1964: Rainy Days
2023 has certainly been a wet season, but it’s amazing really that for over 100 years, league cricket has survived in the Lancashire rains. Already, 100 years ago, in the League Handbook the secretary states, “I think I can safely say it was the worst season in the League’s history,” and Lowerhouse said in their 1923 Report, “We have suffered a loss (…) The cause of this is not far to seek, the weather has been very unkind to cricket during the past season, causing our gate receipts to be £150 down on 1922 receipts.” Nevertheless, Lowerhouse won the Junior title that year, substantially credited to the coaching of pro. Jack Cuffe, who unfortunately came to a tragic end some years later. They finished on the same points as Colne but won a decider, the extra, end of season fixture preventing two of the Lowerhouse team, J. Tattersall and Len Tranter, from turning out for the first time for Portsmouth Rovers football team, in Todmorden, home team of Burnley FC’s famous keeper Jerry Dawson, whose descendants John and the Dawson family are stalwart Lowerhousers!
