Wilky's Weekend returns for the 2026 season.
There are those for whom the biannual football transfer window deadline day, exhaustingly covered for days on end by hysterical hacks almost self-combusting in the glow of their own self-importance on Sky Sports, is the height of sporting excitement.
Not me these days.
My sports news highlight of this and any year these days came on Monday last when the Lancashire Cricket League website, compiled and updated constantly by the indefatigable Accrington supporter Nigel Stockley, released the coming season's Captains's Preview, enjoyable enough in itself (especially predicting which skipper will fail to comply with the perfectly reasonable deadline for jotting a few notes down) but including the indispensable 'Ins and Outs' guide to who's left and who's signed for all of our member clubs.
Every league should have a website like Nigel's but the problem is finding a Nigel who's prepared to put in the hours of research and digging for info. Believe me when I was Sports Editor at the Accy Ob gathering in scorecards for seven local Lancs and Ribblesdale League clubs was a nervous breakdown-inducing task which used to occupy me deep into every Saturday and Sunday night between April and September. The internet might have made communication slightly easier - nobody needs to bob up the club late on Monday or scan Friday's paper these days to see who they've been selected for and results and scores are available in real time - but to add daily updates on presentation nights, team news and scores 365 days a year to what already stands as a complete history of such a famed and august institution is a monumental and continuing gift to the league and its followers.
Keeping up over the winter is possible but to see it all mapped out in early April and assess how healthy or otherwise each squad is seems far more fascinating to me than an 11pm bulletin about KIlmarnock signing a loanee from Notts Forest or some such.
If it was up to me I'd like to see Sky dedicate a day to the league cricket transfers. Not to wish any more burden on Mr Stockley but imagine him at the entrance to Back Lane poised with microphone to greet the Baxenden chairman to ask about new arrivals or in the Church committee room quizzing Phil Sykes about a winter of upheaval.
Church of course the club dearest to my heart as a supporter but once again my own cricketing business this year will lie with the fortunes of Cherry Tree in the North West Cricket League and Accrington in the LL as I juggle scoring duties with both.
There are a few new faces to get used to at both grounds and a few familiar ones I'll miss but will hopefully be seeing elsewhere. I'm sad that the Ellwood twins won't be at Preston Old Road, unimaginable a year ago but Owen will be at Brinscall and Charlie at Baxenden along with Joe Ince.
Another Cherry Tree lad, Joe Littler, son of a former Church clubmate of mine, will be at Enfield, another of his dad Mark's old clubs. In another cross-pollination of leagues Cherry will have Aussie overseas youngster Hudson Walshaw who did well in a challenging season last summer at a club where I learned to love the game as a boy, East Lancs. Ross Bretherton is back from Leyland too, great news and hopefully with slightly less 'crowing rights' than PNE fans looked like having over us Roverites at one point.
At Accrington. Thomas Braysford has moved to Church which will help after a string of departures from West End and Abbas Ahmed will be missed at Accrington particularly after some fine form late in 2025 but will be a cracking acquisition for another club I regard myself as a friend of, Oswaldtwistle Immanuel. I'll believe Toc Hussain has retired if he hasn't appeared by mid-September. I'm intrigued that Siraj Hussain's whereabouts are said to be 'unknown,' I do hope that's only in a cricketing sense.
We have a couple of newcomers and two returning players at Accrington so apologies in advance for misidentifying Jonny Dack, Sam Molloy, Kian Farnworth. I should be okay with Simon Hanson.
Personally I can't wait to watch Jurie Snyman bat again. I've even followed his team Eastern Storm on YouTube over the winter,
The opening league fixtures for both my clubs this weekend offer an opportunity to hook up with some old pals.
Cherry Tree, who have managed a friendly and a National Knock-Out game so far, welcome Oswaldtwistle Immanuel which means I'll be seeing a few old friends. No Rovers match usually means a sizeable Oswy following on the train so let's hope the weather is kind.
It hasn't been quite as dry a lead-up as it was last year and all of Accrington's friendlies have fallen victim.
They start at Rawtenstall on Sunday. I have a pal at Rawtenstall who goes by the Twitter handle @RawtenstallClaret which partly tells you he is as seasoned and trainspotterish a Burnley fan as I am a blue but the years mellow you and, both somewhat wearied and disillusioned by soccer, we will enjoy meeting up and hopefully watching his lad play for the home side.
Chris has already sent me a photo showing me he's given the scorers' room at Bacup Road a bit of a tidy-up and dusting so it should be an absolute pleasure. Possibly not a courtesy all clubs afford from previous experience.
I remember wandering onto the deserted ground at Rawtenstall a few week before the 2020 season was due to start as strange rumours circulated of a possible pandemic. A week later when a complete lockdown was looking imminent I accompanied my wife to the Wirral. She was on a photo assignment in New Brighton so I had a look around a few cricket grounds - New Brighton (funny enough Cherry Tree played them and lost in the NKO at Preston Old Rd last Sunday, my first taste of competitive cricket this season) , Wallasey, Oxton and finally Birkenhead Park.
At the last, set in a huge park, I could hear the sound of lads having an indoor net with a bowling machine. It was to be the only sound of leather and thwacking willow I heard for many months.
Over the winter a couple of my longest-standing cricket and football watching pals from East Lancs and Ewood, Brian Eastham (dad of Warren) and Colin Berry, passed away in their eighties. I will treasure memories of good times and laughs with both it was a reminder that none of us are getting any younger just as the Covid years told us nothing is to be taken for granted.
Times at cricket are to be enjoyed, playing or watching and while not all of us could be Jurie Snymans or Peter Swarts, I wish that every cricketer, however modest has his day this season and that friendships new or long-forged on or off-field are renewed and prosper. Even a bad day at cricket usually trumps the rest of the week.
