Finding Freddie L


ancashire County Cricket Club’s Director of Cricket, Mike Watkinson, believes the onus is firmly on local clubs to bring through the


next Andrew (Freddie) Flintoff or Jimmy Anderson.


The demise of the sport in schools means there are few other avenues for the stars of the future to rise through the system. And, the former England and


A brand new cricket facility at Westhoughton may just help to uncover the next England cricket star. Laurence Gale MSc meets Head Groundsman and ECB Pitch Advisor, Paul Tatton, to find out more


Lancashire all-rounder admits it is becoming harder for cricket to compete with the various other modern day distractions. “The leagues are in competition with so many more varied interests than they were thirty years ago,” he said. “Back when I started out, kids would have a football or a cricket bat, and that would be it.” “There are many leagues in


Lancashire and they play a really important part in bringing through our next generation of cricketers.” One such club that has always


The new facilities came about after supermarket chain, Sainsburys, bought the


provided a steady flow of talented cricketers is Watkinson’s old club, Westhoughton Cricket Club, who play in the Bolton League, and that trend will hopefully continue, especially now they have one of the newest and best equipped grounds in the county.


The club began life somewhere back in the mid 19th century, although nobody is too sure when, as there were no records kept. 1864 appears to be the likely year the club was founded. Westhoughton was the scene of one of the worst mining disasters in the country when, in December 1910, 344 men lost their lives. Situated just five miles from Bolton and fifteen miles from Manchester, the town is at the very heart of the cricketing traditions of Lancashire.


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