My memories of this game begin on Friday 22nd when we had practiced and then gone into the bar. The captain Les Sigsworth , Brian Standing and I were having a chat and Brian said "no matter what happens we have got to make an early break through, because last year John Clarke and Geoff Eccles had made an opening partnership of 166."

It was 2-20pm on the day of the game we were in the dressing room preparing to go out to field when skipper Les Sigsworth nipped his cigarette and said
" At 3-45pm I want to be lighting this cigarette up."

The Umpire who was standing at my end was the person who had introduced me to St Annes CC.

The game began and Brian made the breakthrough bowling Geoff Eccles without a run on the board, I followed with the wicket of John Clarke still without a run being scored.

Their Professional Alan Bolton was next out bowled by myself.

I was told after the match by the umpire Frank Taylor that I had bowled the ball just outside the off-stump, the ball was going straight through so Alan just put out his pad and let the ball hit his foot and roll away. The next ball landed on the same spot so the batsman went on the backfoot to play his shot but the ball cut back and bowled him.

There are two remaining memories of their innings, the first being that any time the ball went in the air near a St Annes fielder he caught it, the second Colin Reilly had had a lash at Brian and got a lucky two runs.

He tried again and the ball went towards Frank Wright in the cover area, he shouted " yours Arthur " meaning Arthur Taylor who was stood on the boundary so twenty or so yards away to his left, the ball curved away and was well caught by Arthur on the boundary.

Shortly after 3-30pm we returned to our dressing room and Les Sigsworth lit his cigarette.

We went out to bat and Norman Allen played a forward defensive shot and then took a step down the wicket, Alan Dobson thought Norman was going for a run and set off running, unfortunately for Alan, Norman was not going for a run and secondly the ball had gone straight to a fielder and so Alan was run out.

In the following over the game was won but we had to carry on batting until 5pm before the game could end.

A spectator came on the ground around 4-45 and saw St Annes 36 for 1 and came out with the comment " I see we've started were we left off from last season " not knowing the match had been won some considerable time before.

My final recollection of that day is having to leave to catch my bus home shortly after 8-00pm.

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