Category: Club news

Greenmount’s first eleven lifted themselves into second place in the Lancashire League Division Two table following a nine-wicket triumph over Rishton at the Log Cabin on Sunday.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat but were soon in trouble at 29 for 3 with Andy McGuinness taking all three scalps.

There proved to be no way back for Rishton who slumped to 124 all out with all six of the Greenmount bowlers among the wickets.

McGuinness took pride of place with his impressive 3 for 27 while there were doubles for Kieran Edwards and Lewis Dove and one apiece for Matthew Senior, Callum Hunter and pro Chesney Hughes.

In reply the villagers were never seriously troubled and following Jack Harrison’s dismissal for 27, Hughes (50 not out) and Andy Kerr (31 not out) saw them home in the 18th over.

The pro’s 50 included four sixes and four fours and came in 48 balls.

The second team, meanwhile, were going down to a 128 run defeat up at Rishton.

The home side were put in to bat by Greenmount and went on to set a challenging total of 254 for 4 from their 45 overs with Matt Leathert hitting an unbeaten 110.

Sam Greenhalgh top scored in the Mount’s reply with 28, however, wickets fell with regularity and they were eventually dismissed for 126 in the 34th over.

Tonight’s (Friday’s) Junior Practice has been cancelled due to the outfield being too wet following the week’s incessant rain.

The club also want to give the ground as much chance as possible to recover before our promotion-chasing first team’s crucial home clash against Rishton on Sunday.

There is no cricket action at the club on Saturday but – weather permitting – both the firsts and seconds hope to play a day later.

The first team will be without both skipper Ryan Senior and Evan Williams on Sunday, with Evan once again having been selected for Cumbria.

The two absentees gives opportunities for two more of the club’s talented youngsters to step into the breach with both Dan Stevens and Matty Senior the replacements.

The second team are due to take on Rishton’s seconds on Sunday at Blackburn Road. Both games begin at the earlier time of 12.30pm.

PLEASE NOTE: Whatever the weather food from Danny’s at the Log Cabin will be available from 5pm to 8.30pm tonight (Friday); from 10am to 8.30pm on Saturday and from 10am to 6pm on Sunday.

Danny’s latest menu can be perused HERE.

The club are delighted to announce that professional Chesney Hughes has put pen to paper on a contract for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The popular West Indian paid man has already hit more than 1,000 runs this campaign and it’s fabulous news for the club that he has committed for two more years.

Greenmount’s first eleven picked up a good three-wicket victory at Great Harwood but it was a closer run thing than it looked like being early in the game.

Captain Ryan Senior won the toss and – given the threat of rain on the day – understandably elected to field.

That decision soon appeared to be the correct one when the home side were reduced to 37 for 4 following a three-wicket spell from Callum Hunter with Evan Williams picking up the other scalp.

However, Great Harwood weren’t about to roll over and 37 for 4 became 167 for 6 and eventually 183 for 7 mainly due to 76 from Caleb Greenhalgh and 40 from wicketkeeper Christian Oddie who were both dismissed by Kieran Edwards.

The Mount reply looked in big trouble when Jack Harrison, pro Chesney Hughes and Tom Heaton were back in the shed with the score on only 25.

But Andy Kerr (45) and Evan Williams (56) steadied the ship though when Williams became the fifth victim of pacey Sri Lankan professional Thikshila De Silva with the score on 139 for 6 the game was back in the balance.

That was the cue for skipper Senior to calm any nerves there may have been in the Greenmount ranks and his unbeaten 29 along with contributions from Andy McGuinness (10) and Mattie Donnelly (9) saw the lads home with five overs remaining.

The victory keeps the Mount in the heart of the Lancashire League Division Two promotion chase with a game in hand.

Meanwhile, at the Log Cabin, it was a day to forget for the second team against their Great Harwood counterparts.

They were dismissed for 118 with only Sam Greenhalgh (32), Oliver Dixon (27) and Stuart Leach (10 reaching double figures.

It was a total that was always going to be difficult to defend against a useful side in the promotion places and so it proved when the visitors reached their target inside 20 overs for the loss of four wickets.

The third team also bit the dust when they entertained a Great Harwood fourth eleven on Sunday.

Greenmount ran up 157 for 5 from their 40 overs with skipper Mark Crowther hitting an unbeaten 49 and Daniel Creer 34, while father and son opening partnership Henry and Leigh Dickinson scored 22 and 15 respectively. It proved insufficient as the visitors knocked that total off in the 38^th over with Henry Dickinson (2), Iain Malone and Charlie Exton taking their four wickets.

The weekend’s cricketing activities at the Log Cabin begins tonight (Friday) with Junior Practice from 6pm.

Tomorrow (Saturday) the first eleven continue their promotion push with the trip to Great Harwood.

The club – and the players – have been encouraged by the number of spectators they are beginning to take to away fixtures and it is hoped a good number make the trip to Cliffe Park to support the lads.

Click HERE for the location of Great Harwood CC. WP at 1pm.

If you don’t fancy travelling tomorrow, you can get your cricket fix when the club’s second team take on their counterparts from Great Harwood at the Log Cabin. WP 1pm.

On Sunday it is the turn of the third team to provide the action when they are at home to Great Harwood’s fourth eleven. WP 1pm.

The club will be open from 10am on both Saturday and Sunday for breakfasts and new chef Danny Hornby will have menus dotted about the club for snacks and sandwiches during the games.

The club’s Evan Williams has been selected for Cumbria’s NCCA 3-day Championship match against Buckinghamshire at Furness Cricket Club which starts this Sunday (15th August). 

The talented youngster hit 152 for the Cumbria Development Team last month against Scotland Under 19s and qualifies as a local player for the county under the NCCA criteria as he is educated at Sedburgh School. 

It will be Evan’s debut for the championship side and all at Greenmount CC wish him well.

Club professional Chesney Hughes is to hold a cricket summer camp at the Log Cabin for Greenmount CC junior members.

The camp will be held on the following weeks:

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 16th, 17th & 18th August.

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 23th, 24th & 25th August.

The sessions will last from 9.30am to 3.30pm and children will need to bring lunch packs and drinks with them.

The cost of the sessions will by £15 per day, although a Monday to Wednesday package can be booked for £36, while all six days will cost £66.

The summer camp is primarily aimed at U-11 and U-13 players although U-9 players who are committed to playing and learning about cricket and have the attention span to cope with a series of cricket sessions and drills are also welcome.

Children who aren’t interested in cricket should NOT be enrolled on the course.

Please note, the camp will be very weather dependent with limited chance of using the clubhouse due to existing bookings. We will liaise with parents each evening should weather forecasts be against us.

Please email Rob Kilvington on rkatrr@gmail.com to book on the course.

Payment in cash will need to be made on the first day of attendance.

There will be no cricket for the club’s senior teams this weekend as a Covid outbreak in the first eleven has meant all three teams fixtures have had to be cancelled as per league rules.

Hopefully normal service will be resumed next weekend (14th and 15th August).

Also, due to the incessant rain on the pitch (and the promise of more to come) tonight’s (Friday) Junior Practice has had to be postponed.

There is still availability for three more teams when Greenmount Cricket Club hold their Golf Day on Friday, 13th August at Walmersley Golf Club.

Cost of a team of four is just £120 which includes a full 18 hole round; breakfast sandwich and drink pre-round; a number of prizes for winning score, longest drive, closest to the pin etc, with tee-times from 11am to 1pm.

Closing date to sign up and pay is Monday, 9th August and a signing on sheet can be found in the Log Cabin members’ bar.

For further details contact Jack Harrison on 07402 085585.

Greenmount’s first eleven leapfrogged Church & Oswaldtwistle into the Lancashire League Division Two promotion places with a fine seven wicket victory at West End on Sunday.

The home side won the toss and elected to bat but a combination of tight bowling, sharp fielding and some superb catching put them under severe pressure from the start.

The pick of the dismissals was a superb one-handed effort on the boundary by Kieran Edwards off the bowling of Andy McGuinness that sent Church’s Indian professional Sagar Trivedi back to the shed.

Trivedi’s knock of 19 proved to be the best the home side could muster as their first six batsmen were dismissed with the score on only 55.

That their later willow wielders went on to double that total could be said to be something of a minor success but it was never going to be enough against a Greenmount side in a rich vein of form.

The Mount reply didn’t get off to the best of starts when Jack Harrison (7) was adjudged to have been caught behind early in the innings, but after Andy Kerr (8) was dismissed with the score on 36, Chesney Hughes took over with a real professional’s knock, smashing three fours and three sixes as his 43 took the reply on to 82.

From then on, a steady innings of 32 from Tom Heaton saw the lads home with Evan Williams (8) the other not out batsman.

Meanwhile, at the Log Cabin, the seconds enjoyed a 26 run victory against their Church counterparts.

Openers Jake Chadwick and Dan Stevens (both 42) put on 88 for the first wicket to get the ball rolling while there were useful knocks for Brad Edge (26), Ben Hornsby (21) and Sam Greenhalgh (21) as the Mount finished 241 all out in 44.1 overs.

The Church replay fell short despite 63 from Barry Shorrock and 68 from opener Nathaniel Young who batted through the innings.

Both Ryan Edge and Oliver Dixon took two wickets with one apiece for Alex Bullen and Matthew Senior.

On Saturday the third eleven were in action at Todmorden but suffered a 46 run defeat.

Todmorden won the toss and chose to bat then set a total of 192 for 6 with Jack Atherton hitting 76 and Evie Priestley finishing unbeaten on 60.

It proved too much for the thirds who were dismissed for 146 with only Harry Fines (37), Stuart Leach (21), Adam Clarke (19) and Nigel Franklin (16) making it to double figures.