Lancashire County Cricket Club

Infobox cricket team
county = Lancashire County Cricket Club


oneday = Lancashire Lightning
secondteam =
coach = flagicon|England Mike Watkinson
captain = flagicon|Australia Stuart Law
overseas = flagicon|New Zealand Lou Vincent
founded = 1864
ground = Old Trafford
capacity = 19,000
fcdebutvs = Middlesex
fcdebutyr = 1865
fcdebutvenue = Old Trafford
title1 = Championship
title1wins = 8 ("including 1 shared")
title2 = Pro40
title2wins = 5
title3 = FP Trophy
title3wins = 7
title4 = Twenty20 Cup
title4wins = 0
website = [http://www.lccc.co.uk Lancashire CCC]

Lancashire County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Lancashire. Its limited-overs team is called Lancashire Lightning. Their kit colours are dark blue with red trim and the shirt sponsor is the beer "Thwaites Lancashire Bomber". Lancashire have won the County Championship seven times and have won 17 one day trophies. The club has been based at Old Trafford in Stretford, Trafford, since its formation in 1864; before Lancashire, the Manchester Cricket Club. Usually, one match each year is played at Liverpool and Blackpool. The club has also used other home venues in the past.

The most well known player currently on Lancashire's books is Andrew Flintoff, though he rarely plays for the county due to his England commitments. Also in the squad is the England centrally contracted James Anderson; Glen Chapple, Dominic Cork, Mohammad Yousuf, Stuart Law, Mal Loye, and Sajid Mahmood have all played international cricket. Lancashire currently has a strong team which finished as runners-up to Sussex CCC in the 2006 County Championship. Lancashire finished third in the County Championship in 2007 but could have won had they chased down 489 to beat Surrey CCC at the Oval in the final match of the season. They recorded the county's highest ever 4th innings score of 464 but lost by 24 runs.

Honours

First XI honours

* Champion County [An unofficial seasonal title proclaimed by consensus of media and historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted] (1) - 1881; shared (3) - 1879, 1882, 1889
* County Championship (7) - 1897, 1904, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1934; shared (1) - 1950:"Division Two" (1) - 2005
* Gillette/NatWest/C&G Trophy (7) - 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1990, 1996, 1998
* Sunday/National/Pro40 League (5) - 1969, 1970, 1989, 1998, 1999:"Division Two" (1) - 2003
* Twenty20 Cup (0) -
* Benson and Hedges Cup (4) - 1984, 1990, 1995, 1996

econd XI honours

* Second XI Championship (3) - 1964, 1986, 1997; shared (0) -
* Second XI Trophy (0) -
* Minor Counties Championship (7) - 1907, 1934, 1937, 1948, 1949, 1960, 1964; shared (0) -

Other honours

* Refuge Cup (1) - 1988

Earliest cricket

The earliest known reference to cricket being played in Lancashire is a report in the 1 September 1781 edition of the "Manchester Journal" of a match that had been held on Brinnington Moor in August 1781.

In 1816, the Manchester Cricket Club was founded and soon became representative of Lancashire as a county in the same way that Sheffield Cricket Club and Nottingham Cricket Club represented Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. On 23, 24 & 25 July 1849, the Sheffield and Manchester clubs played each other at Hyde Park Ground, Sheffield but the fixture was called "Yorkshire "versus" Lancashire". As such, it was the first match to involve a Lancashire county team and also, therefore, the first "Roses Match". Yorkshire won by five wickets.

In 1857, the Manchester club moved to Old Trafford, which has been the home of Lancashire cricket ever since.cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=27 |title=LCCC Origins |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk Retrieved on 20 October 2007.]

Club history

Origin

Lancashire CCC was founded in 1864 when the leading members of the Manchester Cricket Club organised a meeting for the purpose of forming a county club; 13 clubs were represented at the meeting and on the 12 January 1864 Lancashire County Cricket Club was created. The club was committed to playing matches in different parts of the county to "introduce … cricket into every part of Lancashire".

Lancashire's first county match was played in 1865 at Old Trafford against Middlesex; Lancashire won the match by 62 runs, although Middlesex bowler Vyell Walker took all ten wickets in Lancashire's second innings. The first Roses Match between Yorkshire and the newly formed Lancashire club was in 1867. The early Lancashire side was reliant upon amateurs, which led to problems; while they were happy to play at Old Trafford, but less willing to travel to away fixtures. During the early 1870s, the Lancashire side was dominated by A. N. Hornby's batting. The team's standard of cricket improved with the arrival of two professional players, Dick Barlow and Alex Watson. The impact of Barlow and Hornby was such that their batting partnership was immortalised in the poem "At Lord's " by Francis Thompson. The team was further enhanced by A. G. Steel – an amateur considered second only to W. G. Grace as the country's best all rounder – Johnny Briggs – a professional from Sutton-in-Ashfield and the only player to score 10,000 runs and take 1,000 wickets for Lancashire – and wicket-keeper Dick Pilling – who in 1891 was rated by Wisden as the second-best wicket-keeper in the world behind Jack Blackham. As Lancashire's consistency improved, so did their support: in 1878, 28,000 over three days watched Lancashire play Gloucestershire.cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=28 |title=LCCC Early Years 1865-1879 |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk Retrieved on 20 October 2007.]

Early years

The club’s first success came in 1879, when the majority of the cricket press – except for Wisden – agreed that Lancashire and Nottinghamshire were joint champions. Lancashire were undisputedly champion county in 1881 and again shared the title in 1882, again with Nottinghamshire. They also shared the title with Surrey in 1889 In 1884, Old Trafford became the second ground after The Oval to stage a Test match in England. Though it rained on the first day, 12,000 spectators attended the second; the match resulted in a draw.cite web |url= http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=29 |title=The Growth of Lancashire Cricket |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk Retrieved on 20 October 2007.]

Controversy emerged during the 1880s; Kent and Nottinghamshire objected to the bowling actions of John Crossland and George Nash. Nottinghamshire even went as far as refusing to play against Lancashire. As well as a period of controversy and modest results for the club, the 1880s also saw the establishment of some club records. In 1885 George Kemp (later 1st Baron Rochdale) scored Lancashire’s first century in a Roses Match. In the same year Johnny Briggs and Dick Pilling set a record for the 10th wicket partnership of 173 that still stands.

The County Championship was founded in 1890, champions were decided by points rather than the press as had happened previously. Lancashire was one of the eight founding teams of the championship along with Gloucestershire, Kent, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex and Yorkshire.cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/259958.html |title=A brief history of the County Championship |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=October 2006 Retrieved on 11 October 2008.] The team were runners up in 1890 and 1891. Archie MacLaren was appointed captain in 1894, four years after making his debut whilst still captain of Harrow. In 1895 MacLaren made his record breaking innings of 424 against Somerset at Taunton; his innings remains the highest first-class score for an Englishman, was the first quadruple first-class century, and for a time was the highest score ever in first-class cricket. Again, Lancashire were runners up in 1895, despite Arthur Mold taking 192 wickets in the season, a feat bettered only twice for the club. The current pavilion was constructed in 1895 and cost £10,000; it replaced the earlier pavilion, dating from 1857 when Old Trafford was originally built.

Lancashire won their first county championship in 1897, a productive bowling attack made up of Johnny Briggs, Willis Cuttell, Albert Hallam, and Arthur Mold took 420 wickets between them. In 1898 Lancashire bought the ground and some adjoining land from the de Traffords for £24,732. In 1902, amateur and professional players began walking onto the field side by side in a break with tradition. Lancashire won their second championship title in 1904, going undefeated throughout the season; Wisden described the season as "the brightest in the history of Lancashire cricket". That season, James Hallows completed the feat of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in the season. During the late 1900s and early 1910s, players such as Walter Brearley, Harry Dean, and Bill Huddleston were mainstays of the Lancashire bowling attack. The club began to experience financial problems during this same period; the increased popularity of other sports was blamed for the dip in attendance. In 1914, Lancashire sank to their lowest position of 11th. During World War I the pavilion was used by the Red Cross, and over the duration of the war 1,800 patients were treated there.

The golden era

The post war Lancashire side had a very strong batting side, including Ernest Tyldesley and Johnny Tyldesley, both Test batsmen. In 1920, Lancashire finished runners up and bowlers Harry Dean and Lawrence Cook took 274 wickets between them. During 1921, interest in cricket reached an all time high, with over 250,000 people attending Old Trafford and over 4,500 members. 1922 was a year of contradictions, a strong team winning seven out of fifteen matches by an innings, but still managing to lose seven and finish 5th; that season Cec Parkin and Lawrence Cook mustered 308 wickets between them and Ernest Tyldesley scored over 2,000 runs. [cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=30 |title=Lancashire’s Golden Era |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk Retrieved on 20 October 2007.] Lancashire’s steady progress was capped by a hat trick of championship titles between 1926 and 1928 under the captaincy of Leonard Green. In the 1926 victory, Ernest Tyldesley and Harry Makepeace each scored over 2,000 runs. In 1927, Charlie Hallows scored six centuries and the bowling attack was led by Dick Tyldesley and Ted McDonald with support from Frank Sibbles. In 1928, Frank Watson and Ernest Tyldesley scored over 2,000 runs each and George Duckworth claimed 107 victims and earned recognition as one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year. At the end of the season Leonard Green decided to retire with a record of three successive championships and 42 wins against just 3 defeats.cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=31 |title=Lancashire’s Hat Trick of Championships |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk Retrieved on 20 October 2007.]

Under the captaincy of Peter Eckersley, Lancashire finished second in the championship in 1929 and reclaimed the title in 1930, with 10 victories and no defeats that season. After four titles in five seasons, the early 1930s saw a number of retirements including McDonald and Dick Tyldesley in 1933 and Ernest Tyldesley in 1935, no Lancashire batsman has matched Tyldesley’s 100 centuries in first-class cricket. Lancashire won the championship outright for the last time in 1934, the same year that Len Hopwood performed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets (a feat he repeated in 1935) and Cyril Washbrook began to work his way into the team. The captain, Peter Eckersley] , retired in 1935 to become an MP. The later half of the 1930s was a period of rebuilding up until the war, with the opening partnership of Cyril Washbrook and Eddie Paynter the highlight.

Post war

When play began again in 1946, after World War II, things started badly for Lancashire when their captain and veteran player, Jack Iddon, was killed in a car accident just before the start of the season, and Jack Fallows stood in as captain for the season. His successor, Ken Cranston, was an unusual choice as captain, having not had any prior first-class experience; despite this his reign was not unsuccessful as Lancashire finished 3rd and 5th during his two years as captain. In 1947 Cyril Washbrook and Winston Place both scored over 2,500 runs and scored 19 centuries between them. Cyril Washbrook's benefit took place in August 1948 watched by 50,000 people and he received the sum of £14,000, beating the previous record by over £10,000. Despite finishing 11th in 1949, in 1950 – under the captaincy of Nigel Howard – Lancashire shared the county championship with Surrey, winning 16 of their matches; Roy Tattersall and Malcolm Hilton claimed nearly 300 wickets between them. The 1950 season also marked the emergence of Brian Statham. In the following three seasons, Lancashire finished third each time. [cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=32 |title=LCCC’s Post War Years |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk Retrieved on 20 October 2007.]

With the retirement of Nigel Howard in 1954, Lancashire appointed their first professional captain, Cyril Washbrook, who would captain them for the next six years. In 1954 Geoff Pullar, Ken Grieves, and Alan Wharton all scored over 2,000 runs, whilst Brian Statham, Ken Higgs, and Tommy Greenhough all took over 100 wickets; despite this, Lancashire managed to finish only 5th. Lancashire came close to reclaiming the county championship in 1960 under a new captain, Bob Barber. five batsmen scored more than 1,000 runs in the season, and Statham, Higgs, and Greenhough all took over 100 wickets; Lancashire finished as runners up due to a poor run of form towards the end of the season: losing four and drawing two of their last six matches after topping the table in August. The following year, however, Lancashire dropped to 13th, due in part to Barber’s inexperience and Statham and Geoff Pullar’s England commitments. Things declined further in 1962, under the leadership of Joe Blackledge who had had no previous first-class experience, as Lancashire dropped to 16th, winning only two matches. After a period of unrest, Brian Statham was appointed captain between 1965 and 1967 and Lancashire’s results improved. Statham retired in 1968 with 1,816 first-class wickets for, a record for the club. [cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=33 |title=LCCC’s First Professional Captain |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk Retrieved on 20 October 2007.]

Limited-over success

Jack Bond became Lancashire captain in 1968 and remained in the position until 1972. During his tenure, Lancashire performed well in the championship, finishing third in 1970 and 1971. His biggest triumph as captain was the five one day trophies he secured during his five year captaincy. Farokh Engineer joined Lancashire in 1968, and Clive Lloyd joined in 1969; together Lloyd and Engineer helped establish Lancashire as one of the best one day sides in England. The silverware included a hat-trick of Gillette Cups (1970-1972) and the Sunday League twice in successive seasons (1969-1970). Mainstays of the successful one day side included Clive Lloyd, David Lloyd, Barry Wood, Harry Pilling, Frank Hayes, Peter Lever, Ken Shuttleworth, David Hughes and Jack Simmons. In the Gillette Cup semi-final against Gloucestershire in 1971, David Hughes walked to the crease at 8.45pm and hit 24 from an over in near darkness to win the match. David Lloyd was captain from 1973 to 1977 and secured Lancashire's fourth Gillette Cup in 1975, and coming runners up in 1974 and 1976. However, in the late 1970s, the team that had been so dominant in the one day format of the game began to break up. Despite boasting international players such as Lloyd and Engineer, Lancashire's first-class performances never matched the success of the limited overs team.cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=34 |title=One Day Wonders |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk Retrieved on 20 October 2007.]

It wasn’t until 1984, under John Abrahams, won more silverware – this time in the Benson & Hedges Cup. Despite a resurgence in limited overs matches, Lancashire finished in the bottom six of the county championship. After the 1986 Nat West Trophy Final defeat and in their place David Hughes was appointed captain. Towards the end of the 1980s, Lancashire’s side began to develop, with Graeme Fowler and Gehan Mendis building a productive opening partnership, David Hughes and Neil Fairbrother provided support; the bowlers were led by Patrick Patterson and Paul Allott with support from David Hughes, Mike Watkinson, and Jack Simmons. In 1987, Lancashire finished second in the championship, their highest position in 27 years. Mike Atherton made his Lancashire debut in 1987 – scoring 600 runs in the second half of the season – and Wasim Akram made his Lancashire debut in 1988. The team won the Refuge Cup final against Warwickshire in 1988, and won the Sunday League on the last day of the season in 1989 on finished 4th in the championship. At the age of 48, in 1989 Jack Simmons retired after having taken 985 first-class wickets for the county.

In 1990, Lancashire won both the Nat West Trophy and Benson & Hedges Cup finals at Lord's. This was the first time any county had won both competitions in the same year; Lancashire narrowly missed out on a treble, finishing runners-up in the Sunday League. Lancashire’s consistency continued, and the team finished second in the Sunday League and B&H Cup. Paul Allott and Graeme Fowler were released at the end of the 1992 season. The team lost the B&H final to Derbyshire in 1993. In 1994, young bowlers Peter Martin and Glen Chapple took 50 wickets each. The batting too looked promising, with John Crawley scoring two double centuries and Jason Gallian steadily improving. In 1995, Lancashire again won the Benson & Hedges Cup. In 1996, Lancashire again won the double of the NatWest Trophy and Benson & Hedges Cup. In 1998, with Wasim Akram as captain, Lancashire won the NatWest Trophy and Axa League, and finished second in the championship despite losing only five games in all competitions throughout the season. Apart from the National League second division title in 2003, this was the last time Lancashire won a trophy.cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2007/content/story/311431.html |title=Lancashire on the brink of history |author=Cricinfo staff |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=18 September 2007 Retrieved on 11 October 2008.]

1999 was an eventful year for Lancashire with the debut of Muttiah Muralitharan, the departure of coach Dav Whatmore after just two years with the club and again the team finished second in the championship and won the National League.cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=35 |title=Team of the Nineties |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk]

With 16 major one-day titles (plus winning the National League Division Two in 2003 making it technically 17), Lancashire are the most successful county side in England. The only one-day trophy that still eludes them is the Twenty20 Cup; they finished runners-up in 2005.

New century

The team that had been so successful in the 1990s began to break up at the start of the 2000s. Since winning their last trophy in 1998, the team has lost eight semi-finals and two finals. In 2008 Lancashire managed to finish second in the County Championship. The competition was divided into two divisions for the 2000 season, with Lancashire in the first division. Lancashire’s one day form began to fluctuate in 2000, losing to Gloucestershire in the semi-finals of both the B&H Cup and the NatWest Trophy, and being relegated in the National League. In 2001, Lancashire avoided relegation by just 5 points and no promotion in the National Leagure. 2001 saw the retirement of Ian Austin from first-class cricket and of Mike Atherton from all forms of cricket. John Crawley left the club in the winter after not being retained as captain. Between 2001 and 2002 saw the squad change significantly, with players recruited from Essex, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire; the most notable additions to the squad were Stuart Law and David Byas – the Yorkshire captain of the previous season. After a quiet 2001 season – finishing mid-table in the county championship and again failing to secure promotion in the National League – 2002 was far more encouraging. Stuart Law and Alec Swann both scored over 1,000 first-class runs and Peter Martin and Glen Chapple both took more than 50 wickets; the find of the season was that of James Anderson, who bust onto the scene with 50 wickets in the second half of the season, earning him a promotion to the England side. At the end of the season, Lancashire stalwarts Neil Fairbrother and Graeme Lloyd retired.

2003 was a promising year, and Lancashire were genuine contenders for the county championship. Mark Chilton, Carl Hooper and Mal Loye all scored over 1,000 runs and Stuart Law was player of the year with 1,820 runs. Altogether, 28 championship centuries were scored for Lancashire, the second highest total in a season for Lancashire. Gary Keedy was lead wicket taker with 60 wickets, supported by Martin and Chapple who took 41 and 49 wickets respectively. They earned promotion from the second division of the National League, lost in the semi-final of the C&G Trophy, and finished second in the county championship. [cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=36 |title=Into the New Millennium |publisher=Lancashire CCC.co.uk Retrieved on 20 October 2007.]

In 2004, Lancashire were relegated to the second division of the County Championship for the first time since the competition was restructured into two divisions.cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/wcm/content/story/142754.html |author=Martin Searby |title=Best forgotten |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=25 October 2004 Retrieved on 4 October 2008.] This was despite starting the season as the bookmarkers' favourite to win the competition. At one point in the season, the team was without eight bowlers, with James Anderson, Andrew Flintoff, and Sajid Mahmood on international duty, while Glen Chapple, Dominic Cork, Kyle Hogg, Peter Martin, and all-rounder Carl Hooper were all injured. Their problems were not blamed solely on the injuries, director of cricket Mike Watkinson said "quite simply the opposition have done the basics better than us. In addition we've one or two who are out of form on top of the injury list which ripped us to pieces". [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/wcm/content/story/138810.html |author=Martin Searby |title=Basic setbacks |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=15 July 2004 Retrieved on 4 October 2008.] Despite being relegated in the County Championship, the team managed to be runners up in the National League and were expected to be promoted back to the first division of first-class crricket in the 2005 season.cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/4416797.stm |author=Simon Mann |title=Lancashire set to bounce back up |publisher=BBC Online |date=10 April 2005 Retrieved on 4 October 2008.] While Watkinson expected backlash from the fans, he said that "they were tremendously understanding about the injury situation". The squad underwent changes, with six players leaving including Martin and Chris Schofield and six players joining, as well as a change of captain from wicket-keeper Warren Hegg to batsman Mark Chilton; Chilton was the club's first Yorkshire-born captain. [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/wcm/content/story/141747.html |author=Andy Wilson |title=Red Rose regroups around Chilton |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=17 November 2004 Retrieved on 4 October 2008.] Between 1864 and 2004, Lancashire have played 2,790 matches, winning 1,034, losing 583, drawing 1,170, with three tied matches. In this period, no other team had drawn more matches. The team's percentage of wins was 37.06%, third behind Yorkshire (44.05%) and Surrey (39.74%). [cite web |url=http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/NATIONAL/ENG/CHAMPIONSHIP/CC_TEAM_RECORDS.html |title=The County Championship Match Results 1864-2004 |publisher=Cricinfo.com Retrieved on 11 October 2008.]

Lancashire were promoted back to the first divison of the county championship in 2005, winning the second division title in the process. They stayed up in the National League, progressed to the finals' day of the Twenty20 Cup wand were knocked out in the semi-final of the C&G Trophy. [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/220146.html |author=Andrew McGlashan |title=Review of the season |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=26 September 2005 Retrieved on 4 October 2008.] Despite winning the second division title, there were concerns that the squad may have been getting too old and that there were limited opportunities for the younger players. Of Lancashire's performance over the season, Watkinson said "I was not happy about our batting and, although we have achieved what we set out to do – get promoted – our performance left a lot to be desired". [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/wisdencricketer/content/story/225704.html |title=Age-old problem |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=November 2005 Retrieved on 4 October 2008.] Lancashire are one of three teams, along with Middlesex and Surrey, never to have finished bottom in the County Championship. In the 2006 season, Lancashire finished second in the County Championship (having been promoted at the end of the previous season) and were runners-up in the NatWest Trohpy. Chilton, the team captain, said of the season "we were close to winning things last season and the objective now is clear, to go that one step further". [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/lancashire/content/story/267315.html |title=Skipper to continue at Old Trafford: Lancashire re-appoint Chilton as captain |author=Cricinfo staff |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=9 November 2006 Retrieved on 11 October 2008.]

In 2007, although they led the table before the final round of matches, Lancashire were again runners-up in the County Championship. After being knocked out of the Twenty20 competition in the group states and performing poorly in the other one-day competitions early in the season, supporters started to become discontented with the capatain and coach. Sussex ended up winning the title as Lancashire lost their final match of the competition against Surrey. Chris Adams, the Sussex captain, said "you played well, you had a hard season, there's no shame in your performance and you nearly did it'".cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2007/content/story/312129.html |title='The best County Championship season ever' |author=Cricinfo staff |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=22 September 2007 Retrieved on 11 October 2008.] After the match against Surrey, Chilton was in tears and said "I'm extremely proud of what our guys have achieved though. As captain I'm privileged to have seen the efforts they have put in. To get close to our target was a phenomenal effort but the lads are just broken. Our players have risen to an almighty challenge and to come so close is an enormous effort". After three years as captain, Mark Chilton stepped down in October 2007 and was replaced by Stuart Law who is the most successful captain in Australian domestic cricket. [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/315956.html |title=Chilton steps down as Lancashire captain |author=Cricinfo staff |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=18 October 2007 Retrieved on 11 October 2008.] [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/319738.html |title=Lancashire name Law as captain |author=Cricinfo staff |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=14 November 2007 Retrieved on 11 October 2008.]

Ground

Since its formation Lancashire has played its home matches at Old Trafford, located in Stretford, to the west of Manchester city centre. Old Trafford is one of the largest cricket venues in the United Kingdom, and has played host to international matches since 1884.

In recent years, the club has considered moving to a new ground, with sites in east Manchester and Wigan discussed, [cite web |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/cricket/s/213/213307_lancs_to_stay_at_old_trafford.html |title=Lancs to stay at Old Trafford |work=Manchester Evening News Retrieved on 27 January 2007.] but following a long period of discussions and rumours the club decided to remain at Old Trafford, which it hopes to redevelop. [cite web |url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=619 | title=Old Trafford redevelopment plans |work=Lancashire CCC Retrieved on 27 January 2007] The need for an improved ground was highlighted when Old Trafford lost out to Cardiff as a venue for the 2009 Ashes, much to the disappointment of cricket fans in the region. [ [http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=547 LCCC news story] ] A financial plan is awaited for the redevelopment, costed at £30 million. [ [http://www.nw-enquirer.co.uk/comment/editorial/the_enquisitor_-_thursday_may_25_2006_20060526492.html The Enquirer news story] ] Lancashire matches are also occasionally played at Stanley Park, Blackpool and Aigburth, Liverpool.

Finances

Lancashire County Cricket Club has a record of strong finances which has been sttributed to several factors including its diverse facilities and having the largest membership in the country.cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/lancashire/content/story/280567.html |title=Lancashire hit record profit |author=Cricinfo staff |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=16 February 2007 Retrieved on 11 October 2008.] The Old Trafford Lodge is a hotel which is part of the ground and the ground has been used for conference facilities and has staged music concerts. Another source of income is opening the ground's car park during Manchester United F.C.'s home matches. Between 2004 and 2006, the club made record profits, each year getting progressively better and in 2006 recorded a profit of £747,370.

Players

Current squad

Players with international caps are listed in bold.

Wicket-keeping

Facts and feats

*Dick Barlow carried his bat for just 5* out of Lancashire's total of 69 in two and a half hours against Nottinghamshire on a treacherous, rain-affected Trent Bridge pitch in July 1882. [cite web |url=http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Lancashire/Scorecards/2/2591.html |author= |title=Nottinghamshire v Lancashire, July 1882 |publisher=Cricket Archive Retrieved on 21 October 2007.] Barlow and his long time opening partner Hornby are the opening batsmen immortalised in the famous poem by Francis Thompson. [cite web |url=http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Articles/0/206.html |author= |title=A profile of Dick Barlow |publisher=Cricket Archive Retrieved on 21 October 2007.]
*Eddie Paynter scored 322 in five hours for Lancashire against Sussex CCC at Hove in 1937 having come down on the sleeper train from the victorious Old Trafford Test against New Zealand. He put on 268 in 155 minutes with Cyril Washbrook and celebrated his innings that evening at Brighton's Ice Palace. [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/129134.html |author= |title=A colossus with bad knees |publisher=Cricinfo |date=28 July 2006 Retrieved on 21 October 2007.]

Team totals

Highest Total For [cite web |url=http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Lancashire/Records/Firstclass/Team_Records/Highest_Team_Total_For.html |title=Highest Team Totals for Lancashire |publisher=Cricket Archive Retrieved on 12 November 2007.] - 863 v Surrey at The Oval, London 1990

Highest Total Against [cite web |url= http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Lancashire/Records/Firstclass/Team_Records/Highest_Team_Total_Against.html |title=Highest Team Totals against Lancashire |publisher=Cricket Archive Retrieved on 12 November 2007.] - 707-9d by Surrey at The Oval, London 1990

Lowest Total For [cite web |url=http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Lancashire/Records/Firstclass/Team_Records/Lowest_Team_Total_For.html |title=Lowest Team Totals for Lancashire |publisher=Cricket Archive Retrieved on 12 November 2007.] - 25 v Derbyshire at Old Trafford, Manchester 1871

Lowest Total Against [cite web |url=http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Lancashire/Records/Firstclass/Team_Records/Lowest_Team_Total_Against.html |title=Lowest Team Totals against Lancashire |publisher=Cricket Archive Retrieved on 16 October 2007.] - 22 by Glamorgan at Aigburth, Liverpool 1924

Partnership record for each wicket

ee also

* Lancashire County Cricket Club in 2005
* List of cricket grounds in England and Wales
* List of Test cricket grounds

References

Further reading

* H S Altham, "A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914)", George Allen & Unwin, 1962
* Derek Birley, "A Social History of English Cricket", Aurum, 1999
* Rowland Bowen, "Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development", Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970
* Roy Webber, "The Playfair Book of Cricket Records", Playfair Books, 1951
* Lancashire CCC Yearbook – various editions
* Playfair Cricket Annual – various editions
* Wisden Cricketers Almanack – various editions

External links

* [http://www.lccc.co.uk/ Official club site]
* [http://www.cricketarchive.com/ CricketArchive]