Category: Club news

An excellent chase from the 1st team, helped by a welcome return to form from captain Travis Townsend, saw Greenmount past Norden in their rearranged Worsley Cup fixture writes SAM CHADWICK.

But a first league defeat of the season made sure of a mixed weekend for all senior teams.

The cup fixture was their second go at a trip to Norden, after rain put pay to any play at Stag Park last weekend.

Greenmount were asked to bowl at the toss, as Norden made their way to a competitive 238 all out from 46.2 overs.

Mitchell Owen top-scored for the home side with 65 from 56, while Townsend and Amal Dalugoda both took identical figures of 3 for 33.

This brought Townsend to the crease, racking up 22 fours in his 115 from just 91 balls, ably backed up by Andy Kerr (37) and Danny Hornby (28).

By the time the captain was removed, just 12 runs were needed for the win. It was then an important 14 not out from Dalugoda that got them over the line.

Elsewhere on Saturday, there was an emphatic win for our third eleven as they continued their impressive form.

Batting first at home to Rawtenstall, they ran up an impressive total of 239 for 7 from 40 overs, going on to bowl their opponents out for just 68.

The stars of the show were captain Mark Crowther, with 71 from 66 balls, and the returning Simon Banks, who made a standout 89 from just 68 in his first innings of the season.

Left-arm spinner Noah Birtwistle took another three wickets in the second innings, carrying on his great start to the season with the ball.

In contrast, Sunday was a disappointing day for both first and second teams, with both falling short in run chases against Colne and Church, respectively.

At home, the first eleven fell 20 runs short of their revised target of 148 in a rain-curtailed game, having limited Colne to 164 all out.

Professional Jacques Snyman picked up 4 for 36 and there was another three wickets for Townsend in what was, at least, a strong bowling effort.

Greenmount finished on 128 for 8 from 31 overs in reply, with wickets being lost at regular intervals to arrest momentum. Opening the batting again, Dan Stevens made 29 with 5 fours and a six with Gav Nicholl also contributing 29 with 5 fours and Travis Townsend 23.

The highlight of the match was perhaps Toby Leach’s debut for the side, stepping in at the eleventh-hour for Heaton after a strong start to his debut season at the club.

The second team’s match at Church was also stopped short by rain, but the result was a bygone conclusion in chase of 230.

After Manazer Mehmood’s 89 from 123 balls for the home side, Greenmount fell to 60 for 5 in reply and never looked like chasing the total.

Adam Clarke stood out with the ball, going for just 13 in his 7 overs and perhaps deserving a wicket, with leg-spinner Rupert Hallows collecting three wickets at the death.

In the second innings, Nigel Hallows top scored with 27 from 59. Sam Chadwick also got some welcome runs, unbeaten on 21 from 36 before the rain came.

Results put the first team into the second round of the cup and third in the league standings. The seconds sit fifth in their division, while the thirds move up to second.

The firsts had a superb Worsley Cup win at Norden on Saturday thanks to a century from skipper Travis Townsend. They now travel to Crompton in the next round on May 25th.

This coming week’s fixtures are: Sunday, May 19th first team away at Nelson while the second team are at home to Nelson.

This week’s bar opening hours

Monday: 3pm to 11pm

Tuesday: 4pm to 11pm

Wednesday & Thursday: 3pm to 11pm

Friday: 2pm to 11pm

Saturday: 12 noon to 11pm

Sunday: 12 noon to 10.30pm

Harrison’s at Greenmount

Chris will be serving food at the times below, but also please follow his Facebook page for specials and any changes

Thursday, May 16th: 5pm to 8pm

Friday, May 17th: 9.30am to 12.30pm and 4pm to 8pm

Saturday, May 18th: 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 8pm

Sunday, May 19th: 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 6pm

Sport on TV this week

Monday, May 13th: 8pm Aston Villa v Liverpool

Tuesday, May 14th: 8pm Spurs v Man City

Wednesday, May 15th: 8pm Man Utd v Newcastle

Thursday, May 16th: 8pm Leeds v Norwich

Friday, May 17th: 8pm Southampton v West Brom

Saturday, May 18th: League One Play-off final: 4.15pm Bolton v Oxford Utd

Sunday, May 19th: With the Premier League coming to an end today we will be showing the games that will determine the fate of the title.

This week’s ales

The coming week’s cask ales will be a selection of beers: Marble (Pint & Draft); Bowland (Bumble) and Moorhouses (Straw Dog, White Witch, Blonde Witch & Pride of Pendle).

The thirds picked up their first win of the season on Monday, as a rain-affected match saw them beat Littleborough 3rd XI by six wickets writes SAM CHADWICK.

The game was shortened to 25 overs after some heavy rain, with captain, Mark Crowther having been asked to field earlier on in the day.

This decision turned out to be a stroke of luck as, after the delay, the thirds’ trademark young fast-bowling attack got to work.

It was Adam Clarke and George Kenyon who opened the bowling, applying pressure on a young Littleborough outfit. This was emphatically backed up by some clever swing bowling from Matthew Gilmore, which saw him pick up figures of 3 for 6 in his allocated five overs.

The opposition were reduced to 41 for 5, but there was to be a fightback, as number three batter Sam Butterworth made his way to an unbeaten 50 (66), after a rugged partnership with James Devine.

Notable figures of 2 for 18 from Kenyon and 1 for 21 from leg-spinner Toby Leach saw the Rochdale outfit finish on 92 for 6.

The modest target was soon eaten away at by a strong opening partnership of 41 from Leach (13) and Leigh Dickinson (20). However, they fell in quick succession, with the former being bowled by a beauty from Jawaad Hussain to leave the Mount on 42 for 2.

Nerves were settled by a steady partnership from Chris Sherrington (14) and Mark Crowther (12). But both were removed to leave us 73 for 4, with Butterworth adding to a fine display by taking a screamer of a catch off his own bowling to remove Sherrington. The catch also, incidentally, saved umpire John Stevens from a trip to A&E!

It was to be Adam Clarke and Wes Young who calmly got the club over the line with 2.3 overs to spare, dealing Littleborough their first defeat of the season.

The performance bodes well for the rest of the campaign, especially with a sharp bowling attack showing they are more than capable of taking wickets.

Saturday’s Worsley Cup first round fixtures pitted Greenmount against Norden, the first team travelling the short distance to Stag Park.

Unfortunately – and very much in line with this summer so far – the weather had the final say as the match was abandoned without a ball bowled and will now be played next Saturday (11th May).

This left the second team to take centre stage and they thrilled the home crowd with an excellent display which took their opponents from a higher division right to the wire.

In a high-scoring entertaining watch, the aggregate scores almost reached 600, belying the pre-season wet conditions.

The highlight was a stand of 186 from new boy 17-year-old Toby Leach and the more experienced campaigner Kieran Edwards, entertaining the crowd with an array of boundaries including 9 sixes and 17 fours.

Toby reached an excellent maiden senior century and Kie unfortunately missed out by just two runs for an equally excellent 98.

After a nice cameo from Noah Birtwistle who continued his fine early season form with an unbeaten 20 from 10 balls, the innings closed on 298 from 48 overs. 

Norden set about the chase – reduced slightly by DLS – with immediate intent. There were excellent contributions from Nick Brierley (78) and Haris Hussain (48) but Ross Collin’s unbeaten 44 from 32 balls saw them narrowly over the line.

Once again our second team bowling attack carried a very youthful air with most of the front line bowlers under the age of 18, pitting their skills against experienced senior players.

It can only be good for their development and experience as they are learning fast. Brothers Max and Noah Birtwistle took two wickets apiece and Ed Dickinson the other as Norden reached their target with five wickets remaining.

Watch out for our second team this summer, there are some good stories starting to build with our young players – we will have some good and bad days but overall the signs are that its already a big improvement on last year, rumour has it that Oli Dixon has been seen smiling after games!

On to Sunday and the second round of league matches this time against Walsden.

The first team made the away trip but having lost the toss experienced a torrid innings, being tumbled out for 109 in just 28 overs on a sporting wicket.

Fortunately Callum Hunter ensured that we reached three figures with a battling 35 not out, receiving valuable support from Kieran Edwards and Danny Hornby.

However the Mount then proceeded to do what we didn’`’t last year – win ugly!

Walsden were bowled out for just 53 in 20 overs with Jacques Snyman taking 4 for 18 from ten overs and new man Amal Dalugoda weaving his magic with 5 for 19 from eight overs, a fantastic performance from both spinners and a very positive result against a quality team who will surely be challenging for promotion.

League positions after two matches are fairly meaningless however the important point is that we have won two from two and in each game different players have delivered the impact to change the fortune of the match.

Oli Dixon’s winning smile returned once again with a routine win over Walsden seconds. Walsden simply had no answer to a fantastic spell of controlled swing and seam bowling as Oli took 6 for 45 from 12 overs, ably supported again by Noah Birtwistle with 3 for 16 from 12 overs to continue his great start to the season.

Here’s an example of a young player taking his chance having been asked to open the bowling last week and it’s excellent to see young players taking on the challenge and impacting the game with performance.

Low scoring matches can often raise the blood pressure but a calm unbeaten 21 from Sammy Greenhalgh ensured the win comfortably by seven wickets. Two wins from two for our twos!

It’s a positive start to the season all round, lets keep the momentum up next week!

WALSDEN v GREENMOUNT SCORECARD

GREENMOUNT II v WALSDEN SCORECARD

GREENMOUNT II v NORDEN II SCORECARD

Well, after all the awful weather and disruption of league postponements, the 2024 season finally got under way at the weekend with a very positive start for the Mount.

If you came to watch any of the matches congratulations for your endurance as it was absolutely freezing and not exactly ideal conditions for cricket – but I guess we cannot afford to be choosy! 

The first team celebrated the inaugural match under new sponsorship from Mercedes-Benz of Whitefield with a workmanlike win over Rawtenstall at home.

Batting first, Rawtenstall posted 246 for 5, the highlight being an excellent century from debut professional Anuk Fernando who struck 116 from 118 balls with ten fours and six sixes. 

Tom Heaton and Callum Hunter picked up two wickets apiece whilst Amal Dalugoda took his first scalp for Greenmount.

There was an early scare and disappointment for the home crowd when returning professional Jacques Snyman fell early for just two but they were treated instead to an excellent recovery led by Tom Heaton in typically belligerant mood hitting 69 from 73 balls while Andy Kerr showed early imperious style in making 54 from just 49 balls with six fours and two sixes.

Skipper Travis Townsend joined in the positive momentum and continued to build partnerships through the innings with his own 46 (three fours and two sixes) before Dan Stevens and debutant Gav Nicholl saw the team home with an unbroken stand of 46.

Dan finished on 27 not out with two fours and a six, Gav hit three fours and a six in his unbeaten 23 to round off an excellent day and seal the win.

Meanwhile up the valley at an icy Rawtenstall, the second team also started their campaign with a win.

Asked to bat first, father and son partnership Nigel and Rupert Hallows put on 77 for the first wicket before Rupert was caught behind for an excellent 41.

Runs continued to be steadily compiled on an understandably slow pitch, all batters contributing with Nigel Hallows and Sam Greenhalgh both 37, Ed Dickinson 26 and an entertaining cameo of 35 from new signing Toby Leach from just 26 balls.

Rawtenstall struggled to deal with the opening bowling partnership of Noah Birtwistle and Oli Dixon, losing wickets steadily throughout their reply.

Noah bowled with excellent control and extracted turn and bounce, earning impressive figures of 3 for 35 from 12 overs, an excellent effort.

Skipper Oli Dixon also returned excellent figures of 4 for 37 from his 12 overs and it was left to veteran campaigner Gareth Williams (1 for 12) alongside Toby Leach (2 for 1) to complete the innings and round off an excellent display in the field.

There was a real energy about the group and the fielding was boosted by some outstanding saves from Sam Greenhalgh and also good catching from both Noah and Toby.       

On Saturday the third team, skippered by Wesley Young in Mark Crowther’s absence, went down to Rishton by five wickets .

Batting first Greenmount could only muster 134 – Adam Clarke with 29 not out , Noah Birtwistle 34 and Toby Leach 22 being the main contributors.

Rishton eased to the target with five wickets down, helped by the inclusion of more experienced players compared to the youthful Greenmount attack, all of whom were under the age of 18.

However the young lads stuck to the task positively and didn’t make it easy for the visitors, there will be plenty of learnings and useful experience gained.

Adam Clarke 2 for 28 completed a good all round match, Noah Birtwistle (2 for 38) and George Kenyon on senior league debut (1 for 10) took the wickets to fall.

There’s a big weekend of action next week with both first and second teams in cup ties on Saturday, league action on Sunday and the third team on Bank Holiday Monday. 

The good news is that the forecast is for the temperatures to rise to mid to late teens – get the shorts out!

Check out our website and Facebook pages for team news later in the week.

FIRST TEAM SCORECARD

SECOND TEAM SCORECARD

THIRD TEAM SCORECARD

Whisper it carefully in case the Rain Gods hear – but the start of the Lancashire Cricket League season is upon us this weekend!

Greenmount CC are in action on Saturday when Mark Crowther’s  newly promoted third team take on Rishton and then on Sunday the first team – led once again by Travis Townsend – will entertain Rawtenstall to kick off their latest bid for promotion to the Premier League. 

Ahead of the action we are delighted to welcome our new club sponsor Mercedes-Benz of Whitefield down to the Mount on Friday evening (April 26th).

The Mercedes-Benz team will be at the club from around 4.30pm with a selection of the latest fantastic new models to view and members will be able to arrange test drives with the sales team.

Club professional and Pretoria Capitals star Jacques Snyman will be in attendance along with other members of the first team squad to meet our partners and join in a promotional photo call.

We are also holding our Junior Registration Session between 5pm and 7pm – unfortunately we are unable to start junior training until Friday 3rd May while we continue to prepare the ground for the weekend’s action but come down to the club and see what’s new, get registered ahead of the season start and check out the latest Mercedes-Benz models.

We are eagerly looking forward to the season and to welcoming our new friends from Mercedes-Benz from Whitefield – see you there!

Greenmount Cricket Club is delighted to unveil a new sponsorship partnership for 2024 with Mercedes-Benz of Whitefield. This superb local dealership, located just a 15 minute journey from the club on the outskirts of Bury, is part of LSH Auto, one of the world’s largest premium automobile dealer groups.

Mercedes-Benz of Whitefield offers state of the art facilities, the latest range of new luxury vehicles, access to a huge range of approved used cars, and a vast array of aftersales services to ensure that your car is maintained to the highest standards. The business is committed to providing outstanding customer service and will be working alongside the cricket club to provide unique member specific offers and services.

The partnership comes at a time when Greenmount Cricket Club continues to invest in upgrading all aspects of the club facilities with the recent installation of brand-new practice nets and two hybrid pitches. The club has also continued to improve the internal lounges which now includes a refurbished function room and home to the renowned Harrison’s at Greenmount bistro.

“Already as a result of their support we are able to upgrade our playing kits for the season ahead, including an exciting new T20 design, and have been able to offer free playing shirts to all our junior members. I’m looking forward to us developing the partnership in the coming season and enjoying some great cricket together!”

South African professional Jacques Snyman returns to his spiritual home of Greenmount on Friday 12th April and is looking forward to helping Mercedes-Benz of Whitefield to promote their exciting new ranges in the community.

Jacques said “Greenmount CC is an amazing place to be and is the nerve centre of the local community. I am so excited to be coming back and it is even better to know that we have a quality brand partner in Mercedes-Benz of Whitefield which I think is a great fit for the local area and I feel it is a privilege to be involved with both organisations.”

For further information please contact John Stevens via Greenmount Cricket Club on gccupdates@gmail.com

As the weather has deteriorated further over the past week most of the leagues in Lancashire have deferred the start of their season to the end of April.

Last night the JW Lees Lancashire League took the decision to acknowledge that most clubs stand little to no chance of staging cricket in the near term and have decided to delay the start of the season to Saturday 27th April for third team fixtures and Sunday 28th April for the senior teams.

Our ground has been badly affected by the weather and specifically there is an area from the pavilion across to the War Memorial which is exceptionally wet.

There are a couple of further adjustments to our plans as a result of this action .

Junior Cricket

The first junior practice night will now be held on Friday 3rd May from 6pm. On Friday 26th April we will have a registration and signing up session between 5 and 7pm at the club.

Any junior matches arranged  w/c 22nd April will be cancelled as previously communicated .

Senior cricket and training

Fixtures cancelled for the first two weeks are likely to be rearranged, we don’`’t have specific details as yet but this will be discussed on April 24th at a League meeting.

All other fixtures will currently follow the calendar so the first team will host Rawtenstall on Sunday 28th and the thirds will host Rishton on Saturday 27th – subject of course to the weather and our ability to get the ground ready!! 

Senior training has been taking place indoors at PA Cricket on Tuesdays and Thursdays, this will continue in the interim, certainly including next Tuesday 16th subject to availability.

We will provide an update on when the ground is fit for senior practice and net training however right now it is not possible to use the ground in any capacity.

Players should liaise with their senior team captains or age group managers if still in any doubt on the short term plans.

Obviously we need a sustained spell of dry and warmer weather in order to both let the ground clear up and also get on it to conduct the work desperately needed to get ready to play.

We don`t like having to ask people not to come on the ground and we absolutely don`t like seeing matches cancelled however I am sure you will all understand we cant control the weather. The action taken by the League is sensible and at least allows a 2 week period to try and recover lost time.     

Thanks as always for your continued support and we look forward to having some exciting cricket to watch in the coming weeks.

Please get that sun dance working!!

Prizes to be won every month for just £5. The more members the higher the pool and 50% of the monthly take goes back in prize money.

Joining is very easy. Full details of how to join can be found HERE along with a link to the club’s SumUp store which allows you to sign up online for 6 months (£30) or 12 months (£60).

The Greenmount Cricket Club membership rates are as follows: Cricket £60, Under-9 £30; Social £35; Over 60 £25.

Renew or join today to get your membership card which entitles you to deep discounts over non-member prices – up to 75p on alcoholic drinks.

Membership forms available HERE