Heaton Mersey Cricket Club

The Books Reveal .....Bounce Back, Boys!

Written by Bob Moorhouse

Monday, 04 May 2009

If you are still hurting today and you should be boys take some consolation from the following article- in an occasional series by The Keeper of Scorebooks, Bob Moorhouse.

The grumpy old men who still take the pleasure (and pain) of watching this great game might try to tell you that it was never like that in their day but don’t believe a word of it!

A sixteen year old Jenaid Rashid was the new kid on the block ten years ago when Mersey were rolled for 72 on the 15th of May at Nantwich. Ten years before that though, Mersey rolled out Warrington for 76 at Walton Lea with a certain Stan Davies taking 3-20 and current chairman Colin Norbury seeing his side home for an early seven wicket victory.

Perhaps the current side can take most heart from what happened exactly forty years to the day to a Mersey first team. Chasing a target of 177-7 set by Bramhall, the innings was opened by League Chairman, David Humpage, father of our current Director of Cricket. He batted in some would say typical style for an hour and a quarter, being sixth out at 49 for the only double figure score (24) that his team could muster. The last four wickets fell on 69 and the whole innings lasted 27.1 overs only…who says history doesn’t repeat itself?

The following week the team had a 20/20 Thompson Trophy match…and some of you readers thought 20/20 was a new concept! The Mersey team read…Clarke, Humpage, Marr, Edgar Sawer, Roberts, Carter, Dave Berry, Cass, Willoughby, Harris and Bill Ashworth and the opposition, the now defunct Moorfield.

A remarkable Moorfield scorecard read 17 all out, with eight batsmen recording ducks. Ashworth had 6-5 and Carter 3-11 before Alan Clarke and Dave Humpage knocked off the runs in less than three overs. Now that is the way to bounce back…watch out Poynton later this week!

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David Humpage said:

...
Very intersting - I have no recollection of the Bramhall game, but critics of my run scoring rate should note that games at that time were played on uncovered wickets and that 24 then was worth 50 todsy !

The game at Moorfield is famous in Mersey history for an inappropriate remark shouted from the side of the pitch by a Mersey player (now deceased). If anyone wants to know what it was I will tell them in private !