Cutting it in more ways than one

Crompton Cricket Club.

2 More Image(s) In Gallery

CROMPTON Cricket Club are making great strides off the field as well as on it.

From their Glebe Street base, they are enjoying a renaissance fuelled by forward-thinking minds and a willingness to get stuck in.

Those people who step through the gates of the ground are immediately taken with the view beyond the square and its smart surrounds.

Neat seats stretching out in front of the clubhouse and a flurry of flower arrangements make for a pleasant experience for cricket-watchers.

Go through the doors and one is greeted by a spacious main room which overlooks the playing area ­- ideal for those nippy days when two jumpers is not enough. It holds 150 and can be hired out for functions . . . plenty have.

It hasn't always been as such at Crompton, though.

Committee member Andy Kershaw explained: "Twenty years ago or so, the players got changed in a wooden hut ­- we've come a long way since then.

"Inside and out, it has been transformed.

"The committee is very active and driven to push the club forward. It won't rest on its laurels. Volunteers work tirelessly to maintain the look of the it which everyone is very proud of."

Crompton have become an all-the-year-round focal point of the community.

With a football pitch at the side of the clubhouse, it is the base for Crompton FC Juniors and Moorside Cricket Club football teams.

Kershaw added: "It's not just a facility for Crompton Cricket Club and its members, it serves Shaw as well.

"People walking by, who don't know it exists, stumble across it. They drop in for a drink and tell their friends about it.

"The functions are going really well, with birthdays and christenings etc, while the new bar was only put in a couple of years ago with grateful thanks to money left to us by our former chairman Stuart Howarth.

"The children's play area is popular, especially in the summer months. Picnic benches close by allow parents to sit outside and have a drink while their children are playing."

Times are changing on the pitch for Crompton, who on Sunday meet Rochdale in the final of the Pennine Cricket League's Wood Cup competition. Preview on Page 31.

They have been accepted into the Lancashire League, and from next season will compete against the likes of Clitheroe and Todmorden.

Crompton boast three senior teams and juniors from under-nines up to 18s. They are also looking to set up a girls side.

They are also currently working towards ECB Clubmark status, which shows the club is sustainable, well run and provides the right environment for its members of all ages.

Kershaw said: "The Lancashire League brings a challenge we are looking forward to.

"We feel our facilities will fit in perfectly and hopefully will have a knock-on effect in that Crompton will be only team from Oldham competing in the competition.

"It's a chance to showcase the club to supporters from other clubs who haven't been here before."

To book a function call 01706 847421.

• Check out more pictures of Crompton Cricket Club on our picture sales page.