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.
Travis Townsend
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.
Tom Heaton’s injury in the field meant for a re-shuffled Greenmount top order, with Dan Stevens stepping in to open with pro Jacques Snyman. Both were removed with only 37 runs on the board.
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).
Amal Dalugoda
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.
Mark Crowther
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.
Dan Stevens
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.
Gav Nicholl
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.
Mark Crowther
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.
Callum Hunter
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!
Amal Dalugoda
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!
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!
Tom Heaton
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.
Greenmount CC first eleven 2024: Back row from left: Andy Kerr, Danny Hornby, Jacques Snyman (pro), Gav Nicholl, Jack Thomond, Dan Stevens, Amal Dalugoda. Front row from left: Max Birtwistle, Callum Hunter, Travis Townsend (capt), Tom Heaton
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.
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.
Greenmount CC Chairman Andrew Skinner commented “I am chuffed to bits for our club to partner with such a high-quality brand like Mercedes-Benz of Whitefield and see this as another positive step forward in lifting the profile of the club in the local community.
“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!”
Jacques Snyman
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.
We respectfully therefore ask that no matter how attractive the ground may look over the weekend if the sun does actually emerge please stay off the playing area at all times.
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.
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).
Jacques Snyman had the most memorable summer in his first season at Greenmount last year.
Despite rain wiping out no less than seven league fixtures he amassed 1500 runs with an average of over 100 and took 50 wickets to cap a complete all round outstanding contribution.
Jacques Snyman
Jacques played a lead role in our T20 Cup win highlighted by an unbelievable unbeaten 160 at Norden to win the game against all odds and of course crashed an unforgettable unbeaten 268 against Accrington in the league peppered with no less than 18 sixes.
On top of all this he was a constant presence at the club either encouraging the third team, supporting junior games or conducting coaching and is a general all round top chap!
John Stevens caught up with Jacques for a chat ahead of the new season.
JJS: Hi Jacques, the new season is approaching fast and we are looking forward to seeing you and your family soon. Tell us a bit about what’s been happening while you’ve been at home, the season with Knights started amazingly…
JACQUES: Hi John yeah everything has been going well thanks, family all well and we are enjoying the summer here in SA, but obviously still looking forward to our return to Greenmount and the cold weather!! The season with Knights started really positively, especially the one day competition and I got a few decent scores, the four day stuff was a bit stop/start with injury and I would have loved to do better – but lots of great experience and lessons learned playing with Knights.
JJS: And then the momentum was interrupted by injury, tell us what happened, how are you now ?
JACQUES: Yes I had a nasty blow to the head from a ball which just reared off a length and unfortunately suffered from nasty concussion which led to being side-lined for six weeks. Thanks to everyone at the club who were asking after me, it was a frustrating time and I don`t like being unable to play. But I am fully recovered now and have had a couple of good knocks since coming back so I am in a good mental space.
JJS: Following your return to action there was a great experience with Pretoria Capitals, tell us about that – who were your favourite players in the tournament?
JACQUES: Oh wow yes, Pretoria Capitals was an amazing experience and such a special ‘dream come true‘ moment for me. It is fantastic just being around so many top level players and it is fascinating to observe how they go about their day to day business and of course look to pick up good practices. Its obviously very hard to pick out individuals when you are surrounded by genuine star quality but I really loved the way Will Jacks played and expressed himself. He showed no fear of failure and also Heinrich Klaasen was outstanding in a tournament packed with many individual high quality efforts. I will say I loved every second of the competition, being involved and around such a brilliant team and franchise like Pretoria Capitals was a real privilege.
JJS: Looking back on your first season with Greenmount you won many admirers with your hard hitting performances, what are your thoughts about last year and the season ahead ?
John Stevens (Head of Cricket), club chairman Andy Skinner and Jacques celebrate the club’s T20 triumph last summer
JACQUES: I absolutely love the place John, it just felt right from the very moment we started talking about the club’s project, goals and culture. I still remember the first time we stepped out onto the ground and I just thought yes this is going to be great! Obviously it was a great team effort to win the T20 Cup and it is nice to have a trophy to show for a hard fought campaign. I think we showed everyone what we are about and probably surprised a few top division teams on the way but clearly it was a real disappointment not to achieve promotion. We go again with the same goal this year, there`s some experienced talent joining the group and we have some top young blood emerging through the ranks so we want to be right up there challenging to get up. I am looking forward to meeting new team mates but also hooking up with the group from last year, I made so many good friends at the club and it holds a very special place in my heart. So I will be doing everything I can to help improve our fortunes!
JJS: The league will be stronger than ever this year, who do you see as the challengers?
JACQUES: the Lancashire League is a great competition and I feel that the standards in Division Two demonstrate the strength of the overall product. I think it will be tough competitive cricket once again this year and we will have to be at our very best when you look at the teams fighting to go up. I am sure that Ramsbottom and Walsden will not take relegation lying down, they will come out hard and show why they were in that top division and will be very keen to get back up there. It will be hard cricket and we will obviously want to challenge – I expect to see Crompton up there again too but there are some very good teams all of whom can create problems, some outstanding professionals so we are well set for another exciting summer.
JJS: There’s a big birthday celebration this summer for you. If you look back at the past ten years what’s been your most memorable moments?
JACQUES: I cant think of being in a better place to celebrate this milestone John! And now am looking forward to seeing the refurbished lounge too. Most memorable moments, that’s a tough one but I have got to say getting married to Erin is the number one, having our first little one Leyah, my Proteas debut, fastest first class century, and then of course the 268 not out here last year in front of a big crowd, that was great fun! And getting my first franchise contract with Pretoria Capitals was special as I`ve said. Oh, and yes the T20 Finals Day – our first trophy in the Lancashire League period for the club, beating top division teams, it was massively special, perhaps the evening part is why I cant remember so much of it as some of the others (laughs)
JJS: And looking forward what are your career plans for the next 3-5 years now ?
JACQUES: Obviously I want to end this domestic season on a high, that‘s my main short term goal as I want the Knights to get back to where we belong in the first division. Then I want to secure another contract with them for next season and of course come and help Greenmount achieve promotion, the goals of Knights and Greenmount are very similar. Then next winter I really want to get back into the franchise season and try to make an impact in the SA20 from the start. I am really keen to do well and attract the national selectors again and of course like many modern players I want to try and get into competitions all around the world. But for this season my focus is on Greenmount and helping to raise the standards throughout the club especially the younger emerging players.
JJS – turning to the international scene where next for England after their Indian tour?
JACQUES: It’s been a series of ups and downs for England this time but I think they will learn and we will see an aggressive approach against Pakistan. Playing in India is always tough, there have been some great individual performances and many moments where the team had the upper hand but India are relentless and the talent runs very deep, just too strong in their own back yard. I am sure England will bank the learnings, it’s not a crisis, those guys will come back stronger and harder for sure.
JJS: Is Bazball an over-played term? What does it mean for you?
JACQUES: This is a mindset thing about taking the game forward and playing positively without fear. Maybe shot selection and respect for good balls could come into play more but I just love the positive approach, there is no blame and no moaning, they back themselves and each other – and get on with it.
JJS: We can’t wait to see you on Friday, 12th April, our new main sponsor friends from Mercedes Benz in Whitefield are looking forward to it too. How do you see progress at the club in the six months you’ve been away?
JACQUES: I cant believe just how much has happened and how many more improvements have been made in the short time I have been away! You guys definitely don’t stand still and there seems to be an even greater buzz about the club. The new nets look amazing, hybrid pitches just installed, new kitchen, new look function room and now new sponsors and kit, the club is really pushing forward on all fronts – we‘ve not sat back on last year’s developments, it is becoming an even better place to play and watch cricket and just have a great time. I think Mercedes Benz is a great fit for Greenmount and I am looking forward to meeting the team there and helping the partnership to be a success.
Thanks for having us back again this season, we are all super excited to be back and are really looking forward to being part of this fantastic club once again. We are looking forward to an amazing summer and I hope all our supporters get behind us fighting for promotion and playing and exciting brand of cricket .
JJS: Thanks very much Jacques, just four weeks to go now, hopefully the weather will warm up and we look forward to seeing you very soon!
And you can welcome Jacques back to Greenmount on Friday 12th April, more details to follow nearer the time.
Jacques hopes to build on last season’s T20 success with promotion to Lancashire League Division One
