Lowerhouse Cricket Club: Year in Review
As the year draws to a close, it is fitting to reflect on what has been one of the most successful and memorable years in the history of Lowerhouse Cricket Club.
Championship success, record-breaking performances and strength across all teams combined to make this a season that will be talked about for many years to come.
Season Highlights
- First Eleven crowned Lancashire League Premier Division Champions – fifth title and first since 2014
- Second Eleven crowned Lancashire Junior Division Two Champions and promoted
- Biggest First Eleven winning margin since 1998
- Multiple club and league records broken
- Strong league finishes across all senior teams
First Eleven: Champions of the Lancashire League
The First Eleven produced a truly outstanding campaign, securing the Lancashire League Premier Division title for the fifth time in the club’s history and for the first time since 2014. The title was wrapped up with three matches still to play, underlining Lowerhouse’s dominance throughout the season.
Sixteen wins, three defeats and three no results saw Lowerhouse finish on 219 points, a winning margin of 62 points – the biggest since the introduction of 10 points for a win in 1998.
After an early defeat to Littleborough in the third match of the season, Lowerhouse returned to the top of the table the following week and remained there for the rest of the campaign. The championship was secured with a commanding 151-run victory over Rochdale at The Brooks Foundation Ground.
Batting Highlights
Openers Ben Heap and Jonny Whitehead formed one of the most formidable partnerships in the league, scoring over 1,300 runs between them in league cricket.
- Jonny Whitehead: 683 runs at 42.7 (1 century, 3 fifties)
- Ben Heap: 676 runs at 37.6 (2 centuries, 2 fifties)
Their standout performance came at home against Norden on July 13th, when the pair put on a remarkable 245 for the first wicket, both scoring centuries. During his innings, Heap passed 9,000 Lancashire League career runs.
Heap’s 179 was the highest innings by an amateur that season, while the team total of 396-7 was a club record and the highest of the Premier Division campaign.
Across all competitions, Whitehead scored 1,160 runs at 44.6 (1 century, 9 fifties), while Heap added 907 runs at 34.9 (2 centuries, 3 fifties).
Bowling, Fielding and All-Round Performances
Joe Martin led the way behind the stumps with 35 victims, finishing as the Premier Division’s leading wicketkeeper. He also became the first Lowerhouse wicketkeeper to claim 100 stumpings, while extending his remarkable run to 345 consecutive Lancashire League matches.
Tom Walker enjoyed an outstanding all-round season. He began the campaign with an unbeaten century in the Ron Singleton Colne Trophy win away at Burnley, finished with 43 wickets at 16.1 and 395 runs at 28.2, earning selection for Lancashire Seconds.
Professional Dan Salpietro made a major impact, taking 42 wickets at 11.7 and scoring 342 runs at 28.5, including three half-centuries and a dozen catches.
Further valuable contributions came from Paddy Martin, Joe Hawke, Toxy Hussain, Henri Cottam, Francois Haasbroek, Charlie Gansler and Charlie Cottam, underlining the depth and balance of the side.
A special mention also goes to Chris Bleazard, who featured in three matches and moved to within just 12 runs of the 17,000 career run mark.
Another unforgettable moment came at Rochdale, where Lowerhouse recorded a club-record 251-run victory after bowling the hosts out for just 44, the lowest total of the Premier Division season.
Second Eleven: Champions and Promotion
The success continued in the Second Eleven, where Declan Stansfield’s side produced a dominant campaign to win Lancashire Junior Division Two.
With 19 wins from 22 matches, Lowerhouse finished 41 points clear of runners-up Greenmount to secure promotion to Junior Division One.
Will Norcross top scored with 630 runs at at average of 39.38, Keagan De Vries scored 485 runs at 40.42 and Declan Metcalfe 439 runs at 31.36
With the ball Shaukat Ali tok 43 wicket, Oliver Williams 36 and Charlie Bithell 33.
Third and Fourth Elevens
The Third Eleven finished 6th with 6 wins from 14 matches.
Aden Aurangzeb scored 276 runs, Braiden Watson 261 and Joe Masson 210.
Jax Edwards took 17 wickets, James McGregor 15 and Robson Elliott 13
The Fourth Eleven placed 4th, recording 8 wins from 14.
Sonny Whittaker scored 220 runs, Logan Haworth 207 and skipper David Krupinski 194.
With the ball Joshua Nelson took 24 wickets, with Hammad Aurangzeb and Hasan Sadaqat taking 12 wickets a piece.
A Historic Moment
One of the year’s standout moments beyond Lowerhouse colours came on August 16th, when Liberty Heap became the first woman to score a century in a Lancashire League-related match, hitting 117 for Ramsbottom Women against Todmorden Fourth Eleven.
Happy New Year
As we look ahead to the year to come, everyone at Lowerhouse Cricket Club would like to wish our members, supporters, sponsors and the wider community a very Happy New Year.
Thank you for your continued support, commitment and loyalty. We look forward to welcoming you back to the club and sharing many more memorable moments together in the months ahead.
From everyone at Lowerhouse Cricket Club – Happy New Year.
#UTH 💛💙
