Thanks for the memories

POWER AND POISE . . . Carl Hooper was a joy to watch during his four years as professional at Werneth in 1986, ’87, ’89 and ’90,

Keith McHugh on the players who shaped the CLL

CRICKET: THERE will be the odd lump in the throat and tear in the eye among seasoned local cricket watchers on Sunday.

This weekend sees the final matches of the Central Lancashire League, which was founded in 1892.

The CLL is merging with the Saddleworth and District League to form the Pennine League - so Sunday really is the end of an era.

I have been reporting for the Chronicle on league events for over 25 years and was watching matches in the league long before that. Here are some of the events and players who have stood out in the past quarter-century


SIR GARFIELD SOBERS: The greatest all-round cricketer ever, Sobers played in the CLL for five seasons for Radcliffe from 1958-62. In 1961, he scored 1,008 runs and took 144 wickets. Sobers always maintained that playing local league cricket in England honed his skills and made him a better international player.

BASIL D’OLIVEIRA: Like Sobers, ‘Dolly” was a bit before my time, but is worthy of special mention. Broadcaster John Arlott persuaded Middleton to take on the South African as their professional in 1960 and he went on to become a star for Worcestershire and England. By employing D’Oliveira, Middleton made a big statement against apartheid.

CARL HOOPER: Came to Werneth as a promising West Indian all-rounder and left as a hero, going on to become a Test batsman of rare calibre. I watched him bat on many occasions and witnessed several

centuries. Not many batsmen hit flat-bat sixes on Heywood’s huge Crimble ground, but Hooper did.

JOEL GARNER: Was already an established star when he arrived at Oldham, but I was at the Pollards for his debut and watched the star fast bowler brave freezing cold weather to get among the wickets as usual. One of many big names to grace the CLL.

FUTURE STARS: There have been many players who have graced the CLL at the start of their careers before going on to Test stardom. Heywood, a club of which I have been a member for many years, provided three in Aussie Geoff Lawson, West Indian Curtley Ambrose and Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower, who went on to be England coach.

CHARACTERS: I could have named a hundred of these, but the three who readily come to mind are Mel Whittle, John Punchard and Paul Rocca. The latter was a skilful spin bowler and hard-hitting batsman for Middleton when I first started reporting on local cricket and as well as enjoying his exploits on the field, I found him great company off it. To this day, Paul – a CLL life member – and I have a chat on the boundary edge.

Punchard was only 16 and a rookie when he played for Royton against Littleborough in the 1973 Wood Cup final.In his 38th CLL campaign, he played for the same club in the 2011 final defeat against Middleton. With nearly 20,000 league runs and more than 1,000 wickets to his name, Punchard is one of the most successful all-rounders the league has produced.

Last but definitely not least, Mel Whittle. At 68, Whittle has played a huge part in helping Crompton to win the Championship this season. In 2010 he took 100 league wickets (at 63), cementing his reputation as one of the best amateur bowlers the league has ever seen. He made his debut for Crompton at the age of 14 and will be representing the same club, 54 years later, on Sunday.



TELL us your stand-out CLL memories. Email sport@oldham-chronicle.co.uk. If you want us to publish it, give your real name and if necessary, a non-de-plume