Earliest cricket memory
Debut for Coal Aston juniors aged 11, Hallam
away. So will have been summer 1978.
Favourite Ground
Queens Park, Chesterfield.
Was a regular supporter when Derbyshire used
to play at least twenty days of first class cricket a season at Queens Park in
late 70s and early 80s when the best cricketers in the world regularly played
county cricket seven days a week (John Player League on a Sunday). The touring
West Indians in 1976, Australia in 1977, Somerset (Botham, Richards and Garner)
spring to mind. Derbyshire themselves were a different proposition in those
days with three England regulars in Miller, Taylor and Hendrick and two quality
oversees players Wright and Kirsten. A fantastic cricketing education and a
great way to spend school holidays.
Best
Team Mate(s)
Gerry
Bradwell and Tony Cookson. Always competitive no matter what type of league (or
friendly) game, always respectful to opponents and umpires, strong powers of
observation.
Closely
followed by Julian Bradwell.
Best
Opponents.
In
the Daggers one Saturday night, someone
was reading an article in the Green Un where an ex Pakistan Test bowler had
signed on for a Huddersfield League team. After bowling against the West
Indies, Brian Lara had described him as the fastest bowler he had ever faced.
At the end of the article it stated that he had also signed on to play for
Sheffield Works Department in the Sheffield Midweek League, who we just
happened to be playing the following Wednesday.
With
two equally fast Pakistan bowlers opening the bowling at Olive Grove and many
supporters turning up to watch their hero, I was still batting at
the halfway stage when these bowlers had used up their overs. At the fall of a
wicket I asked the wicketkeeper which one was the ‘Brian Lara’ bowler, only to
be told ‘neither, he’s coming on next’.
I
managed to survive and there was still one over left when I ran out of partners
on 49 not out. We only had 9 men (surprised we had that many), Gerry and Beeky
wisely declining the offer to make up the numbers. And so I was denied the
chance of scoring a half century against the fastest bowler in the world, and
all with no helmet.
Talking of fast bowlers, opening the batting
was a different proposition pre 2000 with no bowling restrictions, no covered
wickets and no helmets. The pure fear of getting caught on a drying wicket has
now gone from the game. Also the bowlers never seemed to tire – one bowler
worthy of a mention was Russell Ward of Maltby who would bowl 23 overs of fast
bowling straight through although he was gentlemanly enough to pause in his
run-up when a double decker bus passed behind the bowlers arm at Maltby. Or
maybe he was just having a rest!
Best/Proudest
Cricket Memory
115
not out v Warmsworth, my first game back after breaking my arm whilst batting
against Mexborough.
Worst/Lowest
Cricket Memory
Getting
bowled out at home by Norton Woodseats for less than 50. You feel the pain more
when you are captain.
Funniest Cricket Memory
A junior game at Queens Park against Chesterfield. Our respected leader and mentor Gerry Bradwell gave us a strict talk before the game about how we were playing at the best ground in the area and that we were to be on our best behaviour, keenly observed by his ever-present assistant and scorer Alan Beecroft. In those days Coal Aston junior sides were made up almost exclusively of pupils of Gladys Buxton school, anyone from ‘the other side of Dronfield’ played for either Dronfield Woodhouse or Dronfield Contact. As a result of this smaller pool of players to pick from, numbers tended to be made up by cricketers of dubious ability and character. Our mottly crew that day included amongst others myself, Darren Howson,Wiggy and Fearn, so whilst umpiring Gerry had justified cause for concern. Things were going fine until, at the fall of the 5th wicket, a certain Andrew Messer strode purposefully onto the hallowed turf. As he got halfway to the wicket he suddenly did an about turn and ran back towards the pavilion. ‘What’s up Messer?’ asked an astonished team mate. ‘Forgotten my box’ came the reply, so the previous batsmen then gave him his box (shared equipment in those days). ‘I’m not wearing that it’s got a pubic hair in it’ said Messer and walked back to the wicket to raucous cheering from his team mates. Two balls later Messer was hit where his box should have been and was carried back to the pavilion to a standing ovation not seen or heard at Queens Park since Geoffrey Boycott scored a century for Yorkshire. At the interval we were quite rightly on the receiving end of a severe reprimand from an embarrassed and fuming Gerry (much to Beeky’s amusement).
Little was seen of Andrew Messer’s cricketing talents in future years as he moved from Coal Aston to make a living as a priest. However, after an acrimonious departure from the church, he did make a few appearances for Coal Aston’s midweek 11 in his early forties. But the magic had gone, so he reluctantly decided to call it a day. Can now be seen walking his border terrier around the streets of Coal Aston.
Another former team mate of mine was Howard Cresswell. Brought up on Shireoaks Road, a stone’s throw from the Coal Aston cricket pitch, Howard was an angel as a youngster. After a family move to Chesterfield he unfortunately fell in with the wrong crowd and found it impossible to stay out of trouble. Fortunately for Howard he had a knack of remaining elusive to the local constabulary. Until one day the police, knowing he was a keen cricketer, decided to out-fox Howard by catching him on the hop at a cricket match at Old Whittington. Whilst batting, I remember seeing the police turn up and chase an unsuspecting Howard across the outfield, rugby tackle him and cart him off to a waiting police car while still in his whites. The game carried on and Howard was never seen again.
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