Ever wanted to know how many wickets you have for Church, how many times you scored 50 or how many times you waddled off after a duck? Well now you can! After a huge amount of work gathering information and inputting scorecards, the Church CC Archive is complete! Every match played since 1892 is covered and with assistance from www.cricketarchive.com, a complete statistical summary for the Club is now available. This includes features such as a complete list of every player who has played for Church together with details of the number of matches played, runs scored, and wickets and catches taken. It is also possible to view batting records, bowling records, highest and lowest scores & partnership records against every Lancashire League club. Special thanks go to lancashireleague.com and Nigel Stockley. This is only the beginning, so watch this space for updates on how we intend to use this brilliant resource.

Church allrounder Sam Holt has been nomintaed for "Young Coach of the Year" in the 2010 Sky Sports Reward and Recognition Awards. Sam is one of only 3 coaches from Lancashire to have had their names put forward as candidates for National Recognition in 3 different categories.

The nomination recognises the hard work Sam has put in not only at Church, but in schools around the Hyndburn area. In the last year, since returning from a valuable coaching experience in New Zealand, Sam has used the Chance to Shine initiative to introduce cricket to Primary School youngsters, alongside the work he does with Church. More recently, he has been appointed Community Cricket Development Coach for Rochdale through the Lancashire Cricket Board, where he hopes he will continue to improve his knowledge of grass roots cricket and coaching as a whole.

Everyone at Church would like to congratulate Sam for his excellent achievement.

Church Juniors continue to practice at Accrington Academy under the guidance of Sam along with Graham Gaskill, Naomi Aspin, Ammer Mirza and Andrew Bentley who all hope to complete their ECB Level 2 course within the next month. Any new Juniors are always more than welcome and can get more information from the Junior Newsletter at www.churchcc.co.uk or by calling Graham Gaskill on 07762490090.

Click on the link below to download a PDF of the latest Junior Newsletter.

Junior Newsletter March 2010

The Annual General Meeting for the Cricket Club will be held on Thursday 25th February at 8pm prompt in the Social Club. Club members only will be admitted.

Junior training will commence on Sunday 21st February 2010 at 1.30pm until 3pm at Accrington Academy. (Orange Street entrance off Whalley Road).

Coaches will be in attendance and all existing and new players are very welcome. Players are asked to bring £1 each week.

Any queries, please contact Graham Gaskill on 07762490090.

A packed clubhouse of Supermen, Catwomen and Hannah Montana children celebrated New Year in style in the recent Heroes and Villains fancy dress party. Over 100 revellers enjoyed party games and dancing, with DJ Phil Colbert spinning the records until the early hours. A great night was had by all and photographs of the last Player Productions event of 2009 are certainly worth looking up on our Facebook site.

It was standing room only in the club on Friday night as Quizmaster Graham "Magnus Magnusson" Gaskill asked the questions in the first of what will surely be a regular club quiz night. Those who scoffed at the less than testing openers were soon put in their place as they racked their brains to find the names of Pat Butcher's husbands (there were 4 by the way) and failed miserably. The half time interval saw Elaine's curry and Graham's chilli/spud pie combo woofed down by the hungry boffins whilst the music round was re-played to enable the quizmaster to dance to the Robyn S classic: Show Me Love (which was the answer to 15). Spot prizes were dished out to the luckiest guessers and the bar was so busy that Blaize and Christine weren't drunk until at least 9.15 (the former had certainly caught up by 3am). Thanks must go to GG for organising a fantastic evening and to those who came and filled the club yet again. Details of the next quiz night will be available soon!

The club is delighted to announce that Luke Woodcock will be returning as professional for 2010. Luke has sent back his signed contract and is excited about the prospect of having a full season at Church. Having arrived late in 2009, Woody showed himself not only to be a quality cricketer but a real team player and has followed this up with some outstanding performances back in New Zealand.

He has amassed 560 runs at an average of 80.00 in first class matches so far this season and has been bowling regularly in all formats. His best effort with the bat came in his most recent first class match when he scored an awesome 220 not out against Central Districts. He is currently busy with a hectic schedule of Twenty20 and One Day cricket before returning to 4 day action at the end of the February.

All at Church are hoping Luke continues his good form through to the end of the season but saves plenty of runs and wickets for West End next summer.

Senior training begins this Sunday 7th February 2010 - 12noon til 2pm at Accrington Academy. All players with aspirations of playing senior cricket in 2010 should attend and are asked to bring £3 per session to help cover the cost of the sports hall. New players are welcome and anyone who wishes to play but is unable to attend should contact AB on 07846 106 343 with a good excuse! (my dog ate my box will not be accepted).

Tickets for the final Player Productions event of 2009 are selling fast with only around 30 places still available! Support for the event has been overwhelming following the hugely successful 70's night, Black Tie Evening and Captain's Dinner, and Player Productions' mastermind Samuel Tucker believes that this event could well be the best yet:

"I am massively excited about New Years Eve up at the club" said Tucker, the driving force behind the social revolution at Church.

"When we came up with the concept of Player Productions this time last year, our aim was to create social events which would cater for the whole spectrum of the club's membership, but also for those who had never set foot on the ground. We wanted to attract people who may live in the area or are friends of players and members, and let them know that Church Cricket Club is a place where people can enjoy a brilliant night. So far this year, we estimate that our events have been attended by upwards of 250 people and expect this to be well over 350 after New Years Eve."

The theme for the New Years Eve event is "Heroes and Villains" Fancy Dress, and the buzz around the club is whether anyone will be able to top Adam Greenwood's "Goldboy" from 70's night. Tucker is betting they will, adding:

"People have made a real effort to get involved at every event so far and I can't see this being any different. Everyone who was at one of our earlier events will know what a great night this is going to be, and for those who are boarding the West End partybus for the first time - I'm sure they will be back again next year."

Tickets for the event are still on sale priced £12.50 which includes food and entertainment, and are available through Sam on 07764 770 900 or by emailing playerproductions@churchcc.co.uk.

Senior winter training will be held indoors at Accrington Academy, beginning on Sunday 7th February at 12-2pm, for a period of 10 consecutive weeks. The last indoor session will be on the 11th April 2010.

Junior winter training will be held at the same venue from Sunday 21st February until Sunday 28th March 2009, from 2pm - 3pm.

Graham Gaskill and Naomi Aspin will be taking their LCB Level 2 Cricket coaching qualification in November at QEQS.

Levi Wolfenden, Patrick McDonagh, Danny Dyson and Matt Cook will be taking their LCB Level 1 coaching qualification at Myerscough College in November/December.

It has been a groundbreaking year so far for Player Productions and the Church CC social scene, with only 2 more chances to party with the boys in 2009. For more info click here.

Phil Sykes has now added the recent missing matches to the club statistics on this website. All matches from 1960 to date are now included, and some prior to this have also been added including the championship winning years of 1939-41.

Click here to view this amazing new feature.

An exciting new feature has been added to the website to display comprehensive statistical information about the club. The statistics include:

• Scorecards for matches played by the club
• Career details of Church players
• Career averages of Church players
• Numerous records and statistics relating to the club

This is very much a ‘work in progress’ and currently contains scorecards from 1960 onwards although, as yet, some matches cannot be viewed owing to unavailability of scorebooks. We are, therefore, accessing details from other clubs and libraries to fill the gaps. Missing scorecards relate to the years 1971 (nine missing), 1975 (sixteen missing), 1977 (twelve missing), 1984 (8 missing), 1991 (six missing) and 1992 (eight missing). As we locate this information, it will be added to the site.

Massive thanks are due to Nigel Stockley for locating and adding old scorecards, Peter Griffiths of Cricket Archive for supplying the software, and to Phil Sykes for his painstaking work in entering the information.

Click here to view this amazing new feature.

Church CC club captain Phil Gilrane will be hosting the Annual Captain's Dinner on Friday 11th September 09. Following the success of last year’s Captain's Dinner, the evening will follow a similar format. Celebrate the last weekend of the season with us. For more info, click here.

On the 20th September 2009 Andrew Bentley will be running the 13.1 mile Great North Run in memory of former Church player, committee member and supporter, Dad Fred. Andrew is raising money for Cancer Research UK so please support him by sponsoring him at www.runningsponsorme.org/andrewbentley, calling 07846106343 or through Christine behind the bar at the club.

Church CC welcome it's youngest new supporter - Freddie Shorrock!

Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Barry Shorrock, Lauren Holgate and all the family on the arrival of Baby Freddie Robert, born on the 4th August 2009 weighing in at 8lb 4oz - incidentally the same weight as Barry's bat!

Already thought to be picking up his Dad's left handed stance, classical technique and preference of the mid-wicket boundary, we hope young Freddie will be making an appearance up at the WECG very soon.

Nice one Bazzer!

Annual Twenty20 challenge match to take place on Friday 17th July

Church will entertain neighbours Oswaldtwistle Immanuel on Friday night in an annual Twenty20 challenge match. This fixture has proved to be an entertaining encounter over the years as the Ribblesdale League side aim to get one over on their Lancashire League counterparts.

Church go in to this game on the back of a successful 2009 Twenty20 campaign after winning group A and qualifying for their first ever semi-final in this form of the game. They got within touching distance of the final only to fall short in a dramatic last over which saw Burnley pip Church to the post.

We would hope that some enjoyable Twenty20 cricket has brought a few new faces to the club from within the local area, to enjoy the game and a pint, and the club would like to pay special thanks to everyone who has supported us throughout the 2009 campaign. Whilst all the boys were bitterly disappointed to lose on Friday night they will certainly have learned from the experience of playing in front of such a large (and vocal!) home crowd, and it would be great if nights like Friday came around more often. We would like to encourage everyone to come down this Friday night and support both local teams for the last Twenty20 fixture of the summer!

Church vs Oswaldtwistle Immanuel
Friday 17th July
Start: 6.15
Bar: open from 5.30pm
Tea Room: open throughout game.

Boys hope for return to form

Church take on Nelson this Sunday (19th July) at the WECG and need the help of the most loyal supporters in the Lancashire League as they look to return to winning ways. After last weekend's defeat at Haslingden it is safe to say that the lads will be firing on all cylinders this Sunday as they look for a good run of results to get themselves back towards the right end of the table.

Twenty20 semi-final at Church rearranged

Following last Friday night's wash out, the semi-final twenty20 match between Church & Burnley at the WECG will now take place this Friday 10th July, wickets pitched 6.15. The bar will be open from 5.30. Admission £2 and £1 for concessions.

After Sunday's Worsley Cup semi-final disappointment at the hands of Ramsbottom, Church will be looking to make amends by qualifying for the final of this competition for the first time since its inception 4 years ago. Come along and support the team!

Woodcock due to arrive for double semi-final weekend as Church top Twenty20 group

2009 Church professional Luke Woodcock is finally due to arrive on Monday, just in time for a crucial weekend in the club's season. Great news for all connected with the club going into an exciting weekend that consists of 3 consecutive games in 3 days and features 2 cup semi- finals!

Woodcock's first game for the club will be a twenty20 semi-final at home to Burnley on Friday following a successful twenty20 campaign with Church winning group A. The team have shown profound improvement in this form of the game this season with a number of comprehensive victories in the group stages. Bacup are the visitors on Saturday in a crucial Lancashire league fixture with the club looking to firmly establish itself as a top half outfit.

Sunday is argubly the most important game of the weekend in the club's bid to progress to their first Worsley Cup Final since 2002. The current crop of players have aspirations to emulate the Worsley Cup success of the 1974 team and lift the famous old trophy for the first time in 35 years. Church will travel to Acre Bottom looking to beat Ramsbottom and avenge the 2002 Worsley Cup Final defeat.

Friday 3rd July - Church v Burnley (twenty20 semi-final)

Saturday 4th July - Church v Bacup (Thwaites Original Lancashire League)

Sunday 5th July - Ramsbottom v Church (Worsley Cup semi-final)

Church draw Ramsbottom in semi-final

Church will travel to Acre Bottom on July 5th to play a Worsley Cup semi-final tie against Ramsbottom. Church will be looking to progress to the Worsley Cup final for the first time since 2002, which incidently took place against Ramsbotton at Acre Bottom. The draw for the Worsley Cup semi final took place at Alexandra Meadows on Saturday night. Church were in the hat after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in a dramatic 'last over' win in the previous round against Lowerhouse.

On a financial note, the club were hoping for a potentially lucrative home draw but will now be hopeful that success in the semi-final will deliver the first Worsley Cup final at the West End Cricket Ground since 1974, the last time the club lifted the famous old trophy.

Player Productions launch party a huge success

Click here for further details.

Player Productions is back - only this time shaken not stirred

Click here for further details.

New for 2009 - match reports for every competitive 1st XI fixture

Click here for further details.

Church 1st XI needs you! Please click here for further details.

Please click here for further details.

Natwest Cricket Force 2009 - Saturday 4th April 9.30am -Your club needs you!

Please click here for further details.

20 Week Lottery

Church & Oswaldtwistle Cricket Club's 20 week lottery has numbers available. For more details, click on the link below.

 20 Week Lottery

Teams for pre-season friendlies

Click here to view the teams for the pre-season friendly matches.

Church sign Woodcock

Church & Oswaldtwistle Cricket Club are delighted to announce the signing of Luke Woodcock as their professional for the 2009 season. Click here for further details.

70's Fancy Dress Night

On Friday 8th May, the 1st XI are hosting a 70's fancy dress night at the Club. For further details, click on the links below.

 70's fancy dress night - 1

 70's fancy dress night - 2

Pre-season friendlies

The following pre-season friendlies have been arranged:

• Saturday 11 April: Radcliffe (A)
• Sunday 12 April: Heywood (A)
• Sunday 19 April: Woodbank (A)

Chester Watson sends his regards

On a recent trip to Antigua and Jamaica, Ernie Edwards and Geoff Briggs met up with Church legend Chester Watson. Chester is keeping well and has retired to Montego Bay.

Club secures grant from 'Awards For All'

The Club has been successful in securing a £10,000 grant from The National Lottery 'Awards For All' for ground maintenance and coaching equipment.

Winter nets

The seniors' winter nets commence on Wednesday 4th February at 9pm at Mount Carmel with a senior coach in attendance.

The juniors' winter nets commence on Sunday 22nd February from 2pm to 3pm at Accrington Academy, also with a senior coach in attendance.

Players to attend Level 2 Coaching Course

Four players are shortly to attend the Level 2 Coaching Course - Phil Gilrane, Andrew Bentley, Sam Tucker and Stephen Stokes.

The sixth annual am-am golf day has raised an exceptional amount of over £3,000. Our thanks are due to the outstanding efforts yet again of Fred Bentley, ably supported by his family. Prizes were presented by our chairman, Donald Holt.

      
24 teams raise over £3,000                      Powakaday Lakes Golf takes top prize

        
Church Cricket Club thank all sponsors        Book early for next year!

Our thanks are also due to our generous sponsors and to all the teams taking part.