Norden C.C.

Norden Cricket Club are an English cricket team currently playing in the Central Lancashire League.

They are currently named Thwaites Norden CC as part of a sponsorship deal with a brewery and play their home fixtures at Stag Park, Norden, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

They have an indirect link to Norden Football Club, refounded in 2002 by a group of members of the cricket club.

Norden Cricket Club - The first 100 years

1875 Greenbooth Cricket Club was formed. Early games were played in the school yard, but this soon caused trouble. Local mill owner Mr. R. H. H. Hutchinson, later Club President, put a nearby field at the club disposal.
1876 A small wooden hut was purchased for use as a pavilion. Players paid three shillings per annum and members half a crown.
1881 A change of ground was sought and one season was spent at Pithouses in Norden Village, rented from Farmer Shepherd for £6 per year
1882 Greenbooth Cricket Club found themselves playing at Woodhouse Lane. The square was laid at a cost of £18 - 6s - 8d
1885 A new wooden pavilion was created at a cost of £60. This was to last until 1951, when it was replaced by a new structure.
1887 There were 30 playing members and 64 honorary members.
1888 Although still playing friendly matches, the first club professional was employed, a George Hammond of Bury. His remuneration is understood to have been five shillings per game.
1892 Greenbooth Cricket Club entered their first league ~ The Bury and District Cricket League. There were 236 members at this time.
1894 There was a scare with the news that a railway track and station were planned at the east end of the ground which would have put paid to the Cricket Club, happily the project was not undertaken.
1895 After only one season in the Bury League the club reverted to friendly matches. But in 1895 they joined the South East Lancashire League. A new professional and coach was employed, a John Redfern from Linthwaite. His salary was large for those days, £2 - 2s - 0d per week. This caused the players annual subscriptions to be raised from three shillings to four shillings.
1896 Another league change took place when the club joined the Middleton and District Cricket League, with John Redfern still professional. The club was reported to have 350 members.
1898 No professional was engaged for this season.
1899 A new professional was engaged, G. E. Broadley a fast bowler from Accrington. The club won their first championship ~ The Middleton and District League.
1900 The installation of a licensed bar had been discussed for some time and finally, NOT with the full support of all the members, this was agreed.
1903 The licensed bar was causing an amount of controversy amongst members. Although the clubs finances were helped by bar income, no professional was engaged.
1904 Controversy still raged over the licensed bar. A new professional by the name of A. Firth, was signed. The club remained in the Middleton and District League but the name of the league was changed to the Lancashire Cricket Council.
1905 BAR CLOSED!!
1906 Due to the bar closure support for the club declined and the finances were in a poor state, there was a debt of fifty pounds this year.
1911 The club finished next to bottom in the League. The league compromised of only four teams who played each other four times in the season.
1915 This was the last season before the break for World War I. Greenbooth won the League Championship. An application was made to join the Central Lancashire League but this was unsuccessful. There were three vacancies at the time.
1920 The club changed it's name from Greenbooth Cricket Club to Norden Cricket and Recreation Club.
1921 Club admitted to South Lancashire League. Club professional for this season was H. B. Watson. At the end of the season the club was £120 in debt.
1923 Fred Wilkinson was engaged as club professional.
1926 The first eleven won only one game this season.
1932 One of the founder members of the club, Mr. Edmund Ashworth, died at the age of 82.
1934 The first eleven finished third in the league.
1937 Norden became members of the Saddleworth League.
1945 The owners of the ground ~ Beswick Royds Estates offered the ground to the club if they could raise the purchase price of £450. A highly successful appeal for funds from the public resulted in seven hundred pounds being raised and the ground was purchased.
1950 Club in existence for 75 years. Committee formed with a view to build a new pavilion.
1951 £2,600 was raised by many differing efforts in aid of the new pavilion. With help from members, players and local business men the new pavilion was constructed. The official opening ceremony was performed by Dr. Vernon Bell, an ex-player, on Saturday 28th July. An official programme was on sale priced sixpence. The members were entertained by Norden first eleven playing Fieldhouse first eleven. Teas for the day were prepared by the ladies and the menu read as follows: TURKEY 5/-, HAM 3/6, SALAD 1/9. ALL INCLUSIVE OF TEA, BREAD & BUTTER. FRUIT AND CAKE. Plans for the pavilion were drawn by architect Jack Smith. The pavilion was described as follows in the souvenir programme: "There are dressing rooms at either end of the building: a hall or assembly room in the centre, secretary's room and a large kitchen. The pavilion covers an area of 176 sq. yds. exclusive of the terracing which covers a further 70 sq. yds. Volunteer labour was used to bring the building up to floor level and the following materials were used: Stone ballast 62 tons. Sand 28 tons. Cement 9 tons. Stone pitching and filling 70 tons. Granite chipping 8 tons. Bricks 10,000. Ashes 30 tons. drain pipes, gutters etc."
1952 The first eleven won their league with 50 points from 22 matches, losing only two games.
1953 Once again the first eleven finished champions and the second eleven finished runners-up in their division.
1957 This was probably the most successful season in the clubs history, both teams were League Champions and of course won the Aggregate Cup.
1959 Another change of League was made when Norden. C. C joined the Lancashire and Cheshire League.
1966 This was the next success for the club with the second team taking the championship.
1967 to 1975 Norden were finding things difficult in the Lancashire a Cheshire League against more experienced sides, most of which were long standing Social and Cricket Clubs, which set a new standard for Norden where there was practically no social side to the club at all. This raised the subject of the licensed bar which had been closed in 1905, some sixty years ago. In 1966 an extra ordinary general meeting failed to get the members support, but a further meeting reversed this decision ~ but not with 100% support. The club had little or no money at this time, so to raise the four hundred pounds required for the bar installation, 26 of the clubs members paid ten years subscriptions in advance, which, with the £150 in hand sufficed the cost of the bar installation and other alterations. BAR RE-OPENED!! The small bar served the Club well and finances were much healthier at this time. It was decided that a better bar should be built and the club lounge extended. In the winter of 1973 this was done with a lot of voluntary labour and gifts from many people without the club going into serious debt. West Indian ~ John Holder was signed by the club in 1975. John had just spent the winter coaching and playing in South Africa and it was hoped that his experience would lift the club out of the "doldrums" which they had been experiencing for some considerable time.

Acknowledgements to W. Wrightman ~ Club Statistician 1921 - 1978 and Phil Holmes.

External links

* [http://www.nordencricketclub.co.uk Official website]