Run chases of over 200 are rarely straight forward in league cricket but a confident Norden side, anchored by a composed 78* from Harvey Fitton, cruised to their victory target of 209 against local rivals Rochdale on Sunday.
On an excellent Stag Park surface, Rochdale unsurprisingly elected to bat first and openers Maurice-Scott and Dawson made steady progress against the new ball. Skipper Malik turned to spin and Zaidi cleaned up Dawson in his second over just as the visitors were looking to hit the accelerator. Butterworth joined the home professional in the attack and Norden were able to control the run-rate through the middle overs. Maurice-Scott played superbly at one end, combining solid defence with some hard hitting down the ground, but he was unable to find a long-term partner as Butterworth mixed up his pace to great affect and took wickets regularly on his way to 5 for 35 from his 12 overs. Maurice-Scott reached his hundred from 133 balls but Rochdale failed to significantly up the pace and closed on 208 for 8, a total that felt a few runs light given the good batting conditions.
When Aaron Brown trapped Tolley bang in front and followed up by having Pimm smartly taken by skipper Roche behind the stumps, though, Rochdale had their tails up. However, Fitton timed the ball nicely from ball one and in partnership with Zaidi took the heat out of the game. Their partnership of 129 was a masterclass in working the ball into gaps and punishing the bad deliveries. The game wasn’t quite done and dusted when Zaidi chipped up a catch in the ring to depart for 62 but any hint of an opportunity Rochdale may have felt was quickly distinguished by Lee Crabtree who drove and swept his way to 37* from just 29 balls and Norden reached their target with 27 balls remaining.
There were also weekend wins for both the 2nd and 3rd teams. Tom Booth chalked up a half century as the 2nds posted 166 for 7 from their 45 overs at Redbrook and Mo Munawar made sure that total was more than enough with the hugely impressive figures of 7 for 30. 2nd XI scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4550280
On Saturday it was Jack Harrison who stole the show for Simon Wystawnoha’s men with an unbeaten 122 as the 3rds defeated Rishton’s 4th XI by 44 runs. 3rd XI scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4789452
Norden got their 2021 J.W. Lees Lancashire League campaign underway with an excellent away win against many people’s favourites for the title, Lowerhouse, on Sunday. After choosing to bat first, Norden openers Josh Tolley and Harvey Fitton put on 50 for the 1st wicket before Fitton was caught behind. The arrival of Stephen Pimm didn’t halt the progress, though, as he and Tolley combined for another half-century stand. When Pimm was trapped in front by home professional Stephen Parry it brought Norden’s new paid man, Ash Zaidi, to the crease and he proceeded to dominate the match from thereon in. Even though Tolley fell not long after bringing up his 50, a run-a-ball 68 from Zaidi and a useful cameo from Greg Butterworth meant Norden finished their allocated 50 overs on a very competitive looking 222 for 4.
After the break the Lowerhouse innings got off to a similar start and it needed the introduction of Zaidi to bring about the breakthrough, having Heap caught and bowled for 30. Wickets fell at pretty regular intervals after that with Butterworth picking up three and Waheed and Saeed one a piece. It was Zaidi who did the bulk of the damage, though, capping a fine individual performance with the outstanding figures of 5 for 29 from 13.3 overs of slow left arm spin. Norden went away with the maximum 12 points in the bag and the perfect start to the new season. Scorecard
Norden 2nd XI also turned in a fine performance to take a 10 point victory from their home game against the same opposition. Chris Hartley marked his return to the club with 5 for 41 in helping limit the visitors to 182 for 9 off their 45 overs and skipper Phil Docker top-scored with the bat, making 49. It was the experienced heads of Greg Tattersall and Dean Lord who got their side over the line in the run chase, combining for an unbroken 6th wicket stand of 69. Scorecard
1. Under Step 2 of the government roadmap, ‘spectators’ are not permitted to attend recreational sport until earliest May 17th 2. Any ‘Spectators’ found will be asked to leave, and the request logged by the club 3. A parent, suitable adult or carer may attend to supervise an U18 player/player with a disability. They may attend for hospitality where available, subject to following the club’s guidance
HOSPITALITY
1. Patrons fall into the category of being a customer accessing hospitality at the cricket club 2. As part of step 2 of the current Government and ECB guidance, clubs are permitted to welcome customers who are accessing hospitality – this includes during the time that cricket is taking place. These customers must be seated at a table in areas identified within the club’s risk assessment, and must adhere to legislation and guidance as identified by the Government and ECB (groups of 6 people or 2 households etc…) 3. Hospitality can be provided, for those seated at a table, in areas that the clubs risk assessment has identified as designated areas for hospitality
Norden Cricket Club is very pleased to announce that in accordance with government guidelines we will be opening our new outside area on Monday 12th April.
This is a very welcome milestone in the start of the road to normality and we are really excited to see our members once again. Please be assured we take our responsibility to comply with guidelines seriously, for your safety, and to ensure success of the government roadmap to normality.
With this in mind, please note the rule of six applies, (Maximum two households), you will be need to be a member and complete track and trace on arrival. Once seated you must remain so and our super bar staff will be on hand to serve you at your seat. We are unable to offer a booking system so it will be on a first come first served basis, don’t worry though we have created an impressive facility in what has to be Norden’s best beer garden.
It doesn’t end there though, more exciting developments will be revealed soon to further enhance your outdoor experience.
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri: 5pm-10pm* Sat-Sun: 12pm-10pm* *may be changed subject to weather
You will be able to renew your membership/join when you arrive. We look forward to seeing you.
Norden CC are delighted to announce their latest off-field development. All home games during the 2021 season will be streamed live on our own You Tube channel.
The club have invested in a multi fixed camera system that will provide both excellent live viewing and the ability to show highlight packages of the game and even a player’s season.
To follow the games live you will need to subscribe to the clubs You Tube channel.
The cameras have up to 2560 x 1440 @30fps resolution with 32 x optical zoom and will provide a crystal clear picture. We are mounting one camera at either end of the ground, meaning the camera will always be face on to the batsmen. The club would like to say a huge thanks to club sponsors T&M (https://www.testandmaintenance.com/) for their assistance in purchasing the cameras.
The new high powered laptop, which was kindly donated by club members Brian Cutler and Dave Quinn, will power the ECB’s Play Cricket Pro Scorer system which is the same used at County cricket level. The system enables a whole range of statistics like wagon wheels, pitch maps, type of shot played, manhattans etc…
The system is being installed by Cheshire based company Blue Skies Technology and will be tested during the upcoming home friendly versus Heywood on the 10th of April and then in to action for every 1st, 2nd and 3rd XI home fixture. The system will link up to clubs TV system and will allow action replays of wickets, boundaries etc…
So it seems that things are looking up and the government has set a road map back to normality which has got us all revved up for a brilliant 2021 at Norden Cricket Club.
We have lots of exciting news to bring you over the next weeks and months so please keep checking out our page. The first milestone for us is the 12th April when outdoor hospitality can commence. If all goes to plan you will be able to meet outside in groups of 6 for a drink, hurrah it’s what we have been waiting for. With this in mind we are working really hard building a new outside seating area in addition to the current seating. We will have the biggest and best beer garden for miles. We have also significantly invested in some fabulous equipment that will amaze and delight you. More info on this to follow. bigscreen#footballheaven
Outdoor sports should also be able to commence from the 29th March and The cricket season will soon be upon us. Again we are working tirelessly to ensure we are ready for a full season. New professional#new groundsman#new cricket committee#new equipment#new head coach
We will keep you posted on key dates as we find them out.
We hope you come and join us ASAP for a year of Cricket, Football, hospitality, fun and fingers crossed, sun. In the meantime please stay safe and continue to follow the rules to give everyone the best chance of achieving the relaxation of lockdown and road to normality.
Barry was a Norden Cricket Club devotee having played as man and boy, scoring 4840 runs in 319 first team innings and 1813 second team runs in 92 innings. His best first team season saw him score 490 runs in 1970. Barry was awarded the Joseph Coupe Cup (best Clubman) in both 1966 and 1975.
Barry also served on the General Committee for over 20 years. Latterly he was most well known for his exceptional work as groundsman making Norden’s ground the envy of the County.
It is always very sad to lose long serving members of the club who have contributed to its successful development and proud history. It is important to remember and celebrate them and our thoughts go out to his family at this difficult time.
The funeral will take place on Monday the 7th of December. Due to COVID restrictions it is invite only. The hearse will pass the club at 2:40pm for those who wish to pay their respects. Please see the attached web link below to watch the webcast of the funeral.
Tributes
EX-President Brian Butterworth recalls Barry making his debut in the 2nd XI : “Barry came in to the team in the late 50’s as a real young lad. He was a flare batsman with a great eye. We knew it wouldn’t be long before he moved on to the 1st team.
Mike North also commented “Barry was extremely talented. Not just at cricket but he also excelled for the club’s table tennis team. He could turn his hand to any sport really.”
Stephen Williamson “Barry was a lovely bloke, and certainly showed us young uns how to enjoy the social side of the game”
Ex Chairman Stephen Pickles recalls “Barry was a club man through and through. He lived in the village all his adult life and gave so much to the club whether it be playing, on ctte, on the ground or housing the club professional”
Pete Gladigau of Adelaide, South Australia, signed for the club as professional in 1990 and formed a close friendship with Barry. Gladigau said: “He was a great bloke and we got to know him and Brenda well during our time at Norden. We stayed with him on a couple of our other trips back to England in 2003 and 2005 and still spoke with him on regular basis. During my time at Norden Baz was the curator at Norden and he produced a superb looking ground and an excellent pitch. He took great pride in his work and loved his striping! I loved playing on Stag Park. Another great bloke from Norden gone unfortunately and he will be sorely missed by Rae and I. Rip Baz.”
Bob Fee recalls “He learnt his trade from Joe Wood, before helping his brother George. In later life Barry didn’t get down to the club as much. However this didn’t diminish his love for the club. I used to go for the paper every Monday morning, on what should have been a five minute walk. Barry would always see me approaching and come out for a full match report on all teams. He also wanted to know how the wicket had played and if the bar was busy. He never stopped thinking about the club. My five minute errand often took thirty minutes.”
Ex Chairman and President John Murphy said “Barry was a wonderful character who was passionate about Norden Cricket Club. I have fond memories of him and his partner in crime Phil Herd chasing the jackpot on the bandit every weekend. Many late nights were followed by early mornings tending to the ground that he took great pride in. RIP Barry, a true legend of Norden.
Greg Tattersall added : “As a young lad I joined the club in the early 90’s and Barry was a permanent fixture, either on the mower flying round the outfield or at the bar passing on his advice. He always had a chat with everyone and his passion for the club was very clear. He was a true Norden man and he will be sadly missed by all those that knew him. Rest in peace Baz”
Norden are delighted to announce Scott Kershaw has joined the club as Head of Junior Cricket. Scott is a vastly experienced coach, recently working full time for The Cricket Asylum and also with Milnrow CC. Scott is well known locally, having come up through the ranks at Littleborough CC. He then became the pro at (Bamford) Fieldhouse and also spent time at various clubs in the Huddersfield league.
“I recently met with the Cricket Committee and they explained their vision and where the club is driving towards”.
Scott is no stranger to Stag Park, having previously held a coaching role at the club in 1995, “It was actually one of my first formal proper coaching roles working with the likes of current 1st XI captain Hashum Malik, who was 14 at the time” explained Scott.
“I recently met with the Cricket Committee and they explained their vision and where the club is driving towards. I am really looking forward to getting started. Whilst I will oversee the whole junior section my main duties will be doing one to one sessions with selected players and working and developing the current coaching team they have in place. I just can’t wait to get started”.
As promised we have been working hard to find a way to open safely and within the rules.
We are really pleased to announce that from 5PM Friday 30th we are now able to serve a basic food menu and therefore can open and allow you to have food and drinks.
We will still be showing football and sporting events so why not coincide your meal with the games. We recommend you book to ensure your table please message or ring 01706 645 639.
Please remember all the Covid regulations still apply so continue to follow the rules as in the past so we can keep Norden Cricket Club a safe environment.
DEXTER Fitton has stood down as Norden’s cricket chairman and head coach, and retired as a player after 40 consecutive seasons in the game.
During his time in league cricket he scored more than 12,000 runs and achieved a unique record of having played first team cricket for all four local clubs in the Central Lancashire League
He was with Rochdale as a young player before spending one season as professional for Stockport.
His quality was quickly recognised and he joined Lancashire County for five seasons.
After leaving Old Trafford he served as professional for Littleborough, Milnrow, Clitheroe, and Elton, and there was also a stint as pro with Radcliffe. He also played as deputy professional for several clubs, including Accrington and Ramsbottom.
Dexter first joined Norden as coach to the club’s juniors, then in 2009 he signed up as a player and became head coach at Stag Park.
In that 2009 season Norden finished top of the table on the same number of points as Monton and Weaste, but Stags lost out on a fourth countback.
It was the start of one of the most successful spells, if not the most successful, in the history of the club.
In that spell Stags won the league title four times and captured the Wood Cup twice. They added the Tom Hardman T20 trophy in 2014 when the club had a clean sweep of honours, and in 2016 they became North West T20 champions. The second team won the title twice and lifted the Burton Cup once, while the ladies’ team became Lancashire Softball champions.
Stags had disappointment in 2014 when they lost out in the Lancashire Knockout final, but in 2019 they won the trophy by beating Darwen in the final on Heywood’s Crimble ground.
It was a fitting climax to an amazing career and Dexter said: “I gave it a lot of thought before ending my long working relationship with Norden.
“Cricket is the greatest but most demanding game. In addition to time, sacrifice and technical work players experience many ups and downs. There is no greater sporting reward than celebrating team success with colleagues who become mates through a culmination of collective hard work and individual moments.
“On a personal note, leaving when the team are Lancashire champions fits OK.
“It has been an honour and privilege to work at this fabulous club . I wish Norden every success for the future, and look forward to catching up socially.”
Dexter’s interest in cricket was formed at a very early age when his father Derek played for Robinsons in the North Manchester League.
He made his first team debut for Rochdale aged 14, and quickly became a regular as an all-rounder bowling medium pace.
Rochdale secretary Alistair Bolingbroke said: “In 1983, and Dexter not 18 until August, he was the CLL’s leading all-rounder with 599 runs and 52 wickets. The following year was also successful for him, and by that time many clubs in the area had taken note of his talent.”
After leaving Lancashire County Dexter joined Littleborough and club stalwart Brendan Miskella said: “Dexter fitted perfectly into a team of close knit local lads who played hard both on and off the field.
“We shall never forget his performance in the Wood Cup final win over Rochdale. His big beaming smile stands out in the post final team pic sitting proudly in my office with all my team-mates that day as we sang Back Home with Dexter clutching his man of the match prize of 24 cans of John Willie Lees.
“It was a pleasure to play with Dexter and we have remained very good friends. I know for a fact that every one of the lads who played with Dexter in 94 and 95 have all stayed in contact with him, which epitomises what a great bloke he is.”
Milnrow also won the Wood Cup with Dexter as professional, and former club scorer Stuart Roberts said: “His move to Milnrow was seamless as he carried on where he had left off at Littleborough.
“With Dexter in the side Milnrow were always a tough side to beat. When he left the club in 1999 he was regarded as one of the finest professionals to have played at Ladyhouse.”
So to Norden, and the club’s new cricket secretary Greg Tattersall said: “Dexter was a player of immense experience and it was great to have him in the team. He was a natural leader. He had a unique model of captaincy, mainly because nobody could understand a word he was saying with his rhyming slang team talks.
“Whilst it is very true that for a team to be successful many people need to contribute and it’s generally a real team/club effort. But it’s fair to say that Dex had as bigger influence as anyone over the past 10 / 12 years.”
“He got a lot of enjoyment out of seeing the younger players flourish and was instrumental in developing the likes of Olly Makin (90 wickets in 2011) and Nick Brierley (900 runs in 2010 and 2012). Many of the current 1st and 2nd XI players came through as juniors under the coaching of Dex and he was instrumental in the setting up of the clubs Ladies section.
“With an incredible 18 Senior trophies between 2010-19, including 4 CLL league titles, 2 Wood cups, 2 League T20 titles, 1 x ECB T20 North West Champions and the holy grail of the Lancashire Cricket Foundation Knockout Cup in 2019. This has not just been the most successful period in the clubs history, but arguably the most successful team in the county! A lot of this is down to Dex.”
