|
History
of the Club
Greenmount Cricket Club is situated just outside
Bury, Lancs. Club records prior to1921 seem to be lost. It was thought
the club was founded in 1872. We planned to celebrate our centenary
in 1972,but a search the 'Bury Times' revealed we were in existence
in 1867, with matches played between Green Mount and Tottington.
Up to 1872 the club played on a field in Holcombe
Road (now Shepherds Close) according to member 'Dick Scholes'. In
the same year we moved to our present site on Brandlesholme Road.
We could not , therefore, celebrate our centenary for the search
was carried out in 1970, and by then we were 3 years late ! It is
, however, co-incidental that the present log cabin and pavilion
were built in 1967, exactly 100 years after formation, so our centenary
is of a more tangible form than a commemorative booklet !
The village was known as 'Green Mount', two words,
well into this century. As late as the 1920's and 1930's the village
was little more than a hamlet, maybe about 400 inhabitants. For
a small population we had our own policeman; a barbers shop; a clogger
and boot repairer; a chip shop; a pastrycooks ;a football club;
two bowling greens; a railway station, as well as the cricket club
and a golf club. All have gone except the cricket club and from
1921 the golf club. Yet today , several thousands live in the vicinity.
In 1921 the club erected a 'new' pavilion. Prior
to that, perhaps from its inception, the club had two very small
changing huts, about 10' x 8' , painted blue and white stripes.
The scorer sat outside ! Only the square was mown with posts and
wire to keep the cows off the wicket. Long grass grew in the outfield
, but a path was mown between the huts and the wicket for the batsman.
There was a pond at 'woodcock end'. The huts were much nearer than
present boundary as the field was not extended until the 1950's.
A photograph of the 1921 pavilion can be seen in
the club. The then president, Oliver Ashworth Esq., acquired an
old army hut. Volunteers dismantled and re-erected the hut supervised
by the local joiner, Mr. George Parker. It was raised on brick pillars,
with sleepers for steps, and a wicket fence around the seating area.
Ernest Tyldesley of Lancs and England fame was engaged.
A large crowd ringed the ground to see the famous batter. 'Darby'
Beswick, slow left arm bowler , sent down the first over and off
the third ball Ernest edged a catch. There were cries of 'drop it'
but it was safely held and he walked to the chagrin and disappointment
of the crowd.
Many names come to mind from those days. Teddy Hilton,
a stylish opening bat and his brother Frank. Darby Beswick ; Rawden
Ashworth, a fast bowler with a beautiful action; Tom and Albert
Dusbury ; Albert Walmsley who lost a leg playing football ; Bob
Pilling ; Ted Merrick ; Nelson Hodson and brother Tom ; Wilf and
George Rowles ; Chris Kenyon ; John Butterworth ; Dick Scholes ;
John Pilling ; John Grindrod ; Sam Lonsdale and Bill Ogden. Ted
Merrick once drove a ball to the old Naylors Green Hotel, then sited
at the corner of lane to Old Green.
Probably from its earliest days the club was in
the Bury & District Sunday Schools League. Championship was
won in 1932. Soon after we joined the Bury Amateur League , regarded
as a stronger league which included Walshaw, Brooksbottom and Edenfield.
About this time , one of the 'C' s was dropped. Previously we were
Green Mount Congregational Cricket Club and from 1932 we became
Green Mount Cricket Club. The advent of our being a village club
instead of a Sunday school club came about in 1932 after an extra-ordinary
meeting in the school. Since 1930 we had tried to enter the Bolton
association , but the League raised objections to our outfield not
being mown. To meet the objection some players mowed the outfield
with a hand mower, working on Sundays. This led to protests from
the church pulpit at these Sunday "carrying-on". To have
Sunday cricket then would have brought a protest march and a petition
to Parliament.
One can understand this attitude by the church,
for the club was still part of the church. Indeed it was a rule
that only players who attended Sunday School could be selected.
The desire to be a village club and enter higher league cricket
was put to a crowded meeting and was passed by a large majority.
In effect we acceded from the church , but there was no aggro in
doing so.
We carried on somehow through the 1939-45 war but
sadly, no less than seven of our players lost their lives in that
war. The seven were Ian Adamson; Harry Barrow; Gordon Butterworth;
Neville Pilling; Billy Platt; Kenneth Savin and Joseph Scholes.
We erected a memorial stone to their memory on the ground in 1946.
This was dedicated by Rev. Stanley Lewis and unveiled by Clifford
Mills JP, who was not only the President but also the Chairman of
Tottington UDC. Each year, on memorial sunday , we hold a laying
-on wreath ceremony in tribute to the players who died.
Clifford Mills JP was a player from 1917, elected
to the committee and became chairman for many years, and from 1947
to 1962 was our President - 45 years of service to the club. His
father was President before him (Henry Mills). He followed on from
Oliver Ashworth who, as stated, acquired the 1921 pavilion.
We have indeed been fortunate in having long serving
officers. Mr. J.W.T Marsh was Hon.Sec for many years from 1914/18
war; John Smithie was Hon Sec for years and Mr. Derek Hodson was
still Hon.Sec after 28 years when he died in 1974 aged 52. Our new
games room, opened in 1977 by John Spencer, World Snooker Champion
at the time, is named 'The Derek Hodson Room' in his memory.
In the 1940's a Channel island evacuee, a forester
and landscape gardener, was engaged to trim the trees on the road
side. He went further and chopped a number down. Many protests were
made in the village, but the end result of better spaced magnificent
trees were later praised. We have tried, with Tottington UDC and
later with Bury Metro to get a tree preservation order but to no
avail. We understand order cannot be granted in case of possible
future road widening. If this happened, and those trees are felled,
there would be a public outcry. The club will always do it's best
to keep them intact.
The club in 1947 were founder members of a new league
- the North Western League, mooted to be a much higher league than
the Bury Amateur League. The new league, on formation, insisted
each club should have a professional. We appointed our grounds man.
Mr. Reg Denton, although admittedly in the twilight of his playing
career. the rule being relaxed we reverted to all-amateur. The North
Western was a very good league, and tried to keep it's standards
high. The move turned out to be a right one, as both Bury District
Sunday League and Bury Amateur League have gone out of existence.
Following the tree incident, the Channel Island
evacuee more or less leveled the ground and filled in the pond.
Infilling of about three feet was necessary along the roadside.
It turned out to be a costly job, and we had to seek a bank loan
to pay the bill. It took some years of effort on the part of the
players to get this loan cleared.
1947 was an eventful year for the club. Not only
was a large tackle shed and score box built, as stated we joined
a higher league, but in that year , being informed Thwaites Brewery
had taken over our landlords, Bury Brewery Co., and were then in
the process off property in Greenmount. Mr. Clifford Mills, our
President, sought an interview with Messrs Thwaites and, for us,
took a big step by buying the ground, together with adjacent field
on Brandlesholme Road for the princely sum of £300. Once again we
had to seek a bank loan, covered by guarantee, and the purchase
was only ratified after some opposition. A Manchester textile business
man with no connections to the club gave us £150 provided we raised
the balance. Jumble sales were held, but to more quickly raise the
money, it was decided to sell off adjoining field to Tottington
UDC for £100, with the request the Council lay it out as a children's
recreation ground. We had to pay legal costs of £35, but the £65
balance enabled us to realise our objective. For years the land
lay fallow, and a local Councilor/builder used it to dump building
clay, whereupon it became known as 'The Dumps'. Not until Bury Metro
took over the land was it drained, leveled and grassed.
In later years the club concluded a deal with the
owners of land along our boundary at Vineyards Close, whereby, for
a strip of land about 25-30 yard wide they could have access to
back land over our car park. This allowed us to extend the ground,
but with access, that back land, although designated 'white' land,
could be developed. The Memorial Stone had to be moved to it's present
position on the roadside.
1967 was not only our Centenary year , but we also
built the present log pavilion with bars, and developed the social
side of the club. The old 1921 pavilion was very decrepit. No sanitation,
gas and water had only been laid on in its later years. The Ladies
Committee prepared cricket teas in primitive conditions. In inclement
weather, rain dripped from a sagging roof. For many years the committee
discussed a new pavilion with bar, but rising post-war costs prevented
action and it remained a dream. our architect had drawn up plans
for a module type, box-like structure costing £10000, and it would
cost a similar amount to equip the building. It was felt without
a bar and a social section, it would be difficult to maintain the
club. The foresight in buying our own ground was now apparent, for
without this security nothing could be achieved.
On learning that Egerton C.C. had put up a log building,
we inspected it and found that Norwegian cut logs could be imported
cheaply and erected in a matter of weeks. The decision was made
to approach several brewery firms for a loan. We got little help
from local breweries, but casting our net as far as Scotland, North
East and the Midlands, the local representatives of Vaux Breweries
Ltd. Sunderland, came to inspect our ground, and waxed enthusiastic
on the possibilities. Within weeks loan was offered. We contacted
the agents for the Norwegian firm , contracts placed, and in 1967
the building was erected and in November of that year, in use, equipped
with dance floor, bars, carpeted, central heating etc. It was obvious,
even then, that a log cabin gave it 'atmosphere'. In early 1968
the club was officially opened by Brian Statham, Lancs and England
fast bowler. Over 200 people were present including local dignitaries.
The whole setup cost more than the Vaux loan, but
with careful finance control, the balance was cleared in the first
years. In 1968 membership jumped to 0ver 1400, but there was the
inevitable tailing off. We must have been one of the few clubs in
1967 who had the vision to go ahead in this way, but others have
followed since. If we had postponed it for only a few years, continually
rising costs would have put it beyond our reach, at least in its
present form. In the years since we have installed a very nice and
comfortable lounge and bar, and in 1977 built on a commodious games
room.
Meanwhile , in 1970, the North Western League found
itself with a truncated League when some clubs joined other leagues.
Greenmount and Woodbank clubs, realising what may happen, proposed
the formation of a new league., the South East Lancs League. A working
part was convened. The area to be covered was the North Manchester
and part Rosendale Valley. Clubs such as Stand, Unsworth, Prestwich,
Norden, Baxenden, Walshaw and Brooksbottom and other clubs were
invited. There was interest in the proposed new league, but few
would take the step to join. The Lancashire and Cheshire League
also faced with breakaway clubs to a new Cheshire League decided
to expand than retract, and the end result was that both Woodbank
and Greenmount, with other North Western League clubs joined the
L & C for the 1971 season. We never regretted the move, for
it was regarded by some as an even higher league than the North
Western. We have fitted in and are well regarded, especially our
facilities. Our 2nd X1 won the second division championship in 1977
.
With the Bury Amateur League going out of existence,
we entered an adult team, literally our 3rd XI in the North Manchester
League. They have done well in that sphere against opponents who
field their 1st XI's.
In 1973 we engaged Mike Bocarro as our professional,
a noted cricket extrovert, and in 1974, John Booth, a dedicated
cricket pro of standing, followed by Terry Stewart, ex Ramsbottom
CC and a bowler of repute.
We continue to look ahead, and we have plans afoot
for the errection of dressing rooms, tea room and a players' balcony
above the exiting games room which, when built, was designed for
the extension. ( all now completed )
Our Groundsman, Mr. Gordon Horrocks, has bought
the 'square' to a stage where it is undoubtedly the best wicket
in the League. For two years we have organised an annual Gala Day,
our cricket committee being responsible for the organisation, with
two teams of professionals, mainly Lancashire League and Central
Lancashire League, but also Test stars, being the main attraction.
Last year we persuaded Joel Garner, West Indies Test star to appear.
In the previous year we engaged him for a league match, before he
achieved Test fame, when he took 9 wickets for 10 runs and caught
out the remaining batsman !
To round off the 'potted history' of the club, whether
the reader is a cricket or social member, or maybe a new member,
we hope you will help us to shape the club's future history. We
want you to feel part of the club.
If , when next you visit the club, have a look at
the coloured picture in our lounge, which was culled from the Bury
Times, the photograph blown up and coloured by an artist. The caption
is not ours. It was the Bury Times who referred to it as 'The Perfect
Setting'. Surely looking back over the past 112 years it can be
regarded as a tribute to all who have gone before, and a spur to
all those who will follow.
We regard ourselves as a village asset. We suggest
the club is worthy of a future. We are not a 'private' or exclusive
club in a snobbish sense. There must be many who have come to live
in our village or in the vicinity during the past few years who
could be members and use the club for relaxation. New members would
be made welcome, and they would meet friends and make friends. New
members can bring fresh ideas to the club, and prevent a club from
becoming static. With a constant influx of new blood, the future
of the club is assured.
FOR AS LONG AS THE CRICKET CLUB
REMAINS, THERE WILL AT LEAST BE SOME GREEN LEFT IN
'GREENMOUNT'
Written by the late Ronnie Hodson.
|
