1845 Hall of Fame Inductees 2021

I was first brought down to Ramsbottom Cricket Club in 2005 by Stephen Ratcliffe, someone who is sadly missed by us all.

He’d tried to do this for a while but once I started coming down, it
didn’t take long for me to understand what the club meant to the players, members and the Town and I was completely sold on it.

There are people who have been here longer than me and made a far greater impact, particularly on the cricket field, and I am glad that many of them will be here tonight as we celebrate the club’s 175th Anniversary.

We are taking this opportunity to use this special event to start up the 1845 Hall of Fame and tonight we have 5 former players who we will induct as its first members.

This is something that we will do on an annual basis, and I hope you appreciate that selecting the first “famous” five was never going to be easy due to the number of people who would easily walk into the Hall of Fame due to their past glories. For those who haven’t made it this year, your time will come.

We are delighted that Graham Gooch has been able to join us tonight to help with the celebrations. He obviously needs no introduction as he means a lot to cricketing fans everywhere and is the reason why I once owned a SS Stuart Surridge cricket bat – regardless of the fact that I couldn’t use it very well. Welcome Graham.

I’d like to thank our main Club Sponsors Formulated Polymers Products and the Junior Foundation Sponsors Grace Overseas for their continued support for the club and for joining us this evening.

It only falls to me now to thank you all for coming, I hope you have a good evening.

John Fox

MANY THANKS TO OUR CLUB SPONSORS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT.

Michael Haslam

I was lucky enough to play alongside Michael on and off for many years, starting in the junior ranks at Ramsbottom CC and ending more recently culminating in a long awaited Lancashire league title in 2010.

Michael played a pivotal part in Ramsbottom’s success that season, opening the bowling with consistency, building pressure with his accurate line and length and taking key wickets when it mattered the most. He was also a hard trainer, never giving less than 100% which was a great example to set for the younger lads around him.

A medium/fast left arm bowler who would hit the spot and move the ball with incredible consistency.

Son of Ramsbottom stalwart Maurice he made his Lancashire League debut in 1991 and was a permanent fixture in the 1st team up until his retirement in 2016 having accumulated 611 Lancashire League wickets, the third highest in Ramsbottom CC’s history.

Mark Lomas, one of the Lancashire league’s most respected batsmen once described one spell of bowling as the best he had ever faced, not a bad accolade!

A true team player, friend to many, loyal servant to the club and a more respected player at Ramsbottom CC and beyond you will not find who fully deserves his place in the 1845 Hall of Fame.

Jon Fielding

Michael Everett

Michael ‘Mick’ Everett joined Ramsbottom in 1974 from Brooksbottom where he enjoyed some success as a bowler, notably when running in from the end that his Uncle Joe was umpiring!

Following his first team debut on 9th August 1975, he played first team cricket until 1989 making 3,691 league and cup runs including what was then the rare feat, for an amateur, of scoring over 500 league runs in both 1978 and 1981.

Mick, by his own admission, wasn’t the classic stylist but more than made up for that by bringing tremendous determination, dedication and heart to his batting. A master of the ‘glance’ behind square on the leg side, he frustrated many of the Test bowlers he faced, not least Madan Lal, the former Indian opening bowler who famously exclaimed “I cannot bowl at this man”! The curry they shared after the match testament to the great nature of cricket and cricketers.

The 1981 season, Mick’s most successful, started in dramatic fashion when he and his opening partner, Peter Ashworth, in front of television cameras, were the first 2 amateurs to face one of the Games’ greatest ever fast bowlers – Michael Holding. Having donned a made to measure helmet, Mick top scored with 29 helping Ramsbottom to a 3 wicket win in a low scoring game. True grit.

Mick continued his Ramsbottom playing career in the second eleven with no let-up in his competitiveness, enthusiasm and standards, especially when he was captaining the side. Winning the Junior Cup Trophy and coming Runners up in the League in 1993 being the highlight of his leadership.

On retirement from playing, he served the club in several roles. He managed the 1st eleven for many years, ran several junior sides, and spent many years on the Committee and as the League Representative for the club.

It is not widely known that Mick was offered the role of President of the Lancashire League by the League Chairman, Mike Bibby. Though obviously a massive honour and a recognition of the wider work that Mick did for the League, he turned it down as it would impact on his ability to watch Rammy on a regular basis. There would also need to be a degree of impartiality in the role but as a Rammy man to the marrow of his bones, this was never going to be an option.

Wholehearted and committed in everything he did and does, a great teammate and a true Rammy legend.

Ian Bell

Ian Bell

Ian W. Bell, a right-handed opening batsman or should I now say ‘batter’ (also known as ‘Archie’ in the dressing room derived from America R & B group Archie Bell & the Drells) first came to Acre Bottom from nearby Walshaw Sports Club in 1979 and played for Ramsbottom CC until his retirement in 1999. (There was take a mini break around 1981 back at Walshaw)

First impressions were very positive: he stood out as a classy, stylish and determined batsman, equally comfortable on both the front & back foot. Watching him bat in the nets, when the wickets were possibly not as good as the present time, was something that every young cricketer should be forced to watch. Where other batsmen would struggle Ian had the ability to make it look like a test match pitch.

Rarely did you see the ball in the air when Ian was facing the bowling. He was the classic batsman, “keep the ball on the carpet” with his classic check drive, a pure joy to watch, he also possessed the attribute of ‘time’ essential for any high-class batsman.

Ian played just a handful of second eleven matches before being elevated to the first team where he stayed for pretty much all the remainder of his career. Making a total of 415 Lancashire League appearances 29 Worsley Cup matches on top of which he represented the Lancashire League Inter League side a total of seven times.

Ian scored 9,014 League runs with 51 fifties & 2 hundreds & an average of 23.90

He also took 4 wickets – not widely remembered but if you have a couple of hours to spare, I am sure he will talk you through each one of them!

In 1993 Ian won the League Senior Batting Award with 758 runs, possibly making him the only Ramsbottom player to win this prestigious award.

What makes Ian’s achievement even more remarkable is that this was done at a time when he was playing against some fearsome International cricketers: PD Swart, Abid Ali, Maden Lal, Mudassar Nazar, Neal Radford, Mick Malone, Franklin Stephenson, WW Davies, Geoff Lawson, Paul Reiffel, Roger Harper, WW Daniel, Damien Fleming, IVA Richards, Steve Waugh and who could forget Alan Donald and Shane Warne.

Ian captained the side in 1997/98. Won the Wolstenholme Cup for Player of the Year on 3 occasions 1979, 1984 & 1986 amongst numerous other individual club trophies.

Without doubt one of Ramsbottom’s finest batsmen.

Maurice Haslam

Brian Fielding

I never saw Brian play cricket, but sometimes it feels like I did.

Having had the great pleasure of sitting with Brian watching Ramsbottom play for many years, in between him highlighting the shortcomings in my game, I have listened to his stories about his playing days and there is no doubt that he was a wonderful player.

A fast bowler with a run up that gets longer every time he describes it, Brian played at Ramsbottom from 1971 through to 1990. In Lancashire League games, from his 259 appearances, he claimed 362 wickets at 19.6 with his best performance of 7-27 coming against Nelson in 1975. He never mentions it, but two of his notable victims were Viv Richards and Steve Waugh (for a duck!).

Outside of Ramsbottom CC, Brian had a successful career as a professional for the likes of Clitheroe and Cherry Tree, but his heart always belonged to Ramsbottom.

A true club servant, he has held all the major offices at the club: 1st Team Captain, Chairman and President. He toyed with being with an Umpire for a few seasons but despite winning the Lancashire League Umpire of the year, it got in the way of watching his beloved Ramsbottom so retired from umpiring, as ever, with the crowd begging for more.

Father of Jon and grandfather to JJ and Brad, Brian has passed on his cricketing genes and none of his bad habits to the next generation of the family cricketers and it is a source of pride to him that they have all performed at a very high level for Ramsbottom.

A great chap and a good friend, he richly deserves to be honoured as one of the first inductees into the 1845 Hall of Fame.

John Fox

Maurice Haslam

Maurice joined RCC as a junior in 1954. In 1955 Peter Philpott was the Professional at Rammy and Maurice says that he was the main motivating factor for his love of the game of cricket. Philpott taught at Peel Brow school where Maurice was a pupil and organised games of the pupils on the land that is now the home of Ramsbottom United FC.

Maurice starting playing for the under 18’s (there was no junior section then) and the 2XI at the age of 14 and made his first team debut in 1962 when Seymour Nurse was the professional.

Maurice bowled off spin and batted in the late middle order. In the 70’s and 80’s he was certainly one of the best cover point fielders in the League.

He ranks at No 9 for all time appearances for RCC. He captained the 1st team in 1975 and in the late 80’s lead the 2nd team for 3 years. In 1991 he was asked to lead the 1st team again to help the club out and at the end of that season he retired.

Up to the mid 1970’s Maurice’s opportunities with the ball were limited due to senior spinners in the club but took more than 200 wickets with a best of 7-25 in the League and 7-45 in the Worsley Cup. He won 1st team player of the year in 1978 with 49 wickets @ 14.3.

His batting opportunities were limited but on several occasions he saw the side home when the game was getting tense. Since his retirement he has remained one of the most active figures at the club – any odd job that needs doing, he is down there with his friend Derek and sporting a tool collection that would make the repair shop TV experts proud.

Along with Ian Bell, he has made the cricket museum in the old pavilion by far and away the best in the league. On top of this Maurice has helped out on the ground, given time to young cricketers who sought his advice on cricketing matters and has been invaluable in helping Cricket managers in securing top class professionals for the club.

He is without doubt one of the best known and respected cricketers in the league.

Michael Everett