Every more you cherish the earth, and I need you to know
when your eyes sing. Young far the Lord fall dead.
Far the door fall dead. Ken Shopcott is one of Burnley
Cricket Club's best known fans, but I'm sure he'll be the first
to admit he does have an affinity and a bit of a soft
spot for the lower house as well.
Known to everybody who's watched Lancashire League cricket, Ken's
now going to share a few of his lower house memories with us.
One of my earlier recollections of local Derby matches, Edward
was at lower house in 1958 in a Worsley Cup game.
The rules of that time state a bit, if a team not 130 for less
than three wickets they had to suspend their innings.
Lord House battered first and knocked 130 for two and when
they suspended their innings little did they imagine the
carnage that that was to follow. That same afternoon and free sun
drenched evenings, Burnley and in particular the Burnley West
Indian professional Collie Smith amassed a colossal total of more
than 530 runs for the loss of nine wickets before declaring
Collie Smith's innings with the highest and almost certainly the
greatest innings in Lancashire League history. 306 not out.
He couldn't take sixes at Law House in those days, even if the
ball went as far as Rose Grove railway station, which it nearly
did on some occasions. Smith was awesome and I as a
young 12 year old, along with Law House supporter David
Ashworth were on full time duty climbing out of the ground to
throw the lost balls back. David and I are still supporting
our respective teams and he constantly reminds me that
Burnley unnecessarily ground the Law House noses into the dust.
When Loras resumed their innings were not surprisingly were all
out for little more than two hundred.
A thoroughly demoralised outfit. What a pity Collie Smith was to
die in a car crash a few months later.
However, times have changed. Loras have finished above
Burnley in the league now for the last 10 seasons.
The fiercely competitive Derby games, the wonderful banter
between supporters have contributed immensely to my
enjoyment of watching the Lancashire League.
Although I am a Burnley supporter, Loras Cricket Club
means a lot to me and I'm going to do my utmost about lower
house and to continue my visits to bare ground with a couple of
pints on the lower house steps and the running battles between
myself and Brian Moorhouse and Co are to me the best value
entertainment in the world. Among our House's many
supporters is local Independent councillor Harry Brooks.
Harry's been watching Lancashire League cricket for several
decades now and has many, many memories.
Would you like to share some of your memories of Lower House
with us? Well, there's there's really so
much Edward, but I think what stands out most vividly in my
memory is the end of the 1991 season.
Manoj Prabhakar, a professional, was a a very gifted Indian test
all rinder who hadn't really delivered his potential and
hadn't fitted him well in the dressing room.
We went to this point when he cried off for the last half
dozen games claiming injury, but I was left with the job of
finding substitute professionals for the rest of the season.
As it turned out we we had a great run, winning five of those
last six games and and two of them I'll never forget.
Going in reverse order, we had David Caple, the Northampton
England all rounder for the last game of the season at Nelson and
they've been Championship contenders for most of the
season and they destroyed us at Lower house earlier in the
summer. Now capable of Caple had been
spoken of not long before as the natural successor to Ian Bertham
and he certainly didn't disappoint us.
Nelson could only muster 139 for eight and Keppel took five for
46, including the wicket of Colin Heap, the Nelson opener,
who was caught at slip off his glove and for good measure taken
off to hospital with a broken hand.
When we battered Keppel went in at 11 for three and plastered
the Nelson bowlers including Joe Scuderry all over Sea Deal for a
brilliant quick fire 78. We won by 6 wickets and to
Capitol Cable a real gent gave all his 50 LB collection to the
amateurs to celebrate the victory with.
It was a glorious end to the season and the the other game
was a win against a very strong E lengths side at lower house a
couple of weeks before and it featured what could have been
perhaps the best ever all round performance for lower house.
The sub pro was Robert Haynes, a giant young Jamaican who was
playing for Morecambe in the Northern League.
East length clocked up 189 and Haines stuck 7 for 59 with his
leg spinners and had a share in three run out victims so he he
was involved in every wicket. Our reply was steady but too
slow and when Haines went in with three wickets down we still
needed 104 runs from 19 overs. He gave the best display of
clean hitting I've ever seen and we went with eight overs to
spare. Robert made 91 nut out and
finished the game with a huge six off pole rifle who's been
such a success for Australia in international cricket.
Haines strolled off in the sunshine as though he'd just
been for a gentle afternoon walk with the lawyer supporters
chanting Hero and sign him on. Unfortunately we didn't, but
those who were there that day will, I'm sure, never forget his
performance. There was a double irony about
it all. Haynes had subbed proof for East
lengths in the Wellesley Cup final a couple of weeks before
and he'd had a poor game as they lost to Enfield.
And he wouldn't have played at all against E lengths if I'd
managed to fix up Sachin Tendulkar, who was on holiday in
Lancashire at the time, as our substitute professional.
Among the House Cricket Club's more colourful supporters is
Brian Moorhouse. Anyone who's ever been to a game
at the West End Ground will certainly know who Brian is.
He certainly makes his presence felt while the House are
playing. Over the years he's collected
many happy memories of watching the team in action and I'm sure
he'll entertain us all by telling us them now.
Now memories and memories all to be treasured.
Our favourable memory was at the end of the season we went on a
Cricket Club day out to Blackpool.
End of season trip, Alan. Unknown to me, there was another
trip from Berkeley from the post office and it's all right.
Good day out, really good day out.
Plenty of beer, plenty of singing.
Making our way back to Princess Suites car, Princess Street car
park and underage the railway bridge.
There's this body lead in the gutter.
I got nearer to it and I said to Fred Betts.
I said that looks a bit like Ronnie Berry.
So we turned him over and Ronnie Berry was a post office worker
and he was been on the post office trip.
So we picked him up. I said come on, we'll take him
back, put him on his coach. We got to the coach station,
only our coach on. So I said to Fred.
I said come on, let's get him on our bus, I'll take him home.
He only lives around the corner from me so I'll ripped him off
the bus. So long come round, still flat
out full a beer. Walked him up Rosedale Ave Got
to his cottage door, went knocked on the door.
No light. 3:00 in the morning, no light whatsoever.
No answer. Banged and banged and banged
again. Went through his pocket looking
for his household key. Could not find one.
All of a sudden, the lady next door in the next cottage,
bedroom window open. What's going on down there?
Oh, I said hello, Missus Robson, I said I just brought Bonnie
back from from Blackpool. I said I can't get in, can't get
him in, so you won't be able to do.
He went with his mother this morning for a week.