An excellent all-round performance from Norden skipper, Greg Butterworth was not enough to prevent Walsden claiming the win and keeping themselves in with a chance of staying in division 1 on Sunday. Butterworth’s 54 was his highest score of the season and helped save Norden from again being dismissed for under 100. Lee Crabtree and Lukas Debnam were the only other Norden batters to make double figures as Joe Gale did the bulk of the damage for Walsden, taking 5 for 49. The fact that Norden managed to get up to 144 before being bowled out, was largely down to an 8^th wicket partnership of 83 between Butterworth and Debnam. Unfortunately, when Butterworth was trapped in front by home professional, Sachin Jayewardena, the Norden tail could not hang around and Jake Hooson took the final two wickets quickly, leaving Debnam stranded and 11 overs unfaced.

The Stags have made defending low totals a bit of a specialty in recent weeks, and for most of Walsden’s reply it looked like they would do it again. Ashar Zaidi took the first 3 wickets with just 22 on the board and then Jack Taylor and Butterworth both joined the party on a pitch that was favouring spin. The experienced Walsden pair of Matt Dawson and Stevie Barker came together at 69 for 6 and moved the score on to 106 before Butterworth had Dawson LBW for 18. When Alfie Senior also fell to Butterworth and father Paul was caught by Taylor off Zaidi, Walsden still needed a further 22. Jamie Shackleton was the last man in and there were 5 overs to go. Crucially, though, only 2 of these could be bowled by Butterworth and Zaidi. Barker knew what he had to do; get through the overs of spin and attack against the returning Scott Butterworth. He did this to great effect and the 47^th over bowled by Scott went for 9 runs and there were only 2 balls needed of the 49^th as Barker went six, four to give Wasden the narrowest of wins.

Norden will close their season at Stag Park on Sunday, as leaders Darwen make the trip looking to secure back-to-back titles with a maximum-points victory. The Stags will be looking to spoil the party.
1^st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5592557

The 2^nd team game followed a very similar pattern. This time it was Usama Malik who put in the fine all-round showing and did not deserve to finish on the losing side. Norden batted first and did well to get up to 162 after being 99 for 7. Sami Waheed made an aggressive 39 and Malik and skipper Phil Docker added 55 for the 8^th wicket before Docker fell to an outstanding diving catch from Andrew Hakin. Hakin had an excellent day in the field, taking 3 catches to go with his 2 wickets. Malik finished unbeaten on 25. The Colne reply was all-action to say the least. After 9 overs the score was 55 for 5 with Malik taking 3 wickets and Mo Munawar 2. Jake Greenbank then came in and smashed 40 from just 25 balls and when he was caught by Oli Yates to give Malik his fourth, skipper Martin Kegg and Matthew Clark took the game away from Norden with more aggressive batting. The margin of victory for Colne was just 3 wickets, remarkably with 20 overs still to go.
2^nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5593355
2^nd XI Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxGJ1A2WAAA&feature=youtu.be

The real highlight for Norden at the back end of the season has been the improving form of the young 3^rd XI. Another win on Saturday was secured with 8 junior players and the way in which they are adapting to senior cricket and putting in crucial individual performances has been great to see. The stars this week were Jake Hill with the ball, taking his second consecutive 4 wicket haul, and Harry Mason who made 30 under real pressure in the run-chase. Rishton’s 4^th XI is a team of experienced over 35’s and they posted 143 thanks to an unbeaten 74 from former 1^st teamer Stuart Roberts. Hill was well supported by brother Callum, Will Hindley and Oli Yates who all took wickets. Yates then made 34 opening the batting before Norden collapsed to 69 for 5. Mason joined Callum Hill and they put on 27 before skipper Jimmy Drury came in to replace Hill and he and Mason continued the good work. When Mason was run-out looking for an overly ambitious 2^nd run, he left the field to a well-deserved warm applause. Theo Andrew joined Drury and two quicker runners between the wickets you will struggle to find. The pair ran their more senior opponents ragged and Norden reached their target with 9 balls to spare. Drury finished unbeaten on 30.
3^rd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5616244
3^rd XI Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO1uedm6Q6g

It may only have been the tiniest of flickers, but Norden’s title hopes were extinguished on Sunday as they failed to chase down the target of 146 set by a Ramsbottom side fighting for survival. Yet more rain reduced the contest to 33 overs per side and Greg Butterworth chose to put Ramsbottom in, despite recent successes defending low totals. Ashar Zaidi was straight into the wickets when Ali Abbas found the safe hands of Jack Taylor on the square leg boundary. Lukas Debnam then had Tom Parton well caught behind by Lee Crabtree from his first delivery and followed that up by dismissing visiting captain Harry Caton. It was the 4^th wicket partnership between Ben Pearson and Seb Schofield that formed the backbone of the Ramsbottom innings. Both defended well and were able to find the boundary when they freed their arms. Schofield’s was the only other wicket to fall, but not before he had made a valuable 30 from a partnership of 68.

145 felt like a pretty par score, but it was now Norden’s weaker suit that was going to be under pressure. At 50 for 1 with Josh Tolley and Taylor, looking every inch the 1^st team top order batter, going along nicely, Norden looked favourites but Tolley edged Josh Dentith to slip for 36 and Zaidi rolled his wrists on a short ball from Toby Anderson to pick out deep square leg and the momentum had shifted. Taylor had made 31 when he was adjudged to have dragged his back foot and was given out stumped by the excellent Caton behind the stumps. The middle and lower order now had the unenviable task of having to score at a run-a-ball from the last 10 overs, which would include 5 from Pakistani Test off-spinner Bilal Asif. Asif was not far from unplayable on a pitch offering spin and bounce for a bowler who uses his height to great effect. Alex Willis was trapped in front and Butterworth was a tad unlucky when he got a good piece of a reverse sweep, only for the ball to hit Parton in the chest at slip and bounce up kindly for the catch to be taken. Scott Butterworth did find the boundary on a couple of occasions, but it was not enough; Asif’s figures of 3 for 17 from 10 overs proving to be the difference.
1^st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5592550
1^st XI Highlights: 1st XI vs Ramsbottom Highlights – YouTube

The seconds got off to a terrible start at Acre Bottom as Ramsbottom raced to 88 without loss, but a good recovery with the ball saw Mo Waheed and Oli Kirkby take 5 wickets between them for just 10 runs. A 6^th wicket stand of 50 put the hosts back in charge, though and despite Waheed’s 5 wickets, they were able to post 170 from their 34 overs. After Kirkby was first man out, Haris Hussain and Kabir Ahmed put on 61, but an all-too-familiar collapse did for Norden’s hopes. 4 wickets fell with just 3 runs added and Danny Devine’s valiant 32 was only good enough for 3 batting bonus points.
2^nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5593348

A double-header weekend for the 3rds started at Bacup on Saturday. A good performance with the bat saw Norden score 162 for 8 from their 40 overs in tough conditions. 46 from Oli Yates and 35 from Mohsin Iqbal were the highlights, before the storms came and ended proceedings early.

Monday saw a fantastic display secure 12 points against a Ramsbottom team with 7 players who had played either 1^st or 2^nd team the day before. Norden had only one, and for a genuine 3^rd team to put in such an excellent performance was a real credit to them. Jimmy Drury top-scored with 40 as Norden set Ramsbottom 137 to win in very tricky batting conditions.14-year-old leg-spinner Jake Hill was the star with the ball, taking 4 for 34, and brother Callum finished the game by clean-bowling 1^st XI captain Harry Caton with an absolute peach of a delivery. Well done lads, you were superb!

3^rd XI Scorecard vs Bacup : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5616318

3^rd XI Scorecard vs Ramsbottom : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5616327
3^rd XI Highlights vs Ramsbototm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP0cXtyEHhY

The last 3 weeks have seen Norden bat first and be dismissed for scores of 50, 82 and 64. Remarkably, they haven’t lost any of these games and another superb bowling performance on Sunday meant that the 64 posted at Burnley’s boohoo.com Turf Moor ground was enough for another 12 points and a move up to 4^th in the table with 3 games to play.

Greg Butterworth won a toss that he probably would rather not have done, and he chose to bat on a pitch that looked ok at one end but pretty damp at the other. Openers Tolley and Willis didn’t last long, but Jack Taylor and Zaidi brought a little bit of calm to proceedings before Zaidi sold his young partner down the river and he was run out. Amazingly, the next four Norden batter fell without scoring and it looked like the season-low score of 50 was under threat. Home professional Ockert Erasmus was finding prodigious turn and batting was extremely difficult, but Zaidi decided he had to attack and managed to find the boundary on a few occasions as last man Dean Lord held firm at the other end. Zaidi was last man out, but he contributed 41 of Norden’s 64 and with conditions as they were, this somehow felt like a semi-competitive score.

It was actually much more than that, as Burnley started badly and never recovered. Zaidi and Scott Butterworth combined for 8 wickets with Zaidi turning the ball square and Butterworth bowling off a short run-up to great effect. Butterworth’s 5 victims took him to 47 in all competitions this season and, even though he put a catch down at slip off brother Greg which would have finished the game, he made amends when he dived forward to claim the match-winning catch off Lukas Debnam.

This Norden team has its flaws, but the character and bowling skill on display in the last few weeks has been outstanding. Whisper it quietly, but they are only 11 points off the top spot. Stranger things have happened.
1^st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5592540

The 2nds fell just short in their run chase at Stag Park. Taking on a strong Burnley outfit, not quite fresh from their Junior Cup win the day before, Usama Malik, Oli Yates, Sami Waheed and Jamie Taylor all took 2 wickets to bowl the visitors out for 182 in under 40 overs. Veteran, and persistent thorn in the Norden side, Steve Brunt was the mainstay of the Burnley innings with an unbeaten 58. The all-too familiar issue of extras reared its head again with 30 runs donated to the cause.

3 early wickets didn’t help the reply, but Haris Hussain and Yates recovered the situation and added 72 for the 4^th wicket. Unfortunately, both were dismissed in quick succession. Yates was bowled by Matthew Thornton and Hussain slapped the same bowler straight to long-off just after reaching his first half-century for the club. Thornton went on to take 5 wickets, and despite decent efforts from Taylor, Waheed and Mo Munawar, Norden fell short by 17 runs.
2^nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5593343
2^nd XI Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIeRruvsDvk

A second consecutive victory for the 3rds laid to bed any relegation fears. Usama Malik shone with the bat, hitting 66 from just 43 balls with 6 sixes as Norden reached 183 all out. Opponents Todmorden looked well set to chase the runs down, but from 97 for 2 they collapsed and could only add another 26 runs. Mohsin Iqbal started the rot and Joe Golden picked up 3 wickets as the maximum 12 points were secured.
3^rd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5616315

A few weeks ago the sad news came to us of the passing of Dave Wild.

Dave was an extremely popular member of the club. Dave first became a member in 1953, and during that 70 year membership put in countless hours of volunteer work in various different roles, that quite rightly resulted in him being made a life member.

Dave was born on the 23^rd December 1943 and spent his early years living on Edenfield Road. During the 50’s and the 60’s the club did not have a bar and virtually closed down between September and April.

Dave was a keen cricketer and soon made his family home on Woodhouse Lane. It was in the late 60’s / early 70’s that Dave become more heavily involved at the club. His trade of an Electrical Engineer was put to good use as the likes of him and Bob Fee re-wired the whole clubhouse at nights / weekends as an extension and a new bar were built.

During the 80’s and 90’s Dave became involved with coaching the juniors cricketers, as his two sons Gareth and Leon had now joined the club. Alongside Dennis Hardman it was a formidable coaching duo that brought through some of the finest cricketers the club has ever seen. Dave was a tremendous organiser / administrator and his passion for the game was second to none.

This passion was most evident when Leon would come in to bat. An often regaled tale is of a young Leon coming out to bat for the second team. The bowler sent down his first delivery and Leon thought (as he often did) that it was in his slot and took an almighty swipe but missed the ball. Luckily the ball went safely past the off stump. “What you doing Leon, get your head down” roared Dave from the sidelines. The bowler ran in with his second delivery and Leon took an even bigger swipe. Unfortunately, he missed the ball once again and it sailed just past the off stump. “Bloody hell Leon, get your head down lad, play straight” shouted an exasperated Dave. The bowler trundled in for his third delivery which he put in exactly the same spot as the first two. Leon swung even harder, but this time connecting with the ball and sending it flying towards the War memorial for six. An expectant crowd turned to Dave… “Wonderful shot our Leon, brilliant”.

During this time Dave was also instrumental in gaining Norden CC 3^rd XI entry into the Halifax Sunday League. Back in the days of the Central Lancashire League it was the norm to have 30-35 games a season in the 1^st and 2^nd division. This left very little time for any 3^rd XI cricket. Dave, seeing a burgeoning junior section realised that these young players needed an introduction into adult cricket. Dave somehow persuaded our Yorkshire friends to not only let us join the league, but to play the vast majority of our fixtures away from home.
The Halifax league was a tremendous success with several generations of 1^st XI cricketers having gained great experience of adult cricket. Dave would often umpire when called upon and was Norden’s league representative for 22 years. Whenever you attended the annual dinner it was obvious the extremely high regard in which Dave was held by the other clubs.

Two of the most successful 1^st XI captains the club have ever seen came through the ranks during Daves time as coach in Stuart Fern and Simon North.
Stuart, who was the captain for the CLL league winning season of 2004 recalls “Dave Wild was one of the first coaches we met at Norden and even sourced my first pair of cricket boots. His enthusiasm and passion for the game is all any youth player remembers. And it’s just that made him such a special member of the club. He helped impact Norden in a huge way with a batch of juniors that went on to transform the club. With successes at youth level culminating in many graduates that won the CLL for the first time in 17 years back in 2004. A great coach, character and friend to all who met him. He’ll be truly missed by all!”

Simon, arguably Norden’s greatest ever youth product having representing England Schoolboys, captained the 1^st XI to League and Wood Cup doubles in 2014 and 2015 said “Dave was an extremely generous and genuine man. My first coach. Dave would be very generous with his time with all the kids in our junior set up and I certainly benefited from this as he would regularly take me to and from games.
A good motivator, passionate about his club and with a patience you need to coach young lads with maybe the exception of his sons!
Dave was always a stalwart Stag and always had the best of the club at heart.
That said he had the best of hearts.”

Dave spent a lot of time watching cricket, he was a permanent fixture under the scoreboard with Fee brothers. For many years he would be one of the helpers rolling the wicket or re-painting the lines at the mid innings break. Dave would often enjoy a drink with the lads after a game. I remember one year in the early 2000’s when it was the clubs annual BBQ and Karaoke. Dave and his son Gareth went up to do a song. I can’t 100% rememeber, but i think it was Irish Rover. The chorus involve a lot of loud clapping. To the DJ’s great annoyance Dave was getting enthusiastically into the clapping parts… but was doing so with an expensive wireless mic in between his hands. It didn’t matter how many times the DJ warned Dave, when the chorus came back round that expensive mic was getting walloped in between his hands. It really was a sight to behold.

For a man that lived in Norden all his life you could mistakenly think that Dave wasn’t very worldly. However, after a few whiskeys he loved regaling stories of holidays in South Africa or running round New York with Peter O’Toole. Don’t be mistaken… this Norden boy had lived!

Around 2010, or just before, the cricket club entered a side in the Rochdale Darts League. Dave was one of the first members of the team, and played right up until the league folded in 2020 Dave never missed a game, even whilst undergoing treatment at Christies he would turn up week in week out. Dave was a very popular member of the team. Every darts player needs a nickname and somehow he was coined ‘Dangerous Dave’. In truth, the only thing dangerous about the man was his mathematics. He was soon banned from scoring and nearly set Paul Morrell off in to a fit every week when he got his sums wrong and was throwing for the wrong double. Darts team captain Graham Fletcher added “After a few years he settled down into his position, and was always our first man off. It was a well known tradition in the league that Dave would beat you (or try to) then rush off to buy you a pint. He was a wonderful bloke, the heart and soul of the darts team really”.

Dave was one of life’s good guys. Our sincere condolences go out to Gwenn, Gareth and Leon.

Dave… we thank you for all the memories and happy times. Norden CC owes you a great debt of gratitude for all that you did for so many years.

RIP Dangerous

Norden CC managed to snatch a tie in late drama at Stag Park during a rain reduced game against Clitheroe.

In an all too familiar scene this summer it was 12 o clock on game day and the players were in the clubhouse watching it rain. Five times between 12-3 the players walked out to the covers as rain had stopped, only for it to start again just as they were about to remove the covers.

However, perseverance paid off and a after a great job mopping up by all the players the game was scheduled for a 16:15 start with 22 overs per side. Clitheroe won the toss and elected to field.

It was a bad start for the Stags as Crabtree and Zaidi both went for a duck. Tolley (11) and Jack Taylor (10) steadied the ship before Tolley chipped one to deep point. Captain, G Butterworth, joined Taylor and kept things ticking until Taylor was adjudged out, stumped.

It was then a bit of a procession as S Butterworth (1) and Holt (0) went quickly. The captain (8) and Willis (8) then fell to leave the Stags at 55-8 and many fearing we wouldn’t even see the overs out. However Debnam had other ideas and put on a seasons best 23, ably supported by Allen (6). Debnam was run out off the last ball of the innings, pushing for a second, and the Stags finished on 82 all out. Heyman (3-17) and Sharp (3-14) were the pick of the bowlers for the visitors.

The Stags needed an early wicket, and Zaidi had Ross (8) caught by Holt with the score on 17. Lord (34) and Jack Dewhurst (15) then took the attack to Norden playing some aggressive, whilst sensible cricket. At 63-3 the game looked dead and buried, especially with Clitheroe professional Munaweera looking in good touch. A double change in bowling brought G Butterworth and Debnam into the attack. Clitheroe moved along to 73-3 when G Butterworth bowled Charlie Dewhirst. Debnam then trapped professional Munaweera LBW. It was then the Debnam show as he had Hewitt (1), Lemon (5) and Dibb (0) all in quick succession. Clitheroe were 81-8 with just two needed for victory. It then looked like disaster struck as Debnam bowled a leg side wide to take the scores level. However, Debnam bounced straight back and bowled Hayman (0) to finish with 7 overs 7-22. It was into the final over we went with Clitheroe needing 1 run and the Stags needing 1 wicket or a maiden over to tie. G Buttewrorth who had 6 overs 1-10 gave the final over to Zaidi, who with the 3^rd ball of the over had Bennett (2) smartly caught at short cover by Willis and the game finished a tie.
Scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5592537

The 2^nd XI tried to perform a miracle of their own. After being bowled out for just 35 they had Clitheroe 2^nd XI worried at 18-5, but they rallied well and knocked them off with 4 wickets to spare.

After being inserted on a damp one things didn’t start to badly with the experienced front 3 of Hashum, Docker and Kabi taking us to 17-2. However, disaster struck after this and only Sami Waheed (10) showed anything like. Sam Halstead with 4-23 and Lucas Murphy 5-10 were the only bowlers used by the home side.

The Stags need something special and with Usama taking 4 early wickets and Munny 1 they had Clitheroe reduced to 18-5. However, it what was a spicy affair, the lack of runs proved costly and a partnership of 12 between Murphy and Halstead more or less saw Clitheroe to victory
Scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5593334

On Sunday it was the turn of the 3^rd XI as they travelled to Rishton to play their 3^rd XI. Rishton won the toss an batted first. Clark (32) and Leathert (16) were the mainstay in Rishton’s 93 all out from 31.5 overs. For the Stags Mohsin Iqbal got 4-13 and Charlie Gooding 2-5.

Norden made quick work of the target, knocking off the required runs from 17.2 overs. After losing Bebb and Kearns early, Zeeshan Anwar (37) and Munny (43) saw the Stags home in quick time.
Scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5616310

When the news came through of the passing of Brian ‘The Pres’ Butterworth I was overcome with a feeling of immense sadness. For many of us we have never known a Norden Cricket Club without the Pres. A ubiquitous presence whether it be in committee meetings, cricket games, fundraisers or at the bar. He was a truly special man.

After a few days I realised sadness was not the appropriate reaction. The Pres would not have wanted it. At 95, it was one hell of an innings… probably the best ever seen at Stag Park. 

From speaking to some life members, like Bob Fee, you start to grasp the important role which Brian played in helping the club become what it is today. In fact, a few people have said to me that without Brian’s enormous contributions, especially during the 60’s and 70’s, that there may not even still be a Norden Cricket Club.

I know some of Brian’s happiest memories were spent watching the cricket. An ever present at games, with one of his favourite periods being the trophy laden seasons of 2014 and 2015. An image I will never forget is that of Brian wiping his moustache dry after drinking from the CLL League champions trophy in 2014.

Brian, my friend, we will miss you dearly. On behalf of every Stag, past and present, we thank you for your outstanding contribution. Yor will forever be ingrained in the very fabric of the club. A true inspiration, one of a kind… a legend of Norden Cricket Club forever.

RIP my President

Greg Tattersall

The club would like to invite all Brian’s family and friends to attend our 1^st XI game on Saturday the 12^th of August vs Clitheroe. Brian’s brother Ray, and his nephew Martyn will be attendence. The game will be played in memory of Brian and the club will provide a a buffet.
At the mid innings interval (usualy between 15:30-16:30) Brian’s ashes will be scattered on his beloved Stag Park turf.

A disappointing weekend saw Norden stumble in their climb up the Lancashire League table and bow out of the LCF Knockout at the quarter-final stage. The league action was on Saturday this week, and Norden welcomed Enfield to a very wet Stag Park. The game was delayed by just over 2 hours to allow conditions to dry out and the 32 overs-a-side contest started well for the visitors. Opener Lewis Wright and professional Pramod Maduwantha made light of testing batting conditions to put on 99 for the 2^nd wicket and leave Enfield well positioned for a late onslaught at 125 for 2 with 7 overs left. It was hard to know what a par score was on a pitch offering assistance for all bowlers, but the 180 plus that looked on the cards would certainly have been well above. Norden fought back superbly with the ball, though, and managed to restrict Enfield to just 16 runs fromb those final 7 overs. Wickets fell regularly, with 5 of them going to Ashar Zaidi, and 140 for 7 was well short of what had been threatened. Wright made 66 and Maduwantha 57, but no other Enfield player managed double figures.

Unfortunately, the end of the first innings proved to be much more of a true reflection of how difficult it was to bat on this pitch than the start of it. Norden lost Josh Tolley early, edging to slip off Zaheer Abbas but Greg Butterworth and Alex Willis were able to dig in and add 60 to put Norden in an excellent position. Willis then gave his wicket away cheaply to the innocuous leg-spin of Yasir Ali and that triggered an almighty collapse. Butterworth drove loosely and was bowled, and Zaidi got a ball from Maduwantha that turned and bounced sharply to take his outside edge. Seemingly in the blink of an eye, 66 for 1 became 85 for 8, with Maduwantha now proving extremely difficult to play. Haris Hussain found the boundary on 3 occasions in a last-ditch attempt to get Norden close but he became another of Maduwantha’s 5 wickets as Norden were dismissed for 101 to take just 2 points from a match that they were expecting to win. With other results in the division going in their favour, Norden will see this as a real opportunity missed.
1^st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5592501
1^st XI Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jbs39qPBR8&feature=youtu.be

Sunday saw another long trip in the LCF Knockout, this time to Wigan. Norden were invited to bat first by the team from the Liverpool Competition and Tolley fell early for the 2^nd time in the weekend. Opening partner Willis didn’t last much longer and Greg Butterworth and Zaidi were given the job of rebuilding. A stand of 103 meant that Norden were in a position to look beyond 200, but both set batters fell in quick succession and in similar vein to the leg-spin of Raheem Kasser. The Wigan spinners were then able to squeeze the Norden middle-order and boundaries became hard to come by. In fact, Norden only found the fence twice in the last 15 overs of their innings and they were only able to limp up to 182 for 9 from their 45 overs. With a sub-par score on the board, you have to make up for it in the field and Norden failed to do so. Home dangerman, John Richardson was dropped twice off the unfortunate Lukas Debnam before he had made 10 and he made Norden pay, alongside opener Charles Taylor. The pair were not troubled again in their partnership of 125, until a brief rain break seemed to add a little life to the pitch, and to Norden. Zaidi had Richardson caught behind and 3 more quick wickets fell to cause a few nerves in the home dressing room. Taylor held firm, though, and his unbeaten 84 took Wigan through to the semi-finals.
LCF Knockout Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/6012981

The 2^nd team were unable to snap a run of defeats in the league as they went down to a good Enfield outfit on Saturday. A welcome return to form for Tom Booth saw him top-score with 38 in Norden’s innings, and there was a promising debut for Stan Kearns who made 19. Norden posted 149 for 9 from their reduced 38 overs but Enfield were too strong and got home comfortably with 9 overs left and only 3 wickets down.
2^nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5593297

Norden registered a comfortable win at defending champions Darwen on Sunday in a game reduced by the rain. Greg Butterworth won the toss and asked Darwen to bat and Norden’s new-ball pairing of Scott Butterworth and Lukas Debnam were able to make good early inroads into the home batting lineup. Debnam picked up the first 2 wickets to fall and then Butterworth took over, taking 4 for 50 including the wicket of substitute professional Shivam Chaudhary. Darwen were in trouble at 75 for 6. The Davies brothers, Reece and Jack were able to put up some resistance and carried the total over 100 before Jack was run out by Haris Hussain. With 20 overs left, the forecast rain came down and the Darwen innings was reduced to 35 overs. The search for quick runs upon the resumption only led to more wickets for Norden and the hosts were bowled out for 123 with 1 ball left.

Norden’s adjusted target was 127 from 35, but the chase got off to a poor start with the run out of Alex Willis and a rare failure for Josh Tolley. Greg Butterworth and Ashar Zaidi came together and restored a bit of calm, but Butterworth was trapped in front by skipper Kamran Anwar and the responsibility was put on to Spencer Allen to keep Zaidi company. Allen was well up to the task and his composure, which has been seen so often at second team level, was to the fore as he fended off a strong Darwen bowling attack to add 66 with Zaidi and take Norden to the brink of victory. A little bit of unnecessary panic ensued when both set batters were dismissed by Anwar, but Oli Holt smashed a straight 6 to take the 12 points and move Norden up to 4^th place in the table.
1^st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5592494

Friday night saw Norden progress to the t20 quarter-finals with a washout at Walsden. Despite the best attempts of Walsden to persuade the umpires to start in the drizzle, no play was possible and Norden will make the short trip to Redbrook to take on Rochdale in the quarter-final on Friday night.

The 2nds were beaten at home by league leaders Darwen. Mohsin Iqbal took 3 wickets for Norden, but the visiting batting line-up were able to find the boundary regularly and when the rain fell they looked well-set for a large total. The DLS adjusted target was 180 from 27 overs and the home batters looked a little too anxious to get on with it and failing to hit the sweepers that were set from the outset. Zeshan Anwar top-scored with 30 and put on a half-century partnership with Iqbal, but Norden fell 37 runs short, taking 2 batting bonus points but in need of a win in the league to steady the ship.
2^nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5593295
2^nd XI Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSy8BnTVVis&feature=youtu.be

The 3rds let a winning position slip at home to Middleton on Saturday. A good bowling performance led to the visitors being bowled out for just 120, albeit on a bowler-friendly surface. Oli Kirkby bowled nicely with the new ball to take 3 wickets and Charlie Gooding also picked up 3. Unfortunately, the second half did not go to plan as only Stan Kearns and Saad Malik looked comfortable with the bat. Kearns made a fluent 37 before holing out to the deep midwicket boundary and Malik was unlucky to be given out LBW when on 22. The rest could not provide much help and a very chaseable target proved to be 27 too many. 3^rd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5616284

Brilliant hundreds from Ashar Zaidi and Kabir Ahmed saw both Norden 1^st and 2^nd XI’s advance to the semi-finals of their respective cup competitions on Saturday. Two hard-fought victories both came from seemingly perilous positions in run chases and both also needed excellent contributions from young players down the order to help guide their sides home.

The 1’s were up against second division opposition at Stag Park in the shape of Rawtenstall, but the game was far from straightforward. Rawtenstall won the toss and decided to bat first on a pitch with a boundary as small as you are ever likely to see in 1^st team cricket on one side. As a result, it was always likely to be a high-scoring affair, and so it proved. A solid opening stand of 86 between Matt Kershaw and Cameron Holder was finally broken Greg Butterworth and when the second wicket fell soon after it brought visiting professional, Sean Whitehead to the crease. The former Rochdale paid man set about the Norden attack and upped the run-rate considerably alongside skipper Dean Barlow. His 50 came in just 33 balls and the total went beyond 200 with 8 overs still remaining. It was Lukas Debnam who got the crucial wicket, forcing Whitehead to miscue to Butterworth at long-off and this probably shaved 30 or 40 runs off the chase. That chase was still to be a tough one, though, as Rawtenstall closed on 249 for 7. Norden were soon in trouble as the top 3 were all back in the shed with just 35 on the board. However, Ashar Zaidi loves a run-chase and he took control from that point. His first main accomplice was Oli Holt and this pair put on 67 for the 5th wicket. When Holt fell, it was game on again and neither Scott Butterworth nor Haris Hussain could help Zaidi get within real striking range. The man for the moment turned out to be Jozef Gordon. Zaidi was happy to take singles when offered and the trust showed in Gordon proved to be justified as the pair combined for a crucial partnership of 55 when another wicket would have spelt real trouble. Although Gordon fell for an excellent 25 to a ball that kept very low with just 4 needed, the panic was over and Zaidi finished the job with a boundary to finish on a fine 118* from 96 balls. Norden will travel to current league leaders Lowerhouse in the semi-final on the 8^th of July, looking to end their semi-final hoodoo of recent years.
Worsley Cup Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/6008561

The 2’s will also be in semi-final action at home to Burnley that day after they too pulled off an excellent run-chase to secure a memorable victory against Littleborough. A Hare Hill pitch offering a bit of something for everyone, produced a game with plenty of runs and plenty of excitement. Littleborough got off to a bit of a flyer, with former Stag Tariq Maqsood taking advantage of the powerplay. Usama Malik produced a good one to get through Maqsood’s defences and Mo Munawar came back well after getting a bit of tap early on to get Norden back in the game, but a host of dropped catches and a heap of extras contributed to Littleborough’s 227 for 8. Oli Kirkby and David Bebb fell early, but skipper Hashum Malik was looking o play in a more restrained manner than usual and he was looking good alongside Kabir Ahmed before the former was sent packing by an interesting umpiring decision with 150 still needed. 3 more wickets fell quickly and it looked like Ahmed was going to end up frustrated as his teammates looked for boundaries rather than singles to get the set batter back on strike. The run-rate was never an issue for Norden, but the wickets down were, and it took an experienced head in Mohsin Iqbal to help steady the ship. He and Ahmed added 67 for the 7^th wicket and Norden fancied their chances again. When Iqbal edged behind for 34, it brought 17-year-old Joe Donnelly, on 2^nd team debut, to the crease and the home players and supporters thought the game was theirs. Donnelly had different ideas, though, and he played with courage and intelligence to help Ahmed face as many balls as possible and play the occasional attacking stroke himself, including a huge swept 6 over midwicket. Ahmed remained composed and he won the game with a boundary which also brought up his hundred from 116 balls. A fine win with with several players missing.
Junior Cup Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/6008568

Sunday was less successful, as the 1^st team were frustrated by the rain after bowling Walsden out for 173 at Stag Park and the 2^nd team were beaten at Colne, despite a century partnership between Ahmed and Sami Waheed and 4 wickets for Munawar.
Sunday Scorecards: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5592490
2nd XI Scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5593286

With all 3 teams playing on Saturday, a totally genuine 3^rd XI travelled to Ramsbottom to face opposition that wasn’t exactly in the same boat. A century and 4 wickets for Nathaniel Young proved to be too good for stand-in skipper Greg Tattersall’s young side and they fell well short in their chase of 257. Stan Kearns, Saad Malik, Will Hindley and Tattersall himself all made decent contributions with the bat.
3^rd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5616282

Norden finally registered an away victory in the league as they comfortably beat bottom club Ramsbotton at Acre Bottom on Saturday. The star of the show was once again Josh Tolley, who quite remarkably hit another century as Norden piled up 271 for 6 from their 50 overs. Tolley got good support from the rest of the top order, with Lee Crabtree and Greg Butterworth helping the score up to 117 for 2 before Ashar Zaidi joined Tolley. Zaidi smashed 59 from just 39 balls, including 7 fours and a six as he added impetus to the innings. Tolley also began to accelerate and Ramsbottom could not stop the flow of runs. Tolley finished on 122* from 141 balls with 7 fours and 4 sixes. The Norden opener now has 895 runs this season in all competitions, with 6 centuries. The record books look like they may well be completely re-written come mid-September.

Ramsbottom, without a win in the league all season, were going to have to produce something extraordinary if they were to chase down their target and, not for the first time this season, Scott Butterworth made the task even harder with an early wicket, trapping Brad Fielding in front without scoring. All of Ramsbottom’s other batters got starts but none could kick on in the way Tolley had and the required rate continued to climb. The Butterworth brothers shared 6 wickets and there were 2 for Zaidi as the hosts were bowled out for 213 in the 47^th over. The 12 points keeps Norden within striking distance of leaders Lowerhouse, despite the league position of 7^th. With the top 10 teams all seemingly capable of beating each other, it promises to be an extremely exciting season as we reach the half-way point next weekend.
1^st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5592483

On Sunday, Norden headed to the seaside to face Morecambe in the 2^nd round of the LCF Knockout. The Palace Shield side proved to be no match for The Stags as 4 wickets from Dean Lord helped bowl the home team out for just 133. Tolley was in no mood to hang around and he raced to 50 in just 36 balls. Zaidi continued his aggression of the weekend with 38* from 25, finishing the match with 3 sixes as Norden chased down the target with over 20 overs to spare. Another away trip, this time to Wigan, awaits in the next round.

Friday night saw a very healthy Stag Park crowd witness a truly remarkable game of cricket, with Greenmount professional Jacques Snyman producing an innings that not many will forget in a hurry. Norden batted first and a quickfire 91 from 50 balls from Zaidi helped take the total to over the 200 mark. The umpires then saw fit to penalise Greenmount for a slow over rate, so another 38 runs were added to the target meaning a daunting 245 was needed for victory. Not many gave the division 2 side a chance, but Snyman has been in remarkable form in recent weeks and he and fellow opener Evan Williams showed from the off that they still fancied their chances. Sami Waheed picked up 2 wickets for Norden, including the dangerous Williams for 30, but Snyman was starting to go ballistic at the other end. The box of spare balls was soon empty as they vanished to all parts of the village, with no Norden bowler spared. The South African struck 13 sixes as he took the visitors to an incredible victory with 4 balls remaining. Snyman finished on 164* from just 70 balls in one of the best displays of hitting this ground has ever witnessed.
T20 Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5526566

It was a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ for the 2nds, who followed up their excellent victory at Burnley with a poor display at home to Ramsbottom. Having won the toss and elected to bat, it looked like the strong home batting line-up should be set for a big total. Unfortunately, a series of poor shots meant that the innings never got going. Only Kabir Ahmed reached 30 and Norden were grateful for 31 extras from the visitors. Skipper Phil Docker left the field a frustrated figure as he remained 23* having run out of partners as Norden could manage just 170 on a good pitch and a short boundary from the Woodhouse Lane end. Unfortunately, the bowling effort was no better and Ramsbottom needed only 28 overs to knock off the runs. A big improvement will be needed for the Junior Cup quarter-final next week.
2^nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5593283
2^nd XI Highlights: Highlights: 2nd XI vs Ramsbottom 10.6.23 – YouTube