Category: Club news

After last weekend’s T20 success for the first eleven it was the turn of Mark Crowther’s youthful third team to take the plaudits when they secured the Lancashire League Third Eleven Division Three championship.

Victory at Thorneyholme Road, Accrington, put them in an unassailable position at the top of the league – reward for what has been a fantastic summer for the team.

After missing the opportunity to take the title in last Monday’s tied game against Lowerhouse, the thirds weren’t to be denied on Saturday.

Accrington won the toss and elected to bat but a combination of sharp fielding and good, steady bowling reduced the home side to 104 all out, one over short of their allotted 40.

Max Birtwistle finished with fine figures of 4 for 9 from six overs while his brother Noah took 2 for 25, Ed Wackrill (2 for 13), Adam Clarke (1 for 21) and Ed Dickinson (1 for 17).

Ed Dickinson led the way in the run chase with 32 and he was aided by Chris Sherrington (unbeaten on 19), skipper Crowther (18) and Rupert Hallows (12) as the Accrington total was overhauled for six wickets inside 32 overs.

Cue the start of well-deserved celebrations!

On Sunday the firsts travelled to Nelson looking to keep pressure on the top teams in the vain hope they dropped enough points to let us in to the promotion places.

Although promotion wasn’t to be – Church and Middleton will be making the step up in 2024 – it was a convincing display at a sun-drenched Seedhill.

With Mount professional Jacques Snyman making an early return to South Africa, the club found a replacement in Tonge Cricket Club’s Sri Lankan paid man Hashan Dumindu and the talented all-rounder played his part in a nine-wicket victory.

Nelson won the toss and decided to bat but saw wickets fall on a regular basis.

Only former Greenmount professional Usman Tariq – the Nelson pro – showed any resilience with a knock of 46, indeed no other home batsman reached double figures as they slumped to 89 all out in the 29^th over.

Evan Williams and Dumindu both took three wickets while there were two for skipper Travis Townsend and one each for Callum Hunter and Max Birtwistle.

It was Williams (54 not out) and Dumindu (22 not out) who also did the business in the reply as they saw the Mount home for the loss of only one wicket in the 17^th over.

Meanwhile the second team were taking on Nelson seconds at the Log Cabin but once again fell short despite a valiant effort.

Nelson won the toss and chose to bat, putting on 208 all out from 40.3 overs.

Chief wicket-taker was the evergreen Gareth Williams who helped himself to five victims with Matt Senior and Ed Dickinson taking two apiece and Luca Addleton one.

The reply started brightly when openers Nigel Franklin and Henry Dickinson put on 91 for the first wicket before Dickinson was adjudged to be LBW for 27.

Franklin was eventually dismissed after scoring 60 but the Mount failed to move the scoring along, fell behind the run rate and despite their best efforts, eventually finished eight short of victory at the end of their 45 overs.

Greenmount made a mockery of their Lancashire League Division Two status to blow away Burnley then leave Littleborough languishing as they defied the odds to take the JW Lees T20 Trophy back to their Log Cabin home.

Up against three teams from the league’s top division the Mount were unfancied in certain quarters but they showed all their true T20 qualities to make it a day to remember for the sizeable support that converged on Littleborough’s impressive Hare Hill ground.

Although a concerted promotion push has been somewhat hampered by rain throughout the ‘summer’, the club’s Friday night twenty-over exploits at the Cabin have been real highlight.

Regularly centre-stage on those occasions  – as he has throughout the campaign – has been big-hitting professional Jacques Snyman and the popular professional chose Bank Holiday Monday’s finals day to sign off for the season in terrific style.

Mount faced Division One high-fliers Burnley in their semi-final and their skipper Liam Bedford won the toss and chose to bat.

But he would soon realise that this Greenmount side is no one-man show as fine restrictive bowling from the villagers kept the total down.

Three of the Burnley opening batsmen were dismissed with the score on only 13 including influential South African professional Ockert Erasmus who was bowled by Callum Hunter.

Hunter finished with superb figures of 3 for 12 from his four overs with Evan Williams (2 for 17), Jack Thomond (1 for 25), Travis Townsend (0 for 25) and Snyman (0 for 23).

Burnley finished their innings with 108 for 6, a score that proved totally inadequate once the Greenmount innings took shape.

Tom Heaton opened with Snyman and the pairing despatched the ball with consummate ease to all compass points on the Hare Hill ground.

They took the total on to 81 before Heaton was caught by Fergus Bailey off the bowling of Gareth Halley.

The wicket only brought Williams (11 not out) to the crease and he and Snyman (54 not out) saw their side convincingly cruise to victory with more than eight overs remaining.

In the final hosts Littleborough awaited Greenmount after they had edged a close-fought derby victory against near-neighbours Rochdale in the earlier semi-final.

Mount skipper Townsend won the toss and decided to put his former side in to bat. It proved to be an inspired move.

The first three Littleborough batsmen were dismissed by the time the score reached 36 – shared equally between Hunter, Williams and Thomond.

Boro skipper Ryan Miskella tried to give his side some momentum with a useful 41 but a superb stumping by Matt Donnelly off the bowling of Townsend ended his exploits.

Steady bowling and some superb fielding, including fine catches by Hunter (to dismiss Joe Barnes) and Williams (to dismiss Williamson) began to demoralise the home side whose innings ended at 141 for 7.

All five Mount bowlers were among the wickets with Williams and Snyman taking two each with one apiece for Thomond, Hunter and Townsend.

The Greenmount reply got off to a bad start when Heaton was dismissed without troubling the scorer and the vociferous home support began to make their presence felt.

But they reckoned without Snyman and Williams who both showed their undoubted class to take the score to 118 before the pro bowed out for the season with 62.

As the overs wound down, two more wickets, those of Williams (52) and Stevens (4), made it a somewhat tense conclusion and the Littleborough faithful were eyeing a second last ditch win of the day, but skipper Townsend (11 not out) – cool as you like – saw the Mount home in the 18^th over.

Evan Williams picked up the man-of-the-match award for his exploits.

BURNLEY v GREENMOUNT SCORECARD

GREENMOUNT v LITTLEBOROUGH SCORECARD

GREENMOUNT CC: Back row (from left): Dan Stevens, John Stevens (head of cricket), Andy Skinner (club chairman), Andy Kerr, Jack Thomond; Middle row (from left): Sam Greenhalgh, Callum Hunter: Front row (from left): Matt Donnelly, Max Birtwistle, Travis Townsend (captain), Jacques Snyman (pro), Evan Williams, Tom Heaton. @Fitchett’s Photography

League action at the weekend began on Saturday with the table-topping third team’s game at Colne that unfortunately had to be abandoned because of our old friend the rain.

Colne won the toss and elected to bat putting on 165 for 7 from their 40 overs.

Matthew Gilmore took 3 for 26 from six overs to head the bowling plaudits while there were two wickets apiece for both Adam Clarke and Luca Addleton.

The Greenmount reply stood at 17 for 0 from 9.1 overs before the heavens opened and play was called to a halt.

On Sunday at the Log Cabin the first team – looking to keep the pressure on the teams above them – warmed up for their Bank Holiday T20 final appearance with a commanding ten-wicket triumph over Bacup in a game that was reduced to 38 overs.

Skipper Travis Townsend won the toss, decided to field and put in a masterly bowling display that yielded him six wickets for only 28 runs as the visitors were despatched to 107 all out.

After their first opener departed with the score on six, Bacup moved their total on to 61 before losing their second wicket. But from then on it was a steady procession back to the Cabin.

Callum Hunter helped himself to two victims with Evan Williams and Jack Thomond picking up one apiece.

In reply Bacup found Mount professional Jacques Snyman in terrific form once again and his unbeaten 83 saw him sail past the 1,000 Lancashire League runs for the season mark.

Jacques was aided and abetted by Evan Williams (21 not out) who reached the 500 runs for the season milestone during his innings.

Bacup were put out of their misery in the fifteenth over.

The result leaves the Mount in fourth place in the table, thirteen points behind the promotion places with two games to go.

Meanwhile, the second eleven’s miserable season continued with a six-wicket defeat at Todmorden.

Stand-in skipper Nigel Franklin won the toss and elected to bat but his luck disappeared from then on as he was adjudged to be LBW for a first ball duck.

Tom Clarke’s 29 was the highlight of the Mount innings and they struggled to 102 all out with only Ed Dickinson (12) and Paul Manley (13) joining Tom in double figures.

Kai Abbas hit an unbeaten 71 in the Todmorden reply as they eased home at 106 for 4 in the eighteenth over.

The victory earned the Yorkshire side promotion to the Lancashire League Second Eleven Division One.

Another team who were looking to secure promotion at the weekend were Greenmount’s third eleven but things didn’t go quite as planned for Mark Crowther’s side on Bank Holiday Monday.

Seeking the win that would assure them elevation to Division Two, from a strong position the thirds contrived to tie their game against Lowerhouse fourths at the Log Cabin.

After being put into bat, Lowerhouse scored 157 for 4 from their 40 overs with Noah Birtwistle taking two wickets and Ben Clarke and Ewan Malone one each.

At 139 for six with more than eight overs remaining it looked a good bet that promotion could have been clinched there and then, but despite skipper Crowther carrying his bat for an unbeaten 50, a calamitous end to the Mount innings resulted in them failing to overhaul the visitors’ total – albeit a single run would have done it.

Hopefully, promotion will now have to wait until next Saturday when the thirds travel to Accrington (12.30pm).

And so to August Bank Holiday weekend and the last three league matches of the season.

But this year we have the added excitement of T20 Finals Day at Littleborough on Monday and we sadly bid the fondest of farewells to our professional Jacques Snyman.

It’s fair to say that Jacques has had an enormous impact on the club this summer which far outweighs his 1346 runs and 50 wickets delivered so far.

He’s been seen coaching in the nets nearly every day, has played the part of mentor with many of our young players and has attended and supported many junior and third team matches through the summer.

The time has flown since April and we’ve seen some heroic performances including the league record individual score of a whopping 269 not out and the epic T20 run chase at Norden with another unbeaten 164.

On a personal level Jacques is also a top bloke all round and we will hopefully enjoy a last blast this weekend before he and his lovely family depart.

It will not be long before we see them again for more adventures! Thanks Jacques , Erin and Leyah, your home is always at the Mount!

As we anticipate the weekend there’s also the anxiety that another Sunday rain off may await as the weather has really dampened the mood of the summer.

Despite our current league position there’s many reasons to reflect positively on the progress made outside our league place.

As we write the third team are sitting in pole position with Captain Crowther’s Kids suffering only one loss.

Our under 13 and 15 teams are both top of their respective age groups with five Lancashire county representatives and three inter-league players in the group.

We’ve also seen very young players playing in the second team where we’ve had availability and experience gaps most weeks and they will be better for it next year.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the best moments in the sunshine (most were in June) but there’s a few more chapters of the summer yet to play out.

Season finishes on 10th September, come down and see what’s in store until then and give the lads your best support as always.

We hope to see as many of you as possible over the weekend, let’s give Jacques a send off befitting his heroics and commitment to the club .

On Friday evening (25^th August) all members, officials and players are invited to say farewell to popular professional Jacques Snyman and his family on the occasion of his final weekend at the club for 2023.

The South African has made a massive impression with some swashbuckling performances at the Log Cabin this summer and the club is hoping for a great turnout to show appreciation for his efforts on and off the field.

The event is being held in the function room and entrance is free. There will be music and a karaoke, a buffet and if anyone has a particularly ‘bad shirt’ they are being encouraged to wear it!

We hope for a terrific attendance to see off Jacques in true Greenmount style!

On Bank Holiday Monday (28th August) the first team are taking part in the JWL T20 finals day at Littleborough Cricket Club.

The club are hoping to take a good following to the Hare Hill ground, Denhurst Road, Littleborough OL15 9LD in what should be a great day of cricket.

The Mount take on Burnley in their semi-final at 1pm and should they win will take on the winners of Littleborough or Rochdale at 4.30pm. The other semi-final begins at 10am.

Gates open at 9.30am and entrance fee is £5 for adults and £2 for concessions. Payment can be made by cash (having the correct change would be appreciated) or card at the ground entrances.

No outside alcohol is allowed and bag searches will be in operation. However, own chairs are welcome and as there will be limited parking at the venue the club would appreciate car-sharing and uses of other modes of transport.

For full details of what our hosts Littleborough CC have in store on the day click HERE.

Greenmount’s first eleven moved into fourth place in the Lancashire League Division Two table after picking up a 12-point victory over Accrington at Thorneyholme Road.

Skipper Travis Townsend won the toss and put the home side in to bat and they made a steady start putting on 52 for the first wicket when Mount pro Jacques Snyman bowled his opposite number in the Accy ranks Jacob Clarke.

With the score on 92, home captain Graeme Sneddon was next to fall when he was bowled by Ryan Senior.

Sneddon’s wicket was the signal for a collapse in the Accy batting order as 29 runs later they were all back in the shed.

Tom Heaton was executioner-in-chief with five wickets for 12 from seven overs. Senior added another victim while Callum Hunter took the remaining one.

Chasing a gettable 121 Greenmount were once again indebted to Snyman who top-scored with 62 (seven fours and one six) as they huffed and puffed their way to victory, losing seven wickets on the way.

Hunter steadied the ship with an unbeaten 16 and, along with Andy Kerr (11) was the only other batsman to reach double figures.

The win puts the Mount 20 points behind second-placed Crompton with three games remaining.

The club’s second string entertained Accrington’s twos at the Log Cabin and the visitors ran out winners by 96 runs.

Winning the toss and putting themselves in to bat, Accrington ran up 220 for 7 from their 40 overs, a total that proved to be well out of reach for the home side.

Gareth Williams rolled back the years with three wickets while there were two for Adam Clarke and one each for Ed Dickinson and Nigel Hallows.

The Greenmount  reply was soon in trouble with Henry Dickinson, Nigel Franklin, Paul Manley and Nigel Hallows all dismissed with only four on the scoreboard.

However, Tom Clarke (34), Leigh Dickinson (32) and Kieran Edwards (28) gave the total an air of respectability but they eventually succumbed to 124 all out in the 33^rd over.

The weekend began on Saturday with Mark Crowther’s all-conquering table-topping third team racking up another convincing victory at the Log Cabin.

Entertaining East Lancashire thirds, Crowther won the toss and elected to bat – a decision that proved to be spot-on.

The Mount scored 179 for 6 from their 40 overs with the highlight a fine unbeaten 73 from Tom Clarke. There were also useful contributions from Crowther (22) and young Noah Birtwistle (21).

The visitors never looked capable of anything approaching their target and were dismissed for 63 all out.

Noah Birtwistle took pride of place with the ball with a superb 6 for 11 off 7.5 overs while Ed Dickinson chipped in with 3 for 2 from two and Dexter Crowther took the remaining wicket in an economical spell that cost only 10 runs from five overs.

The thirds are now 23 points clear at the top of the Third Eleven Division Three table.

Mount’s first eleven got back to winning ways on Saturday when they crushed Great Harwood in fine style with a nine-wicket triumph at Cliffe Park.

Rain reduced the game to 47 overs and skipper Travis Townsend’s decision to field after winning the toss paid dividends as his side demolished the home team’s batting line-up, skittling them to 85 all out.

Great Harwood’s tormenters-in-chief were Callum Hunter (4 for 28) and professional Jacques Snyman who took a superb 4 for 11 from 5.2 overs. Evan Williams took the other two wickets.

The home side’s score proved totally inadequate as Mount knocked off what was required for the loss of only one wicket.

Snyman finished unbeaten on 58 (nine fours and one six) and put on a partnership of 75 with Andy Kerr (16 not out) following the dismissal of Evan Williams.

With four games remaining, the 12-point success elevates the club to fifth in the table on 121 points, 25 behind the promotion places and second-placed Church. Crompton lead the table on 147 points.

The second team took on Great Harwood’s twos at the Log Cabin and suffered a six-wicket reverse.

The visitors won the toss, decided to field and kept the Mount total to 118 for 6 as the game was rain delayed and reduced to 27 overs.

Stand-in skipper Jake Chadwick top scored for home side with 54 (two sixes and seven fours). He  was ably-assisted by Henry Dickinson who finished unbeaten on 39.

Nevertheless, the visitors were not to be denied and reached their target for the loss of four wickets in 24.4 overs.

The fourth team’s scheduled home game against Todmorden on Sunday fell foul of the weather.

The much-anticipated home clash against league leaders Church went ahead on Sunday but it was a black sabbath for the Mount whose lingering promotion hopes took a severe dent following a 112 run defeat.

Another wet week had put the match in doubt but a dry 18 hours prior to the game allowed the outfield to dry enough for it to go ahead.

However, it was the visitors that took full advantage with a comprehensive 12-point victory that keeps them riding high at the top of the Lancashire League Division Two table.

Church skipper Josh Scully won the toss, put his side in to bat and when opener Craig Fergusson was dismissed by a fine diving catch by Max Birtwistle off the bowling of Callum Hunter with the score on 12, it looked like the Mount had made a dream start.

But that wicket only brought visiting pro Asad Shafiq to the crease and his innings of 88 was the mainstay of the Church total of 245 for 6.

While the Pakistan international showed his undoubted class, he was indebted to a number of dropped catches in the Greenmount ranks on what proved to be a bad day at the office.

Mount’s target of 246 from 43 overs never looked on as wickets fell with alarming regularity.

Both openers Jacques Snyman and Evan Williams were dismissed before the 50-run mark and by the time skipper Travis Townsend – who top-scored with 29 – was back in the pavilion they were 114 for 5.

The last four wickets fell for only 12 runs as the reply petered out to 143 all out in 36.2 overs.

The result puts Mount in seventh position in the table, 28 points behind the promotion places with five games remaining.

The club’s second eleven made the reverse trip to Church and rounded off a day to forget with a nine wicket defeat.

Church put Greenmount in to bat and in a rain reduced 38 overs, the evergreen Nigel Franklin took pride of place with an unbeaten knock of 70 sharing a partnership of 83 with Matt Senior who put on 26 not out.

A total of 151 proved to be no problem at all for Church who reached their target for the loss of only one wicket in the 29^th over. Opener Ahmed led the way for the home side scoring 72 not out.

The third team’s scheduled game against Rawtenstall at the Log Cabin fell foul of the weather on Saturday.

Once again the weather conspired to frustrate the first team on Sunday when they travelled to Blackburn to face East Lancashire.

Skipper Travis Townsend won the toss and decided to put the Blackburn side in to bat, however, a sodden Alexandra Meadows outfield delayed the beginning of play and resulted in the game being reduced to 42 overs.

The home team accrued an eminently gettable 121 for 7 from their allotted overs which only served to make it an even more disappointing afternoon as further downpours denied the Mount a chance to chase their target down.

Professional Jacques Snyman and Evan Williams both took two wickets apiece while there was one each for Callum Hunter, Jack Thomond and captain Townsend who reach a milestone of 100 Lancashire League wickets with his lbw dismissal of Junaid Waris.

The five points taken from the game saw the Mount drop to fifth place in the Division Two table but with league leaders Church the visitors to the Log Cabin on Sunday they have a great chance to begin to close the gap on the top two sides in the promotion places.

Meanwhile, groom-to-be Oli Dixon’s second team went down to a rain-affected 14 run defeat when East Lancashire’s second string made the trip to Brandlesholme Road.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat, running up a total of 191 all out in 39 overs.

Leading the way with the ball were Matthew Senior, Noah Birtwistle and Ed Dickinson who each helped themselves to three victims with Nigel Hallows taking the remaining one.

The tea break precipitation delayed the reply and meant that Mount faced a DLS-reduced target of 108 from 28 overs.

Frustratingly, it proved to be a bridge too far for the Greenmount lads who despite a valiant effort, weren’t helped by the retirement of the free-scoring Kieran Edwards who had to leave the fray with a back injury. Top scorers were Nigel Franklin (22) and Ed Dickinson (21 not out).

However, there’s just no stopping the third team who moved 35 points clear at the top of their table following a 39 victory over a strong Crompton third team at the Log Cabin on Saturday.

Skipper Mark Crowther won the toss and elected to bat and the Mount lads ran up 150 for 9 from their 40 overs.

Tom Clarke led the way with the bat, hitting an unbeaten 34,while there were also useful contributions from Max Birtwistle (27) and Ed Wackrill (23).

The visitors were put under pressure from the start and never looked likely to overhaul the Mount total. They eventually slumped to 111 all out.

Leading wicket taker on the day was Noah Birtwistle (3 for 24) with the two Eds – Wackrill (2 for 15) and Dickinson (2 for 16) – close behind. Sam Woolley took the remaining wicket.