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Stockport in the Central Lancashire League
This is my story
of Stockport Cricket Club, whose impressive ground at Cale Green I first visited
as a small boy, a club which was surely one of the strongest in the country
during the “Glorious Sixties” and, after experiencing the bad times – so bad, in
fact, that it almost went out of existence just a few years ago – bounced back
to win the Championship in 1989 (left).
It is the story of a club which, in the midst of the Cheshire County League’s main catchment area, has survived to recapture former glories – a tribute to a few stalwart workers, led by Colin Wilks, who did not desert them in their hour of need.
Steve Wundke, the popular Australian left-handed all-rounder who has now made his home near Chester, performed the double of 1217 runs and 100 wickets in 1991 – the first Stockport player to record the feat since Test man Colin McCool did it in 1955.
One year earlier Nick Hayward was the only amateur batsman in the league to reach the magical four figures.
But, then, over the years many great names have been associated with the Stockport club since it was formed in 1855 and first joined the Central Lancashire League amid some controversy in 1937, having before that played in the Manchester Association.
Jack Iddon…Tom Brierley…Jack Holdroyd…Bob Rae…Ken Dean. All in the Stockport wartime team which in April, 1944, bowled Heywood out for EIGHT! Nat Lofthouse scored for Bolton Wanderers against Stockport County at Edgeley Park on the same day, but the headlines were taken by Rae’s seven wickets for two runs and Holdroyd’s 3-3.
A
young opening pair began to make a name for themselves soon afterwards, two
brothers who proudly wore those splendid Rossall School caps and appeared
capable of knocking off whatever score was required virtually single-handed.
Nigel (left) and Barry Howard, of course, later played for Lancashire. Nigel, who I remember scoring an unbeaten century against Royton, was the Red Rose skipper in 1950 when they shared the County Championship with Surrey and also led England to India, Pakistan and Ceylon in 1951/52.
Another member of
that successful Lancashire side with Stockport connections was Brian Statham,
who came to Cale Green from Denton West and had a few games before going on to
Old Trafford and a fabulous career in Test cricket during which he took 252
wickets.
Other Stockport stalwarts from that era included Harold Eyre, who skippered the side, Alan Chapman, wicket-keeper George Wigglesworth, Bill Jones, Norman Rathmell, George Selby, Gilbert Mellor and Arthur Wrigley, who was to become BBC radio’s resident scorer.
Colin McCool we have mentioned; then there was Wally Walmsley and possibly the best player to represent the town, Indian Test star Vinoo Mankad (right), who graced us with his princely presence.
One young player to benefit from the guidance he received from this world famous star was Barry Duddleston, the batsman who went on to enjoy a rich run-packed career with Leicestershire and, briefly, Gloucestershire and is now a Test umpire, like fellow ex-Stockport man Tony Crafter.
But it was in the sixties that Stockport really excelled and a glimpse at the honours won during this period shows just how successful was a team which featured Nigel Hawkin, Alan Brown, Bob Kelsall, Bill Heginbotham, John Speak and pro’s Gerry Warr and Ken Grieves, the former Lancashire all-rounder who was the paid man at Cale Green during the team’s best-ever 1966 season.
In
1970 Stockport, spurred on by Ashok Mankad (Vinoo’s son), Neil O’Brien, Tommy
Hodson, Ross Bunting, Howard Walker and Geoff Greenop beat Cheadle, Eagley,
Didsbury, Stalybridge, Wallasey, Sunderland and Steetley on their way to the
Cricketer Cup final at Lord’s (left).
But, despite Mankad’s heroics, they lost to Cheltenham off the very last ball.
Despite Malcolm Williamson’s consistency and the emerging talents of Ian Tansley and Nick Speak, who shared in two massive opening partnerships at Heywood and Middleton which led to 10 wicket wins, successes during the Eighties were rare indeed.
Speak, a century-maker at Rochdale when but a slip of a boy, is now with Lancashire and hit 153 against Surrey last year.
Generous sponsorship from Jungheinrich and the return of ex-professional and Essex player, Bob Cooke as skipper saw an upturn in Stockport’s fortunes and the future looks bright indeed.
BERNARD JORDAN
1991Click Here to view the list of Professionals employed by Stockport CC in the Central Lancashire League, and related information.
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