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175 NOT OUT! offers a must-read experience for all cricket buffs who relish the peerless nature of the game as it is played at local level. Since Ramsbottom Cricket Club was founded in 1845, ‘generations’ of players have partaken of the sport and stamped their character indelibly on the style in which it has been played. As an original member of the Lancashire League, formed in 1892, Ramsbottom has also succeeded in attracting many famous world-class professional players, for example arguably the greatest of all-time Australian skippers, Ian Chappell, plus in more recent years, Michael Clarke. Few other cricket grounds have the same iconic atmosphere as Rammy’s Acre Bottom with its splendid green and cream striped pavilion, built back in 1904. Within its hallowe d portals, Ramsbottom Cricket Club’s own Long Room, much like the one at London’s Lords’, contains evocative evidence of the club’s illustrious history splashed across its walls. Drawing on the club’s archive base, containing a wide and fascinating range of memorabilia, the author has succeeded in penning a vibrant narrative going back to 1845. In addition, interviews conducted with ex-players, the earliest of such recollections taking the reader back to the 1950s, provide rich and very often amusing first-hand accounts. |
UK Only £11.99 (+ £3.00 postage) Number of copies: Available on Amazon |
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The club’s ‘roll of honour’, from 1892 onwards, reveals the remarkable record of success achieved by Ramsbottom teams across a distinguished history of involvement in the distinctive world of Lancashire League cricket. Going far beyond raw facts and figures, 175 Not Out! explores the human dimension and the way in which cricket resides in the soul of the town’s community.
Above all else, this is a book which richly conveys the memories and recollections of all those who, whether as players, volunteer workers or spectators, have contributed so splendidly to the fascinating history of Ramsbottom Cricket Club. Nigel Jepson lives in Ramsbottom and is a keen supporter and member of Ramsbottom Cricket Club. He first came to the local area in the mid-1990s when taking up post as Headteacher at nearby Haslingden High School. As far as the broader community was concerned, it didn’t take long to pick up the vibes regarding the longstanding rivalry between Haslingden and Ramsbottom, much of it existing on a cricketing front as traditional close rivals in the Lancashire League. Nigel’s last UK Head’s post was at Kearsley Academy in Bolton from 2010 to 2014. ‘Retired’, he has though carried out interim Headteacher work in Dubai during 2016 and has also conducted teacher training programmes in New Delhi in 2018. Although having always been keen on team sports, he developed a passion for long distance running which started with the London Marathon in 1982, moving through other events to New York in 2001. More recently, over 2017 to 2019, prior to the Covid pandemic kicking in, he ran four more marathons in Dubai, Belfast, Manchester and Liverpool. ‘The Inspector and the Superhead’ (2000) ‘Cut and Run’ (2006) ‘In a League of His Own’ (2011) ‘Speed is of the Essence’ (2015) |
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