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The draw for the quarter finals of the Worsley Cup was made at last night’s league meeting.

Greenmount will be at home to the winners of this Saturday’s rearranged second round fixture between East Lancashire and Rishton.

It’s the first time the club has reached the quarter-final stage of this prestigious competition and represents a solid start to the season campaign.

Travis Townsend has shown a particular liking for the tournament so far with two hugely impactful innings and is keen for the team to maintain momentum.

The Mount currently sit top of Division Two after five matches following the delayed season start.

The quarter-final will take place on Saturday 15th June.

Full draw:

Burnley v Todmorden

Darwen v Haslingden

Greenmount v East Lancs or Rishton

Ramsbottom v Lowerhouse

Meanwhile T20 action is scheduled to start tomorrow (Friday). However persistent heavy rainfall has left the ground extremely wet and there will be a race against time to get the game on. Stay tuned for pre match news tomorrow.

A Bank Holiday double header offered an appetising weekend of cricket following the cancellation of most of the T20 first round of matches writes John Stevens.

The First team finished the weekend with a place in the quarter finals and a league leaders position after five matches as we close out May.

After yet another week of monsoon-like weather it was no shock to hear that our defence of the T20 cup would be starting a week late.

And so we moved on to Saturday away at a rather damp and not exactly tropical Crompton for the Worsley Cup second round.

Asked to bat first on a challenging pitch, Greenmount posted a respectable 236 for 8. Professional Jacques Snyman made light of the conditions with 79 from 68 balls to continue his fine form from Nelson, before falling to an excellent catch (it’s okay Kie, not as good as yours!).

Skipper Travis Townsend continued his imperious start to the season with another impressive performance finishing not out 95 but surely once again deserving of a century.  He was well supported by Kieran Edwards with 32.

The Crompton reply started very positively and they soon reached 85 for the loss of just one wicket. Travis was able to deploy a full range of bowlers and it was Jack Thomond who struck to remove the dangerous duo of Fazal and Jamal.

Jack was ably supported by the spin of Tom Heaton and the pair restricted the middle overs scoring whilst picking up wickets regularly. Jack finished with club best figures of 4 for 31 and Tom 2 for 36.

Amal Dalugoda chipped in with 2 for 28 and Jacques Snyman 2 for 30, Callum Hunter grabbing five catches!

Unfortunately we suffered another injury to keeper Jack Hallows who has a recurrence of a dislocated thumb. However this was a very good win by 58 runs against a strong opponent who will be fighting for promotion – and a first ever quarter final tie – draw to be made on Wednesday.

Post script – The scorecard will show that Crompton’s Ali was caught by Kieran Edwards – for readers who were not there please try to imagine a cross between a diving Jonty Rhodes and a swooping eagle to pull off an amazing effort (come on Kie you’ve got to say that’s a good mention, a Guinness should cover it).

On Sunday it was back to normal with rubbish weather and all that goes with it. Messing around with covers, pitch and ground inspections, weather apps and DLS with its customary confusion.

Throw in a bit of thunder and lightning too, not the ideal spectator sport. But Travis won the toss and the team responded by bowling out Great Harwood for 100.

Once again Jack Thomond was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 21, Callum Hunter also weighed in with 2 for 31 and there were two wickets apiece for spin twins Amal and Jacques, with Danny Hornby taking the remaining scalp.

With rain looming all around and rumbling thunder, the Greenmount reply was laced with lightning strikes as Tom Heaton and Jacques Snyman blazed their way to 74 in just five overs.

Clearly warming up for T20 action, Tom blasted 39 and Jacques 22 before a big flash of lightning took the teams off. When play was fit to resume some 45 minutes later, Greenmount had already exceeded the DLS target and after one ball sealed the win and an important 12 points to go top of the league.

The youthful second team were bouncing back nicely at Middleton where the opposition were 100 for 7 before rain ended proceedings. Ed Dickinson bagged four wickets and Ben Clarke picked up two.

This week sees the start of T20 with the Mount entertaining Norden this Friday. Watch out for team updates on Facebook and also for the Worsley Cup quarter-final draw on Wednesday!

The coming week’s cricket fixtures are as follows: Friday, May 31st: First eleven at home to Norden in the T20 competition. On Saturday the third team are away at Rishton and on Sunday the first team are away to Rishton while the seconds face Rishton seconds at home.

This week’s bar opening hours:

Bank Holiday Monday: 3pm to 10.30pm

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 this week as per below, but also please follow him on Facebook for specials and any changes.

Thursday, May 30th: 5pm to 8pm

Friday, May 31st: 9.30am to 12.30pm and 4pm to 8pm

Saturday, June 1st: 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 8pm

Sunday, June 2nd: 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 6pm

Sport on TV this week

Tuesday, May 28th: T20 cricket: England v Pakistan, 6.30pm

Wednesday, May 29th: Europa Conference Final: Olympiakos v Fiorentina, 8.30pm

Saturday, June 1st: Champions League Final: Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid, 8pm

Cask ales this week

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

Professional Jacques Snyman’s first hundred of the season gave the first team a massive 219-run victory at Nelson to continue their fine start to the campaign. However, there was to be no luck in the reverse fixture for the seconds, slumping to a convincing nine wicket defeat in a mixed weekend for the senior setup writes SAM CHADWICK

It was something of a field day for the first as, batting first on a glorious Sunday afternoon, they racked up a score of 315 for 5 in their 50 overs.

There were scores galore, with Snyman scoring 116 off 97, backed up by 58 from 71 from his opening partner Dan Stevens. By the time the first wicket fell, the two had collated a 173-run partnership. Captain Travis Townsend then added to his hundred last week with an innings of 90 from 60 balls, one that included six sixes.

Not content with one landmark, Jacques took 5 for 44 in the second innings as Nelson were bowled out for just 96. Only three bowlers were needed to wrap up proceedings: Callum Hunter ended with 3 for 25 and Amal Dalugoda took 2 for 25 to continue his fruitful start to the season.

The performance was a statement of intent, seeing them into second place in the league and showing early signs of a promotion push as the season progresses.

In contrast, a young second team slumped to a disappointing loss in the reverse. Having won the toss, captain Oliver Dixon chose to bat on a dry wicket. But things soon unravelled as they were bowled out for 102 in 26.2 overs.

The in-swing of opening bowler Haroon Manaf proved too hot to handle for their top order, removing four of the top six on his way to figures of 5 for 29. His efforts were ably backed up by his opening partner Elliot Bradley, who took 2 for 34. A battling 27 (57) from Leigh Dickinson (and 30 extras) pulled the home side over the hundred-mark, but the damage had already been done.

There was to be no fight-back in the second innings, with some assured Nelson batting regularly eating away at a modest target. Jack Bradley carried his bat, scoring 57 from 71, and Harry Waddington ended on 29 not out from just 20 to finish things off in the 21st over. Dixon took the only wicket for Greenmount, collecting respectable figures of 1 for 21 from his eight overs.

It is games like this that will be a learning curve for a young side and, with so much talent on offer, there is sure to be an upturn in form as the year moves on. For now, they sit in sixth in the early proceedings.

There was no game for the third team this weekend. They return with a trip to Nelson on Bank Holiday Monday.

NELSON v GREENMOUNT SCORECARD

GREENMOUNT II v NELSON II SCORECARD

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 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