The Scorer

The Scorer - memories of village cricket and more

My favourite of my son, Max and me batting together at Cousins Lane.

Rufford Cricket Club and cricket have been with the Ashcroft family for generations. No different for me, growing  up, from  probably  the  age  of  four , I  would  be  at  the  cricket  club,  Saturday  afternoons,  Sunday  afternoons  and  usually  Monday  evenings  to  watch  the  juniors. 

“Rufford Cricket Club has a history” said Jeff Gordon; it sure does.

An early photo

My  early  memories  are  just  watching  Dad , a slow  right  arm  bowler. He would take a run up of 4 paces with his right arm, his bowling arm behind his back. No way the batsman could see the ball until the last minute. He was also a very correct  batsman, with the most wonderful forward defence. He liked a quick single, no more so than with one of his childhood mates, Gerald Davies. I  just  loved  his  tales  of  playing  cricket  for  the  army  in  Singapore  in  the  late  1940s. 

Throughout his army career he seemed to vacillate between the ranks of lance corporal or Corporal. He explained this was usually a result of drunken pranks or heroics on the football pitch or cricket pitch. He had signed up as a regular after WW2 and found himself in Singapore, Malaysia and Burma. There was not much talk about what he did in the army other than play sport.

He was also able to play cricket with his 4 brothers, his best mates, his son and his 4 grandsons.

He  was  to lead  Rufford Cricket  Club  to  an  epic  Southport  and  District  First  Division  Championship.  I  was  so  proud  of  him  and  was  able  to  watch every  game; this being possible,  as  I had taken up scoring, a true art form for some.

The league winners squad pictured here

There are two players shown who are not referenced later so Peter Edmondson, opening bowler and Danny Goodyear, wicketkeeper.

My predecessors in the score hut at RCC were Alison Sephton and Roy Chadwick. I took on the challenge fairly early in life; being a  scorer  during  a  cricket  game  takes  enormous  concentration  and  I  must  confess  that  as  a  9,  10,  11-year-old  I  did  find  it  difficult  to  keep  that  concentration  going  and  I'm  pretty  sure  some  batsman  got  extra  runs whilst others lost runs.

Whilst my attention span wasn’t great, scoring allowed me to watch cricket plus  I  got  to  travel  far  and  wide.  I  remember  one  time  being  told  we  were  going  to play a Lancashire Cup game in Barnoldswick; a place I’d never heard of but I knew it would involve a bus. I cannot remember whether it was an Holmeswood coach or a Don Fraser Coach. 

Barnoldswick played in  what  was  known  as  the  Central Lancashire League  and  they  were  allowed  to  have  professional  cricketers.  Wow,  maybe  one  day  I  could  be  a  professional  cricketer  I  thought  to  myself.  But  back  to  me  being  the  scorer.  

The local league that Rufford played was the Southport and District and incorporated all our local villages; Eccleston, Mawdesley, Croston, Burscough,Hesketh Bank and Tarleton. Those games always had an inter village rivalry. The other clubs in the leagues played in Southport; there was New Victoria, Crossens, Southport Trinity, Fleetwood Hesketh, Halsall and St.Pauls.

Perhaps no greater sight than Meols Park in Southport with at least 5 pitches; playing simultaneously.

There  were  some  very,  very  strong  rivalries,  but  it  was  a  wonderful  experience  to  be  part  of  it.  And  I  saw  very  talented  cricketers  playing  across  the  Southport  District League.

However it wasn’t just on the pitch that the rivalry existed; there were cricket teas. The home club providing sandwiches and drinks at the interval. I remember my mum and her friends doing the very best cricket teas.

Now back to the action on the field.

There were cricketing talents that  were  surely  missed  by  the  likes  of  Lancashire and England. It has been wonderful over the last few years to see Ian Caunce representing England over 60’s. 

If my memory serves me well, John Davies represented Cheshire at county level as did Simon and Tom Caunce for Lancashire. Since 1998 as junior cricket developed and really took off at Rufford, there has been a huge number of age grade county achievements at the club, both girls and boys.

However, back to me, the scorer. As I was at every game and would always be early, I did occasionally get onto the pitch! In the early 1970’s  working  on  a Saturday  mornings was still  part  of  a  way  of  life in a country village.

Very often players might be 20 minutes late for the 2pm start; if this happened I’d be asked to be a substitute fielder. Oh,  I  was  so  proud  of  that.  During  the  week  I'd  go  down  to  Davies’  butcher  shop  where  the  team  would  be  posted,  and  of  course,  a  scorer  would  be  nominated,  and  there  would  be  my  name,  hopefully,  for  the  whole  village  to  see.  

I carried  on  scoring,  carried  on  playing  cricket  and  I  got  to  Hutton Grammar  School  where  cricket  became  a  big  part  of  my  school  life,  captaining  the  school  from  the  age  of  11  right  until  18,  meeting  some  very,  very  talented  sportsmen  on  my  way  through  that  school.

   Playing  junior  cricket  at  Rufford  was  always  a  challenge,  getting  the  numbers.  Remember  one  time,  dragging  one  of  our  schoolmates  onto  the  pitch because we were short of numbers. At that time, around 1976, cut off denim jackets were the go to.  

And this  particular  guy  said  he would play as  long  as  he  could  wear  his  denim jacket; the good folk at Eccleston Cricket Club could not quite believe what they were seeing.

 He  looked  immaculate  in  whites  with  a  blue  denim  sleeveless  cut  off.  Oh,  superb  memories  and  ones  that  I  will  never  forget.

I was an early starter for the junior team at Rufford as this picture shows; very short legs!

  But  back  to  scoring,  this  was  continuing to play a bigger part of my summer, playing on Monday nights and scoring on a Saturday or Sunday.

 I was actually,  aged 12,  13,  14,  able to pay more attention  to  detail.

 That  attention  to  detail  meant  that  I  started  to  get  paid  to  score.  It  wasn't  very  much,  I  think  it  was  12  and  a  half  pence,  but  that  was  my  first  job,  and  boy  did  I  enjoy  it.  

There are more recollections about Rufford CC but they are for a later date.

 Through  my  eyes,  some  of  my  best  memories were of the following players Norman Davies, Harry Caunce, Jack  Edwards,  Alan Christopherson, Ian  Caunce,  John  Davies, Barry  Davies, Ronnie  Kenny, Charlie Caunce, Jim Sephton, Harry Jackson, Ken Baynes,  Peter Massam,  Dave  Farrell,  Graham  Fogg,  Colin  McLeod,  Arthur  Le Marinel,  Ronnie  Le Marinel, Lenny Donaldson, William  Golding,  Craig  Brookfield,  Mark  Golding,  and  many,  many  more.  But  for  the  moment,  let's  get  back  to  being  a  scorer.  The  big  money  gig  arrived,  6 a side cricket  had  become  quite  a  circuit  in  the  mid to late 1970s.  

 One of our village pubs, the  New  Fermor Arms had created  its  own  team  led  by  Alan  and  John Mawdesley. The pub was so popular at that point, John Mawdesley was able to call on the best local talent; with  John  Davies,  Barry  Davies, Ian  Caunce,   Alan  Christopherson, Vince Higham,  Dave  Farrell, Fred Schober  and  a  couple of  others.  This  newly  created  six-as-side  team was formidable. There was also fast developing cricket bat technology that all these players adopted. Bats became heavier, had wider edges and some had the back scooped out. Batmakers such as Gray Nichols and Duncan Fearnley leading the way.

One of the six a side winning teams

 On  a  Sunday  afternoon,  the team would travel far  and  wide  to  play  in  tournaments.  With  hindsight,  it  reminds  me  very  much  of  the  way  I  got  involved  in  Sevens  rugby,  but  no,  this  was  six-side  cricket.  Way  before  20:20 or the  Big Bash, but  boy,  these  guys  could  hit  a  cricket  ball.  Oh,  could  they  hit  a  cricket  ball!!!

I was often called away from scoring to track down the ball that had vanished into the long grass. 

 This was a very  competitive,  very  social, creating great laughs  and  I  got  to  meet  lots  of  fantastic  cricketers.  With  that,  I  was  introduced  to  the  concept  of  being  old  enough  to  drink.  

 And  my  half  a  shandy  after  the  tournament  was  quite  an  upside,  but  more  so  was  the  salary  from  12.5p, we  were  now  looking  north  of  a  pound,  but  it  was  a  full  afternoon  out.

It was a wonderful experience  and  one  that  will  live  long  in  the  memory.  

The team had a shout out; Fettlers. My memory would say it was a John Mawdesley saying that became a beer brewed at The New Fermor Arms.

My thanks  to  those  players  that  made  cricket  so  enjoyable  for me in  the  mid  to  late  70s.

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