Andy Rigby The Author Returns
Riggers is back with a new book this time about Blackburn Rovers
Great Minds of DCC!
Brian Reaches 70
Jean and Brian
Jean, Brian, Bill and Ian
Fishy inspects the wicket - step on the gas Darwen!
Happy Birthday Brian
CHAMPIONS
The 2nd League Cup was won by Darwen on Sunday 14th September. Despite most of the team nursing hangovers from the end of season do, the boys managed to pull out all the stops in front of a partisan away following. As you can see from the photo some big drinkers were on tour.
Click Here for the official Match Report.
Second Team Cup Final Rearranged
Six-a-side Winners
Sunday 31st August saw a return of the Six-a-side competition. Once again Michael Horsfield's team failed to win. The winners Sheldon's Super Six are pictured below.
Chris Davies Takes New Second Team Bowling Record
End of Season Do and Presentation Evening
Gareth Cordingley Reaches 10000 Northern League Runs
Darwen Golf Day Friday 12th September
Daniel Tighe and Chritian Davies Productions present The Darwen Golf Day 2008. Looking at some people's batting techniques at the club there should be great interest.
Click here for more details in beautiful colour Golf Day Details. Cheers Tiger
Race Night Saturday 16th August
Family Fun Day and Prize Treasure Hunt
This Saturday 19th July sees the First Team take on Carnforth with the prolific South African Ryan Bailey starring for the visitors. From 1400 to 1600 a number of
fun events will be taking place, including a Table Top Sale (bring your own tables - 6' maximum length for only 5 pounds), games, competitions, refreshments, face painting,
stalls, and take on the bowling machine if you dare!
Entrance fee is reduced to 2 pounds for adults and 1 pound for children and concessions, plus a five pound family ticket is also available. Entrance as always will be free
to members.
Please come down and join in the party atmosphere at Birch Hall.
On Sunday 20th July between 1000-1100 there is Prize Treasure Hunt with entry 10 pounds per car, limited places are still available so get your names down fast.
To book a Table Top Space or a set time for your car please contact the club on 01254 701795, or Matthew Grant on 01254 705979 or Mandy Davies on 01254 761404
The Sportsmans Dinner
Once again a highly entertaining evening was had by all at Ewood Park. The organising committee enjoy their moment of glory with Sir Richard Hadlee.
Well done to Gary jackson, Bill Ainslie, Dave Emborough and Neil Whalley for all their efforts.
Awards For All
Chairman Matthew Grant and Captain Andy Cook holding a the Awards for All Certificate £9966 and a Princes' Trust Cert
for supporting a teenager in teaching him the skills of Groundsmanship.
Lancs Cup Cancelled
Todays match against Colwyn Bay in the Lancashire and Wales Knockout has been postponed due to poor weather.
He Knows Nutt-All
After recent comments in the local rag Darwen have decided to bring in outside help.
Groundforce 2008
The Lower Darwen Volunteers at work.
Annual Perennial Plant Sale
Andrew Rigby is back with his yearly plant sale for one day only. Sunday 27th April at the club from 930-1200 to raise
money for the junior section.
Please come down and support Andrew and the Juniors.
Friendly Cancelled
Sunday's friendly against Church was called off for some unknown reason.
Southport League News
The Southport League has closed its play-cricket website and gone it alone. Their new webbers is www.southportcricket.co.uk
The draw for the 3rds Sandhurst Sheild and the 4ths Pochin Cup has been made and we have home draws in both against New Victoria and Winstanley park respectively.
Club Dinner
The Club Dinner was held on Friday 7th March for those selective few lucky enough to receive an invite and Ken Lowe seems a little emotional after winning a raffle prize!
Senior Fixtures Summary 2008
Click here for a summary of the clubs 2008 Fixtures.
Sportscamp 2008
Monday 11th August to Friday 15th August 2008 sees the return of the annual Sportscamp. Click here for the chairman's Sportscamp Details
Northern League Cup Draw
We have been given a bye in the first round of the Cup and will now play the winners of St.Annes or Leyland away on Sunday July 13th.
Nets and Scorers Wanted
Nets start on Wednesday 27th Feb (8pm-10pm) for 5 weeks. So if you are like Bill Ainslie and want to peak in March get yourself down Darwen Vale next week.
New players are most welcome, and new players that can bowl are even more welcome!
Also there are opportunities to become the scorer of either the First Team or Second Team. This last season involved collecting your £15 for doing very little whilst waiting around for most
of the games to be called off. Anyone interested contact Gary Jackson
Lancashire Cup
Colwyn Bay at home has been arranged for Sunday 27th April
Sportscamp 2008
The dates for this years Sportscamp have now been arranged. It will take place from Monday 11th to Friday 15th August. More details to follow when Chris Lowe
can get off his sickbed and Merse pays his non-playing subs for 2008.
Sportsmans Dinner
Fancy meeting up with past team mates at Darwen Cricket club's Sportsman’s Dinner on Friday 16th May?
A chance to listen to a top after dinner speaker in Sir RICHARD HADLEE and reminisce on the times you enjoyed at Darwen cricket club with your old team mates.
We are selling tickets at £30 and hope to be able to fill tables of 10 with past playing members of the club. Further details can be obtained from David Bonner who can be contacted on davebonner@talktalk.net.
As a club we would very much like to see you as we do believe that our history is just as important as our present day.
Andrew Mercenary Heads For Orrell Dairylea Triangle and Village Life
Strike bowler Andrew Mercer has decided to move onto pastures new for the coming 2008 season. Although this a blow for the club, it may well be a good move
for Merse as he bids to reignite his desire to play. Obviously we wish him all the best and will welcome him back after his sabbatical in a couple of seasons.
Orrell Red Triangle (??) to give them their proper name, are in the Second tier of the Liverpool Competition, but he will have the chance to play just off
the square at Liverpool, Wigan and picturesque Wavertree. He will no doubt take plenty of wickets and may rekindle his batting prowess that he used to talk about.
The loss of Merse, Keith and Sicknote Lowe for the coming season means if you can walk and turn your arm over, you are in with a chance for selection as a
bowler!
Thanks and Good Luck Merse!
Cockspur Cup 2008
We have a bye in the first round but will play the winners of Roe Green and Old Xaverians at home in the second round on Sunday May 18th.
Click here for the full draw Cockspur Cup Draw 2008
Sportsmans Dinner
The date for the Sportmans Dinner has been officially confirmed by Bill Ainslie as Friday May 16th at Ewood Park. Conveniently the date coincides with the first open date for the first and second teams - nice one B!
We can now officially announce that the main speaker will be none other than Sir Richard Hadlee, one of the greatest cricketers ever to grace this planet. A Knight of the realm, who could bat, bowl and field and is an ambassador for his country
will be sharing his knowledge with us at the home of football. Ticket details coming soon.
Membership Details 2008
To help keep our membership records up to date please download and complete the attached form. Click on one of the links and print off the membership document and
follow the instructions.
Click here for to open with .PDF Membership Document 2008
Click here for to open with Microsoft Word Membership Document 2008
Winter Nets, Junior Presentation and AGM
The Junior Presentation will take place on Friday 30th November and the AGM on Monday 3rd December.
Winter Nets have been pencilled in for Wednesday nights (8-10pm) at Darwen Vale. The preliminary dates are Feb 27th, March 5th,12th,19th and 26th.
Dates to be confirmed early in the New Year.
International Debut for Yaz
Yaz Patel has helped the Mexican team beat the mighty Houston cricketers over in the US of A. Considering that there are 40 teams just in Houston and 4 in the whole of Mexico it is no mean achievement for the gringos to pull this one
out of the bag.
Of course it was a true Darrener that got player of the tour with 39 and 24 not out (playing for his average as usual!), as the Tequila Slammers beat the Oil Barons for the first time in 10 years and
only the second time in 29 years! As you can see from the photo below the Tower has gone Stateside so it won't be too long before we are subject of a takeover.
Not content with victory over the Septics, Yaz is this weekend
playing in the Central American Championships, which is an ICC event, and will be given his international cap! Tony Grieg, Graeme Hick, Kevin Pietersen are just a few of the great cricketers to turn their back on their homeland, you
can now add Yasir 'The Turncoat' Patel to that list.
First and Second Team Averages
Click Here for the First and Second Team Batting and Bowling Averages.
Keith Semple Flies Home
Keith turns over a new leaf as he starts a new chapter in his life - for once he looks smart or should I say like Rodders in his blazer!
Atif Ashraf
DARWEN’S Birch Hall ground had never seen anything like it. The Northern League hadn’t either in more than 50 years of action.Records fell by the wayside as Darwen pro Atif Ashraf finished off another great season with a double ton in Keith Semple’s last game for the club.
Ashraf, who is on the verge of Pakistan’s Test team, hammered a League record 17 sixes in his knock of 208 not out. Four disappeared out of the ground; another shook the clubhouse. It was his third unbeaten League century in a row and followed 144 at Netherfield and 140 at home to Fleetwood. In between there was another unbeaten knock of 76 which won Darwen the League’s 20/20 Cup.
Atif topped the League averages last season and he repeated the feat this time. Discounting a couple of knocks in abandoned games he has hit 1045 runs at an average of over 116. Fans can only imagine how many he might have hit had Darwen not lost seven games to the weather.
The lost matches certainly cost Darwen the title which went to St Annes who had been in big trouble at Netherfield before winning in the last over and picking up 12 points to pip Morecambe. Darwen, who had lost just one game all season, finished third and Kendal fourth.
Atif’s 208 was the first double century in the 55-year history of the Northern League and it topped Bernard Reidy’s 184 not out for St Annes 30 years ago.
And it came from just 45 overs, Darwen declaring on 310 for 5, just nine runs short of Netherield’s League record. Skipper Semple gambled on using the extra five overs to skittle Barrow but they held on with two wickets to spare.
Darwen’s previous top score was the 174 not out by West Indian star Ken Rickards in 1953. Ashraf also holds Darwen’s second highest score with 154 not out at Kendal last season.
Darwen secretary Colin Charnock saw Rickards’ 174. “He was a really class player,” he recalled. “His late cut had a touch of magic about it. He used to play it almost out of the ‘keeper’s hands. But Atif certainly has the edge for sheer force.”
Atif's League scores this season: 51*, 130, 63*, 38, 11, 9, 27, 32, 95*,
74*, 10, 1, 12, 144*, 140*, 208*.
20/20 News
DARWEN retained the Northern League 20/20 Cup with an easy win over Lancaster in a repeat of last year’s final. But their semi-final clash with St Annes at Birch Hall immediately before the final was a real nail-biter. Just about every supporter and most of the team had given it up as a lost cause. Not that they would admit as much.
They all reckoned without the determination of skipper Keith Semple who kept plugging away grimly.
Keith was determined to go out with some silverware and he turned in a virtuoso performance against Ian Austin’s well-fancied St Annes.
He was top scorer in a low-scoring game with a hard-hitting 26 which included three fours and a six and Darwen struggled to reach 104 for 8 thanks to youngsters Kameron Anwar and Nathan Carr keeping the innings alive and edging the total into three figures.
Semple was brilliant and St Annes fell apart. He took two wickets for just 10 runs off his four overs, snapped up three very smart catches and ran out danger man and former Darwen player Duncan Whalley as the visitors collapsed from 97 for 6 and overs to spare to 98 all out. Darwen's fielding was superb and young Anwar held a real cracker out
towards the middle of Birch Hall Avenue.
Of course, all the Darwen fans reckoned they always thought their team still had a good chance of reaching the final even as St Annes closed in rapidly on the meagre total. But none of them would have stuck a fiver on the faint hope...
In the semi, Atif Ashraf and Chris Clarke went early but Mark Emery rallied the cause with a useful 19. Austin (18) and Gareth Evans (27) got St Annes off to a good start but Atif, Andrew Mercer and Keith each took a couple of wickets as the challenge crumbled.
In the final Lancaster managed 110 for 9, Andrew Mercer starring with 3 for 15, and Cookie getting in on the act with a couple. Atif (76 not out with 8 fours and 3 sixes) and Keith knocked ‘em off in double quick time after opener Chris Lowe had struck a steady 20.
League president Brian Standing presented the 20/20 trophy to the Darwen captain who thanked everyone for their support and said how much he had enjoyed his years at Birch Hall.
"What a great performance," said Darwen chairman Matthew Grant. "We were certainly up against it in the semi-final but then we all just enjoyed the final. It's great that Keith won some a trophy in his last season."
The league championship was to be fought out between St Annes and Morecambe but Darwen were in with a chance of runners-up spot.
20/20 News
The Semi Final and Final of the Thwaites 20 20 Cup will both be played at Birch Hall on Sunday 9th September. Our Semi against St.Annes will start at 1200 with the winners going onto play last years losing finalists Lancaster at 1530.
The Defeated Finalists
Unfortunately the Fourth team lost to Tarleton in the league cup final. Despite the result the Man of the Match award was given to Danny Fradd who scored 56 and took 2 stumpings - well done Danny. Alex Davies also scored 56 not out, but it was a case of too many missed chances but we are still top of the league and going all out for the title.
Yaz Off To Mexico
Yazoo Patel has played his last game for the club for the foreseeable future as after a well earned sabbatical in T'Egypt he is embarking on a new teaching career in Mexico! This is not because he has to drive Atif to every ground in the Northern League it has been planned for some time. He goes for a year and may be more to teach English and will be a big loss to the team. He has played an important role with both bat and ball and his positive attitude has been great to see both on and off the field.
Good Luck Yas - il y a muchos arboles en el jardin!!
Andy and Chris Rigby's Book Now Available
The eagerly anticipated book 'Birch Hall Memories - Peter Lamster 1946-2006' is now available from the club for just £10. The book is a mixture of both the humorous and the serious aspects of life at Darwen CC from the 1960s until the present day, as well as containing some fulsome tributes to Peter.
All money raised will be used by the club to commemorate Peter’s massive influence.
Having purchased and read the book praise must go to Andrew and Chris for a superbly constructed book giving an insight into the 'goings-on' at our wonderful club. The 'handbook' story about the unnamed former committee member is the kind of humour you cannot make up and probably could only happen at Darwen Cricket Club. Absolute quality!!
BUY ONE NOW AND SEE IF YOU ARE IN!!
"The Origins of the Painting on the Front Cover.
The painting on the front cover is discussed in one of the later chapters. Its precise origins came to light after we had gone to print and I would like to clarify it here. Dave Bonner's father, Ron, died in 1990. Ron had served on the Committee for many years and from donations made to the club in his memory, Dave's family asked Simon Painter to paint the picture, to be displayed in the club house. Copies of the painting were also sold to raise money for the club. Ron also, like Peter, always sat in that position to watch his cricket.
Apologies for the oversight.
Chris and Andrew"