlow | bowled Cooper |
11
|
|
| H.Haydock | bowled Smith |
7
|
|
| J.Greenwood | run out |
2
|
|
| J.Chadwick | caught Smith | bowled Haworth |
0
|
| A.E.Saville | caught Palmer | bowled Haworth |
21
|
| J.E.Coulthurst | bowled Smith |
4
|
|
| J.G.Hibbert | caught and bowled | Smith |
2
|
| S.Stott | bowled Smith |
1
|
|
| L.Johnson | not out |
11
|
|
| G.Barnard | run out |
16
|
|
| Extras: |
13
|
||
| Total: |
91
|
Etrurians
| A.Haworth | bowled Barnard |
6
|
|
| W.Jackson | bowled Barnard |
0
|
|
| T.Cooper | bowled Stott |
0
|
|
| F.Briggs | not out |
47
|
|
| J.W.Smith | caught Hibbert | bowled Barnard |
4
|
| E.Champion | caught Stott | bowled Barnard |
11
|
| C.L.Champion | bowled Barnard |
7
|
|
| F. Palmer | L.B.W. | bowled Barnard |
13
|
| J.G.Martin | not out |
0
|
|
| Extras: |
5
|
||
| Total: |
93-7
|
Unfortunately, no bowling figures were given.
To win their very first match must certainly have been a big boost for the new club and they were soon to become very respected by the other teams in the league. They finished their first season 4th in a league containing 8 teams, winning 8 and loosing 5 of their 13 matches. Frank Briggs topped the batting averages with 95 runs from 9 innings with an average of 13.4 whilst Tom Cooper was the only player to score over 100 runs, 115 at 11.5, low team totals were the order of the day in the early years. On the bowling side H. Emmett captured 22 wickets (at just 3.9 apiece), captain J.W. Smith 47 at five apiece and Cooper 20 at 7.1. The Darwen Gazette, in a review of the clubs brief history in 1903, said of their first season, that “J.W. Smith’s contribution cannot be overestimated.”
In such a short space of time the Etrurians became the most successful club in the town when they bowled out Duckworth Street for 18 to win the Darwen League in 1903. They finished top with 30 points, winning 15 and loosing 1 of their 16 games. Tom Cooper was again the most successful batsman scoring 220 runs with a highest score of 62 not out. Three others hit over 100 runs - Claude Champion, 158, J.W. Smith, 151, and Frank Briggs, 104. H. Emmett took 31 wickets at just 2.77 each, Raymond Hughes 55 (at 3.20) and Smith 46 (at 4.65). The fielding was of the highest order all season and the players showed great enthusiasm in both playing and practice.
A concert was held at the Co-operative Hall on the 18th November to celebrate the success and for the presentation of the league cup and medals to the players. It was also hoped that it would raise money for the erection of a pavilion.
During the close season in seeking a higher standard of cricket the Etrurians joined the Blackburn and District Cricket League. They had a poor start to 1904 but they picked up in mid-season to win 6 out of their next 7 games, though they lost the final too. 4 batsmen scored over 100 runs - Cooper with 197, Hughes, 125, Smith, 135, and Arthur Cronshaw 124 - though the batting was generally poor Claude Champion’s average falling from 17 at one point to finish at just 4.78. The bowling was as reliable as ever with Cronshaw taking 66 wickets, Hughes 40 and Smith 33, all costing less than 10 runs each. Unlike the previous season the fielding was poor the wicket-keeper T. Garner was reliable. The derby matches with Holy Trinity (or Darwen Trinity as the Blackburn newspapers referred to them) were the most eagerly anticipated with each club winning the match played on their opponents ground.
One voice of concern on the Etrurian’s cricket came from ‘Longfield’ in his review of the season in the Darwen Gazette when he said “the wickets at Moss Farm have all been unfavourable to batting and the sooner a new ground is obtained the sooner will the Etrurians show better form.”
In the off-season a new ground was obtained - the present ground at Birch Hall. Now being the premier club in the town they joined the newly formed North East Lancashire League where they played for the next 4 seasons. Darwen are still members of the league with the 4th XI representing the town.
On the playing side, in the higher company of the other teams, the Etrurians won 5 out of their first 6 games though they encountered no success in their next 8 games. Their final record was 7 wins, 6 defeats and 3 draws to finish a respectable fourth in a league which also contained Barrow, Brinscall, Low Moor, Mill Hill, Ribblesdale Wanderers, Waddington, Whalley A and Wilpshire. The team played well all-round with Cooper once again being the mainstay of the batting with 297 runs. Briggs, 113, Edgar Lamster, 151, and Hughes, 140, all contributed with Lamster also taking 54 wickets. The fielding was of a high standard also. In July the club toured North Wales winnings 3 of their 4 games.
Concern of the new Birch Hall ground was voiced at the end of the season by ‘Censor’, who said, “the club has been fairly well supported by the public, but unless the Birch Hall ground undergoes considerable improvement I fear that the Etrurians cricket must suffer.”
In 1906 they climbed two places to second place behind Low Moor having won 9 games, drawn 2 and losing just 3. The bowling and fielding were of a high standard though if the batting had been of an equally high standard the club would have won the Garnett Cup - the league title. There was much depth in the team at the time with the 2nd XI winning the inaugural 2nd division championship.
1907 saw the Etrurians begin the season at the top of the league where they remained all season to win the championship. Their nearest rivals were Mill Hill and Clitheroe A. The playing record was 8 wins, 3 defeats and 3 draws. The Garnett Cup was presented during a social gathering at the Victoria Restaurant.
Although they finished with a playing record identical to that of 1907 the Etrurians had to be satisfied with 3rd position in 1908. One match of note during that season was the away fixture against Whalley A on the 15th August when the Etrurians rattled up a total of 282-8. Although this was Whalley’s 2nd team it was a 1st XI match for the Etrurians. This score still remains the highest in the clubs history. They won by 248 runs, bowling Whalley A out for just 34. It is interesting to note that in such a high scoring innings the highest score was just 51 by F. Suter all the batsmen chipped in, with Tom Cooper scoring 50 retired, out.
In the Autumn of 1908, two meetings were held to discuss applying for membership of the Ribblesdale League. It was decided at the second to do so, and their application was duly accepted and welcomed by the league. They also considered dropping the name ‘Etrurians’ and calling themselves simply Darwen cricket Club but this was rejected.
During that off-season now that they were a member of a much higher standard league, the club signed their first professional, one Jimmy Haworth of Church. It is interesting to note that his weekly wages were £2 12/-6 and that in away matches he would receive talent money of 10/-6 for 50 runs, the same for 5 wickets, for 30 runs and again for 7 or more wickets in home matches for the same events there would be a collection from the spectators. He would also be allowed 3rd class railway fare and 1/-6 for tea for all away matches but not for home games.
The first match in this new league should have been against Burnley St. Andrews but this was washed out. Of their next 4 games the Etrurians won two and drew two. They eventually finished in 7th place out of 12 with 6 wins, 8 draws and 8 defeats. The other teams that year in their higher company league were Barrow (not Barrow-in-Furness but the village near Clitheroe), Burnley St. Andrews, Clitheroe, Earby, Great Harwood, Padiham, Read, Ribblesdale Wanderers, Sabden, Settle and Whalley (the champions that season). The 2nd XI took the senior sides place in the 1st division of the North East Lancashire League finishing in 4th position. The 1st XI were to remain in the Ribblesdale League until the formation of the Northern League in 1952.
In 1910 they finished in 9th position with 7 wins but 11 defeats. Haworth had a good season, his second and final as professional, scoring 317 runs with a top score of 68 not out and taking 70 wickets. The ever reliable Tom Cooper, hit 210 runs and bagged 32 wickets. 5 other batsmen scored over 100 runs whilst 3 other bowlers took 10 or more wickets for the season. The 2nd XI had an excellent season being champions of the North East Lancashire League.
DARWEN CRICKET CLUB. TWO WORLD WARS AND THE RIBBLESDALE LEAGUE. 1911-1951.
At the Annual General Meeting in the winter of 1910-11 the historic decision was taken to drop the word ‘Etrurians’ from the name of the club and in future it would be known simply as Darwen Cricket Club. For the first time in over a decade Darwen now had its own town club.
The first match under the new name was away to Read on the 15th April where they suffered a nine wicket defeat. Although they registered seven victories the club finished third from bottom with 10 defeats and 19 points. New professional Len Tobutt had an impressive season particularly with the ball taking 84 wickets at less than 8 runs apiece. His hauls included 8-39 against Ribblesdale Wanderers, 8-41 versus Burnley St. Andrews and 6-6 in 8 overs at home to Great Harwood. 5 batsmen hit over 200 runs with Tobutt scoring the most with 293. It is interesting to note that at that time the club was known by other members of the league as the ‘Valleyites’, a name no longer applied.
The 2nd XI finished joint top of their league and a play-off was needed against Baxenden to determine the outcome. In what looked to be a comfortable victory time beat them and a second match was needed. This time Baxenden finished on top and so they failed in their bid to retain the league title.
The next 3 seasons were uneventful as far as the results were concerned, with the 1st team finishing in 7th, 4th and 5th places in 1912, 1913, and 1914 respectively. In 1913 the 2nd XI won the Ribblesdale Junior League title.
At the end of the 1914 season for the duration of the First World War the Ribblesdale League ceased and it was 5 years before cricket returned to Birch Hall. 3 members of the 1st team made the supreme sacrifice for their country during the war - Percy Holgate (the former captain), Walter Hacking and George Pickup.
On the resumption of the league in 1919 several teams dropped out but the inclusion of Cherry Tree and, for their only season, Blackburn Railway Clerks brought the number up to 10 clubs. Darwen finished in 5th position winning 8 and loosing 7 of their 18 games. 1920 was very poor in terms of the weather with many clubs incurring heavy losses due to lack of support. The 1st XI finished in joint 5th place on nineteen points with Clitheroe. The 2nd XI, however, carried off the title of champions of the Ribblesdale Junior League, winning eleven of their fourteen games whilst loosing only once.
1921 saw a move of two places up the league table finishing in 3rd place with 10 wins and 24 points. For the first time that season Johnny Pollard played as professional as he was to do so for the next 2 seasons and for a further 3 from 1925 - 1927. A left-handed batsman and slow left arm bowler, his record of 2,247 runs together with 549 wickets for the 6 seasons must surely make him the most successful all-round professional in the clubs history. 1921 saw him top the batting averages with 490 runs at 24.50 an innings including the first ever century by a player representing the club, 118 away to Leyland Motors. He also took 95 wickets at a shade under ten finishing behind Edgar Lamster in the bowling averages who took forty wickets at 9.22 each.
Darwen came of age in 1922 celebrating its twenty-first year; expectations of a good and exciting season were high. These hopes were not to be dashed. After a poor start the club remained undefeated in the league from Whit Tuesday onwards and finished joint top, forcing a play-off with Leyland on the neutral ground of Whalley. Despite the poor weather early in the morning the match took place. Darwen, batting first, were dismissed cheaply for 87 but Pollard and Lamster ripped through the Leyland side routing them for just 38 and thereby winning the match by 49 runs and becoming champions of the Ribblesdale League for the first time. The Clitheroe Advertiser and Times records that when the cup was presented to the winning team Pollard refused to make a speech even though, much to his embarrassment, he was pushed to the front of the team he quickly sought refuge in the pavilion.
Pollard topped both the batting and bowling averages with 434 runs at 22.84, including another century, and 99 wickets at just 8.8. Len Garner also hit 331 runs. During the winter a whist drive and dance was held at the Co-operative Hall when medals were presented to the team and the clubs coming of age was celebrated at a dinner held in the Criterion Cafe.
The following 6 seasons then saw a steady drop down the table when in 1928 Darwen finished next to the bottom. 1923 saw Darwen finish equal on points, 24, with Chorley, Leyland Motors and Leyland in 5th position. Len Garner hit 306 runs whilst Pollard could be said to be a slight disappointment on his previous 2 years with the bat with 301 runs; he was, however, top of the bowling averages with 97 wickets at 8.77 each.
The weather in 1924 was the worst on record in the Ribblesdale League and of Darwen’s 22 games only 7 were played to a definite result and of the 15 draws 12 had to be abandoned only in 2 home games at Birch Hall did it not rain. The club finished in 8th place. New professional Sam Goodman scored 417 runs including 107 at Leyland and in his 40 wickets he took a hat-trick against Barrow. Wicket-keeper Harry Round, who joined the club in July, went for a trial with Lancashire County Cricket Club but there proved to be no place in the 1st XI for a wicket-keeper.
The first defeat of the 1925 season did not come until the 10th game and it was hoped that 1922 could be repeated but they then fell away and had to be content with 5th place, 3 better than 1924. Johnny Pollard returned to score 370 runs - Albert Holden also hit 361 runs and took 100 wickets, the only player in the league to do so, and a record for a Darwen bowler that still stands today. He took 5 or more wickets in a match 11 times :-
7-12
v Chorley (away),
7-34 v Leyland Motors (away),
6-51 v Leyland Motors (home),
6-39 v Whalley (away),
6-32 v Barrow (away),
8-36 v Read (home),
5-64 v Blackpool (home),
5-25 v Barrow (home),
5-88 v Ribblesdale Wanderers (home),
7-38 v Clitheroe (away),
7-37 v Burnley St. Andrews (away).
He was later presented with the ball that took him his 100th wicket at Burnley.
It was during 1925 that the new pavilion - which is still currently in use - was opened, on Saturday 27th June by the Mayor, Councilor Roger Marsden.
From the playing and spectators point of view the next 3 seasons were the worst in the clubs history so far finishing 3rd from bottom of the league in 1926 and 1927 and next to the bottom in 1928 with the 2nd team finishing bottom of the Junior League in 1927 and 1928. Pollard finished his Darwen career still in devastating form with both bat and ball hitting a century in 1927 and taking 75 and 83 wickets in 1926 and 1927 respectively. In the away match against Lancaster in 1928 Darwen were bowled out for just 13 though in the same season Albert Holden punished the St. Annes attack by the sea with 124, the highest individual score ever recorded by a Darwen player, amateur or professional.
A dramatic turn of events saw the Birch Hall team register 10 wins in 1929, 7 more than the previous year and attain 3rd place though the slide back down the table started once again in 1930 when they finished 5th culminating in bottom position for the very first time in 1931. The weather was poor all season and no batsman registered a single fifty, the highest score being just 31 by Albert Turner.
In 1932 they climbed the table reaching joint 5th with new professional George Hargreaves hitting a century in his 387 runs - 118 v Clitheroe - and taking 71 wickets, though 1933 found them ending up joint next to the bottom in both these seasons they finished with the same number of points as Ribblesdale Wanderers. The professional hit another hundred in scoring 505 runs, by far the most ever recorded by a batsman, though Norman Lees finished top of the clubs averages with 193 runs at 32.16. Hargreaves also took 77 wickets. The fielding throughout the season was the main weakness with catches being dropped and runs needlessly given away every week. "The most distressing thing about this," remarked 'Leg Stump', in his end of season review (24), "appears to be the fact that nothing is done to remedy it." This is something which commands a high priority in today's cricket at Birch Hall. The most heartening aspect of an otherwise dismal year was the fact that the second team won the Ribblesdale Junior League championship.
1934 proved to be a revelation; 12 years since last winning the league Darwen were champions again. A lot of hard work and preparation must have gone into the off-season after the disappointments of 1933. The final match of the season, away to Lancaster, was one of the most exciting ever played by Darwen. Having bowled out the home side for just 108 (Hargreaves 6-41) they managed to score the winning run with just 2 wickets and 6 minutes remaining. Had they lost a play-off between Leyland and Blackpool would have been necessary to decide the eventual winners. As it was Darwen celebrated their 2nd Ribblesdale League title.
Captain, Jack Watson, with just 77 runs and 6 wickets all season, commented after the match "I feel I have played a very small part in the winning of this cup; we have played as a team; every man has pulled his weight; one cannot single out one man above the others." Indeed 3 batsmen scored over 300 runs - Len Garner (395), Bert Harwood (340) and George Nixon (318) - whilst Hargreaves hit 299 runs and took 91 wickets from his 350 overs.
Crawford White, who was later to become a prominent reporter and broadcaster on Test cricket, took 60 wickets together with scoring 155 runs. After that final match the clubs’ president, Mr. W.H. Watson, took the team and some 40 supporters out to dinner at the Ring’s Arms Hotel in Lancaster by way of an impromptu celebration, something that is not heard of these days.
1935 saw the club fall from being the previous seasons champions down to joint 8th place in the league. This, however, did not mean that they did not play some good cricket, indeed in the match against Clitheroe Darwen piled up a massive 252-5 declared - the highest score the club under the name of just Darwen - with Hargreaves batting 115 and putting on 141 with Norman Lees for the first wicket they then bowled Clitheroe out for 147. Also, against Blackpool they score 248-3 - Len Garner 108 - and then dismissed the opposition for just 86. Hargreaves ended the season with 409 runs and 82 wickets whilst three other batsmen hit over 300 runs for the season - Len Garner (378), Maurice Gill (336) and Bert Harwood (316).
Darwen slipped a further place in the league table in 1936. New professional, John Crowther, could not emulate the feats of Pollard and Hargreaves of recent years though he did score 487 runs but only took 17 wickets. The season ended on a high note for the club with the 2nd team winning the Junior championship. Then in 1937 the club sank a further place finishing joint next to the bottom with Chorley. 25 batsmen took their guard at the crease that season and only Harwood - 341 runs - and professional Hughie Claughton - 458 runs together with 67 wickets - could get on top of the opposing attack. This was Claughton's second spell as Darwen professional, having appeared in the same role in the 1929 season. A middle order right-hand batsman and medium paced bowler, he also played in 4 games for Yorkshire in 1914 and 1919.
After a good start to the 1938 season the team lost form and finished in joint 7th place. The poor weather that year meant that it was the worst season financially for 10 years. Although he missed several games Harwood proved to be the most consistent player with 419 runs from his 14 innings - top score 92 - finishing with an average of 29.92. Claughton’s batting was a delight to watch for the spectator especially his innings of 120 against Read though he was unlucky at times with his bowling - 54 wickets. The 2nd team finished 2nd in their league after loosing a play-off to Langho Colony by 4 wickets. Many youngsters in the side held much promise for the future of the club.
1939 will be remembered most for the outbreak of war at the beginning of September, which prevented the club from completing its fixtures, the final two were not played. The league awarded 1 point to the clubs who could not fulfill their fixtures, which enabled Leyland Motors to win the championship. Although Darwen’ s fielding was weak, with the exception of wicket-keeper Harry Round, the batting and bowling improved on recent years enabling the club to attain 4th place. The batting was very strong with both Garner and Edwin Crompton scoring centuries whilst the captain, Harwood, hit 512 runs - an amateur record - for the season at the high average of 46.54. New professional George Hudson, a slow left arm bowler who played in two games for Lancashire in 1936, topped the bowling averages with 84 wickets including hauls of 9-22 against Ribblesdale Wanderers and 10-31 at Chorley - this still remains the clubs bowling record, amateur or professional.
There was uncertainty at the end of the season as to how long the ground would remain closed. Groundsman, Mr. T. Bradley, in a report to the club said, “I find it a strange duty at the unfortunate end of season 1939, to make a report for the future good of the ground at a time when we do not know how long it may be closed. I realize you will also find it difficult, and in order to assist you, I will make my report with a view to the ground opening for sport as usual …”‘
Cricket did return to Birch Hall in 1940 and for the duration of the war. In 1940 the Ribblesdale League was divided into 2 sections with 6 teams in each section playing each other 4 times. In the Western Division were Blackpool, Chorley, Lancaster, Leyland, Leyland Motors and St. Annes whilst the teams in the Eastern Division were Barnoldswick, Clitheroe, Darwen, Read, Ribblesdale Wanderers and Whalley. The winners of the 2 divisions were St. Annes and Darwen and a play-off was needed to determine which was to be the seasons league champions. As it was, rain ruined the match, with St. Annes having made 104-6 and the two clubs decided to share the title with St. Annes holding the cup for the first 6 months after the toss of a coin.
In 1941 the league reverted back to its usual appearance this time with several new teams Lancaster, Leyland Motors and St. Annes dropped out and were replaced by Blackburn St. James, Blackpool Services, Cherry Tree and Great Harwood with the Services team being the pre-season favourites to take the league title. This they did beating Leyland in a play-off whilst Darwen managed to finish 7th. With the situation being as it was Darwen used 26 players in the 1st team and thus could not get a settled side. Crawford White was the mainstay of the team scoring 292 runs and taking 43 wickets whilst Bert Harwood, for many previous seasons being the backbone of the team, could only manage 2 games.
The Services team proved to be the most successful team in the league during the war, being made up of servicemen stationed in the Blackpool area. They won the league title for 3 seasons in a row - 1941, 1942 and 1943 - whilst in 1944, their final season, they finished joint 2nd behind Blackpool. Darwen, in the meantime, during the period 1942-1944 finished joint 6th, joint bottom and tenth respectively. In 1945 after being in the bottom two for most of the season they won 5 out of their last 7 matches to finish in joint 5th position. For the first time since the outbreak of war the club ran a 2nd team who finished eighth in the North East Lancashire League. Since that year Darwen has continued to remain a member of that league with the 4th and, for a number of seasons, 3rd teams competing in it.
1946 saw the first season of peace-time cricket and it proved to be a bad one with the weather 7 matches were completely washed out and several others were badly affected. Only 3 matches were lost, however, and they finished mid-table. The 2nd team finished level on points with Lower Darwen at the top of the Ribblesdale Junior League though they eventually lost the play-off. A field adjacent to the north of the ground where Birch Hall Estate now stands (the Blackburn End) was obtained for the 3rd XI who now represented the town in the North East Lancashire League. On a sad note Mr. W.H. Watson, president since 1931, died.
10th out of 16 teams was Darwen’s position in 1947 whilst in the following season they finished in 4th place. This was one of the closest championships in the leagues history with only 6 points separating the top four. Bert Harwood hit 480 runs from his 20 innings and Gerald Verity 353 from 16, whilst new professional Gilfoy took 73 wickets. Also that season an indoor wicket was installed for practice during the winter months.
After a fine start to the 1949 season the 1st XI faded somewhat to finish in mid-table. There were, however, several thrilling victories recorded, in particular the away game at Chorley which veteran captain Jack Watson described as the finest game he had ever played in. Being 26-6 Darwen, thanks to a fighting 65 by J.C. Holden, managed to reach 123 all out; in reply Chorley, comfortable at 101-4, lost their remaining 6 wickets for 10 runs with Alec Gill taking 6-30 and Gilfoy 3-32. That same summer, after a three-way play-off, the 2nd XI won the Junior League for the fifth time, the 3rd team finished 3rd and for the first time in the clubs history an under-17s team played in the Darwen Junior League, winning 8 out of their 12 games.
For the first Darwen engaged an overseas professional in 1950. Ken Rickards a middle order right-hand batsman and leg-break bowler, played in one Test match for the West Indies against England early in 1948 and was to play his second and final Test on the Australasian tour of 1951-52. He played with much success for Jamaica between 1945-46 and 1958-59 hitting two centuries; he also toured the Indian sub-continent in 1948-49 and played 1 match for Essex in 1953. His signing caused much interest throughout the town and helped Darwen finish in 3rd place despite the appalling weather, with 9 victories he finished with 464 runs at an average of 66.29. Wickets were shared evenly between Watson, 35, Richards, 24, A. White, 23 and Brian Booth, 23, who was later to play for Lancashire who turned him into a batsman.
In October of 1950, Mr. T. Bradley, who had been groundsman at Birch Hall for 26 years, died.
The batting was very strong in 1951, and only once, were they all out for under 120 as they finished 4th, whilst the Juniors, undefeated all season, won the Darwen Junior League. With so many teams now competing in the Ribblesdale League - eighteen - a proposition was put forward by Darwen to form two sections was rejected. Reluctantly after 41 years the club, resigned their membership of the league. With 8 other clubs from the league - Blackpool, Chorley, Fleetwood, Lancaster, Leyland, Leyland Motors, Morecambe and St. Annes - they broke away to form the Northern League of which they are still a member. Furness and Kendal were also founder members bringing the total number of clubs in the new league to 11.
THE NORTHERN LEAGUE, 1952-1990.
Darwen made a disappointing start in the higher standard Northern League in 1952 finishing joint 9th with just 3 wins though the 2nd XI ended the season as runners up in the 2nd division. Ken Rickards dominated the batting hitting 846 runs at an average of 70.50 with a highest score of 126 not out, no one else scored over 200 runs all season. The Junior team retained the Darwen Junior League and also won the ‘Hindle’ Knockout Cup. It was around this time when Higher Birch Hall first came into use in place of the ground at the Blackburn End of Birch Hall which was taken over for development.
1953 proved to be another disappointing year as far as the 1st team was concerned, though Rickards hit 174 not out versus Leyland at home - a score, which still remains the clubs individual league highest (the highest overall league and cup score was achieved in 1988). The addition of Preston to the league helped to bolster the leagues already high status. The 3rd XI won the North East Lancashire League and the Juniors won their league for the third year in succession. For the first time in the clubs history a 4th XI was put out, competing in the same league as the 3rds showing the improving standards of cricket in the town.
1954 was disappointing with just 5 victories all season. Rickards returned to Birch Hall again, this time as an amateur, hitting 660 runs at 73.33 from 11 innings with 3 centuries.
1955 and 1956 saw mid-table positions attained whilst the 3rd XI won their league again in the latter season.
1957 found the 1st XI next to the foot of the table in a very wet season. No bowlers were able to support Bulcock, the new professional, who took 56 wickets. There was more success though for the clubs other 3 senior teams the 2nd XI remained undefeated to finish runner up in the 2nd division whilst in the North East Lancashire League the 3rd XI finished 3rd and the 4th XI won the leagues 2nd division for the first time. On a sad note Mr.A. Holden, a founder member of the club in 1901, chairman between 1936-1947 and an honorary life member, died on the 8th November.
In 1958 Darwen signed their second test player as professional in Jamaican Tom Dewdney. Dewdney played in nine Tests for the West Indies between 1954/55 and 1957/58 and toured New Zealand in 1955/56, England in 1957 and Australia in 1960/61. (37) He took 83 wickets as Darwen tied with Furness at the top of the league in the most successful post-war season to date. A play-off was required to decide who should win the league. Darwen batted first and made 162-8 declared off forty overs but were easily overhauled by 8 wickets with substitute professional Bill Alley hitting an undefeated 72 and Darwen had to be content with 2nd place. This was the last match Furness played in the Northern League as they dropped out of the league mainly due to the long distances between it and the other clubs. They were replaced by for the 1959 season by Netherfield, a club side based in Kendal. The Junior team meanwhile joined the Lancashire ‘A’ Teams League winning 7 of their 8 games. They beat Burnley in the semi-finals and drew with Bacup in the final to share the cup. During the course of the season the club applied for membership of the Lancashire League but, as it was to prove also in their applications over the next 2 seasons, they were rejected.
1959 was a lovely summer for cricket weather-wise and for the first time the club won the Slater Cup beating Kendal in the final though they only finished 7th in the league. The batting was very strong - 5 players scored 340 or more runs - though, with the exception of Dewdney with 69 wickets, the bowling was very poor. The 2nd XI won the 2nd division 14 points clear of their nearest rivals, whilst the new score-box was erected.
During the Summer and Autumn of 1959 the club tried, in vain, to sign Jim Laker as their 1960 professional but after many letters and a meeting with the captain, Jack Lightbown, Laker decided that Darwen was situated too far north from his home in London and declined the invitation. This was unfortunate as a player of his undoubted talent would have been a major coup for Darwen it would have been a major boost not only for the club but for the town as a whole.
As it was, Darwen’s new professional, Australian Jack Pettiford, proved to be one of the most popular and respected figures the club had ever signed and he ended the season with 403 runs and 55 wickets. 1960 was a very wet season and as a result the last game played at Birch Hall was on the 23rd July. Despite the rain Keith Harwood still managed to score 808 runs for an average of 44.89 - a record for the most runs by an amateur which still remains unbroken today. He hit seven fifties and had a highest score of 104 against St. Annes, whilst F.D. Booth also hit 551 runs at 50.10. Darwen retained the Slater Cup due to a league decision in their favour because of the attitude of Blackpool, which due to the weather intervening, left the game unfinished. Secretary, Bill Isherwood, commented, “It is very unsatisfactory that we should have won the cup in this way, but we did our utmost to try to get the game completed.”
1961 was uneventful in another wet season and in 1962 Darwen won the Slater Cup at Birch Hall beating arch rivals Blackpool in one of the closest finishes of all time by just one run and with all 22 wickets down. In the league they finished joint 4th with the professional, Pakistani ‘Jim’ Minhas, taking 9-36 against Fleetwood though for the most part he was inconsistent. Minhas reappeared as an amateur in 1963 and again in 1964. The club could only field a moderate team in 1963 and despite Vijay Bhosle hitting 818 runs gate receipts of only £85 were the lowest since 1945.
In 1964 Darwen were the only team to beat eventual winners Blackpool finishing in the runners up spot with 10 victories and just 1 defeat. Bhosle beat the clubs professional batting record with 901 runs at 60.07 hitting 6 fifties and 2 centuries. Fellow Indian Sada Mohol beat Darwen’s old Northern League amateur bowling record with 48 wickets whilst Ken Smith took 41 at just 8.68 apiece, including 7-11 at Preston. The club was saddened to learn of the death of recent professional Jack Pettiford in Sydney that year many in Darwen had lost a true friend.
3rd position was attained in 1965 and Alan Bolton, who had started his cricketing career at Birch Hall, returned after 5 seasons of county cricket with Lancashire as professional. All the batsmen chipped in with useful contributions but the great strength of the team lay in its bowling with the majority of the wickets being shared by 6 bowlers.
1966 was to prove the most successful season in the clubs history and remains so. However, Saturday 23rd April is a day most Darreners will want to forget.
The final scorecard of that away game at St. Annes read :
Darwen
| J. Clark | caught Wright | bowled Kettlestring |
0
|
| G.S. Eccles | bowled Standing |
0
|
|
| P.D. Haydock | caught Dobson | bowled Kettlestring |
1
|
| A. Bolton | bowled Kettlestring |
0
|
|
| D. Eccles | caught Allen | bowled Kettlestring |
2
|
| E.H. Friend | caught Dobson | bowled Standing |
0
|
| S. Westall. | caught Watts | bowled Standing |
1
|
| J.H.Bolton | bowled Kettlestring |
1
|
|
| C. Reilly | caught Taylor | bowled Standing |
0
|
| K.B. Smith | not out |
1
|
|
| P. Walmsley | caught Taylor | bowled Standing |
0
|
| Extras: |
0
|
||
| Total: |
6
|
Bowling Figures: Kettlestring 5-1; Standing 5-5.
St. Annes
| A. Dobson | run out |
0
|
|
| N. Allen | not out |
4
|
|
| O. Johnson | not out |
1
|
|
| Extras: |
4
|
||
| Total: |
9-1
|
Bowling Figures: Reilly 0-0; Walmsley 0-5.
This still remains not only the clubs lowest score but the lowest score ever in the Northern League.
After such a disastrous start the season could only get better and so it did. Much satisfaction was gained from the double over Blackpool. Finally on the 3rd September 1966 3 titles came to Birch Hail when the 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams all won their respective leagues. Spurred on by this on the very same day the 4th team won their first match of the season. All the batsmen played well, especially Bolton who hit 460 runs, though the greatest performance came from Ken Smith, who broke the clubs amateur bowling record with 59 wickets which was to stand for 21 years. Despite the success on the playing field the club made a loss of £179 1/-6, with the gate receipts being the worst ever.
5th place was achieved the following year but in 1968, just 2 seasons after winning the league, Darwen finished bottom for the first ever time. The batting was, however, quite strong with Eccles, Demming, Clark and Haydock all hitting over 330 runs whilst Demming, Smith and White all took over 25 wickets apiece. They climbed to a respectable 7th place in 1969 though this was perhaps slightly disappointing after much was promised in the early matches. The batting was not very strong with the downfall being the middle order perhaps this would have been better but for Geoff Eccles unfortunately braking an arm in the match against Morecambe and thus only batting 7 times all season.
Mid-table was again attained in 1970. The club was at the top of the league for the first half of the season though they failed to win again after the 11th July and finished joint 6th with St. Annes. The opening pair of Eccles and John Clark was sound and of his 455 runs new professional, M.H. Chapple, hit 346 of them in boundaries (33 sixes and 37 fours), together with his 37 wickets. The fielding, other than that of Clark, was generally very poor. The secretary, in his annual report, was disappointed to record that there was too much apathy amongst the playing members of the club they did not support functions organised by the club - with a small number of exceptions - and were never seen during the winter. This had been noted many times previously in annual reports and was to be written many times again.
In 1971 the players appeared to show little imagination and enthusiasm for the game. There was never any consistency in the batting - one week they made the lowest score in the league that season, 15, and the following week the highest, 248. Only David Bonner enhanced his reputation with 418 runs at 19.90 an innings and he became a regular bowler for the first time taking 27 wickets. The fielding again was generally poor. In the 2nd division the 2nd XI lost the Blackledge Cup final to Lancaster. In 1972 Darwen finished third from bottom. 16 year-old Tom Keena opened the batting all season hitting 244 runs though it was Bonner, with 330 runs and 33 wickets who was the most successful player. Of the other teams put out by the club the 2nd XI finished a highly respectable 3rd whilst the 3rd team played in the Ribblesdale Junior League having left the North East Lancashire League to play a higher standard of cricket. For the first time the club fielded an Under-15s XI. Extensive improvements to the pavilion and the building of a pavilion on Higher Birch Hall led to a loss of £437.90 for the season.
1973 saw the club for the first time field a 5th XI and an under-13s XI bringing the total number of teams put out by Darwen to 8. 1974 was again disappointing finishing 11th. There was no consistency in the batting and the bowlers found it difficult to make early breakthroughs. The highlight of the season was the fact that the under-13s reached the Lancashire final played at Old Trafford. Bar profits proved to be the highest ever at £1,033.53.
1975 was the most successful season since 1966. They climbed to 6th place in the league with 9 wins and a tie against Leyland Motors whilst they reached the finals of both cup competitions, loosing to Netherfield in the Matthew Brown Trophy though beating Blackpool to win the Slater Cup for the first time since 1962. Professional, M.J, Howard, hit 523 runs and took 46 wickets whilst John Clark, in hitting 122 v Kendal, made the highest individual score for 11 seasons. Alan Brown impressed as a wicket-keeper, so much so that he was invited by Worcestershire to have a trial.
Despite the good weather of 1976, Darwen were a poor side morale was low and the standard of play was inconsistent. The 4th XI won the 2nd division of the North East Lancashire League thereby gaining promotion whilst the 5th XI played their last season in the Ribble Valley League and a shadow was cast as to the future of the team.
It is interesting to note that during the 1970’s 3 former Darwen players became mayors of the borough Colin Talbot in 1973-74, Jim Swanton 1975-76 and Rendell Allen 1979-80.
The seasons 1977-1980 proved to be the worst in the clubs history, finishing bottom of the league on each occasion, jointly with Netherfield in 1979. The only bright spot was the victory over Fleetwood in the final of the 1978 Matthew Brown Trophy. They finished 9th in 1981 with Simon Painter, in his first full season, hitting 671 runs, the most by an amateur for 21 years. Former Lancashire batsman, Bob Entwistle, broke V.H. Bhosle’s professional batting record with 937 runs and an average of 55.11 with 10 fifties.
Darwen slipped to 11th place in 1982 though they did reach the final of the Martini Trophy - which replaced the Slater Cup for 2 seasons to be followed by the Midland Bank Trophy - loosing to local rivals Chorley. Individually, David Bonner had a good season scoring 345 runs and taking 44 wickets he was selected to play for the Northern League representative team that went on to win the Wilson Trophy at Old Trafford, Batsman, Andrew Rigby, amazed everyone including himself in the final match by taking 8-59 against Kendal when brought on to bowl.
Bottom place was once again registered in 1983 with the worst weather for many seasons. Entwistle hit 697 runs whilst Graham Ainslie, in scoring 540 runs, broke the clubs amateur batting record for the highest individual score with 142 against St. Annes at Birch Hall. One of the most memorable matches for many years was played in the Matthew Brown Trophy when they lost to Blackpool by just two runs. There was much praise of the team all round and it was a good advertisement for the sport of cricket. (43)
In 1984 the club finished in 9th position. In the home game against Netherfield, Bonner ripped through the Cumbrians’ taking 8-22 as they crumbled to 78 all out though they were 9-5 at one point. Bonner finished the season with 472 runs and 54 wickets. A half-fit professional - Ken Snellgrove, formerly of Lancashire - scored 442 runs whilst Entwistle, playing as an amateur, hit 720 runs at 42.35 with 2 centuries. The 3rd XI finished runners up to Clitheroe in the Ribblesdale League.
A motoring accident to Bob Entwistle on the way back from Netherfield deprived Darwen of his services for most of 1985; they finished 6th in the league. Snellgrove scored 508 runs, Colin Mitchell 545 and Australian amateur Tony Corcorran 460 and 30 wickets.
In 1986 6th place was again attained and the club reached the final of the Midland Bank Trophy only to loose to Fleetwood due to the hostile pace bowling of West Indian professional Franklyn Stephenson. Darwen’s new professional, Indian Suresh Keshwala, impressed topping both the batting and bowling averages with 585 runs at 29.25 and 69 wickets at 14.88. The opening partnership of Ainslie and Painter proved to be reliable whilst Graeme Parkinson impressed behind the wicket with 31 catches. Keshwala and Bonner were grossly over bowled, 695.4 overs compared to 172.2 spread out amongst 5 others, but they took wickets and thus backed their captains’ faith in them. Only 44 overs of spin were bowled all season. Of the clubs other teams the 3rd XI won the newly formed Chorley and District League Division 3 and the under-15s won the Blackburn Area Colts League. A profit of £1,085 was recorded for the year.
For only the second time in their history and for the first time in 21 years, Darwen became Northern League champions in 1987 beating Leyland in a play-off at Birch Hall after both clubs finished the season level on 87 points. Going into the final game at Morecambe in 5th position the best they could have really hoped for was to finish in the top four and so qualify for the 1988 Lancashire Cup. They won a thrilling game on a very wet pitch and with rain washing out or badly affecting the top clubs Darwen finished level with Leyland in one of the closest league title chases in the Northern Leagues history. A first attempt at the play-off was washed out after 6.3 overs but the weather the following day was much better. Darwen held Leyland to 125-9 off their allotted 40 overs with Bonner taking 5-57 and substitute professional Bernard Reidy, in place of Keshwala who had to return home to India, 3-63. Graham Ainslie (49) and Reidy (33 not out) brought the championship back to Birch Hall in Graeme Parkinson’s first season as captain.
The rest of the season was also not without interest. Early on Kendal amassed the league batting record with 276-6 declared whilst Darwen replied with 190-2 and in the away game at Netherfield the Birch Hall team slumped to 49 all out. In the penultimate match of the season against Blackpool David Bonner broke the clubs 21 year-old amateur bowling record and finished with 69 wickets, an average of 12.75 per wicket. The batting star of the season was undoubtedly Ainslie who scored 718 league runs (at 44.87) and in all league and cup games finished 4 short of 1000 (at 47.72). Elsewhere, the under-15s retained the Blackburn Area Colts League title and also became Lancashire champions at Old Trafford.
In 1988 Australian professional Scott Hookey proved to be one of the best batsmen and hardest hitting players ever seen in the Northern League as the club finished in 4th position. He struck form immediately and never lost it beating the clubs professional batting record with 1,078 runs at 53.90, the first time a player representing Darwen had ever scored 1,000 or more runs in a season. He hit 8 fifties and 2 centuries including 145 at Kendal, the highest score by a Darwen player since 1953, as Darwen recorded one of their highest victories ever defeating the home side by 183 runs. With Ainslie he put on a record 203 for the first wicket in a total of 259-3, the highest score by Darwen Cricket Club though it still did not match the 282-8 by the Etrurians in 1908. In the Lancashire Cup game at Eccleston the club rattled up 276-3 off just forty overs with Hookey blasting 178, the highest individual score by a Darrener in any form of cricket. Of the other players Ainslie hit 462 runs, Parkinson 419 and 17 catches behind the wicket, Painter 319 runs and Bonner 278 and 46 wickets. The 2nd XI finished 3rd and the 5th XI won the 3rd division of the Chorley and District League. A profit of £1,141 was recorded up £400 on the previous championship winning season. Bob Entwistle announced his retirement because of injury he was given a benefit game and honoured by the committee with life membership of the club.
After the signing of South African Peter Botha fell through the signing at such a late stage in the off-season of former Australian Test player Ian Callen for 1989 was a stroke of luck. His attitude on and off the field could not have been more professional. He played once for Australia against India in 1977/78 and toured the West Indies in 1977/78 and Pakistan in 1982/83. The club had a mixed season finishing in 7th place. The leading run scorer in all cricket, was Simon Painter with 665 runs at 28.91 with Ainslie hitting 514 runs and a much improved Gary Jackson 438. Bonner hit 375 runs and took 32 wickets whilst Callen finished with 475 runs and 63 wickets. Seventeen year-old pace bowler Jeff Hacking, in his 2nd season, took 46 wickets at 20 apiece and Ian Bateson impressed behind the wickets with 36 catches and 5 stumpings. The 3rd team again won their league.
Darwen finished a very commendable 3rd in 1990. Hookey returned as professional hitting over 1,000 league runs once again; he finished with 1,026 runs at 57 an innings with 10 fifties and 2 hundreds (Preston and Leyland). Together with Ainslie he constantly gave Darwen a good start to the innings but the middle order was much less reliable. Ainslie made 685 runs at 36.05 though of the rest of the batsmen only the captain, Painter, really scored any but he was very inconsistent with just 217 runs. He bowled his left arm spin often taking 19 wickets whilst Bonner took 57 wickets at 13.49, Hacking 10 and 17 year-old all-rounder Gareth Cordingley, 32. Much praise must go to Michael Anderson and his team as the 5th XI won the Chorley and District League 3rd Division for the 4th time in 5 seasons - in 1987 they finished 2nd. After the season ended Anderson decided to stand down as the teams captain. Prior to the start of the season Darwen saved the nearby local village side of Lower Darwen from extinction by a near amalgamation and by providing players and practice facilities for the smaller club.
A profit of £4,579 was recorded in 1990 compared to the £2,302 in 1989 showing that the club is in a healthy situation with much interest being generated throughout the town.
In 1991. Whilst Simon Painter moved to Church in the Lancashire League and Jeff Hacking took up a professional post with Preston, Scott Hookey returned for a third season and Graeme Parkinson resumed the captaincy role vacated by Painter.
The 2002 Season started with high hopes as Andrew Mercer returned to the side, although Neil Cordingley went to Whalley as professional.
The first game resulted in an easy victory at Leyland. Keith Semple scored 103 in or 210. In Reply Leyland only managed 81.
In our opening home match we had a winning draw versus Lancaster - the opposition playing for a draw with at least 25 overs left.
On the Bank Holiday Monday the Northern League fixture computer sent us up to Netherfield to contest what was probably a game that would define our season. We were asked to bat and managed to amass 187 due mainly to a magnificent 100 not out from Gareth Cordingley. Excellent bowling from our quartet meant that at one point Netherfield were 65 for 6. However Graham Clark abiding by the rules managed to score 62. The return of Andrew Mercer meant that we eventually won by 36 runs.
A win followed at home to Fleetwood and then we had a washed out game against Preston despite the valiant efforts of Ian Cordingley to take the waterhogs all the way to Preston.
At Leyland Motors Andrew Mercer picked up 7 for 19 against a lack luster batting display and we won the match by 5 wickets.
We then beat St. Annes at home by 6 wickets.
Against local rivals Chorley in a rain affected game, they managed to hold on to a draw at 85 for 8.
We destroyed Blackpool at Stanley Park bowling them out for 57. All the bowlers shared the wickets with Captain Jeff Hacking managing to pick up a hat trick (batsmen 9,10, and 11) and the match was over by 5.20 p.m.
Again the weather was a factor as we had a winning draw against Kendal Gareth scoring 81 in our 177.
We got back to winning ways against Leyland at home, they were bowled out for 73, Andrew Mercer taking 7 for 30, We eventually won by 4 wickets - Mick Horsfield hitting the winning runs.
An important win at Lancaster followed, as Mercer picked up 3 wickets in his last 2 overs to win the game. He also achieved a hot trick in his 2nd over and finished with 7-21.
For the third time the weather stopped us winning the game against Netherfield. Mark Hadfield and Gary Jackson both scored 50's in our 211. Netherfield were 56 for 6 when the rain came.
At Fleetwood we managed to score 211 due mainly to John Cordingley's 50, We then bowled Fleetwood out for 89 with Mercer 6 for 44.
At that time Darwen and Morecambe has pulled clear in the League ahead of Netherfield. In our home game against Morecambe a poor batting display apart from Keith's 52 and John Cordingley's 31 meant we only scored 129. As always the team never gave up and with Andrew Mercer getting 6 for 27 we bowled them out for 116.
A comfortable victory over Leyland Motors followed with Keith Semple scoring 100 not out and we the disposed of the St. Annes team in similar fashion.
We outplayed Chorley on August Bank Holiday Monday winning by 9 wickets Andrew Mercer taking 5 wickets and Gary Jackson and Keith Semple scoring 50s.
On the following Saturday we clinched the title with a victory over Blackpool.
Unfortunately the season ended on a slight anti-climax when Kendal decide their pitch was unfit to play at 9.15 a.m. and wouldn't be getting changed.
2002 was a season that probably will never be repeated. As title winners we were the first team to go unbeaten since 1977.
All of those players who represented the 1st XI - Jeff Hacking, Graham Ainslie, Gareth Cordingley, John Cordingley, Stuart Grant, Mark Hadfield, Michael Horsfield, Gary Jackson, Chris Lowe, Andrew Mercer, Graeme Parkinson, Keith Semple - should be proud of their performances and their attitude - hopefully this will continue for a few years yet.
Individual mention must be made to Andrew Mercer who broke the club bowling record taking 79 wickets, a record that will stand for many years. Gareth Cordingley also had an excellent season with the bat, scoring over 800 runs but just falling short of the club record. Keith Semple showed why the Club believes he is the best all round professional in the league.
by Jeff Hacking (Captain)
Expectations were high for the 2003 season, which saw the 1st XI looking to regain the Championship and gain successes in the Cup Competitions.
Captain elect Chris Lowe was to lead the side, after Jeff Hacking had stood down, and professional Keith Semple had again signed for the club. Andrew Mercer had spent the previous winter gaining more experience in the Southern Hemisphere.
The side played consistently throughout the course of the season and had more individual performances than the 2002 campaign. Gary Jackson had an exceptional 1st half of the season, which saw him hit a maiden Northern league 100 against Leyland Motors. Captain Lowe gained in confidence as the season progressed and the second half of the season he showed the form that he had been capable of for many years. Sometimes the role of Captain has an adverse effect on players, but I feel that in Chris's case it has brought the best out of him and he has played with more maturity and consistency. Long may it continue!
Jeff Hacking likewise reveled in his new role and performances with both bat and ball, were sometimes the difference in securing victory. His ability and confidence too turn to leg spin in the title decider at St. Annes, was a key moment of the season.
Andrew Mercer and Gareth Cordingley were again the players who would play key roles in the side and whilst their individual performances were not of the standard of the previous term, Merse finished 2nd leading wicket in the league and Gareth's quick fire 70 against St. Annes's, was another key moment of the season.
Keith Semple again showed why he is the most respected professional in the league and his performances with both bat and ball were crucial. He compliments the side so well and has been the model professional during his period of time at the club. Same again Semps next term!
The title was secured for the second consecutive season and third time in the last five years, on a memorable afternoon/evening at St. Annes. It was a classic game of league cricket that could have gone either way, but the experience and desire of the team showed through and it was fitting professional Keith Semple got the last wicket and sent the huge contingent of Darwen supporters wild! The club has never previously won back to back Championships, but this squad of players can be proud of making history. They have the potential to make this decade a very special one for Darwen CC, as this is surely a golden era in the clubs history.
Whilst it would only be fair to individually name all other players in this report, it is impracticable, but each and everyone of the squad made valuable contributions towards the team's success and can also be proud of their individual achievements.
Cup cricket was again not the highlight of the season, whilst the team tried to remedy previous season attempts. Defeat against rivals Morecambe in the semi final of the Thwaites Cup, was hard to swallow. Defeats also in the early rounds of both the National and Lancashire Cup were disappointing, It would appear that Sunday cricket doesn't bring the best out of this side, but hopefully that will be put right in 2004.
2nd XI
The 2nd XI under the guidance of Chris Bolton had a fantastic season and one which the club and players can be proud. Many seasons of finishing mid table had become the norm, but this time the experience of winning games consistently meant the side played with confidence and at the mid way stage found themselves at the top of the league.
Whilst the second half of the season was not as fruitful, they side maintained themselves in the championship run-in, right up to the last couple of weeks of the season. They finally finished in joint second position with Leyland Motors, only for the Northern League Executive to determine that Leyland had secured more 15 point victories and therefore awarded them second position. The club has continued to communicate with the league to object to this decision, as it is not in the league rules.
On the performance front, Dominic Heyes was the main runscorer with valuable contributions being made by a couple of elder statesmen in the team, namely Painter and Bonner. Chris Clark an up and coming junior player became a regular in the team and his maiden 50 was scored at Netherfield and hopefully that will give him the confidence to play in the 1st XI in years to come. He made his debut for the 1st XI in the final game of the season and became the youngest player to represent Darwen at this level.
The wickets were shared by primarily the seam attack, Chris Davies had another excellent season and David Bonner was the model of consistency. (Where have we heard that before). Vice Captain Andy Cook, provided the left arm variation and Craig Chatterton, Michael Grant and Simon Cooper were the other main contributors. In the spin department it was left to Simon Painter to deliver the variation.
The season again provided opportunities for blooding some of the younger players and playing in a successful side, will hopefully have given them the confidence to go on and win more matches in the future.
In the cup competition the side failed to qualify for the knock out stage, which was a disappointment, but again like the 1st XI they will be looking for better success in 2004.
3rd XI and 4th XI
The sides again competed in the strong Chorley and District Cricket league, with limited resources and often chasing players on the morning of the game.
Much credit must go to Tony Beesley (3rd XI) and Martin Burke (4th XI) for their commitment and patience during the course of the season. Not many senior clubs continue to run four senior teams in the area, and at times it was difficult to turn out with 11 players. The wide variety of other competing factors (i.e. football, holidays and personal commitments) can sometimes have a major influence on selection and availability.
Tony's role of 3rd XI captain is a mixture of having competent cricketers in the team and providing grounding opportunities for some of the junior players. The side competed well at times, but this division has strong competition and at the team were left to be second best on too many occasions. Tony again was the backbone of the batting and much relied on his shoulders. During these trying times his performances have been the difference in determining whether the side has been successful.
Martin took on the 4th XI captaincy and under his guidance the younger players continue to develop. It was pleasing to see the likes of his son Niall, Scott and Nathan Carr and Andy Brown look comfortable playing against senior players. The elder stalwarts of this side Messrs Waddicor, Leonard, Craig and Heyes continue to provide their valuable experience. Dan Heys was probably the pick of the bunch with the ball and Martin completed a fine season with a top score of 98 on the final day of the season.
These sides play an important role to nurture the younger players into senior cricket, before they are given the opportunity to flavour the Northern League. It must be remembered that the success of the 1st and 2nd XI's this season, is partly down to the grounding that all these players have had, in past seasons in the Chorley and District League.
Our club has always been developed to
produce high quality junior players, who eventually will be given the opportunity
to play in the senior teams. We are not a club that attracts players from
other leagues and the present crop of 1st XI players have all come through
the junior ranks.
LONG MAY IT CONTINUE!
Cricket Chairman
Graham J. Ainslie
The vast majority of this history was written originally by Graham Groom who was Darwen scorer and Hon. Secretary. He wrote an history in 1991. (THE HISTORY OF DARWEN CRICKET CLUB 1901 - 1990 by Graham Groom follow this link to view the original or email m.horsfield@blackburn.ac.uk for a copy in word format.)
