So another summer passes and the season closes. The club can look back on a successful season with all three senior teams picking up silverware.
Last weekend saw the 3rd team win the final play off match versus Todmorden to secure the 3rd team title. Jake Walker scoring 67 and Henry Doyle 33 not out. Ryan Storey then took 4 wickets as the title was secured. Congratulations to Lee Kenyon and his team on a great summer which saw the Keni helping with the important development of some younger players into senior cricket and still winning a trophy.
Then the 2nd team led by Dale Gabriel won the Junior Cup in a comprehensive victory in the final and also managed a very respectable 4th league place. Again the younger players gained lots of experience and contributed to the successful season alongside some of the more experienced players. A few highlights in the summer included a hundred for Jonny Dack at Crompton, Dale’s 150 not out in the cup and Ben Parkinson’s undefeated 100. We also saw Dale take 44 league wickets at 8.7 and the emergence of his spin twin Chris Round with 35 wickets at just under 15. In fact Chris completed a unique treble this season winning three trophies with each of the senior teams, including two important spells at the T20 finals day. Thank you to Dale for his hard work this summer leading the team.
The 1st team ended joint 3rd with Lowerhouse in a competitive top division. That position was secured with a great win against Lowerhouse on the final day. After being bowled out for 117 and Lowerhouse still in with a shout for the title we watched a match winning 8 for 26 by Jack Wynn, which also earned him his baggy green – as far as I can see only Simon Read (9 for 41) and Jonathan Fielding (9 for 53) have better figures in the recent past. This was the last game at least for a while for skipper Tom Parton, who is off to Australia for the next 18 months. Tom made over 400 league runs averaging 25 and claimed 27 victims. All the best to Tom and thanks for his captaincy this year. Also we cannot forget a special mention for Jonathan “Trigger” Fielding who has again ended the season as the top amateur wicket taker with 49 wickets at 13.28. There were also a number of first team debuts with Jack Wynn and Dan Pyke going the club and Jake Walker making the step up. Best of luck to JJ Fiedling as he continues his cricketing education at Shrewsbury and we hope to see him back at Acre Bottom next summer when those commitments end. Also all the best to Jake on his cricket course based at Old Trafford under the auspices of Myerscough College.
On reflection, a successful season on the field, as the club looks to provide a top quality facility for the local community for players of all ages to enjoy. We have a top class venue in Ramsbottom to be enjoyed by all, either on the field or as a member supporting the teams. We will continue to promote the club to the local community to make sure we make the most of what we can offer. Also keep an eye out for news of the introduction of girls cricket at club.
I hope that we have also taken a few steps forward in how we share information using the website and various social media channels. Not perfect but we are working on it and hope that you have seen an improvement in both content and frequency of posts. Lots of thanks to those who have helped to provide that content and to Gillian for her guidance and technical support.
Finally the club does not now hibernate for the winter, please pop down to socialise and join us for the events planned for the next few months – see the website for more information.
Graham Ratcliffe