I’ve been visiting Park Drive, the home of Hartlepool Cricket Club, since about June, 2016. I first became a member of the Cricket Club around this time. Prior to this, I remember visiting Park Drive to play a pre-season friendly for Seaham Harbour 1st XI against Hartlepool 1st XI. I think this match was played on Easter Sunday, possibly in 1993, or 1994? Before becoming a member of Hartlepool Cricket Club I played cricket for Seaham Harbour in the former Durham Senior Cricket League.

Although I can’t remember the exact result of this friendly match, (it was possibly a draw due to rain), the match was memorable for one specific reason. Whilst we were fielding a man ran onto the cricket field from the rear of one of the houses that backs onto the cricket ground along West Park. This chap, who was moving at great pace, was soon followed by the presumed owner who yelled : “Stop him! He’s just tried to burgle my house!”. Unfortunately, as the crook ran across the outfield he didn’t know that Seaham Harbour included a Police Officer and a Trainee Police Officer within its ranks, ie. Messrs Swainston and Lacey. The crook was quickly apprehended. Well, he was rugby tackled to the ground! Officers from Cleveland Police were called and attended in record time. An arrest was made. The story made the Cricketer magazine, albeit recounted in more eloquent terms.

I first started visiting Park Drive due to my son, Noah, starting to attend the Junior training sessions that are held on a Friday evening. He started attending the training sessions with his friends from about June, 2016. Having played cricket with Gary Cunliffe at “the Harbour”, (a legend both on and off the cricket field!), he knew I was a qualified Cricket Coach. This was mentioned to some people at the Cricket Club. Soon after I was introduced to Alan Smith and Chris Smith, who both made me extremely welcome at the Cricket Club.

2020 is now my fourth year helping to coach at Park Drive. My coaching duties are combined with Clubmark responsibilities and the administration of the Club’s website. In January, 2020 I was elected Chairperson of the Junior Section. Unfortunately, my tenure as Junior Chairperson hasn’t gone according to plan, with all recreational cricket having been suspended for reasons that are all too well known.

What do I enjoy about visiting Hartlepool Cricket Club? I enjoy the coaching duties I undertake, teaching our young cricketers new skills, seeing them learn and execute their skills when playing in tournaments. Coaching involves team work between other Coaches. I’m fortunate to work with Graeme Coverdale and Danny Hawkins at Under 9 level, with us sharing the same coaching philosophies. Until a recent house move, Peter Ramsey also assisted with coaching too, with his massive enthusiasm for sport being evident for all to see. As with the other Coaches at the Cricket Club, we take pride in what we do. We are extremely proud of our players. Unfortunately, our plans for 2020 have been suspended due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. If no cricket is played in 2020, then the Under 9s will be the most successful team in the Cricket Club. They won the Under 9s Softball Tournament that was held at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre earlier this year. The Under 9s were defending champions. Cricket activities will return at some point, although the time scale is unknown. I coach because I no longer play cricket, although I was due to return to some cricket this Summer as part of the Cricket Club’s newly established Over 40s side. Those who coached me as a young player inspired me to coach, such as Messrs Hulme, Sillett, Swainston, Blenkiron and Crosby. Hopefully, Graeme, Danny and I can inspire others to coach too.

When I get the opportunity to do so I enjoy watching cricket at the fantastic Park Drive, especially with a cold drink in hand! Sitting watching cricket and having a chat about the current game in play, or past matches is a great way to spend an afternoon, or, if I’m lucky, the entire day. There’s nothing better than sitting at Park Drive on a lovely sunny afternoon, having a few drinks, chatting with family and friends.

Being relatively new to Hartlepool Cricket Club I’m not able to give a detailed view on cricketers who have I’ve seen play for Hartlepool. I’m therefore going to focus on my former club, Seaham Harbour. If anybody is reading this article, (as I hope there will be!), you may be familiar with some of the names that are mentioned below.

The best “best amateur player” I saw play for Seaham Harbour Cricket Club is an easy decision : Neil McKinney. An excellent batsman, bowler and a safe pair of hands in the field. He’d happily take on the quick bowlers, (especially the pros), smashing the ball to all parts of the park. He seldom wore a cricket helmet when batting. Personally, I think he should have gone on to play as a professional in county cricket. Had Durham attained first class status earlier, I’m sure he would have played for Durham. In terms of “sledging” a batsman with a throwaway comment, there was nobody better! The funniest thing he did as Captain was when he went out to spin-up with the Captain of Durham City whilst wearing a blazer and a cravat. The latter was a pair of Paisley boxer shorts! His attire was taken in good spirits by the City’s Captain. Neil’s son, Ben, is on Durham’s books. I think he played for Durham Under 15s in the multi-day match that was played at Park Drive last Summer. Ben is coached by James Lowe.

The best Captain I ever played under at Seaham Harbour was Jeff Laws. Although not renowned for his jovial nature, he was an excellent Captain. He led from the front as an opening batsman. Being wicket keeper he had a central view of the game. He was extremely supportive of young players. He wasn’t afraid to try something new during the course of a match. I played my most enjoyable cricket under Jeff. Although no longer playing, Jeff last visited Park Drive in 2019 with some other friends from “the Harbour” to watch the Kerridge Cup Final.

The best professional cricketer I ever saw play for Seaham Harbour was Ali Naqvi. A Pakistani Test Match cricketer, he played two seasons at Seaham, although his performances faded a little in his second season with us. I played in the same team as him, occasionally opening the batting with him. He was an excellent right handed opening batsman. He had time and elegance. Well, having made a Test century on debut against South Africa away from home against an attack that featured Allan Donald he must Have been a decent player! He scored 115 on his Test Match debut : 6th October, 1997. Unbeknown to us, he was an excellent pace bowler too. With the benefit of hindsight, he was perhaps over bowled. Being expected to bowl 22 overs and then bat for the majority of the innings was not always possible. I remember he gave me one of Lance Klusener’s Test Mach playing shirts, which I wore until threadbare.

Who would feature in my all time best 1st XI for Seaham Harbour Cricket Club? That is a very difficult question! After much thought, I have arrived at the following selections, with some of the below players no doubt known to watchers of cricket at Park Drive, (with them listed as a batting order), :-

1. Ali Naqvi : right handed bat and medium paced bowler;
2. Jeff Laws : Captain, right handed bat and wicket keeper;
3. Ashok Patel : left handed bat and spinner. I think Ash possibly joined “the Harbour” after being professional at Park Drive?;
4. Brian Parker : left handed bat and spinner;
5. Neil McKinney : right handed bat and medium paced bowler;
6. David Leslie : son of Derek Leslie, a right handed bat, reserve wicket keeper and medium paced bowler;
7. Stephen Sennett : left handed bat and medium paced bowler. “The Bishop”, (don’t ask why he‘s called “the Bishop”), was the best fielder I ever played with. He was lightening fast and had an Exocet left arm;
8. Glenn Froud : left handed bat and spinner;
9. Joe Dodd : right handed bat and fast bowler. I think Joe is the first and only male model to have played cricket for Seaham Harbour;
10. Stuart Lacy : right handed bat and fast bowler. I think “the Burger”, (absolutely no idea why he was nicknamed “the Burger”!), had county trials for Northants in his youth. We went through a phase of playing consecutive cup matches on a Friday evening away at Esh Winning Cricket Club. I think we played there three weeks running. On one visit “the Burger” bowled the fastest I’d ever seen him bowl, bowling down the slight incline and in fading light. He was rapid that evening!; and
11. Brian Forster : son of Frank Forster, he was a right handed bat and fast bowler. Foz could be quite direct! I won’t recount what he said to me on my 1st XI debut away at Philadelphia Cricket Club!

The best professional cricketer I played against whilst representing Seaham Harbour Cricket Club was probably Derry Parry, the West Indian Test cricketer who played at Horden Cricket Club for many seasons. He was an excellent cricketer. I once saw him share in a century stand in a league match at Seaham. He scored 100, while his partner scored 1 run! The best amateur that I played against was probably Adrian Hadley. When I played against him he was a fierce cricketer and a destructive batsman. I remember him launching “Starchie” over into the tennis courts for a six from the second ball of the innings. He played an immaculate forward defence against the first ball. Ball two? He advanced down the track and perfectly timed the ball with a lofted straight drive for 6. It went for miles! Some say it landed at Murton.

Thinking about my own cricketing performances for Seaham Harbour, I think one of my best individual performances was when we played against Durham City at home and I scored my second 1st XI League hundred. I scored my hundred with a six out of the ground! I think this innings was witnessed by Gary Cunliffe? This high scoring game was drawn. My 87 not out, (plus my 2 for 47), probably ranks as equal in the drawn match against Hetton Lyons. We came within 10 runs of victory. With the benefit of hindsight we should have gone for the win. When we came off the field I remember Peter Weston and Mick Sennett of “Critics’ Corner” questioning why we hadn’t gone for the win. In reality we probably showed Hetton Lyons too much respect. Ashley Day wasn’t playing for “the Lyons” at this time.

As a player, my proudest moment representing Seaham Harbour Cricket Club was the day we beat Horden in an away league fixture : 12th June, 2004. The previous weekend we had been beaten by Eppleton. Beaten is probably the incorrect word. We had been totally humiliated! Shaun Birbeck took 8 for 12 in 7.3 overs, with Gary Hulme taking 2 for 11 in 8 overs. They bowled us out for 29 runs, with the scorecard including 10 ducks! Martin Gill top scored with 23, with 6 extras. Not a pleasant way to spend your Saturday afternoon! As Captain, Mike Amos of the Northern Echo was very keen to speak with me about this match.

Horden bowled us out for 110. We managed to reach this total thanks to impressive batting by Paul Snaith, (“Starchie” : 13 not out), and 25 from Duncan Loraine. Horden included Adrian Hedley, Nadeem Khan, Andrew Robson and former Seaham Harbour Skipper, Jeff Laws, (or “Judas” as he became to be known), in their ranks. At the tea interval things weren’t looking good. However, victory would be tasted at Horden in what was a slightly ill-tempered match, with Messrs McCoy, (Horden), and Gustard, (“the Harbour”), “clashing” on the boundary. Still baffled that the officiating Umpires didn’t seek to intervene.

For once, everything clicked for us in the field. The turning point came when I pulled a muscle in my side whilst bowling. As Captain, I called upon Steven Sennett to replace me at the Football Stand End. This was a turning point and my best contribution to the game. Our strike bowler, Neville Gustard, bowled unchanged to take 7 for 41 from 14.3 overs, including two wicket maidens. “The Bishop” took 3 for 9 from 7 overs, with one wicket maiden. Horden were dismissed for 81 runs, giving us a winning margin of 29 runs, the same score we had made at Eppleton a week earlier! After suffering humiliation against Eppleton, this was a morale boosting victory. Once back in the changing rooms there was total silence for about a minute, before the changing room erupted with sounds of celebrations, no doubt much to the annoyance of the Horden players.

Question : Can you name the person who links Seaham Harbour Cricket Club and Hartlepool United?

In terms of representative honours, the highest level I played at was for Durham County Under 16s in 1990. I played against Yorkshire at Consett Cricket Club, opening the bowling and taking four wickets. The Durham team included Messrs Blenkiron, Daley, Pratt, Hughes and Worthy. Unfortunately, due a back injury I never played again at county level. I had been selected to play in the Texaco Trophy, but had to withdraw due to injury. I was selected for two tours for the Durham Schools Under 19s, going on two tours to Derby and Yorkshire in 1991 and 1992, with these including games at St. Peter’s and Ampleforth. I also played a few representative matches for the Durham Senior League Under 18s. One of the away matches was played against the NYSD at Shildon BR.

In terms of current Junior players at Hartlepool Cricket Club, I particularly enjoy watching George Martin, Max Jackson and Fin Barlow. Although George plays at Under 9 level he has raw talent and is full of energy! I kept wicket to Max when he played in last year’s Over 40s match which was played on “Cricket World Cup Sunday”. He zipped the ball through and regularly hit the seam. Keeping wicket, I took a catch off his bowling. He battered maturely, helping the Cricket Club beat a “West Select XI” which was captained by Brendan Baggs. Brendan’s sledging was nearly as good as Neil McKinney’s! Fin is a talented cricketer and will hopefully continue his impressive development and performances.

Over the years I’ve eaten many cricket teas! Some good. Some bad. At Seaham, for a couple of seasons the teas were prepared by a lady that we nicknamed “Mrs. Meanie”. As you may probably gather, the teas weren’t too good! My favourite cricket tea comprises the following : sausage rolls; cheese savoury sandwiches; crisps; a nice slice of cake; and a steaming cup of tea!

There are many things that Hartlepool Cricket Club does well. The following are highlighted : it’s a friendly place to visit; thanks to the hard work of the Junior Committee it has a thriving Junior Section; the General Committee ensures that Dave Measor, (Groundsman), is able to ensure that Park Drive is maintained to the highest of standards; thanks to the hard work of Jeff Pounder, (Club Steward), the Cricket Club holds many social functions, producing an important income stream for the Club; and the Cricket Club is able to hold matches involving representative sides from Durham Cricket.

Could the Cricket Club improve on certain things, or slightly change how things are done? I think the Club could improve on certain matters, with minor tweaks being made. It could look to increase female representation on Committees. I think it’s important that we look to build upon and enhance the links between the Junior Section and the Senior Section. With the appointment of Tom Gavin as the new 1st XI Captain, excellent initial discussions have already taken place about this. Although not in the power of the Cricket Club, it would be fantastic if more people could sign-up to our new website, so that they are kept informed of what is going on at the Cricket Club. If you are reading this, this probably won’t apply to you! Why not spread the word to others about the website? The new website, operated via Pitchero, has been quite successful and is hopefully informative. It’s also been good at promoting the Cricket Club’s sponsors. It would be great if others could also contribute articles for publication on the website. If you are interested in this, then please let me know. Why not “pen” something now? The decision to re-commence Senior Presentation Nights is a major positive, although the first function will probably have to wait until the conclusion of the 2021 cricket season.

Although my personal view, in years to come, (and with all conditions met to make these things possible), I’d like to see the Cricket Club install solar panels on top of the Club House, thereby helping to reduce its carbon footprint. The panels would obviously need to be covered by a protective netting system. I’d also like to see the Cricket Club build its own indoor net facilities within Park Drive, possibly on the footprint of the existing outdoor nets. This could possibly be a multi-use building. I don’t see anything wrong with thinking big!

Thanks to the hard work and efforts of our Groundsman, Dave Measor, Park Drive is a fantastic place to watch cricket! The things I like best about Park Drive are : the magnificent cricket pavilion and the picturesque view as you look across the ground. Park Drive is a fantastic cricket ground! Our members and players are extremely fortunate to have such a great facility to enjoy.

What has playing cricket given to me as a person? Well, on a personal level great friendships and memories. The importance of being a member of a club is something that I try to reinforce with our Junior Players. Being a member of a club, particularly a sports club, brings with it a number of important learning points and social skills.

When the current Coronavirus Pandemic lockdown has been lifted and a sense of normality returns to life, (although query what the new normality will look like), I am looking forward to again being able to visit Park Drive. What I’m most looking forward to is the return of cricket to Park Drive. I’m looking forward to being able to deliver our first training session for our Under 9s and to then enjoy a cold drink afterwards. Hopefully, the temporary suspension in recreational cricket will cause all players, (both Junior and Senior), plus our members too, to realise how much they love cricket, with absence definitely making the heart grow fonder.

Thanks to the hard work of the General Committee, Jeff Pounder and Dave Measor, cricket will return to Park Drive. The only question is when, not if. Unfortunately, I suspect we may have to wait until 2021 for any meaningful outdoor cricket, although I’m hopefully wrong on this.

Hopefully, others will also share their cricket thoughts via the submission of articles for publication on the website. At this difficult time it’s quite therapeutic to think about times past. It’s important that we look after both our physical and mental health at this time.

Answer :
Jim Dyson, (nicknamed “the Guru”), played cricket for Seaham Harbour Cricket Club. He kept wicket. He famously kept wicket at Durham City without gloves, after leaving his gloves at home and not wanting to ask “the City” if he could borrow their gloves. During this match, legend has it that he even stood up to the quickies without gloves! Jim signed for Hartlepool United in April, 1955 and made 63 appearances as goalkeeper. Jim will be well known to some due to his rugby coaching, including a spell at Darlington Mowden Park. Jim was responsible for many signings at “the Harbour”. Jim was highly respected and could recount some great sporting stories! He was Treasurer when I was Club Secretary.