Heritage project to celebrate LCL
CRICKET
BRIAN Heywood has been appointed as project manager of the Lancashire League’s heritage project, The Lancashire League Experience: Celebrating 125 Years of the Lancashire Cricket League. The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which relies on the generosity of Lottery players across the country.
Brian is a former first eleven captain at Todmor- den CC, and has played club cricket since 1974, mainly in the Lancashire League. A former teacher, Brian has worked in sporting heritage since 2002. He co-wrote a comprehensive history of Todmorden CC and has also written education schemes based on the histories of numerous professional sports clubs.
From 2012 to 2015 he was heritage project manager of Huddersfield Rugby League: A Lasting Legacy on behalf of Huddersfield Giants in the Community. He is heritage consultant to the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation and is Yorkshire’s representative on the County Cricket Heritage Forum.
Brian said: “The Lancashire League is the most famous cricket league in the world and has a fantastic history. Its unchanged membership from 1897 to 2016 is a world record of longevity for any League in any sport. The influx of ten new clubs is an exciting development and makes this a watershed moment to reflect on and celebrate the League’s history.
“The League has been characterised by the battle between local amateurs and world class professionals. Such opportunities, a rare privilege for amateurs in any sport, have provided many rich memories.
“As the great Australian fast bowler, Ted McDonald, destroyer of England in 1921 and Nelson’s pro from 1922 to 1925 said, ‘They tame lions in that League!’
“The project plans to explore and build awareness of how the League has grown from the region’s industrial heritage and contributed to its communities, developing partnerships across communities and contributing to the resilience of cricket in the area.”
League Chairman Mike Bibby added: “What better way for us to celebrate 125 years since our formation than two developments which will enhance our reputation as the best known League in the cricketing world – increas- ing our membership to 24 clubs with two divisions and promotion and relegation, and this project to collate and preserve our vast history?
“Younger people will learn about the league and what it means to the townspeople of East Lancashire. The memories of older residents lucky enough to watch the famous professionals and amateurs of their day will be stimulated and recorded.
“Brian Heywood, our Project Manager, has vast knowledge of the League and cricket in general, and has expertise in heading such projects.”
The project is currently at the beginning of Phase 1, the ‘Development Phase’.
This Phase involves collecting evidence in support of the project’s Phase 2 – Delivery Phase – application.
If this application is successful, activities will be rolled out a across the League from early summer 2018 to December 2020.