April 16, 2025 • 65 mins
We're back! A brand new season is on the horizon, and we're kicking things off with a chat with club captain Ben Heap. He gives us the lowdown on pre-season preparations and any player movements you need to know about.
Plus, we reveal the winners of the latest Lowerhouse Draw – are you one of them?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
A dressing gown in April? What is the matter with you?
It's cold downstairs in my houseat the minute, Jess.
It's it's all open planned down here.
So yeah. Are you all like Shelly?
Put heating on. Absolutely not.
Not in April. July.
It's off now. It's off now till November.
(00:22):
Know that. Good Lord, good Lord, it's
funny. I mean, we can chat about this
after this week. It's funny.
I love your pictures on, I don'tknow where I've seen, whether
it's Instagram or Facebook. When you've been out, I can tell
you've been out all night. Your eyes are all bloodshot and
bags under your eyes and you've got this massive big brown fish
on in your with your boxer next year.
(00:45):
Yeah, We don't be warmth, do we use lads.
Some other thing? Morden Morden send more house to
(01:15):
save the house. Good evening everybody, and
welcome to the House Cast Law House Cricket Clubs podcast,
which has been going for Donkey Donkey's years.
I've lost track of how many years we've been going on
(01:36):
episodes, but I'm really excitednow.
The sun is, well, it's been out for for a while around here.
The picture is looking great andand the the nights are getting
longer and the weather's on its way.
I know it's a bit of a break coming up, but it's so exciting
to get to to the start of the season.
(01:56):
Watching a friendly on Sunday was on Saturday.
Sorry, was an absolute pleasure.So we've got a good guest on
tonight. Real special guest has been on a
few times before. We're really going to try and
get into his ribs and talk abouthow this the season goes, how
last year went, how he feels about this year.
It's the the lower house captainBenny.
(02:18):
So Ben, I'll come to you first before I go to the horse.
How you doing? Good evening, Jess.
Yeah, very well. Thank you yourself.
Yeah, all good. Thank you.
Yeah, for the busy few weeks. We've been away on a big trip,
but got back Saturday to watch Watch that friendly, good
workout against Little Lever. Yeah, very much so.
(02:38):
I think that's everything you'd want from a friendly just before
the start of the season. You know, both innings went
pretty much the duration everybody got to do.
Everybody got a bat and a bowl and some time out in the field.
So, yeah, good preparation, really nice set of lads, little
lever. Yeah, good.
All right. He looked it as well.
And you know, we'll come on, I'll go on to the the other
(03:01):
horse now and we'll come back tothe game.
But but it did, it looked a great workout for you all.
I think they just marginally wonit with a dodgy LB at the end
and and Johnny Whited refusing to come back out to that.
But anyway, Gooch down there on Saturday, you OK?
(03:21):
Yeah, great, mate. Yeah, very good.
Thank you. Good, good.
Are you still got that tingle ofexcitement even though you're
quite a bit younger than me now?Seasons around the corner.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely Saturday.
Just just I didn't, I wasn't down all day on Saturday, but
the brief time that I did spend there was definitely an appetite
wetter. Definitely.
It was good. Yeah.
(03:43):
Joe Martin, welcome and thanks very much for helping out.
Just talk us through how things went over the weekend and.
Things went OK. It was a good run out.
Good to get 45 overs under you. Oh, how many of you overs?
Well, we did 45 under your belt.Yeah, I missed 1 and it hit my
(04:04):
toe. But it was a lovely day and it's
raining now, so. But we've got the covers on, so
that's good. I think.
Jazzy's frozen. Jazzy's back.
Thanks Joe. Thanks for your your input
there. Sorry about that.
I've just got a few Wi-Fi and and data issues.
I have to log into my phone to get back on it.
(04:26):
So, so anyway, thanks very much.Joe, do you have any comments
about the game and and how that went?
Joe Martin, you know, I want to talk about the pitch, really,
but your part in the game at weekend on Saturday.
I mean, I didn't have a massive part in it.
But you stumped for 45 hours. Yeah, I did OK.
(04:48):
I did OK stumping, that was fine.
And then and then and then just missed one at the end.
Yeah, were you out? Didn't look dodgy.
Oh, did it? I mean, it looked pretty
straight to me. It's down as bold on scorecard.
So exactly, exactly, Joe, let's just talk to you a second before
(05:11):
I go back to to Ben and and talkabout the season, the the pitch.
The. Square the outfield.
I know we've had some, you know,you could probably ideal drying
weather with quite a lot of sun,you know, it's not been baking
up, but it's, you know, it's hard to get out of in any rain
for probably 3 or 4 weeks. And the main factor is all the
(05:34):
wind that's, that's been there is dried.
Hey what's what was it like the the actual track?
The track was the track was fine.
Yeah, it's, but it is very dry. It's very dry, yeah.
But it's, as I said, it's raining now and it's supposed to
rain this week. So I think it will benefit from
(05:55):
that. There's been a lot of work done
on the on the on the pitch over the winter with drainage sand,
which has had a really big impact on.
So it doesn't turn into a mud bath at the minute with
everything that's been done on it.
(06:15):
But it's also because it's been so dry, it's probably not under
grass growth that it's that it that it required.
So there's a, there's a few barepatches and it's, I described it
as dusty on Saturday, but I think it's Sunday more than
dusty. So I think with a bit, with a
bit of rain, it will green everything up.
(06:37):
So I think. It's.
Probably benefit from it, but you know, it's a, it's not a
difficult position, but I think we will benefit from the
drainage and everything being better this year.
And it possibly might be a smallcost for the quality of grass on
(06:59):
it, but that might come in, you know, over over the next couple
of years too. OK, that I mean it's a good
insight for us because you know,we were both there at the end of
last season doing doing little bits of work around helping
stance has the the square been had a lot of a lot of extra
(07:21):
drainage put into it or extra that's the outfield, the square
the. Square.
The square is actually in terms of in terms of drainage, if I
say it's probably, it's probablyfine.
I think, I think because of the way the ground slots, I think
(07:41):
that there's probably a lot, it gets a lot of water that sits on
it and runs over it. And obviously the square is
actually, the square is actuallypretty flat when you think about
it. It's not like church where the
whole pitch is slanted. You've got this kind of gradual
(08:01):
gradients, I guess. Yeah.
So that hasn't. But the actual outfield has had
a lot of, has had a lot of work done on it.
The only work that we do on the square is the stuff that we do
at the end of the end of the season, which, you know, so.
Yeah. And I mean, it'd be interesting
(08:21):
to see how the 8 field does go with that because there was a
lot of money gone on it, you know, gone into the, the actual
extra drainage and the, I can't remember exactly, exactly what
it's called, but it's pushing the sand through it all.
Let's see how that changes. You know certainly for for what
(08:43):
it does get damp and how quicklyyou can get it where.
We've already seen we've alreadyseen the benefit just to be
honest with you in in after the bonfire.
So typically after the bonfire when it has been wet, there is a
lot it's you know, it's very muddy and not not great
conditions. You know you wouldn't you
(09:04):
wouldn't you won't be able to play a game of football on it,
never mind a game, a game of cricket.
Whereas this year you could tellthat obviously people have been
had been stood on it. But if you were to war fan, it
was still firm. Yeah, it wasn't.
It wasn't more day. And you could, you could you
could do whatever you kind of plan to on it.
I think so. I think there's already been
(09:24):
that that benefit, to be honest with you.
Yeah. And that's important because
then it adds to the the amount of time you can spend on the 8th
field. And you're not, like you said,
make it into a wood bath on a Thursday before a first team
game just by getting it on to try and cut it or to get on the
square. So no, I mean, that's, that's
(09:44):
really encouraging. And I think a good, you know, a
good shout out to Stan and Dave Waddington and the other members
of the of the staff who who pullall the, the ground, you know,
together. You know, there's been there's
been kids football on there all winter.
There's a lot of junior cricket going to be played on there.
So it's a it's a big job. Can I say just what the the
(10:08):
waddle and and Cochran and Ben'sBen's mum have done really
brilliant work on the surrounds of the ground as well.
So they've added like different flower beds in.
They've put a really nice feature in next to the next to
the scoreboard with like logs and an old, an old machinery
(10:31):
with that's got flowers in it. That looks really nice.
And all the people that have helped with, you know, painting
the ground. Ketel Paddy's done a Paddy's
done a bit. It's it the ground worked really
well. It worked really well so.
That's brilliant, Great, great work from those volunteers for,
as we keep saying, the communityclub.
And I think it's worth mentioning just before I come
(10:53):
back to you, Ben, about the pitch and about the prep for the
season. You know, it was amazing.
I got I got down there at 2:00 and I'm walking on and I
remember when I was playing there once been that many people
in July what when we were playing Burnley and this is a
friend, a friendly in April, youknow, so it was so so nice to
see and clearly, you know, the club will benefit from that,
(11:15):
whether it's financially or for for the surrounds and the people
who come to watch. So that's that's fantastic to
see. Long may continue.
Ben come to you first of all, really just about how you you
prep for the seasons gone, including, you know, the ground
and your liaison with Stan and then also the practise and the
(11:35):
training you've you've managed with the team.
How's that gone? Yeah, well, I'll start with the
practise. So from December I think we've
had sort of group sessions with Dan over in Preston.
So sort of three lads having a couple of hours with Dan on a
(11:58):
sort of rotation in one evening.Your usual suspects, myself,
Henry Cotton, Paddy Martin, Charlie Gansler, there'll be one
or two over thrown in there thatI've missed out.
So that those sessions were running in at the start of the
start of the year and to try andyeah, I guess make some
(12:19):
technical improvements and yeah,mindset improvements.
And then we got together as a group in March.
I think we trained 4 Thursdays in March, consecutive weeks at
Quags Grammar School Indoor Centre as a first team and
second team and they're always good sessions.
(12:42):
They've been good fun this year and we have just the right
amount of numbers there. An excellent facility and each
one for some camaraderie has finished with a fire on the side
game of football which has gone down really well, which has been
good crack because the sessions have been have been two hours
long and that can be a long timejust to do cricket.
(13:03):
So yeah, we've had about 20 minutes of football and that's
gone down well, I think. Wouldn't you agree, Joe?
Yeah, definitely. I think the sessions of, I think
the sessions have worked really well in that people kind of had
the space to work on what they on what they wanted to.
They weren't sort of, you know, kind of regimented that, you
know, you can about for this amount of time and face these
(13:25):
these bowlers. So people are kind of freedom to
do what they want, what they wanted to improve.
It's fielding as well. That's always good to because,
you know, that can some that canget missed in the winter.
And as you say, good to get the good to get the football out as
well. Show us, show us.
Still laughing, the old dog Ben for for some of us, yeah.
(13:50):
No, that's interesting. As you know and obviously don't
get injured as we as old, old duffers who would always think,
oh correct, you're playing football.
What if you someone boots someone?
But no, it is. Interesting, Jazz.
At the end of one of our games, when I used to watch you as as a
kid and we used to have the big football games on the pitch, you
kicked me the hardest someone's ever kicked me and I was about
(14:11):
10. Well, you must have done
something. And in the same game, because
we'd scored, we scored at the last night Cos Porter kind of
crawling over my head. It was one of the most
uncomfortable experiences of my life.
You still not run over it, have you?
No, you wouldn't think about it every day.
I can tell. So before we go on to the
conditions Ben and, and the, youknow, maybe the ground setup
(14:36):
etcetera. You, you mentioned you know, the
pro down there, he's obviously he's in the UK almost full time.
I guess now when he's, he's played in the friendlies and
he's, he's carrying out all the,the coaching and training.
And what difference does that make, first of all for you as a
captain but also a batter and, you know, a cricketer when you
(14:59):
have someone like him involved? Yeah, well, it's invaluable
really to have you, your pro allwinter contributing to not only
the group sessions that we did at the start of the year, but
the the sort of first team and second team training.
Having his input, you know, he'syeah so valuable and everybody
(15:21):
respects down so much. Everybody's you know how much
understands how much of a good teammate he is and a team man he
is. So just having them around in
general without having loads of import is good experience and
exposure for the lads really. Yeah, yeah.
And if you said he's so experienced and so yes,
(15:43):
obviously such a great cricketer, but he's also got
that winning mentality and that you know, that the mindset of
how you can get the best out of players, even if it's just an
extra 1 or 2%. Dude.
Have you had much on the winter side and and being involved with
(16:05):
the players and talking through things with Ben and Dan?
No, is the answer to your question just not.
Not massive, not masses. Me and Ben have spoken quite a
lot in the last sort of week or so as we start looking at teams
and things, but not mass, not massive amounts over the winter.
We did have a couple of meetingsover the winter just to at the
(16:26):
back end of the season just as abit of a download.
And then a couple of weeks ago heading into the new season just
to sort of see where everything SAT.
What, what that? That's been pretty much it
really. Yeah, and I suppose if things
are going OK and and I'm sure you know, probably come on to
this next, Ben, I'm skipping around a little bit before I get
back to the pitch. If there is any, you know,
(16:48):
players maybe that aren't happy our place that maybe want to
move on or or we're going to getsome new players in that you
will get involved in that. Has there been much of that this
winter been of players wanting to come and play for low highs
or any of our players wanting tomove on anywhere, whether it's
pride or just move on? We've certainly had
(17:10):
conversations with one or two players over the offseason which
Dan has supported the club in, in sort of being involved in
those conversations. Unfortunately, nothing's come to
fruition for one reason or another.
And but yeah, it's definitely sort of really handy having him
(17:32):
around to support in those conversations with the
experience, as you touched on that he's got.
And you know, he's always a goodsounding board for myself.
But yeah, I think, you know, that continuity of the
professionals staying the whole winter and being around and
being at the end of the fall or a 20 minute journey away has
(17:53):
definitely helped a field keeping the squad together.
Because, you know, it's no secret that we've we're blessed
with some very talented amateurs.
And it's no secret again, that, you know, other clubs in other
leagues have certainly sort of had conversations at various
(18:13):
stages about those players goingon and being called
professionals, which they made well do in the future.
And they'd have our blessing because it's a, it's a, it's a
good experience to go through, which I've done myself.
But yeah, we're very happy to have kept everybody.
We have tried to get one of one or two through the door and it's
just not come off. But we're more than happy with
(18:35):
the squad that we've got. Yeah.
No, that's that. That's good to hear.
And, and I suppose as, as down goes forward, you know, with
his, you know, the end of his cricketing career and any
ventures he's got up and up and running, then then we can all
help with that. And, and I'm sure he'll, he'll
be very successful in whatever he does.
(18:57):
Ben then just let's just go on to the, you know, the ground and
the facilities and how things have gone.
We've obviously become a lot more successful off the field
with regard the the running of the the club and the monies that
are coming in. Are you noticing that that's
going to first of all senior cricket, but also junior
(19:18):
cricket, the extra, the revenue that we're getting in.
Yeah, absolutely. And and you know, putting the
games on as well, the cost of just put in a game of cricket on
is going up and up and up, isn'tit like everything else in the
world. So yeah, I think success breeds
success, doesn't it? Off the pitch and on the pitch,
the 2GO hand in hand. Yeah, yeah, without a doubt.
(19:41):
And you can see that, you know, the money that was spent over
the winter and the where the youknow, we have, you know, we have
paid coaches that come externally that come in and help
out with whether they're five year olds or the the senior.
So it does bode well. But, you know, I'm not wanting
to be doom and gloom. We've got to keep that going.
We've got to keep the the process going that we've had in
(20:03):
place. That Stan, I think started
really as the junior cricket right through to what Matt
Stanley does with the the socialside.
Your thoughts on the the pitch, the way that's gone?
It's extraordinary how dry it is, you know, compared with the
last. When you think of the start of
last season, it was it was just a lake.
Are you comfortable with the waythings are looking around the
(20:25):
ground? And I know we can't change a
lot, but are you dealing as we stand and you're happy with
where things are going? Yeah.
I mean, you know, you can see the difference in terms of the
work that we've had done. You know, it's been scarified
and we've had drainage sand put down which I believe we hadn't
had done either in a very long time or, or ever.
(20:50):
But obviously being a keen outdoorsman myself and a keen
fisherman, I'm obviously fairly in tune with the weather and
we've had a really, really dry winter overall.
And I think I read somewhere it's the 6th driest March
England's ever had on record. So yeah, we've we've had next to
(21:11):
no rain whatsoever. So I'm going to be interesting
to see, you know, if we do get some heavy showers, hey, that's
going to affect the ground and what sort of the reaction is,
because at the minute it's very,very dry.
There's quite a few bare patchesout in the in the outfield.
And so it will be interesting. But yeah, it's just been a
(21:33):
significantly drier winter than last year.
I mean, you remember rightly, wehave to put the season back,
never mind the preseason friendlies.
We have to put the season back two weeks.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that, that's right.
And it's and whilst, you know, we can't get away from, whilst
everything's going fantasticallywell with Stan and all the
equipment, we are an amateur club.
(21:54):
And it's interesting you watch counties even in the middle of
the the summer, they would still, they have, you know, the
absolute saturate the square, you know, in the middle of a dry
spell and then they can control its growth and then they cover
it when they've had enough. And you know, we can't do that.
There isn't enough water in the in Burnley the to what Old
Trafford put on there is when they're you know, when they, you
(22:19):
know, they put in a wicket to bed or whatever.
So but it's good to see it's outof our hands, but it's good to
see the ground looking, looking so well.
I'm just going to ask you in a minute, Ben, about just a very
quick recap on last year, just for the listeners.
I know we spoke about it separately just to recap on last
(22:39):
year, but before we move on fromthe ground and the the players
or anything, anything from yourself, Duke, no.
Not really, just want to let thelisteners know that they've not
tuned into Radio for Gardeners Question Time.
And. They are actually listening to
lower house cricket clubs podcast.
It is interesting though, I loveit.
We're a victim in the past of having good weather in the pitch
(23:02):
and the square well for weekend and then not being able to cope
with a heavy shower properly on Thursday and Friday.
If the new drainage sand and thework that's that's been done
helps us cope with that from that point of view and then
that'll be great. Yeah, it will be interesting
just to see where they've playedfootball handles the the rain.
(23:26):
But we'll see that. So Joe Martin, anything from you
around the pitch or the, the, the recruitment and the training
before we move on to 5 minutes on last year?
No, I think everybody. 'S done a really good job Jess.
Thanks. Very much Joe Ben last year
finished third. You know, you, you didn't really
get close or we didn't really get close to to catching Burnley
(23:49):
after the, you know, probably 2-2 weekends to go.
Your assessment of last year in in a couple of paragraphs.
Yeah, well, I mean, we obviouslyset off out the traps a little
bit slower than we'd like, but you know, losing your
professional that you had signed2-3 weeks before the start of
(24:11):
the season is far from ideal as many clubs have been a victim of
recently. So yeah, you know, it probably
took us six or seven games to sort of get a an understanding
between the group of how we're going to approach our cricket
(24:31):
and our game plans moving forward.
So yeah, I thought we were good value for 3rd, but in all
honesty the teams that finished above us probably deserved it.
Yeah, fair assessment and I would agree with that.
You know from from what I watched from the sides, any
(24:52):
observations, do you? I don't think you can take much
umbrage at that. No, no, no.
Although we did win the Worsley Cup, so let's not, let's not
just focus on the on the on the negatives as it were.
We did have a a very successful season by anybody's standards,
third, third in the league and Worsley Cup win.
(25:15):
Yeah, we'd have liked to do slightly better in the league
but as Ben said, the worst mitigating circumstances and
will be be better prepared this time around.
Yeah, 100. Percent I was going to come on
to the cup win because it's it'sstill in everyone's minds and
memories of how, you know, what a great game of cricket that
was, you know, and again, creditto Todd for the way that that
(25:37):
was played and the people that watched that will remember it
forever. So moving on to this season, Ben
Ramsbottom have been promoted along with Wolsden Church and
Enfield have been relegated. First of all, as you know, as an
(25:59):
experienced player who's played in the league before the
promotion and relegation, an independent view, not not
biassed because you're a law Houser.
How do you feel the promotion and relegation is working?
I mean, what I can only comment from a from a team that's that's
(26:22):
since this has been brought in, has stayed in the top division.
So I don't know how obviously feel we've been relegated or
played in Division two. Although if you do read the
previews, the clubs that are in Division Two this year seem
pretty excited by and the sort of standards of it and, and
strength in depth. But I'm all for it.
(26:44):
I think it keeps things interesting, you know, gives
chance, gives clubs a chance to rebuild.
You look at Church's preview forthis season, they seem excited
by the the chance of competing at the top end of that division
and sort of rebuilding. And it keeps fixtures
(27:04):
entertaining and interesting at the back end of the season when
it's involved in those clubs that are down the bottom end,
yeah. Yeah, I'll just echo that then
the the competitiveness has certainly increased, you know,
since going back, whether when Iplayed or even before he
changed. I just do have concerns.
And it's not, I'm not being a because we can't go back to
(27:28):
let's all play in one league. And, you know, there's, there's
there's nothing to play for, for75% of the teams after the end
of June. But I just do, you know, the,
the, the ex original anchor League clubs who are at the, the
lower end of division two, You know, I just hope they continue
(27:48):
to keep pushing it and, and going in the right direction,
whether it's through juniors, whether it's through recruitment
or, or money that can come in through, through fundraising or,
or the bars that they can continue to, to carry on.
And I think that is the case. You know, I did fear around the
likes of East Lanks and Bake Up and Nelson, but I do think they
come round a little bit, you know, that that it might come
(28:11):
full circle. And have you have you a view on
that Joe Martin? As I mean, you've only probably
seen it since I'm sure you wouldremember it when it was one
league. But have you a view on how it's,
how it goes and if it can be approved?
I mean, I don't think it can be,I don't think it can be
improved. I think it's quite a good system
(28:34):
that they've got now. I think perhaps I also like what
a lot of the clubs are doing too, so I think they're
investing heavily in junior sections, trying to build from
from the bottom rather than importing players in, which is
(28:54):
something that I think I'm really passionate about.
But it's and the club in in general.
So I think it I think it works well.
I think Ben's, I'd say the I think previously in when it was
one league, if you, you would, you would rebuild as a club and,
(29:19):
you know, finish at the lower end and then try and try and
work from there. It's something that we did in
like 2000 and nine, 2010. I'd say some of the clubs in the
top division, I get the impression that they probably
feel that they can't do that nowwithout being relegated, which I
(29:39):
think would be which will potentially pose interesting
questions in the in the future about how they how, how, how
clubs stay sustainable. Do you think that that will?
Lead to more sort of short termism view in terms of the.
Players that they field. Yeah, I think.
So that's my opinion that I think that it, if they want to
(30:05):
stay in the top division, they can't, they can't afford to try.
And yeah, I mean, you know, we did it in in 2010 from memory
when probably half the team werepretty young and I think we
finished probably 11 or 10 maybe.
And, and if you want to stay in division, you can't do that now.
(30:25):
So I think that's my in the top division.
I think that will be my concern.But it also, but on the on the
other side of that, you, it's our it's our job and certainly
my job along with other people to produce players that are
ready to play in that top division and play in the first
team. And you don't have to produce 11
(30:46):
of those cricketers every year. But I think putting things in
place that you can identify thatyour premier junior cricketers
at the club and giving them the supporter so that they feel
confident to work through the fourths thirds seconds.
And then when they're in the second team and then moving into
the first team, that they have the skills and the confidence to
(31:10):
not freeze and, and, and actually be a, you know, be a
confident first team cricketer as soon as you go in.
And that's something that we're looking, we're looking at now is
trying to identify those, those young players and, and really
give them the support to let them flourish when they've seen
cricketers, yeah. It's a really great point and we
(31:33):
could debate it for ages and I'msure a lot, lots of listeners
would be interested because is it, you know, again, I accept
what you're saying, you're goingto play different players than
you would have done if it was one league.
But at the end of the day, you know, I've watched a little bit
of Rami last year and you know, there's some of the sides in
(31:55):
there and it is good competitivecricket.
So yeah, if you had to, I don't know who wants to get relegated?
Did you have to drop down for a season or maybe 2?
But then you get the youngsters in, they become 16/17/18 and you
come back up. I don't think that's a bad a bad
way to be, No, I mean. But that's what the model is, is
designed to do, right, Isn't it?In that, I guess it depends on
(32:19):
what your priorities are as a club, whether you know, as Duke
says, that kind of short termismis the policy that you apply or
whether you think maybe long term of how, how, how can you
make sure that your club exists in in 20-30 years time.
Then then that's then that's theother way.
(32:40):
And and it might come with fluctuating league positions,
but that's something that clubs have to decide I do.
I do wonder what I mean, you know I can, I can only speak on
behalf of Law House, but I do get around local cricket and
watch other leagues at times. But I do wonder what the
(33:00):
financial ramifications will be for a club that gets relegated
as well. So you know, thinking about Law
House, if if that was to have ever happened, how that would
affect the club financially. I mean, we're a well supported
club, aren't we? We are a lot of members and we
have a local community that comedown and watch.
But for example, if we weren't to feature in semi finals,
(33:24):
finals days for a number of years, 2345 years, what sort of
financial ramifications that would have on the club.
So that's, you know, that's something else that.
Yeah, yeah, you're right, Ben. Adds.
Adds. To it and adds to the pressure
of potentially staying in that top division, yeah.
It's again, we could debate this, you know, I'm not.
(33:47):
I think again, we can only talk about law House.
I'm not sure it affect us that badly the way a lot of our
members are now. And you know, the, the, the
socials in winter and if we remember going back, I'm sure.
Ben and Duch. Would remember this you know,
they cook really successful clubdropped off the you know, the
(34:09):
ladder of winning trophies and being the best amateurs and best
pros, but their social club carried on and it still does to
this day. Now I think Nelson or East lanks
or some others might be a littlebit different.
So it's no it's a great point. You know, you know, sometimes
wonder when I walk around, walk around the ground bend and
there's maybe 5 or 600 I'm watching you on a, you know, on
(34:31):
a biggish game. And I, I don't know, I only know
about 90, you know, 5% of all the people that are on and you
know, they're there for a FamilyDay, which is fantastic.
So I mean, it is an interesting,an interesting subject and you
know, I'm happy 5 or 6 years agoI thought there are a couple of
clubs ready for going, which would have been so sad, but they
(34:52):
haven't. And I think those are pulling
through a little bit. So fingers crossed that they
come through as much as they do,as much as they have done over
the last year or two. Ben, let's move on to this year,
the playing stuff that you've got.
And the. The potential that there is in
place and and you know, how's the likes of Charlie Ganzler
(35:16):
from last year from the cup final, Tom Walker looked in good
nick at weekend, Henry Cotton, you know a great player.
Then there's obviously you, JohnMartin and and Paddy Johnny
White to do with the top end. It sounds really exciting squad
you've got there. I know you can't get too much
away about team selection and and plans etcetera, but what are
(35:39):
your views on the, you know, the, the, the up and coming
season? Yeah, I'm quietly confident.
I think Jess, you know, we've, we've a tough start on paper and
undoubtedly but yeah, quietly confident we're going to benefit
from knowing who our professional is.
(36:02):
You know, what he's like as a block, what he expects of the
lads, what what we have we expect of him.
You know, we've got an identity and a style of play that's, you
know, well, well embedded now. So you know, there's not,
there's not many questions really.
Whereas this time last year. They were only.
(36:25):
Questions. Yeah, you won't.
Believe what was going on behindthe scenes to get everything in
place. So yeah, we're we're very happy
aware of where we're at. Would we have liked one or two
through the door potentially. But you know, to have not lost
anybody and I think Paul Stanleywas telling me at the weekend,
(36:48):
don't quote me on this, but we did, we won something like 716
or 17 out of our last 18 games in all cricket.
So we finished very, very well. We have a method of player that
teams are going to be trying to unsettle and I guess it's, you
(37:10):
know, adjusting to any, to anything that the opposition
bring as quickly as we can and just backing up how we finished
last year. That's the the conversation or
your comments there been a really interesting because you
mentioned twice we have a way ofplaying.
We we have got a plan that's in place.
(37:32):
So my question to you would be, are you flexible?
Can you adapt to things aren't going right?
Is there a Plan B or C and do you work on that?
Yeah, yeah. Most definitely.
I think I feel like with, you know, less so in the Northern
game, we were all a little bit wet behind the ears and fresh
(37:52):
for that one. But at the weekend I think if
you look at the start of our ourinnings and you know, where we
were, I'll be at, they were coming more from one end.
But where we were after 10 oversor so wasn't, wasn't an
accident, shall we say. You know, I think we showed in
(38:13):
the cup final, you know, that when we are under the pump, we
are flexible. You know, we've got a preferred
way of playing. But yeah, I think the the cup
final itself is the model for for Plan B most probably, yeah.
And you've got. Those players in there that can
do that, you know, that can switch and can change, you know,
(38:33):
it's we're not giving secrets away, but we can see this
yourself and and Johnny and and obviously the pro can adapt to
anything. Charlie did he, you know, did
his job. Tom Walker, obviously he's a
great cricketer and then, you know, even, you know, I know
you're on the cold Joe, but you know, Joe Martin batting then in
the in the bottom two or three, he's had hundreds and he's, you
(38:56):
know, got a 40 in the in the in the, the the friendly at
Northern. So it's we can see that it's
there on the bowling front. Ben, have you you will obviously
have plans in your mind. I thought Tom Walker ball with
some pace at weekend. He seemed to put an extra 5
yards on his run up, ran throughquickly and was, you know, was,
(39:21):
was was getting down the other end quick, you know, sharpish.
Is that something? Because he's been in Australia,
I believe. Yeah, he's been playing.
Cricket most of the winter out in Australia, interestingly
enough, thought he bowled very sharp for an amateur in his
second spell. From the park and into the wind.
He bowled. Yeah, He both shot in that
(39:44):
second spell. Probably lacked a little bit of
rhythm and tried too hard in hisfirst spell.
But he's an exciting prospect, isn't he, Tom?
You know, I still think he's 2122, something like that.
Yeah. Is that right, Joe Martin, is
he? I think so.
Yeah, he's. He's only a young man anyway,
he's only in his early 20s so you know, the the Sky's the
(40:09):
limit really in terms of league cricket for Tom and the way he
sort of dominated with the bat in the second innings, you know,
he's sort of really promising, exciting and exciting for the
club. But yeah, from a bowling point
of view I'm very happy and we'vegot top CSA and who's going to
be more involved this year and when the condition suit, you
(40:32):
know, he gets good players out. Joey Hawks committed for the
first few months of the season and he's, you know, he's working
in the police now, but he's usedup a lot of his annual leave to
make sure he's available. Tom Walker, like you say,
probably one of the quickest amateurs in the league these
days. And Charlie Ganzler has worked
(40:54):
really hard this winter on a couple of technical, I'm not
going to say flaws, you know, technical improvements.
And the balls come out of his hands really nice early, early
season. So and then you throw Paddy and
down into the mix who've got, you know, hundreds of league
wickets between. I think we're in a good spot,
(41:16):
especially with the ball, yeah. I I and I like that balance.
I really like the, you know, the, the good theme is that
you've got there very impressed,like you said with, with Toxic,
I'm with Tom, but then, you know, Paddy just seems to get
better and better. He's he's like a fine old wine
at the moment. His Paddy, it just seems to be
(41:37):
maturing and maturing and, and hopefully he carries on with
that. As far as the fielding drills
go, I've always enjoyed watchingthe drills that that you guys do
and how you manage it all. Is that still being varied and
everyone enjoying that? Yeah, yeah, definitely.
(41:57):
You know, that's down to the youngsters.
Keep pushing those old boys on, isn't it?
You know, you've got Henry Cotton, Charlie Gansler and Tom
Walker all sort of really enthusiastic youngsters who like
to be in the field and get involved in the field in and and
raise the standards in the athleticism.
(42:19):
So yeah, I think they're on our cocktails and keep pushing those
old boys on. Brilliant.
Brilliant. I just, you mentioned about, you
know, difficult start. It is.
I've just been going through Darwin at home, Norden away,
little bro at home, Middleton away, Wolston at home, Burnley
away, Rami away. But the more I kept looking,
Ben, they're all good sides. I don't think you can ever say
(42:42):
that you know well that that's agiven and they're going to
finish here. It's another exciting season,
but it does to bring me on to the the T 20s that that then are
all scheduled to be played. You've obviously got the the
Worsley Cups that's there. You've got the wrong single
Singleton Trophy and we're also in the LLCF tournament.
(43:06):
What's your views around the amount of cricket that you've
been expected to play, you personally and also the team?
You know, it's yeah, it's a lot of cricket, I'm not going to
lie. Just I think I worked out the
other day that if we were, and I'm not jumping the gunny, I'm
(43:28):
just, you know, talking hypothetically that if we were
to win every game and be successful in sort of the back
end of May, June, I think we could end up playing something
like 12 games of cricket in June.
So that's a triple header every weekend.
And you know, if we're being brutally honest with ourselves,
it's a tad too much. It becomes a second job if I'm
(43:51):
honest. But you know, that's, that's,
that's a part time job after you've done a full week at work
for most of us. And getting up on a Monday
morning after one triple either to go to work is hard enough,
never mind 4 on the bounce. Not suggesting that's how it'll
be in the end, but if we're successful, that's what we'll
end up doing. Having said that, we do enjoy
(44:13):
it. We do enjoy playing good
competitive cricket. You know, if I was Charlie
Gansler, Henry Cottermore, Tom Walker, I'd be absolutely loving
it at their age and you know, and life's slightly different
for for those three than it is some of the other chaps, isn't
it? But yeah, I think it's a little
(44:34):
bit overkill if I'm honest. I don't know what the answer is.
We want to play in every competition.
We want to play in the in the Lancashire Knockout and try and
be one of the best teams in Lancashire.
But yeah, he's just a lot of cricket and it can weigh down
mentally and physically. It's very difficult.
But what I will say, and I'll give credit to everybody in that
(44:55):
team, there's not one person that's turned up this year out
of shape and many of us losing several 10s of kilos, not just
to get ready for cricket but just to be in a better place all
round and feel better about yourself.
But everybody's coming in tip top shape.
(45:16):
So nobody can sort of question the effort that the lads have
put in in their own time, in their own gym time during the
winter to make sure they're in the best possible shape to win
games of cricket for all rounds.Yeah, and I.
Guess that is, as you said, it'snot just a physical side,
keeping away from injuries, the mental side of it as well as to
(45:37):
how that is managed. And also I will I will come back
on to another point. I want to bring up about
rotation. But it's interesting that you
talk about the pressures that are there.
I mean, Duke, I'd like to bring you in here just just as a, you
know, an ex player, an ex captain, very successful captain
(45:59):
who's seen a lot of things. Do you oversee the players and
do you get involved in that, that pressure side of it, or
what's your thoughts on how thatis managed and could be managed
better? No, I don't.
Jazzy In all honesty, I I talkedto Ben all all summer.
My only other conversation with the players is if I'm ringing
(46:20):
him to ask him to play or to tell them they're not playing
the. Pressure thing is.
It is a really interesting pointand you know, it's a good job
Gav's not on this call because I'm going to mention golf and he
and he hates it. So I was watching Rory in in the
golf last night and he you couldsee him physically struggling to
(46:41):
do what he was trying to do justbecause of the size of the task,
the weight of the pressure and what I was watching you
thinking. As a cricket as.
An amateur cricketer, I've obviously have no idea what he's
going through, but I just wondered, Ben, pressure and
certain situations. Can you think of any in your
(47:01):
career, maybe more as a batsman than a captain, but captaincy as
well, where the the pressure is has inhibited you or has been
so, so great that you feel like it's got the better of you or
you've thrived. We've talked on this podcast
before about your record in finals, which is ridiculously
good, so you might have a particular approach to help you
manage that, but I just wonderedif you could relate to that at
(47:23):
all. Yeah, I.
Mean how much I can relate to that sort of directly, I'm not
too sure because we're all different art way and we all
process things slightly differently.
And obviously he's playing golf and he's he's winning a sort of
extremely prestigious championship.
(47:46):
But for myself, just, you know, from my own experiences, I've
always found that the big cup games actually have freed me up
in all of this. Yeah, as a sort of single one
off event where, you know, when you come off that field, you
(48:08):
can't leave anything to chance. And I'm not suggesting I've
always got this right and I haven't made mistakes in cup
games. But yeah, I do find personally,
the cup games do free me up because in my head, you know,
you might not get a second chance.
So give it your all. And I feel like it's, you know,
(48:31):
the way to victory is is almost simplified and mapped out
because it's a one off game. Yeah, I think where I have come
come a little bit unstuck in thepast and felt the pressure and
been a victim of, you know, looking too far ahead before
anything's happened. Is is in big league games
(48:51):
actually, you know, it's difficult to to be specific to
one game. But yeah, I think where where
I've made we got bogged down anddug a little bit of a hole for
myself is in big league games where you start to think about,
well, how many games are left there?
(49:13):
So such and such a team are awayat so and so today.
And a lot of factors that are out of your control can then
start to cloud your vision. But as a sort of single one off
big final semi final game, I'm not saying I haven't felt
pressure and found it, you know,easy or anything like that.
Far from it. But I guess I found it clearer.
I found the game plan clearer and what I'm what I'm going to
(49:36):
try and do I find I find clarityin in the fight, in the knockout
games. But yeah, big league games
certainly felt pressure. So yeah.
Yeah. It is, but also Ben as well, and
I know you're on this and and weused to be too scared to talk
(49:57):
about this or, or thought it waswe were being.
You've got to you've got to think about, you know, people's
mentality, certainly young kids who insist that I'm going to
play through this, I'm going to I'm going to battle through it,
but it's struggling like mad. And I know you would do that and
I know Duke should do that and there's other people, you know,
I would help out where you can. But he's also identifying that
(50:19):
intake and if someone's really struggling and you can see it
because of the pressure or because of, you know, the work
that they're doing and then the pressure of cricket, that needs
to be, you know, to be boring minders as well.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I do, I do recall in the
in the cup final last year, actually, when when Henry came
out to bat with me, sort of having that conversation with
(50:43):
Henry and reinforcing my mindset, even though, you know,
I got to 50 and had a rush of blood and threw it away.
When Henry came out, you know, the message from me was, look,
Henry, we might, we might never,hopefully we do, but we might
never ever get here again. So let's give it a go.
Let's put back the ball and leave nothing to chance and come
(51:07):
off having. And that that was the message at
half time, you know, go out and try and dare to win the game.
Don't worry about losing it, butgo and have a go and and dare to
try and win the game. And Henry battered brilliant
brilliantly in the final and played a massive role in it.
And he he really flourished and put back the ball that day and
(51:29):
got us back in the game. Yeah, and and.
No doubt without him even realising it would have done him
a world of good going forward. But in the same event.
And then if you see his eyes arespinning, he doesn't really know
what you know, which end of the bat to hold and he's out after
three balls and it ruined his career.
You've got to see that as well in the aftermath that that can
cause. And I know you do.
(51:49):
And I know you think about that and it's really interesting.
Joe Martin, you know, around thepressures.
I know you don't like playing the LCF and the T 20s, you know,
not really cup of tea. But you've you've played so many
games. When you look back over however
many years that you've continued, can you see that the
pressures are there and we all handle it differently.
(52:11):
I know that. But can you see it's there?
Yeah. And you and you certainly and
you certainly feel it. I think one of the things that
probably doesn't get thought about a lot is that since
certainly since since I've been involved in the in the first
team, we've pretty much competed.
(52:34):
Every year. In for the league, for the cup,
for the T20 and it's, I know it's amateur cricket, but it
means a lot to a lot of people and it means a lot to the
players. And it is, it's, it's, it's
quite a mental load, I'd say, especially to kind of keep
(52:56):
coming back every year to be, totry and be as as good as you, as
good as possible and be, try andbe the best, I guess in, in your
discipline. And, you know, I've spoken to
Ben about and I've spoken to a lot of people, you know, I've
struggled quite a lot of the over the years, whether, you
(53:20):
know, whether I thought that maybe, maybe skills are weighing
in just a little bit and you're not quite as good as you used to
be. And you, you don't move quite as
well as you used to. But there's I'd, I'd say the
thing that I always try and, and, and go back to is I, I
still, and obviously that, you know, with, I don't do a lot of
(53:42):
batting anymore, but certainly with my wicket keeping the, the,
the thrill that that you still get when, when I'm, when I just
when I catch a ball is still still drives you on.
And it's still kind of, so it's still on those really tough days
when when something goes well, it just gives you that little
(54:05):
bit of imp to say it. Maybe, maybe I'm maybe I've
still, maybe I've still got something to offer.
And, you know, they're always challenging moments, always
difficult moments. But I think it's it benefits
from the people that are around you.
And we. Yeah.
And I think the way you've spoken there, Joy, it's
(54:26):
commendable. And it just shows a different
different people have different aspects and different ways of
looking at it. You know, you always you've
always been that you your glasses half empty.
And I didn't I didn't do that right.
But that's when you need the rights of Ben and probably Dan
and I mean, you walking around the grain for for three circuits
(54:46):
2, you know, for a bit of reassurance to make sure that
you're all right. And I know you pass that on to
others. So, you know, this is a real
interesting subject and it's onethat we've not got to, we don't
stop talking about honestly. Yeah, it's very reassuring to
us. Those kind of people, we're,
we're a competitive. Bunch as well.
I mean, I know that might sound obvious, but I think yeah, you
(55:09):
know, we we do play to enjoy it and you know, we can be a bit
harsh on ourselves and down on ourselves on the the days where
it doesn't go well. But I think I think we enjoy the
competitiveness more than more than anything, you know, being a
real competitor and trying to put yourself against the better
(55:30):
teams and trying to improve. I think that as that as a first
team would probably be one of the sort of defining sort of
points really that we, we week in, week out, we enjoy being
competitive. We enjoy being together as a as
mates and as, as team mates. But even though we all come from
different backgrounds, you know,different cultures, different
(55:53):
creeds, once we all get together, we're we're a
competitive bunch, yeah. Yeah, and you can see that, you
know, certainly the tough games when it's when it's coming to
crunch it, it is a big there is a good team spirit there, which
is, you know, we've always had at Lorax, I think in whichever
side it is, you know, which of your juniors rise up to the
first team. So tonight's it's a really good
(56:17):
topic and I've said we, you know, we must keep talking about
those sorts of things and peoplewho are struggling a bit,
they're off. There are people there that can
help you and those that can helpand who are the, you know, the
the leaders and who can look after people.
We know that they'll be there tohelp out.
Come to you now, Ben with you know, your last comments around
(56:38):
the start of the season and how you see, you know, let's hope
for good weather and how you seethat going through for us all
spectators and new players. How you feeling?
How you know what you're going to give to the spectators?
Yeah. I mean, I think we showed last
year at the back end especially that we, we, we play an exciting
sort of front foot brand of cricket and we look to continue
(57:02):
that really. I think, you know, it's exciting
to look at the likes of Henry Cotton, Charlie Gansler and Tom
Walker, another year older, another year wiser, backed up
with a, you know, an explosive pro in the side.
It should make, make for an exciting summer and I'm sure
(57:22):
we'll be there or thereabouts. Nothing's guaranteed, you need a
bit of look along the way. We're up against some good sides
in that top half of the First Division and you know, and I
just keep encouraging the lads in the team to keep believing in
themselves. You know, don't care too much
what it looks like and go out there and express yourself and,
(57:46):
you know, treat every game like a cup final and go out there and
give it your all. Brilliant.
Thanks Ben Duke, anything beforewe we wrap up the cricket side
of it and let Ben go off and gethis dressing going on.
Nope, nothing from me. Look forward to seeing as many
of you down at the games as possible over the next few
(58:08):
weeks. Great.
Thanks. Joe, anything from you before we
wrap the cricket side up? No, no, lovely to.
Lovely to get to go over that. Yeah, excellent stuff.
Ben, thanks ever so much. And and as Duke just said there,
there's nothing better that you know, when we get into June and
the weathers, you know, getting good and we could all sit around
us spectators and watch it. People really appreciate the
(58:32):
effort you guys put in and I know you appreciate this, the
support that you get. So thanks very much for coming
on. I think we'll do it again maybe
1/3 of the way into the season. Maybe get down on with you and
just talk about how the season'sgoing.
We're going to try and do 2A week.
So Ben, thanks very much for coming on and giving us that
(58:52):
insight and and the best of luckto you and all the all the lads
for the season. Cheers fellas.
Thanks very much. Cheers, Ben.
We'll see. You soon, but now we can let our
hair down with the draw. Wonderful stuff.
Here we go. Got your balls ready, Joe?
They're ready. I mean, I've only caught on.
So they're warm. That's good.
Before we start, just a couple of pointers we've had.
(59:17):
I think it's possibly from the AGM or be a couple maybe before
it. We've got 4 new members.
I think I've mentioned one before, but if we can just go
through Shane Higgins has has joined.
I mentioned previously, but Shane's number is 34.
So let's listen out for that. We've got some regular
(59:37):
spectators and socialite to go into the into the club on a
regular basis. Louise and Steve Dole, who've
decided they want to join. So they're #36 Anthony Heaton is
number 94. Anthony used to play down at the
club and his dad Jimmy and then also Michael Thomas who just
(59:59):
lives on the end. Of Thornhill, I think it is he's
just requested a number so he's got #52 so we've we're getting
some extra numbers in. Anyone else wants to join them,
please don't hesitate to e-mail me or, or message me or any of
the other committee members or House cast source and we can get
(01:00:20):
you get your number. We're up to 177 for numbers.
Joe, there are about half a dozen or 10 that are free in
between it, so give us the firstnumber.
This is the March draw and the first prize is £100.
Number 99. That should be my number.
(01:00:42):
Really, shouldn't it 90? 9 ice cream and all that.
Yeah. Yeah, you should.
Yeah. Well, I mean, it's a very
welcome win. This, this young lady's not been
in the draw for that long, probably about 8 months or so.
A legend of a dad who's down at the club.
It's Eliza Cotton. Oh, brilliant.
(01:01:05):
Excellent. She's had a recent birthday as
well. Yeah.
So happy birthday from the 100 Club, Eliza.
All right. That's that's good.
It's worth mentioning. Just been on a a tour with
Lancashire. She's part of the Lancashire
cricket section now but went over to India.
(01:01:25):
So great work Eliza and I'm sureyour dad will let you have the
money even though he does pay for this for the number.
The next prize is 80 lbs job if you can give us the number.
#108. 108. Is it's a like called John
(01:01:47):
Puttock. It's been in the draw.
For donkeys years. I don't think he'll mind me
telling this little story, but I'll bet it's 25 years ago.
Stan used to run a draw at in the police for the police social
section and it was exactly the same format as this.
(01:02:10):
In fact we copied it for lower house and John said he wanted to
join the police social section draw and Stan give him the
details for the lower house Cricket Club draw and he's been
in it ever since. That's excellent now.
I think he knows now. Because he won a few years ago
and I had to explain it, but he thought you were paying to the
(01:02:32):
police social and it wasn't. He was from the nose.
So well done John. I'll make sure you get your HD
clip next one £70 is Joe number.16 Well, another.
Another lad that's been down there for donkeys years.
We don't see anywhere near as much of him as we should do, but
(01:02:55):
it's John Proctor. Oh, excellent.
Hopefully win. Legend.
Yeah, we need to get. Prockey on this.
We've asked him a few times but he keeps saying why do you want?
Why do you want? Me on.
I saw Ted Whittle the other day.How was he doing?
Yeah, good. He was.
Walking his dog, I saw him at the top of Good shot are you
(01:03:20):
are? Either.
Of your friends with him on Facebook.
I was just going. To go, I was just going to go
into that dude, I was just goingto go into it.
Is. Did you chat to him, Joe?
Yes, of course. And he was.
All right, everything was because he's had a bad hips.
Hunter. Yeah, Yeah, I think.
He said he'd had three hip replacements.
Yeah, yeah, I. Think that's it and he has
(01:03:42):
struggled with it all but I don't know this is what Dukes
were just going to mention. I just see posts pop up on
Facebook and he's so funny. It could it could run a probably
some sort of a sitcom just from his post.
Have you seen where he's been this weekend, dude?
The Benidorm. Punk Festival.
And he's my fellow who's got Blonde Spark, yeah.
(01:04:07):
It's like a A side. Mohican Mohicans go from the
back to the front. This fellow goes from like ear
to ear. Mohican massive blonde spikes.
It's brilliant. And then about 10.
Inches on each spike and it's the weather has not been great
and they showed a video of them.People were throwing like an
inflatable ball at his head trying to get the ball to pop on
his spike. Ted's still in the drawer.
(01:04:29):
Let's hope his number comes out next.
Last prize in the March drawer please.
Joe for £50. Number 77 #70. 7 is free, that's
a free one that someone could have had.
So give us another one please, Joe #11.
Number. 11 No Gracie. Oh, excellent, good lad.
(01:04:57):
That's Paul Grey, the one of thenewer committee members who
helps runs all the socials. A lovely lad, so well done.
Grace take 50 LB. Thanks very much everyone and
and goodbye. Gordon.
(01:05:30):
Gordon send more house to save the house.
A dressing gown in April? What is the matter with you?
It's cold downstairs in my houseat the minute, Jess.
It's it's all open planned down here.
So yeah. Are you all like Shelly?
Put heating on. Absolutely not.
Not in April. July.
It's off now. It's off now till November.
(00:22):
Know that. Good Lord, good Lord, it's
funny. I mean, we can chat about this
after this week. It's funny.
I love your pictures on, I don'tknow where I've seen, whether
it's Instagram or Facebook. When you've been out, I can tell
you've been out all night. Your eyes are all bloodshot and
bags under your eyes and you've got this massive big brown fish
on in your with your boxer next year.
(00:45):
Yeah, We don't be warmth, do we use lads.
Some other thing? Morden Morden send more house to
(01:15):
save the house. Good evening everybody, and
welcome to the House Cast Law House Cricket Clubs podcast,
which has been going for Donkey Donkey's years.
I've lost track of how many years we've been going on
(01:36):
episodes, but I'm really excitednow.
The sun is, well, it's been out for for a while around here.
The picture is looking great andand the the nights are getting
longer and the weather's on its way.
I know it's a bit of a break coming up, but it's so exciting
to get to to the start of the season.
(01:56):
Watching a friendly on Sunday was on Saturday.
Sorry, was an absolute pleasure.So we've got a good guest on
tonight. Real special guest has been on a
few times before. We're really going to try and
get into his ribs and talk abouthow this the season goes, how
last year went, how he feels about this year.
It's the the lower house captainBenny.
(02:18):
So Ben, I'll come to you first before I go to the horse.
How you doing? Good evening, Jess.
Yeah, very well. Thank you yourself.
Yeah, all good. Thank you.
Yeah, for the busy few weeks. We've been away on a big trip,
but got back Saturday to watch Watch that friendly, good
workout against Little Lever. Yeah, very much so.
(02:38):
I think that's everything you'd want from a friendly just before
the start of the season. You know, both innings went
pretty much the duration everybody got to do.
Everybody got a bat and a bowl and some time out in the field.
So, yeah, good preparation, really nice set of lads, little
lever. Yeah, good.
All right. He looked it as well.
And you know, we'll come on, I'll go on to the the other
(03:01):
horse now and we'll come back tothe game.
But but it did, it looked a great workout for you all.
I think they just marginally wonit with a dodgy LB at the end
and and Johnny Whited refusing to come back out to that.
But anyway, Gooch down there on Saturday, you OK?
(03:21):
Yeah, great, mate. Yeah, very good.
Thank you. Good, good.
Are you still got that tingle ofexcitement even though you're
quite a bit younger than me now?Seasons around the corner.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely Saturday.
Just just I didn't, I wasn't down all day on Saturday, but
the brief time that I did spend there was definitely an appetite
wetter. Definitely.
It was good. Yeah.
(03:43):
Joe Martin, welcome and thanks very much for helping out.
Just talk us through how things went over the weekend and.
Things went OK. It was a good run out.
Good to get 45 overs under you. Oh, how many of you overs?
Well, we did 45 under your belt.Yeah, I missed 1 and it hit my
(04:04):
toe. But it was a lovely day and it's
raining now, so. But we've got the covers on, so
that's good. I think.
Jazzy's frozen. Jazzy's back.
Thanks Joe. Thanks for your your input
there. Sorry about that.
I've just got a few Wi-Fi and and data issues.
I have to log into my phone to get back on it.
(04:26):
So, so anyway, thanks very much.Joe, do you have any comments
about the game and and how that went?
Joe Martin, you know, I want to talk about the pitch, really,
but your part in the game at weekend on Saturday.
I mean, I didn't have a massive part in it.
But you stumped for 45 hours. Yeah, I did OK.
(04:48):
I did OK stumping, that was fine.
And then and then and then just missed one at the end.
Yeah, were you out? Didn't look dodgy.
Oh, did it? I mean, it looked pretty
straight to me. It's down as bold on scorecard.
So exactly, exactly, Joe, let's just talk to you a second before
(05:11):
I go back to to Ben and and talkabout the season, the the pitch.
The. Square the outfield.
I know we've had some, you know,you could probably ideal drying
weather with quite a lot of sun,you know, it's not been baking
up, but it's, you know, it's hard to get out of in any rain
for probably 3 or 4 weeks. And the main factor is all the
(05:34):
wind that's, that's been there is dried.
Hey what's what was it like the the actual track?
The track was the track was fine.
Yeah, it's, but it is very dry. It's very dry, yeah.
But it's, as I said, it's raining now and it's supposed to
rain this week. So I think it will benefit from
(05:55):
that. There's been a lot of work done
on the on the on the pitch over the winter with drainage sand,
which has had a really big impact on.
So it doesn't turn into a mud bath at the minute with
everything that's been done on it.
(06:15):
But it's also because it's been so dry, it's probably not under
grass growth that it's that it that it required.
So there's a, there's a few barepatches and it's, I described it
as dusty on Saturday, but I think it's Sunday more than
dusty. So I think with a bit, with a
bit of rain, it will green everything up.
(06:37):
So I think. It's.
Probably benefit from it, but you know, it's a, it's not a
difficult position, but I think we will benefit from the
drainage and everything being better this year.
And it possibly might be a smallcost for the quality of grass on
(06:59):
it, but that might come in, you know, over over the next couple
of years too. OK, that I mean it's a good
insight for us because you know,we were both there at the end of
last season doing doing little bits of work around helping
stance has the the square been had a lot of a lot of extra
(07:21):
drainage put into it or extra that's the outfield, the square
the. Square.
The square is actually in terms of in terms of drainage, if I
say it's probably, it's probablyfine.
I think, I think because of the way the ground slots, I think
(07:41):
that there's probably a lot, it gets a lot of water that sits on
it and runs over it. And obviously the square is
actually, the square is actuallypretty flat when you think about
it. It's not like church where the
whole pitch is slanted. You've got this kind of gradual
(08:01):
gradients, I guess. Yeah.
So that hasn't. But the actual outfield has had
a lot of, has had a lot of work done on it.
The only work that we do on the square is the stuff that we do
at the end of the end of the season, which, you know, so.
Yeah. And I mean, it'd be interesting
(08:21):
to see how the 8 field does go with that because there was a
lot of money gone on it, you know, gone into the, the actual
extra drainage and the, I can't remember exactly, exactly what
it's called, but it's pushing the sand through it all.
Let's see how that changes. You know certainly for for what
(08:43):
it does get damp and how quicklyyou can get it where.
We've already seen we've alreadyseen the benefit just to be
honest with you in in after the bonfire.
So typically after the bonfire when it has been wet, there is a
lot it's you know, it's very muddy and not not great
conditions. You know you wouldn't you
(09:04):
wouldn't you won't be able to play a game of football on it,
never mind a game, a game of cricket.
Whereas this year you could tellthat obviously people have been
had been stood on it. But if you were to war fan, it
was still firm. Yeah, it wasn't.
It wasn't more day. And you could, you could you
could do whatever you kind of plan to on it.
I think so. I think there's already been
(09:24):
that that benefit, to be honest with you.
Yeah. And that's important because
then it adds to the the amount of time you can spend on the 8th
field. And you're not, like you said,
make it into a wood bath on a Thursday before a first team
game just by getting it on to try and cut it or to get on the
square. So no, I mean, that's, that's
(09:44):
really encouraging. And I think a good, you know, a
good shout out to Stan and Dave Waddington and the other members
of the of the staff who who pullall the, the ground, you know,
together. You know, there's been there's
been kids football on there all winter.
There's a lot of junior cricket going to be played on there.
So it's a it's a big job. Can I say just what the the
(10:08):
waddle and and Cochran and Ben'sBen's mum have done really
brilliant work on the surrounds of the ground as well.
So they've added like different flower beds in.
They've put a really nice feature in next to the next to
the scoreboard with like logs and an old, an old machinery
(10:31):
with that's got flowers in it. That looks really nice.
And all the people that have helped with, you know, painting
the ground. Ketel Paddy's done a Paddy's
done a bit. It's it the ground worked really
well. It worked really well so.
That's brilliant, Great, great work from those volunteers for,
as we keep saying, the communityclub.
And I think it's worth mentioning just before I come
(10:53):
back to you, Ben, about the pitch and about the prep for the
season. You know, it was amazing.
I got I got down there at 2:00 and I'm walking on and I
remember when I was playing there once been that many people
in July what when we were playing Burnley and this is a
friend, a friendly in April, youknow, so it was so so nice to
see and clearly, you know, the club will benefit from that,
(11:15):
whether it's financially or for for the surrounds and the people
who come to watch. So that's that's fantastic to
see. Long may continue.
Ben come to you first of all, really just about how you you
prep for the seasons gone, including, you know, the ground
and your liaison with Stan and then also the practise and the
(11:35):
training you've you've managed with the team.
How's that gone? Yeah, well, I'll start with the
practise. So from December I think we've
had sort of group sessions with Dan over in Preston.
So sort of three lads having a couple of hours with Dan on a
(11:58):
sort of rotation in one evening.Your usual suspects, myself,
Henry Cotton, Paddy Martin, Charlie Gansler, there'll be one
or two over thrown in there thatI've missed out.
So that those sessions were running in at the start of the
start of the year and to try andyeah, I guess make some
(12:19):
technical improvements and yeah,mindset improvements.
And then we got together as a group in March.
I think we trained 4 Thursdays in March, consecutive weeks at
Quags Grammar School Indoor Centre as a first team and
second team and they're always good sessions.
(12:42):
They've been good fun this year and we have just the right
amount of numbers there. An excellent facility and each
one for some camaraderie has finished with a fire on the side
game of football which has gone down really well, which has been
good crack because the sessions have been have been two hours
long and that can be a long timejust to do cricket.
(13:03):
So yeah, we've had about 20 minutes of football and that's
gone down well, I think. Wouldn't you agree, Joe?
Yeah, definitely. I think the sessions of, I think
the sessions have worked really well in that people kind of had
the space to work on what they on what they wanted to.
They weren't sort of, you know, kind of regimented that, you
know, you can about for this amount of time and face these
(13:25):
these bowlers. So people are kind of freedom to
do what they want, what they wanted to improve.
It's fielding as well. That's always good to because,
you know, that can some that canget missed in the winter.
And as you say, good to get the good to get the football out as
well. Show us, show us.
Still laughing, the old dog Ben for for some of us, yeah.
(13:50):
No, that's interesting. As you know and obviously don't
get injured as we as old, old duffers who would always think,
oh correct, you're playing football.
What if you someone boots someone?
But no, it is. Interesting, Jazz.
At the end of one of our games, when I used to watch you as as a
kid and we used to have the big football games on the pitch, you
kicked me the hardest someone's ever kicked me and I was about
(14:11):
10. Well, you must have done
something. And in the same game, because
we'd scored, we scored at the last night Cos Porter kind of
crawling over my head. It was one of the most
uncomfortable experiences of my life.
You still not run over it, have you?
No, you wouldn't think about it every day.
I can tell. So before we go on to the
conditions Ben and, and the, youknow, maybe the ground setup
(14:36):
etcetera. You, you mentioned you know, the
pro down there, he's obviously he's in the UK almost full time.
I guess now when he's, he's played in the friendlies and
he's, he's carrying out all the,the coaching and training.
And what difference does that make, first of all for you as a
captain but also a batter and, you know, a cricketer when you
(14:59):
have someone like him involved? Yeah, well, it's invaluable
really to have you, your pro allwinter contributing to not only
the group sessions that we did at the start of the year, but
the the sort of first team and second team training.
Having his input, you know, he'syeah so valuable and everybody
(15:21):
respects down so much. Everybody's you know how much
understands how much of a good teammate he is and a team man he
is. So just having them around in
general without having loads of import is good experience and
exposure for the lads really. Yeah, yeah.
And if you said he's so experienced and so yes,
(15:43):
obviously such a great cricketer, but he's also got
that winning mentality and that you know, that the mindset of
how you can get the best out of players, even if it's just an
extra 1 or 2%. Dude.
Have you had much on the winter side and and being involved with
(16:05):
the players and talking through things with Ben and Dan?
No, is the answer to your question just not.
Not massive, not masses. Me and Ben have spoken quite a
lot in the last sort of week or so as we start looking at teams
and things, but not mass, not massive amounts over the winter.
We did have a couple of meetingsover the winter just to at the
(16:26):
back end of the season just as abit of a download.
And then a couple of weeks ago heading into the new season just
to sort of see where everything SAT.
What, what that? That's been pretty much it
really. Yeah, and I suppose if things
are going OK and and I'm sure you know, probably come on to
this next, Ben, I'm skipping around a little bit before I get
back to the pitch. If there is any, you know,
(16:48):
players maybe that aren't happy our place that maybe want to
move on or or we're going to getsome new players in that you
will get involved in that. Has there been much of that this
winter been of players wanting to come and play for low highs
or any of our players wanting tomove on anywhere, whether it's
pride or just move on? We've certainly had
(17:10):
conversations with one or two players over the offseason which
Dan has supported the club in, in sort of being involved in
those conversations. Unfortunately, nothing's come to
fruition for one reason or another.
And but yeah, it's definitely sort of really handy having him
(17:32):
around to support in those conversations with the
experience, as you touched on that he's got.
And you know, he's always a goodsounding board for myself.
But yeah, I think, you know, that continuity of the
professionals staying the whole winter and being around and
being at the end of the fall or a 20 minute journey away has
(17:53):
definitely helped a field keeping the squad together.
Because, you know, it's no secret that we've we're blessed
with some very talented amateurs.
And it's no secret again, that, you know, other clubs in other
leagues have certainly sort of had conversations at various
(18:13):
stages about those players goingon and being called
professionals, which they made well do in the future.
And they'd have our blessing because it's a, it's a, it's a
good experience to go through, which I've done myself.
But yeah, we're very happy to have kept everybody.
We have tried to get one of one or two through the door and it's
just not come off. But we're more than happy with
(18:35):
the squad that we've got. Yeah.
No, that's that. That's good to hear.
And, and I suppose as, as down goes forward, you know, with
his, you know, the end of his cricketing career and any
ventures he's got up and up and running, then then we can all
help with that. And, and I'm sure he'll, he'll
be very successful in whatever he does.
(18:57):
Ben then just let's just go on to the, you know, the ground and
the facilities and how things have gone.
We've obviously become a lot more successful off the field
with regard the the running of the the club and the monies that
are coming in. Are you noticing that that's
going to first of all senior cricket, but also junior
(19:18):
cricket, the extra, the revenue that we're getting in.
Yeah, absolutely. And and you know, putting the
games on as well, the cost of just put in a game of cricket on
is going up and up and up, isn'tit like everything else in the
world. So yeah, I think success breeds
success, doesn't it? Off the pitch and on the pitch,
the 2GO hand in hand. Yeah, yeah, without a doubt.
(19:41):
And you can see that, you know, the money that was spent over
the winter and the where the youknow, we have, you know, we have
paid coaches that come externally that come in and help
out with whether they're five year olds or the the senior.
So it does bode well. But, you know, I'm not wanting
to be doom and gloom. We've got to keep that going.
We've got to keep the the process going that we've had in
(20:03):
place. That Stan, I think started
really as the junior cricket right through to what Matt
Stanley does with the the socialside.
Your thoughts on the the pitch, the way that's gone?
It's extraordinary how dry it is, you know, compared with the
last. When you think of the start of
last season, it was it was just a lake.
Are you comfortable with the waythings are looking around the
(20:25):
ground? And I know we can't change a
lot, but are you dealing as we stand and you're happy with
where things are going? Yeah.
I mean, you know, you can see the difference in terms of the
work that we've had done. You know, it's been scarified
and we've had drainage sand put down which I believe we hadn't
had done either in a very long time or, or ever.
(20:50):
But obviously being a keen outdoorsman myself and a keen
fisherman, I'm obviously fairly in tune with the weather and
we've had a really, really dry winter overall.
And I think I read somewhere it's the 6th driest March
England's ever had on record. So yeah, we've we've had next to
(21:11):
no rain whatsoever. So I'm going to be interesting
to see, you know, if we do get some heavy showers, hey, that's
going to affect the ground and what sort of the reaction is,
because at the minute it's very,very dry.
There's quite a few bare patchesout in the in the outfield.
And so it will be interesting. But yeah, it's just been a
(21:33):
significantly drier winter than last year.
I mean, you remember rightly, wehave to put the season back,
never mind the preseason friendlies.
We have to put the season back two weeks.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that, that's right.
And it's and whilst, you know, we can't get away from, whilst
everything's going fantasticallywell with Stan and all the
equipment, we are an amateur club.
(21:54):
And it's interesting you watch counties even in the middle of
the the summer, they would still, they have, you know, the
absolute saturate the square, you know, in the middle of a dry
spell and then they can control its growth and then they cover
it when they've had enough. And you know, we can't do that.
There isn't enough water in the in Burnley the to what Old
Trafford put on there is when they're you know, when they, you
(22:19):
know, they put in a wicket to bed or whatever.
So but it's good to see it's outof our hands, but it's good to
see the ground looking, looking so well.
I'm just going to ask you in a minute, Ben, about just a very
quick recap on last year, just for the listeners.
I know we spoke about it separately just to recap on last
(22:39):
year, but before we move on fromthe ground and the the players
or anything, anything from yourself, Duke, no.
Not really, just want to let thelisteners know that they've not
tuned into Radio for Gardeners Question Time.
And. They are actually listening to
lower house cricket clubs podcast.
It is interesting though, I loveit.
We're a victim in the past of having good weather in the pitch
(23:02):
and the square well for weekend and then not being able to cope
with a heavy shower properly on Thursday and Friday.
If the new drainage sand and thework that's that's been done
helps us cope with that from that point of view and then
that'll be great. Yeah, it will be interesting
just to see where they've playedfootball handles the the rain.
(23:26):
But we'll see that. So Joe Martin, anything from you
around the pitch or the, the, the recruitment and the training
before we move on to 5 minutes on last year?
No, I think everybody. 'S done a really good job Jess.
Thanks. Very much Joe Ben last year
finished third. You know, you, you didn't really
get close or we didn't really get close to to catching Burnley
(23:49):
after the, you know, probably 2-2 weekends to go.
Your assessment of last year in in a couple of paragraphs.
Yeah, well, I mean, we obviouslyset off out the traps a little
bit slower than we'd like, but you know, losing your
professional that you had signed2-3 weeks before the start of
(24:11):
the season is far from ideal as many clubs have been a victim of
recently. So yeah, you know, it probably
took us six or seven games to sort of get a an understanding
between the group of how we're going to approach our cricket
(24:31):
and our game plans moving forward.
So yeah, I thought we were good value for 3rd, but in all
honesty the teams that finished above us probably deserved it.
Yeah, fair assessment and I would agree with that.
You know from from what I watched from the sides, any
(24:52):
observations, do you? I don't think you can take much
umbrage at that. No, no, no.
Although we did win the Worsley Cup, so let's not, let's not
just focus on the on the on the negatives as it were.
We did have a a very successful season by anybody's standards,
third, third in the league and Worsley Cup win.
(25:15):
Yeah, we'd have liked to do slightly better in the league
but as Ben said, the worst mitigating circumstances and
will be be better prepared this time around.
Yeah, 100. Percent I was going to come on
to the cup win because it's it'sstill in everyone's minds and
memories of how, you know, what a great game of cricket that
was, you know, and again, creditto Todd for the way that that
(25:37):
was played and the people that watched that will remember it
forever. So moving on to this season, Ben
Ramsbottom have been promoted along with Wolsden Church and
Enfield have been relegated. First of all, as you know, as an
(25:59):
experienced player who's played in the league before the
promotion and relegation, an independent view, not not
biassed because you're a law Houser.
How do you feel the promotion and relegation is working?
I mean, what I can only comment from a from a team that's that's
(26:22):
since this has been brought in, has stayed in the top division.
So I don't know how obviously feel we've been relegated or
played in Division two. Although if you do read the
previews, the clubs that are in Division Two this year seem
pretty excited by and the sort of standards of it and, and
strength in depth. But I'm all for it.
(26:44):
I think it keeps things interesting, you know, gives
chance, gives clubs a chance to rebuild.
You look at Church's preview forthis season, they seem excited
by the the chance of competing at the top end of that division
and sort of rebuilding. And it keeps fixtures
(27:04):
entertaining and interesting at the back end of the season when
it's involved in those clubs that are down the bottom end,
yeah. Yeah, I'll just echo that then
the the competitiveness has certainly increased, you know,
since going back, whether when Iplayed or even before he
changed. I just do have concerns.
And it's not, I'm not being a because we can't go back to
(27:28):
let's all play in one league. And, you know, there's, there's
there's nothing to play for, for75% of the teams after the end
of June. But I just do, you know, the,
the, the ex original anchor League clubs who are at the, the
lower end of division two, You know, I just hope they continue
(27:48):
to keep pushing it and, and going in the right direction,
whether it's through juniors, whether it's through recruitment
or, or money that can come in through, through fundraising or,
or the bars that they can continue to, to carry on.
And I think that is the case. You know, I did fear around the
likes of East Lanks and Bake Up and Nelson, but I do think they
come round a little bit, you know, that that it might come
(28:11):
full circle. And have you have you a view on
that Joe Martin? As I mean, you've only probably
seen it since I'm sure you wouldremember it when it was one
league. But have you a view on how it's,
how it goes and if it can be approved?
I mean, I don't think it can be,I don't think it can be
improved. I think it's quite a good system
(28:34):
that they've got now. I think perhaps I also like what
a lot of the clubs are doing too, so I think they're
investing heavily in junior sections, trying to build from
from the bottom rather than importing players in, which is
(28:54):
something that I think I'm really passionate about.
But it's and the club in in general.
So I think it I think it works well.
I think Ben's, I'd say the I think previously in when it was
one league, if you, you would, you would rebuild as a club and,
(29:19):
you know, finish at the lower end and then try and try and
work from there. It's something that we did in
like 2000 and nine, 2010. I'd say some of the clubs in the
top division, I get the impression that they probably
feel that they can't do that nowwithout being relegated, which I
(29:39):
think would be which will potentially pose interesting
questions in the in the future about how they how, how, how
clubs stay sustainable. Do you think that that will?
Lead to more sort of short termism view in terms of the.
Players that they field. Yeah, I think.
So that's my opinion that I think that it, if they want to
(30:05):
stay in the top division, they can't, they can't afford to try.
And yeah, I mean, you know, we did it in in 2010 from memory
when probably half the team werepretty young and I think we
finished probably 11 or 10 maybe.
And, and if you want to stay in division, you can't do that now.
(30:25):
So I think that's my in the top division.
I think that will be my concern.But it also, but on the on the
other side of that, you, it's our it's our job and certainly
my job along with other people to produce players that are
ready to play in that top division and play in the first
team. And you don't have to produce 11
(30:46):
of those cricketers every year. But I think putting things in
place that you can identify thatyour premier junior cricketers
at the club and giving them the supporter so that they feel
confident to work through the fourths thirds seconds.
And then when they're in the second team and then moving into
the first team, that they have the skills and the confidence to
(31:10):
not freeze and, and, and actually be a, you know, be a
confident first team cricketer as soon as you go in.
And that's something that we're looking, we're looking at now is
trying to identify those, those young players and, and really
give them the support to let them flourish when they've seen
cricketers, yeah. It's a really great point and we
(31:33):
could debate it for ages and I'msure a lot, lots of listeners
would be interested because is it, you know, again, I accept
what you're saying, you're goingto play different players than
you would have done if it was one league.
But at the end of the day, you know, I've watched a little bit
of Rami last year and you know, there's some of the sides in
(31:55):
there and it is good competitivecricket.
So yeah, if you had to, I don't know who wants to get relegated?
Did you have to drop down for a season or maybe 2?
But then you get the youngsters in, they become 16/17/18 and you
come back up. I don't think that's a bad a bad
way to be, No, I mean. But that's what the model is, is
designed to do, right, Isn't it?In that, I guess it depends on
(32:19):
what your priorities are as a club, whether you know, as Duke
says, that kind of short termismis the policy that you apply or
whether you think maybe long term of how, how, how can you
make sure that your club exists in in 20-30 years time.
Then then that's then that's theother way.
(32:40):
And and it might come with fluctuating league positions,
but that's something that clubs have to decide I do.
I do wonder what I mean, you know I can, I can only speak on
behalf of Law House, but I do get around local cricket and
watch other leagues at times. But I do wonder what the
(33:00):
financial ramifications will be for a club that gets relegated
as well. So you know, thinking about Law
House, if if that was to have ever happened, how that would
affect the club financially. I mean, we're a well supported
club, aren't we? We are a lot of members and we
have a local community that comedown and watch.
But for example, if we weren't to feature in semi finals,
(33:24):
finals days for a number of years, 2345 years, what sort of
financial ramifications that would have on the club.
So that's, you know, that's something else that.
Yeah, yeah, you're right, Ben. Adds.
Adds. To it and adds to the pressure
of potentially staying in that top division, yeah.
It's again, we could debate this, you know, I'm not.
(33:47):
I think again, we can only talk about law House.
I'm not sure it affect us that badly the way a lot of our
members are now. And you know, the, the, the
socials in winter and if we remember going back, I'm sure.
Ben and Duch. Would remember this you know,
they cook really successful clubdropped off the you know, the
(34:09):
ladder of winning trophies and being the best amateurs and best
pros, but their social club carried on and it still does to
this day. Now I think Nelson or East lanks
or some others might be a littlebit different.
So it's no it's a great point. You know, you know, sometimes
wonder when I walk around, walk around the ground bend and
there's maybe 5 or 600 I'm watching you on a, you know, on
(34:31):
a biggish game. And I, I don't know, I only know
about 90, you know, 5% of all the people that are on and you
know, they're there for a FamilyDay, which is fantastic.
So I mean, it is an interesting,an interesting subject and you
know, I'm happy 5 or 6 years agoI thought there are a couple of
clubs ready for going, which would have been so sad, but they
(34:52):
haven't. And I think those are pulling
through a little bit. So fingers crossed that they
come through as much as they do,as much as they have done over
the last year or two. Ben, let's move on to this year,
the playing stuff that you've got.
And the. The potential that there is in
place and and you know, how's the likes of Charlie Ganzler
(35:16):
from last year from the cup final, Tom Walker looked in good
nick at weekend, Henry Cotton, you know a great player.
Then there's obviously you, JohnMartin and and Paddy Johnny
White to do with the top end. It sounds really exciting squad
you've got there. I know you can't get too much
away about team selection and and plans etcetera, but what are
(35:39):
your views on the, you know, the, the, the up and coming
season? Yeah, I'm quietly confident.
I think Jess, you know, we've, we've a tough start on paper and
undoubtedly but yeah, quietly confident we're going to benefit
from knowing who our professional is.
(36:02):
You know, what he's like as a block, what he expects of the
lads, what what we have we expect of him.
You know, we've got an identity and a style of play that's, you
know, well, well embedded now. So you know, there's not,
there's not many questions really.
Whereas this time last year. They were only.
(36:25):
Questions. Yeah, you won't.
Believe what was going on behindthe scenes to get everything in
place. So yeah, we're we're very happy
aware of where we're at. Would we have liked one or two
through the door potentially. But you know, to have not lost
anybody and I think Paul Stanleywas telling me at the weekend,
(36:48):
don't quote me on this, but we did, we won something like 716
or 17 out of our last 18 games in all cricket.
So we finished very, very well. We have a method of player that
teams are going to be trying to unsettle and I guess it's, you
(37:10):
know, adjusting to any, to anything that the opposition
bring as quickly as we can and just backing up how we finished
last year. That's the the conversation or
your comments there been a really interesting because you
mentioned twice we have a way ofplaying.
We we have got a plan that's in place.
(37:32):
So my question to you would be, are you flexible?
Can you adapt to things aren't going right?
Is there a Plan B or C and do you work on that?
Yeah, yeah. Most definitely.
I think I feel like with, you know, less so in the Northern
game, we were all a little bit wet behind the ears and fresh
(37:52):
for that one. But at the weekend I think if
you look at the start of our ourinnings and you know, where we
were, I'll be at, they were coming more from one end.
But where we were after 10 oversor so wasn't, wasn't an
accident, shall we say. You know, I think we showed in
(38:13):
the cup final, you know, that when we are under the pump, we
are flexible. You know, we've got a preferred
way of playing. But yeah, I think the the cup
final itself is the model for for Plan B most probably, yeah.
And you've got. Those players in there that can
do that, you know, that can switch and can change, you know,
(38:33):
it's we're not giving secrets away, but we can see this
yourself and and Johnny and and obviously the pro can adapt to
anything. Charlie did he, you know, did
his job. Tom Walker, obviously he's a
great cricketer and then, you know, even, you know, I know
you're on the cold Joe, but you know, Joe Martin batting then in
the in the bottom two or three, he's had hundreds and he's, you
(38:56):
know, got a 40 in the in the in the, the the friendly at
Northern. So it's we can see that it's
there on the bowling front. Ben, have you you will obviously
have plans in your mind. I thought Tom Walker ball with
some pace at weekend. He seemed to put an extra 5
yards on his run up, ran throughquickly and was, you know, was,
(39:21):
was was getting down the other end quick, you know, sharpish.
Is that something? Because he's been in Australia,
I believe. Yeah, he's been playing.
Cricket most of the winter out in Australia, interestingly
enough, thought he bowled very sharp for an amateur in his
second spell. From the park and into the wind.
He bowled. Yeah, He both shot in that
(39:44):
second spell. Probably lacked a little bit of
rhythm and tried too hard in hisfirst spell.
But he's an exciting prospect, isn't he, Tom?
You know, I still think he's 2122, something like that.
Yeah. Is that right, Joe Martin, is
he? I think so.
Yeah, he's. He's only a young man anyway,
he's only in his early 20s so you know, the the Sky's the
(40:09):
limit really in terms of league cricket for Tom and the way he
sort of dominated with the bat in the second innings, you know,
he's sort of really promising, exciting and exciting for the
club. But yeah, from a bowling point
of view I'm very happy and we'vegot top CSA and who's going to
be more involved this year and when the condition suit, you
(40:32):
know, he gets good players out. Joey Hawks committed for the
first few months of the season and he's, you know, he's working
in the police now, but he's usedup a lot of his annual leave to
make sure he's available. Tom Walker, like you say,
probably one of the quickest amateurs in the league these
days. And Charlie Ganzler has worked
(40:54):
really hard this winter on a couple of technical, I'm not
going to say flaws, you know, technical improvements.
And the balls come out of his hands really nice early, early
season. So and then you throw Paddy and
down into the mix who've got, you know, hundreds of league
wickets between. I think we're in a good spot,
(41:16):
especially with the ball, yeah. I I and I like that balance.
I really like the, you know, the, the good theme is that
you've got there very impressed,like you said with, with Toxic,
I'm with Tom, but then, you know, Paddy just seems to get
better and better. He's he's like a fine old wine
at the moment. His Paddy, it just seems to be
(41:37):
maturing and maturing and, and hopefully he carries on with
that. As far as the fielding drills
go, I've always enjoyed watchingthe drills that that you guys do
and how you manage it all. Is that still being varied and
everyone enjoying that? Yeah, yeah, definitely.
(41:57):
You know, that's down to the youngsters.
Keep pushing those old boys on, isn't it?
You know, you've got Henry Cotton, Charlie Gansler and Tom
Walker all sort of really enthusiastic youngsters who like
to be in the field and get involved in the field in and and
raise the standards in the athleticism.
(42:19):
So yeah, I think they're on our cocktails and keep pushing those
old boys on. Brilliant.
Brilliant. I just, you mentioned about, you
know, difficult start. It is.
I've just been going through Darwin at home, Norden away,
little bro at home, Middleton away, Wolston at home, Burnley
away, Rami away. But the more I kept looking,
Ben, they're all good sides. I don't think you can ever say
(42:42):
that you know well that that's agiven and they're going to
finish here. It's another exciting season,
but it does to bring me on to the the T 20s that that then are
all scheduled to be played. You've obviously got the the
Worsley Cups that's there. You've got the wrong single
Singleton Trophy and we're also in the LLCF tournament.
(43:06):
What's your views around the amount of cricket that you've
been expected to play, you personally and also the team?
You know, it's yeah, it's a lot of cricket, I'm not going to
lie. Just I think I worked out the
other day that if we were, and I'm not jumping the gunny, I'm
(43:28):
just, you know, talking hypothetically that if we were
to win every game and be successful in sort of the back
end of May, June, I think we could end up playing something
like 12 games of cricket in June.
So that's a triple header every weekend.
And you know, if we're being brutally honest with ourselves,
it's a tad too much. It becomes a second job if I'm
(43:51):
honest. But you know, that's, that's,
that's a part time job after you've done a full week at work
for most of us. And getting up on a Monday
morning after one triple either to go to work is hard enough,
never mind 4 on the bounce. Not suggesting that's how it'll
be in the end, but if we're successful, that's what we'll
end up doing. Having said that, we do enjoy
(44:13):
it. We do enjoy playing good
competitive cricket. You know, if I was Charlie
Gansler, Henry Cottermore, Tom Walker, I'd be absolutely loving
it at their age and you know, and life's slightly different
for for those three than it is some of the other chaps, isn't
it? But yeah, I think it's a little
(44:34):
bit overkill if I'm honest. I don't know what the answer is.
We want to play in every competition.
We want to play in the in the Lancashire Knockout and try and
be one of the best teams in Lancashire.
But yeah, he's just a lot of cricket and it can weigh down
mentally and physically. It's very difficult.
But what I will say, and I'll give credit to everybody in that
(44:55):
team, there's not one person that's turned up this year out
of shape and many of us losing several 10s of kilos, not just
to get ready for cricket but just to be in a better place all
round and feel better about yourself.
But everybody's coming in tip top shape.
(45:16):
So nobody can sort of question the effort that the lads have
put in in their own time, in their own gym time during the
winter to make sure they're in the best possible shape to win
games of cricket for all rounds.Yeah, and I.
Guess that is, as you said, it'snot just a physical side,
keeping away from injuries, the mental side of it as well as to
(45:37):
how that is managed. And also I will I will come back
on to another point. I want to bring up about
rotation. But it's interesting that you
talk about the pressures that are there.
I mean, Duke, I'd like to bring you in here just just as a, you
know, an ex player, an ex captain, very successful captain
(45:59):
who's seen a lot of things. Do you oversee the players and
do you get involved in that, that pressure side of it, or
what's your thoughts on how thatis managed and could be managed
better? No, I don't.
Jazzy In all honesty, I I talkedto Ben all all summer.
My only other conversation with the players is if I'm ringing
(46:20):
him to ask him to play or to tell them they're not playing
the. Pressure thing is.
It is a really interesting pointand you know, it's a good job
Gav's not on this call because I'm going to mention golf and he
and he hates it. So I was watching Rory in in the
golf last night and he you couldsee him physically struggling to
(46:41):
do what he was trying to do justbecause of the size of the task,
the weight of the pressure and what I was watching you
thinking. As a cricket as.
An amateur cricketer, I've obviously have no idea what he's
going through, but I just wondered, Ben, pressure and
certain situations. Can you think of any in your
(47:01):
career, maybe more as a batsman than a captain, but captaincy as
well, where the the pressure is has inhibited you or has been
so, so great that you feel like it's got the better of you or
you've thrived. We've talked on this podcast
before about your record in finals, which is ridiculously
good, so you might have a particular approach to help you
manage that, but I just wonderedif you could relate to that at
(47:23):
all. Yeah, I.
Mean how much I can relate to that sort of directly, I'm not
too sure because we're all different art way and we all
process things slightly differently.
And obviously he's playing golf and he's he's winning a sort of
extremely prestigious championship.
(47:46):
But for myself, just, you know, from my own experiences, I've
always found that the big cup games actually have freed me up
in all of this. Yeah, as a sort of single one
off event where, you know, when you come off that field, you
(48:08):
can't leave anything to chance. And I'm not suggesting I've
always got this right and I haven't made mistakes in cup
games. But yeah, I do find personally,
the cup games do free me up because in my head, you know,
you might not get a second chance.
So give it your all. And I feel like it's, you know,
(48:31):
the way to victory is is almost simplified and mapped out
because it's a one off game. Yeah, I think where I have come
come a little bit unstuck in thepast and felt the pressure and
been a victim of, you know, looking too far ahead before
anything's happened. Is is in big league games
(48:51):
actually, you know, it's difficult to to be specific to
one game. But yeah, I think where where
I've made we got bogged down anddug a little bit of a hole for
myself is in big league games where you start to think about,
well, how many games are left there?
(49:13):
So such and such a team are awayat so and so today.
And a lot of factors that are out of your control can then
start to cloud your vision. But as a sort of single one off
big final semi final game, I'm not saying I haven't felt
pressure and found it, you know,easy or anything like that.
Far from it. But I guess I found it clearer.
I found the game plan clearer and what I'm what I'm going to
(49:36):
try and do I find I find clarityin in the fight, in the knockout
games. But yeah, big league games
certainly felt pressure. So yeah.
Yeah. It is, but also Ben as well, and
I know you're on this and and weused to be too scared to talk
(49:57):
about this or, or thought it waswe were being.
You've got to you've got to think about, you know, people's
mentality, certainly young kids who insist that I'm going to
play through this, I'm going to I'm going to battle through it,
but it's struggling like mad. And I know you would do that and
I know Duke should do that and there's other people, you know,
I would help out where you can. But he's also identifying that
(50:19):
intake and if someone's really struggling and you can see it
because of the pressure or because of, you know, the work
that they're doing and then the pressure of cricket, that needs
to be, you know, to be boring minders as well.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I do, I do recall in the
in the cup final last year, actually, when when Henry came
out to bat with me, sort of having that conversation with
(50:43):
Henry and reinforcing my mindset, even though, you know,
I got to 50 and had a rush of blood and threw it away.
When Henry came out, you know, the message from me was, look,
Henry, we might, we might never,hopefully we do, but we might
never ever get here again. So let's give it a go.
Let's put back the ball and leave nothing to chance and come
(51:07):
off having. And that that was the message at
half time, you know, go out and try and dare to win the game.
Don't worry about losing it, butgo and have a go and and dare to
try and win the game. And Henry battered brilliant
brilliantly in the final and played a massive role in it.
And he he really flourished and put back the ball that day and
(51:29):
got us back in the game. Yeah, and and.
No doubt without him even realising it would have done him
a world of good going forward. But in the same event.
And then if you see his eyes arespinning, he doesn't really know
what you know, which end of the bat to hold and he's out after
three balls and it ruined his career.
You've got to see that as well in the aftermath that that can
cause. And I know you do.
(51:49):
And I know you think about that and it's really interesting.
Joe Martin, you know, around thepressures.
I know you don't like playing the LCF and the T 20s, you know,
not really cup of tea. But you've you've played so many
games. When you look back over however
many years that you've continued, can you see that the
pressures are there and we all handle it differently.
(52:11):
I know that. But can you see it's there?
Yeah. And you and you certainly and
you certainly feel it. I think one of the things that
probably doesn't get thought about a lot is that since
certainly since since I've been involved in the in the first
team, we've pretty much competed.
(52:34):
Every year. In for the league, for the cup,
for the T20 and it's, I know it's amateur cricket, but it
means a lot to a lot of people and it means a lot to the
players. And it is, it's, it's, it's
quite a mental load, I'd say, especially to kind of keep
(52:56):
coming back every year to be, totry and be as as good as you, as
good as possible and be, try andbe the best, I guess in, in your
discipline. And, you know, I've spoken to
Ben about and I've spoken to a lot of people, you know, I've
struggled quite a lot of the over the years, whether, you
(53:20):
know, whether I thought that maybe, maybe skills are weighing
in just a little bit and you're not quite as good as you used to
be. And you, you don't move quite as
well as you used to. But there's I'd, I'd say the
thing that I always try and, and, and go back to is I, I
still, and obviously that, you know, with, I don't do a lot of
(53:42):
batting anymore, but certainly with my wicket keeping the, the,
the thrill that that you still get when, when I'm, when I just
when I catch a ball is still still drives you on.
And it's still kind of, so it's still on those really tough days
when when something goes well, it just gives you that little
(54:05):
bit of imp to say it. Maybe, maybe I'm maybe I've
still, maybe I've still got something to offer.
And, you know, they're always challenging moments, always
difficult moments. But I think it's it benefits
from the people that are around you.
And we. Yeah.
And I think the way you've spoken there, Joy, it's
(54:26):
commendable. And it just shows a different
different people have different aspects and different ways of
looking at it. You know, you always you've
always been that you your glasses half empty.
And I didn't I didn't do that right.
But that's when you need the rights of Ben and probably Dan
and I mean, you walking around the grain for for three circuits
(54:46):
2, you know, for a bit of reassurance to make sure that
you're all right. And I know you pass that on to
others. So, you know, this is a real
interesting subject and it's onethat we've not got to, we don't
stop talking about honestly. Yeah, it's very reassuring to
us. Those kind of people, we're,
we're a competitive. Bunch as well.
I mean, I know that might sound obvious, but I think yeah, you
(55:09):
know, we we do play to enjoy it and you know, we can be a bit
harsh on ourselves and down on ourselves on the the days where
it doesn't go well. But I think I think we enjoy the
competitiveness more than more than anything, you know, being a
real competitor and trying to put yourself against the better
(55:30):
teams and trying to improve. I think that as that as a first
team would probably be one of the sort of defining sort of
points really that we, we week in, week out, we enjoy being
competitive. We enjoy being together as a as
mates and as, as team mates. But even though we all come from
different backgrounds, you know,different cultures, different
(55:53):
creeds, once we all get together, we're we're a
competitive bunch, yeah. Yeah, and you can see that, you
know, certainly the tough games when it's when it's coming to
crunch it, it is a big there is a good team spirit there, which
is, you know, we've always had at Lorax, I think in whichever
side it is, you know, which of your juniors rise up to the
first team. So tonight's it's a really good
(56:17):
topic and I've said we, you know, we must keep talking about
those sorts of things and peoplewho are struggling a bit,
they're off. There are people there that can
help you and those that can helpand who are the, you know, the
the leaders and who can look after people.
We know that they'll be there tohelp out.
Come to you now, Ben with you know, your last comments around
(56:38):
the start of the season and how you see, you know, let's hope
for good weather and how you seethat going through for us all
spectators and new players. How you feeling?
How you know what you're going to give to the spectators?
Yeah. I mean, I think we showed last
year at the back end especially that we, we, we play an exciting
sort of front foot brand of cricket and we look to continue
(57:02):
that really. I think, you know, it's exciting
to look at the likes of Henry Cotton, Charlie Gansler and Tom
Walker, another year older, another year wiser, backed up
with a, you know, an explosive pro in the side.
It should make, make for an exciting summer and I'm sure
(57:22):
we'll be there or thereabouts. Nothing's guaranteed, you need a
bit of look along the way. We're up against some good sides
in that top half of the First Division and you know, and I
just keep encouraging the lads in the team to keep believing in
themselves. You know, don't care too much
what it looks like and go out there and express yourself and,
(57:46):
you know, treat every game like a cup final and go out there and
give it your all. Brilliant.
Thanks Ben Duke, anything beforewe we wrap up the cricket side
of it and let Ben go off and gethis dressing going on.
Nope, nothing from me. Look forward to seeing as many
of you down at the games as possible over the next few
(58:08):
weeks. Great.
Thanks. Joe, anything from you before we
wrap the cricket side up? No, no, lovely to.
Lovely to get to go over that. Yeah, excellent stuff.
Ben, thanks ever so much. And and as Duke just said there,
there's nothing better that you know, when we get into June and
the weathers, you know, getting good and we could all sit around
us spectators and watch it. People really appreciate the
(58:32):
effort you guys put in and I know you appreciate this, the
support that you get. So thanks very much for coming
on. I think we'll do it again maybe
1/3 of the way into the season. Maybe get down on with you and
just talk about how the season'sgoing.
We're going to try and do 2A week.
So Ben, thanks very much for coming on and giving us that
(58:52):
insight and and the best of luckto you and all the all the lads
for the season. Cheers fellas.
Thanks very much. Cheers, Ben.
We'll see. You soon, but now we can let our
hair down with the draw. Wonderful stuff.
Here we go. Got your balls ready, Joe?
They're ready. I mean, I've only caught on.
So they're warm. That's good.
Before we start, just a couple of pointers we've had.
(59:17):
I think it's possibly from the AGM or be a couple maybe before
it. We've got 4 new members.
I think I've mentioned one before, but if we can just go
through Shane Higgins has has joined.
I mentioned previously, but Shane's number is 34.
So let's listen out for that. We've got some regular
(59:37):
spectators and socialite to go into the into the club on a
regular basis. Louise and Steve Dole, who've
decided they want to join. So they're #36 Anthony Heaton is
number 94. Anthony used to play down at the
club and his dad Jimmy and then also Michael Thomas who just
(59:59):
lives on the end. Of Thornhill, I think it is he's
just requested a number so he's got #52 so we've we're getting
some extra numbers in. Anyone else wants to join them,
please don't hesitate to e-mail me or, or message me or any of
the other committee members or House cast source and we can get
(01:00:20):
you get your number. We're up to 177 for numbers.
Joe, there are about half a dozen or 10 that are free in
between it, so give us the firstnumber.
This is the March draw and the first prize is £100.
Number 99. That should be my number.
(01:00:42):
Really, shouldn't it 90? 9 ice cream and all that.
Yeah. Yeah, you should.
Yeah. Well, I mean, it's a very
welcome win. This, this young lady's not been
in the draw for that long, probably about 8 months or so.
A legend of a dad who's down at the club.
It's Eliza Cotton. Oh, brilliant.
(01:01:05):
Excellent. She's had a recent birthday as
well. Yeah.
So happy birthday from the 100 Club, Eliza.
All right. That's that's good.
It's worth mentioning. Just been on a a tour with
Lancashire. She's part of the Lancashire
cricket section now but went over to India.
(01:01:25):
So great work Eliza and I'm sureyour dad will let you have the
money even though he does pay for this for the number.
The next prize is 80 lbs job if you can give us the number.
#108. 108. Is it's a like called John
(01:01:47):
Puttock. It's been in the draw.
For donkeys years. I don't think he'll mind me
telling this little story, but I'll bet it's 25 years ago.
Stan used to run a draw at in the police for the police social
section and it was exactly the same format as this.
(01:02:10):
In fact we copied it for lower house and John said he wanted to
join the police social section draw and Stan give him the
details for the lower house Cricket Club draw and he's been
in it ever since. That's excellent now.
I think he knows now. Because he won a few years ago
and I had to explain it, but he thought you were paying to the
(01:02:32):
police social and it wasn't. He was from the nose.
So well done John. I'll make sure you get your HD
clip next one £70 is Joe number.16 Well, another.
Another lad that's been down there for donkeys years.
We don't see anywhere near as much of him as we should do, but
(01:02:55):
it's John Proctor. Oh, excellent.
Hopefully win. Legend.
Yeah, we need to get. Prockey on this.
We've asked him a few times but he keeps saying why do you want?
Why do you want? Me on.
I saw Ted Whittle the other day.How was he doing?
Yeah, good. He was.
Walking his dog, I saw him at the top of Good shot are you
(01:03:20):
are? Either.
Of your friends with him on Facebook.
I was just going. To go, I was just going to go
into that dude, I was just goingto go into it.
Is. Did you chat to him, Joe?
Yes, of course. And he was.
All right, everything was because he's had a bad hips.
Hunter. Yeah, Yeah, I think.
He said he'd had three hip replacements.
Yeah, yeah, I. Think that's it and he has
(01:03:42):
struggled with it all but I don't know this is what Dukes
were just going to mention. I just see posts pop up on
Facebook and he's so funny. It could it could run a probably
some sort of a sitcom just from his post.
Have you seen where he's been this weekend, dude?
The Benidorm. Punk Festival.
And he's my fellow who's got Blonde Spark, yeah.
(01:04:07):
It's like a A side. Mohican Mohicans go from the
back to the front. This fellow goes from like ear
to ear. Mohican massive blonde spikes.
It's brilliant. And then about 10.
Inches on each spike and it's the weather has not been great
and they showed a video of them.People were throwing like an
inflatable ball at his head trying to get the ball to pop on
his spike. Ted's still in the drawer.
(01:04:29):
Let's hope his number comes out next.
Last prize in the March drawer please.
Joe for £50. Number 77 #70. 7 is free, that's
a free one that someone could have had.
So give us another one please, Joe #11.
Number. 11 No Gracie. Oh, excellent, good lad.
(01:04:57):
That's Paul Grey, the one of thenewer committee members who
helps runs all the socials. A lovely lad, so well done.
Grace take 50 LB. Thanks very much everyone and
and goodbye. Gordon.
(01:05:30):
Gordon send more house to save the house.
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