Oldham secure new pro

OLDHAM have signed 20-year-old South African Hendrick Erasmus van der Dussen as their professional for the 2009 Lake Garage CLL season.

The right-hand opening batsman and leg break bowler arrives at the Pollards following recommendations from his fellow South Africans Heino Kuhn and Roelof van der Merwe.
Kuhn was an amateur player at Oldham before becoming Werneth’s professional.

Van der Dussen plays provincial cricket in South Africa for Northerns and was last seen in action during the team’s eight-wicket defeat of Kwa-Zulu in Pretoria last month.

He becomes the new Oldham professional as last year’s paid man, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, was unable to make a commitment to play after being selected for the 25-man Sri Lanka squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in England this summer.

That squad will be pruned to 15 players before the start of the competition.

Van der Dussen, known as “Rassie” to his Northerns team-mates, will be joined at the Pollards by fellow South African Nick Maree, who returns to Oldham as overseas amateur after helping the club to runners-up spot in the CLL last season.

Former Royton skipper Matthew Ward will also be playing for Oldham this season, along with his former Paddock team-mate Denny Hulme, who represented Holmfirth in the Huddersfield League last summer.

But opening bowler Stuart Moore and wicket-keeper Jason Maher have left to join Saddleworth League clubs, Moore linking up with Heyside and Maher signing for Bamford.

Hulme will take Maher’s place behind the stumps.


OLDHAM are staging a sportsmen’s dinner on Friday night (6.30pm for 7) at which local rugby league star Barrie McDermott will be the guest speaker.

Comedy will be supplied by Nicky Gunn, while Michael Bradshaw is the MC.

Tickets (£25) are still available and can be obtained through Mel Whittle on 07974 235502.