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I so do hope we won’t be Singing in the Rain… writes junior chairman Leigh Dickinson.

With luck, junior training will commence this Friday (21^st April).

The coaching team have been busy planning what we hope will be a fantastic run of Friday training sessions as we enter into the new season with very high hopes and great expectations.

I will continue to emphasise what a great junior set up we have at Greenmount, one that we will always to strive to improve on – so please keep providing feedback.

Winter training has been a huge success. The EPP for the more advanced juniors has been great  and the foundation work with the younger players has also seen early pre-season success in the Bury Indoor Cricket Tournaments.

The Under 9s won three out of five games while the U11s won all five of their games and the tournament – an incredible achievement!

This summer we will be providing coaching for:  All Stars 5-8 yr olds 6pm – 6.45pm (starting 5th May) U9s and U11s 6pm – 6.45pm; U13s & U15s 6.45pm – 7.30pm (these times will stretch a little as we get longer and warmer nights).

It is essential that the U9s and U11s be both signed in and out by parents/carers and we ask that as a group they leave the field promptly as the older children start their training. Cricket balls are hard and it can be dangerous.

There will be a few Fridays when training will not be possible due to T20 fixtures, which we hope will be great evenings that give our juniors inspiration to play senior cricket.

 If you are in a position that enables you to help – please do get in touch at gccupdates@gmail.com

See you all soon!

Unfortunately – but not surprisingly – tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) first team Lancashire League match against Rishton at the Log Cabin has fallen foul of the persistent poor weather and has been cancelled.

UPDATE: Both today’s third team match at Accrington and the second eleven’s scheduled game at Rishton tomorrow have also been postponed.

As the 2023 season approaches with eager anticipation there’s also trepidation about the weather and prospects of play for the first weekend!

First team captain Travis Townsend has been speaking with Nigel Stockley from the Lancashire league website .

“We will be aiming for promotion and would like a better run at the cups. It’s a long old season so we will just be taking it one game at a time.

“Crompton and Middleton are the ones I expect to see challenging for promotion with ourselves but many of the teams have recruited and strengthened so it should make for a competitive season.

“For T20 I think Clitheroe, Lowerhouse and Crompton have very dangerous T20 teams but we want to put our best foot forward in the competition too this year.”

Meanwhile for the first weekend of the season we are seeing a number of club first team debuts.

We welcome professional Jacques Snyman to the club and into competitive action for the first time and we also have three young players from our emerging player programme taking their first bow – Max Birtwistle, who is a member of the county age group under 15s; George Mills who is new to the club and Adam Clarke who is the eldest of three brothers to play senior matches this weekend. Good luck to all three.

We also welcome home all-rounder Evan Williams after six months in Tasmania, although he will probably be feeling the cold this week!

Please come along and get behind this young group as they set out on the new season!

The club’s talented young all-rounder Evan Williams has returned home after a six months stint playing in Tasmania. John Stevens caught up with him to chat about his time there and what he is looking forward to for the new campaign.

JS: Welcome back Ev, tell us about what you’ve been doing in Australia for the last six months?

EW: Hi John, I’ve been living in Tasmania for the last six months working and playing cricket for Lindisfarne Cricket Club.

JS: What are your impressions of club cricket in Australia and how does it compare with your experience in the UK?

EW: The club cricket system in Tas is a good standard with a very professional nature to it. I think this is one of the main differences between the two as well as the fact that you get the opportunity to play with professionals. In my instance I had the likes of Ben McDermott and Nathan Ellis along with other top end cricketers.

JS:  Were there any stand out players who you admired and learned from, who were they and why ?

EW: As I mentioned previously I had the opportunity to play with some top quality players. One person who stood out to me in particular was Matthew Wilkie who was our coach and had an outstanding work ethic which shows why he’s been such a consistent performer over the years.

JS: What have you learned about your own game that you are looking forward to bringing back to Greenmount?

EW: I think I’ve worked hard on my game and will be able to bring a lot to the table this year at Greenmount but want to bring a positivity to the way we play our cricket to make it an enjoyable environment whilst winning.

JS: What is the junior system like in Australia? Any names we should look for?

EW: There’s some very promising juniors coming through in Tasmania and played with a couple boys who were coming through the under-19s. Tom McGann is a wicketkeeper batsmen who I think is one to watch in my opinion.

JS: What do you see happening in the Ashes this summer?

EW: I think it’s ours to lose with the brand of cricket that’s being played at the minute. For the Aussies to have a chance I think the likes of Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head will have to score a majority of their runs.

JS: Test cricket, 50 overs, T20 ? What do you prefer?

EW: I think I have a lot of time for test cricket although many prefer the shorter forms. It’s the purest form of the game.

JS: How do you see the new season for Greenmount ? You’ve been away six months , how does it feel coming back to the club?

EW: I think we have a great balance of younger lads and those with experience in the side which will inevitably give us a great solution for success this year if we play anywhere near our ability. I think the addition of a new professional and Travis returning to the club will make a big difference and I think If we are not challenging to be number one this year and get promoted we’re seriously underachieving.

JS: Well we hope you have a fantastic summer Ev, good luck!

Unfortunately, this Saturday’s curtain-raiser to the new season, away to Bowden, has had to be cancelled.

Unsurprisingly, this is due to an unfit ground and continued wet weather.

Work continues with focus on our own ground as we fight against the elements to prepare for the first league match against Rishton on Sunday, 16th April.

New first team skipper Travis Townsend needs little or no introduction to players and supporters of Greenmount CC. The popular South African was professional at the Log Cabin for two years (2015 and 2016). After leaving the professional ranks, Travis has re-joined the club as first team skipper and Head of Cricket John Stevens took time out to interview him about his views on the new Lancashire League campaign and cricket in general.

JS: Hi Trav, welcome back to Greenmount – feels like you have unfinished business from your previous time with us. Talk us through how you feel about the club and what you are looking to achieve?

TT: Really happy to be back. I certainly didn’t feel like Greenmount got see the best of me during my time at the club previously. I hope to put that right this season, but importantly I’d like to have a big effect on those playing with me. The focus is to use my own performance and leadership to drive standards at the club which will hopefully translate into silverware. To win things though, we will need contributions across the board over the course of the season.

JS: What do you see as the main challenges ahead for this season? Who do you think will be fighting for promotion?

TT: Main challenges will be consistency of performance and the ability to pick up points every game. The second division has gotten stronger each year with more clubs becoming far more competitive than in previous seasons. I think Crompton are a serious threat, but as I stated before a lot of the teams have become far more competitive so the challenge will be to not look too far ahead.

JS: Tell us about your fellow countryman Jacques Snyman – what do you see him bringing to the club?

TT: Jacques is an explosive player who has the ability to affect the game with bat, ball or in the field. I spoke to a number of players who have played with him and he couldn’t have come better recommended. I expect Jacques to not only give his all when playing, but he will play a huge part in driving the cricket culture at the club.  

JS: Talk us through the importance of leadership and setting a positive culture – its more than Baz Ball right?    

TT: Leadership plays the most important role in driving positive culture. It isn’t a case of just having a strong captain anymore, its empowering those around you. However having leaders who trust, support and more importantly are honest with the players will hopefully unshackle cricketers from self doubt which in turn leads to players showcasing their best more often. 

JS: Why do you think England have made such a step change? Where are the lessons?

TT: The players seem to be unweighted by the pressure of performance and the undue stress of having your place in the side scrutinized every time you make an error of judgement. This is leading to more positive options being taken and although its not the foolproof recipe for constant success, I don’t think we’d be seeing the levels that are being reached without that positive culture. From our perspective, we can certainly take away plenty from the current England side. They combine hours of hard work and preparation with the licence to express their abilities. What is most admirable about Baz Ball is the strength in their conviction.     

JS: How do you see the Ashes panning out this summer?

TT: I think England will win, but they will be facing the most complete attack they’ve faced thus far. However, I think home conditions will make the England seam attack far more threatening and that’s where the series will be won.

JS: Test cricket – where do you see the future? 

TT: I think the format is strong,the only concerns are the finances of the other nations away from England, India, Australia. We need a strong South Africa and West Indies in world Test cricket though. From a player’s perspective, Test cricket is the holy grail, the format the greats are judged by. Financially T20 has changed the landscape, but I’m not a believer that T20 cricket is affecting Test cricket interest. Test cricket has always been the cricket lovers choice. The 50 over game is probably more in danger as it doesn’t quite grab the attention like it used to and its become a bit like an inbetweener in terms of length of time. 

JS:  Moving on to young emerging players – who do you see as the next generation to dominate the world stage?

TT: England-wise, Harry Brook is really impressive, Shubman Gill of India and Shaeen Shah Afridi are superstars in the making.

JS: What can we expect from the South African cricket team moving forward?   

TT: Test cricket-wise. The bowling attack is good enough to compete with anyone, but until the batting unit can put together better first innings totals on the board then we will struggle to compete with the best. Limited overs-wise, we’re a stronger side, but we haven’t quite worked out the top order balance yet.  

JS: If you could choose five cricketers for a round table dinner and general night out, who would they be and why?

TT: Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Sir Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Herschelle Gibbs. Briiliant cricketers who played the game in a great way and apart from Sachin, potentially, knew how to party.

JS: Thanks Trav, we are looking forward to watching you play for many years to come.

Thanks to everyone who came out and helped with ground work on Saturday, it was a massive help. Although the sun is finally out we’ve taken the decision to cancel next Sunday’s third team match.

The ground is still very wet and we are still some way from being ready for cricket on it. We’ve now got two weeks to catch up and focus on the 16th April when the firsts host Rishton.

There will be no training on Tuesday evening this week, however our new pro Jacques will be at the club from around 6.30pm and hopes to meet as many folks as possible. I’m sure everyone will give him a great welcome.

Also note that there will be no junior training on Friday 7^th or 14^th April and it will commence on 21^st April.

Confirmed fourth team fixtures are: 21^st May: Haslingden away; 1^st July: Prestwich at home; 9^th July: Walshaw away; 15^th July: Roe Green at home; 30^th July: Mottram away; 13^th August: Mottram at home.

We are hopeful of one more game in June subject to home ground being available. More information to follow.

As we come towards the end of a ridiculously wet March we can take a quick breath after an incredibly busy pre season indoors .

On the senior front we’ve delivered seven sessions which have seen good attendance and positive intensity from all teams.

We’ve also delivered ten junior indoor sessions on Friday nights from January and our first year of the Greenmount Emerging Players Program has seen seventeen two-hour sessions delivered to a group of 20 young players aged 11 to 17.

Further progress is being made with junior representative players and we now have five county age group young players aged 12 to 15 and we’ve seen good success so far in the Lancashire Junior League inter-league squad trials .

Preparations for the season ahead off the pitch have also been progressing nicely with our club extension and new dressing room facilities while next Tuesday (4th April) we welcome our new professional Jacques Snyman from South Africa.

Get to know Jacques in our interview HERE. We also of course welcome back fellow countryman Travis Townsend as first team captain.

With so much activity going on there’s, quite rightly, a great deal of enthusiastic anticipation for getting cracking outside… unfortunately cue our great British weather!

As we write we are experiencing one of the wettest March months in many years and the result is that our ground preparations have been seriously adversely affected.

The ground is extremely wet and there is absolutely no prospect of any outdoor play this forthcoming weekend. No matter how nice it may seem from the road the ground is wet through .

But the show does go on despite the weather so here`s a few key dates for your diary which reflect where we are with ground conditions and weather:

THIS SATURDAY

Saturday, 1st April 9am – 1pm: Greenmount CC Ground Force and Player Photo Call – Senior players and juniors who feature in senior teams are asked to turn out in force to be put through their paces by Andy Skinner in getting a series of ground related tasks done. Nets, covers, sight screens, scorebox, boundary boards, the list is endless with plenty of fetching and carrying.

We will be holding a player photo call with individual portraits for use in our media during the season. Please bring your white playing shirt so that all players are pictured in club attire. Let’s get as many players’ pictures as possible. In the event of poor weather we will be set up to do this in an improvised studio inside the club.  

Reminder – Ian Senior has stock of training kit, however playing kit carries a two-week lead time so get your orders in fast if not already done!

ALSO – There will be a Free Bacon Butty for players who join in with getting stuff done!

Tuesday 4th April: New professional Jacques Snyman arrives. We may hold an introduction to the club for Jacques in the evening subject to how the day goes, this will be communicated separately.

It is unlikely that there will be any senior nets on Tuesday evening, however once again this will be updated subject to weather and ground condition.

Please note there will be no free access to the net facilities  until we are satisfied with the ground conditions – separate communications will follow on this subject but until now please stay off the ground until advised otherwise.

Saturday 8th April: Provisionally the first team will take on Bowden away in a friendly

Sunday 9th April: The third team should start the competitive home season against Walsden 4th team however please note this fixture is already at high risk of cancellation due to the ground conditions.

Junior training: We have already decided to move the first junior training session to Friday 21st April so that we give ourselves the best opportunity of preparing the  ground for our first home league game on 16th .

Apologies for a bit of a moving feast in the early stages of our calendar, we will obviously continue to communicate via the Gladiator’s WhatsApp, senior team captains and junior age group managers and other channels to ensure as many of you as possible are kept aware of key dates and ground progress.

Meanwhile get your pads on and be prepared!

John Stevens (Greenmount CC Head of Cricket)

Ahead of the new 2023 Lancashire League campaign, Greenmount CC Head of Cricket John Stevens has taken time out to welcome and interview the club’s new South African professional Jacques Snyman on all things cricket.

GMCC: Hi Jacques, welcome to Greenmount CC, we are so excited to have you here – please introduce yourself and let us know a bit about you and your family

JS: Good day everyone! Thanks for welcoming me John and everyone at Greenmount Cricket Club.

I am really looking forward for the season to start and do my very best to help the club achieve success. I am Jacques Snyman and will be the professional for Greenmount Cricket Club.

 I am 28 years old and born in South Africa. I am an all-rounder and love the game. I really like giving back to other cricketers and help them to improve their games.

 In my off time, I like to fish and play a round of golf. I am now married two years in September and me and my wife just had a baby girl. She is now six months old and all three of us can’t wait to be over in Greenmount. Me, my dad, mom and brother love cricket and I was introduced to the sport at a very young age.

GMCC: And this isn`t the first time you have visited the UK as a professional – what has your previous experience been and what were the main lessons learned?

JS: This season will be my 6th season overseas and Greenmount will be my fourth club overseas. I am really looking forward to wear the Greenmount badge with pride.

In my five previous seasons overseas, I’ve only had good experiences where I’ve been and love the support and spectators at the ground, which makes the game even better!

I’m sure Greenmount will be great and that we will have a great season and get to the first division in the following season. I’ve developed my game a lot overseas in past by taking ownership and the enjoyment factor is always there as everyone wants to get better.

So how has the recent season gone for you on the home front in South Africa – we have been watching you on TV!

JS: My season in South Africa just finished, we had a great T20 competition where my home team lost in semi finals. Then we played a one day cup where I didn’t do great but learnt a lot and played two four day games that went okay. I believe Greenmount will bring out the good in me again and I can hopefully score a lot of runs and wins for Greenmount.

GMCC: Turning to the Lancashire League, what are your thoughts on the season ahead and what can we expect to see from this Greenmount team?

JS: I am really looking forward to the Lancashire League, heard it’s strong and competitive which I love. I know we have a young and talented side so can’t wait to get over and put in good performances with the team. For me, on a personal note, I want to dominate the league and my big goal is for Greenmount to win the league and get promoted.

GMCC: It is going to be an interesting summer with the Ashes – who do you see coming out on top and why?

JS:  I am definitely backing England, love the brand they play with and the way they go about their business since Brendan McCullam took over.

GMCC: And what are your thoughts on the current England team and their Baz Ball style? What`s made the difference?

JS: I love that the Baz Ball style was brought in. I love the positive way they play and take on the game and they back their plan which is great to see.

GMCC: Looking at world cricket in the next 5 years who do you see as the new emerging players who will dominate and create new legends?

JS:  The first one that comes to mind is definitely Harry Brook, he is definitely one for the future. Then other names is Aiden Markram, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Devon Conway, Anrich Nortje and Liam Livingston.

GMCC: What do you see as the future for test cricket?

JS:  I think the way England is playing now, a lot of other countries will try and do but don’t think it will suit all the other nations. But can definitely see a more attacking approach from teams in the future.

GMCC: What is your preference: Test, T20, ODI?

JS:  My preference is definitely T20 cricket but any format where I can be on the field is the best feeling ever so I love all three formats.

GMCC: So good luck for the season ahead, do you have a special message for the Greenmount supporters and members ahead of your arrival?

JS:  I would definitely ask all the members at Greenmount to get behind us this season. We would love all the support from you all as we know we will have a great season and it will be nice to have all the support behind us on weekends. We will definitely play a great brand of cricket, we all hungry for promotion and your support will be appreciated.

GMCC: Thanks Jacques, we are all looking forward to welcoming you at the Cabin!

Following the karaoke evening on Saturday (February 18th), we see our pre-season agenda commence in earnest with the start of senior practice on Sunday, February 19th.

Players from all senior teams will be working for the next six Sundays from 3pm to 5pm at Bury Grammar School sports hall .

Meanwhile our Emerging Player Programme continues every Saturday afternoon from 2pm to 4pm also at Bury Grammar where 20 young players are working hard under the supervision of Phil Heaton, Andy Kerr and Dan Stevens.

For the next two Saturday sessions we are delighted to welcome our good friend Clinton Perren as guest coach. Clinton brings a wealth of knowledge and experience  from an extensive first class career and we are excited to have him involved.

Also on Friday evenings Phil and Sophie Heaton are delivering coaching to a further group of younger players aged 9 to 13 years so we are now operating across three training groups until the last weekend in March .

The pre-season friendly programme currently comprises matches away at Westhoughton and Bowden in the first two weeks of April before Mark Crowther’s third team kick off their league campaign at the Mount on Sunday, April 9th.