I follow a couple of accounts on Facebook which occasionally publish old newspaper pictures from local papers and over the winter a bunch cropped up from cricket matches at Rawtenstall in the 1970s - not action shots of games but perhaps more interestingly, crowd shots.
And my goodness, there were crowds at Bacup Road in that decade. The pubs were shut all afternoon and a local ground was one of the few places you stood a chance of getting a beer between 2pm and seven.
One of the games featured was, I’m sure a montage from a Worsley Cup final between Rawtenstall and Accrington in 1976. The benches on the popular side are packed and, as usual in those days, people lounged on the grassy ‘hill” behind the terraces.
I emailed a few to my mate Chris of the Mannings Bakery family who now resides down south but he could after much forensic examination identify many of the crowd.
One week, amazingly, a photo of my dad sat in front of the RCC pavilion at another appeared. He’s the only East Lancs fan on the picture surrounded by home fans. One of them, Michael Berry, came forward and dated it to 1983, not 1978 as I’d thought.
My dad is 46 on the pic, 21 years younger than I am now and far better looking than I ever was.
I was sat in the same pavilion on Sunday scoring for Accrington. I called on my dad on the way, almost 90 now and asked if he wanted me to put Lancs on YouTube for him but he grumpily replied: “I’m not that hard up for summat to watch.” His passion for cricket isn’t what it was.
I thought we might be returning to the packed-house seventies halcyon days when I arrived at the ground to find not a single space available on Kay Street Car Park an hour before wickets were pitched but after parking by the now disused gates on the main road I was told that it would be churchgoers, soon bound for home, and parents of junior cricketers having a coaching session, filling the spaces.
As far as the game went, it was all over by about ten past four, the kind of outcome which would have left the 1976 treasurer tearing hair out and gnashing teeth over lost bar sales.
Sadly there weren’t many on Rawtenstall on Sunday or on any of our cricket fields these days. Although the bar has, like many, had a lovely refit, the premature close to play wouldn’t cost that much in missed revenue. I came outside at a drinks break to see how many were there and the answer was in tens rather than the once normal hundreds or occasional thousands.
The terraces are crumbling and the benches have seen better days, many roped off for safety’s sake. The Hill is now populated by new-build houses and growing trees, no longer terrain for the shirtless sun-worshippers who quaffed a few cans while the likes of Abid Ali or Franklin Stephenson ripped into the opposition.
Indeed it was very much Rawtenstall getting ripped into on Sunday. After a calm first few overs Accrington captain Jacob Clarke, sporting a Belouis Some style blonde thatch (another 80s reference) led from the front with 6 wickets in an unbroken 15 over spell.
Hairdos were a bit of a theme for me on the day as I mistook Oliver Lowe for equally hirsute Kian Farnworth, one of Accy’s three new recruits on the day, on account of the length of his thatch (despite having conversed with Olly in the Cherry Tree score box at close quarters a day earlier).
It takes us scorers a game or two to warm up, too. Like many men of my age I do need my cataracts sorting but in the meantime urge the league to make numbers compulsory on shirts or insist on smart military style haircuts in order that such errors are kept to a minimum.
I have many lovely friends at Rawtenstall and it’s sad to see them struggle but from the moment Jacob snapped up a terrific return catch to dismiss one-time Oswaldtwistle pro Chris Cook-Martin it was a case of dominoes piling over.
Matt Entwistle deserved credit for sticking around until eighth out for the only other double-figures score.
Kian weighed in with three wickets as catches stuck and though sterner tests must surely lie ahead, Accrington look a far better balanced side with the new additions.
Jonny Dack looked comfortable and stylish powering the visitors almost to parity in tandem with Graeme Sneddon, without loss till a series of brain fades gifted the home side three wickets instead of what should have been a 10-wicket win.
No-one admires the legendary Kes Roscoe more than me or wishes him more joy in getting the 38 wickets he needed for the all-time Lancs League record but he will seldom have two gifted to him on a plate like he had in the final minutes here as the urge to end proceedings with a big hit got the better of protecting the average!
I managed to take in an hour of the Church v Compton game on the way home, checking in with some old pals but also getting a reminder that wickets are not always as easy to pick up as I’d seen earlier. Church had made a good score and had the visitors five down with 114 still needed but Compton bat deep and got to their near-200 target with wickets and overs in hand.
It will be a good side finishes above them.
I can only join my Church fan pals in lamenting the closure of the tea room, now the pro’s residence. All a far cry from the days in the early 70s when Notts sent Church a sub pro who rolled up for the weekend double-header in a caravan.
A committee man blissfully unaware of this scrolled up to work on the ground on Sunday morning and knocked on the caravan door at which point the fellow, named Davidson, answered in his underpants.
“I’m on t’committee here, who the hell are thee?” Asked our befuddled but doughty official believing the interloper to possibly be a traveller availing himself of the car park without permission.
“I’m the pro,” replied Davidson, “Now will you kindly sort me out with a bottle of milk and a Sunday Express please!”
My Saturday game was a triumph for another Hyndburn side, unfancied Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, who won at Cherry Tree.
A recent departee from Accrington, Abbas Ahmad, laid the foundations for the victory with a battling 62 in what might have been termed a ‘low-scoring thriller.” Kurt Smithson took four wickets against the New Lane side he once captained but ex-Rishton man Brad Sawer claimed five for 31 as Cherry Tree fell for 99, 21 short of their target.
Around Hyndburn , two lads who were badly missed after leaving Cherry Tree had contrasting fortunes. Charlie Elwood made a sparkling 84 for his new club Baxenden but Joe Littler, who has joined Enfield, will be out for 12 weeks with an injury gained playing something I believe is called Patel.
Now in a column which began with a nostalgic look at the 1970s there’s a 2020’s sporting injury for you!
*Quiz - Rishton have greatly delighted me with their clever ’Countdown to the Season ” numerical tweets. So in tribute to them, when Accrington were bowled out for 111 with Allan Donald taking eight wickets 30 years ago, which player, dismissed by White Lightning, top scored with 32?
