ON THIS DAY by Paul Hargreaves
June 6th, 1936
Lowerhouse vs Nelson
A date synonymous with the D Day Normandy landings but these were eight years away as Europe, for now, endured an uneasy peace. This was a tough assignment for ‘House because they were facing the team of the decade.
Batting first Lowerhouse reached 121 all out. Top scorer was pro’ Dick Tydesley with 33. He was from a prolific cricketing family. He had three cricketing brothers, two of which played at first class level. Dick played many years at Lancashire and his excellent off-spin bowling saw him get seven Test caps.
Others to reach double figures were Ernie Smith, Joe Drabble, Charles Bailey and George Stevenson, but none reached twenty. Ace Nelson pro’ Learie Constantine was largely tamed taking just two wickets. Although not the best ever Lancashire League pro’, he was easily the most impactful.
In his post-cricket life his work in social reform and legal matters saw him receive a knighthood. Towards the end of his life he got a peerage. He entered the House of Lords as Baron Constantine of Maraval in Trinidad, and Nelson in the County Palatine. In four generations the Constantines had gone from being a slave to a life peer!
In reply, the Seedhill side lost wickets at regular intervals. Their star amateur Clifford ‘Chick’ Hawkwood found an unusual dismissal when hitting his wicket for 11. He was such an excellent batsman that he was called up several times for Lancashire. Unfortunately he set the bar too high on a dream debut when scoring a Roses match century. Not bad to have that on your report card.
Constantine top-scored with 31 before becoming one of Tydesley’s four victims. At 99-7, wanting another 23, Lowerhouse had every chance of upsetting the odds for a famous victory. It didn’t quite happen as Nelson got over the line for a two wicket win.
Lowerhouse finished a more than respectable fifth in 1936. Nelson were on a dominant run that’s never been equalled in Lancashire League history. From 1931 to ’37 they won 6 out of 7 Championships. The only exception was in 1933 when they were only runners-up to Todmorden. What a calamity!