All-change at Austerlands

Austerlands secretary Paul Scholes (left), junior co-ordinator Peter Sunderland and first-team captain Kevin Du Feu.

TIME stands still for no-one. That should be Austerlands Cricket Club’s motto as they continually move forward on and off the field.

Plans are in the pipeline to further develop their Thorpe Lane ground while, such is their pool of players, they have applied to enter a third team in the North Manchester League next season.

Much has changed at Austerlands in a relatively short space of time.

“I used to hate coming here,” said secretary Paul Scholes. “It was a dump.”

Not anymore. Gone are those dark days of a few years ago as Austerlands are the perfect example at what can be achieved through hard work and dedication.

The club were on the verge of extinction when a group of people, with local connections, rode to the rescue.

Some of them have since left, but Marian and Phil Young, Andy Green and Peter Sunderland remain. Scholes, who spent nearly 30 years as a player and official at Friarmere, came on board later.

Phil Young is the chairman, Green makes sure the ground is in tip-top order and Sunderland takes care of the junior section.

Sunderland said: “At our first meeting, we were all wearing coats because there was no central heating in the clubhouse.

“It was a case of people taking responsibility. Everyone was given a job and we just got on with it. The parents of the younger players have been great.

“We’ve got central heating and, now that the changing rooms and showers have been upgraded, it is a club that everyone can be proud of, but there is still stuff to do here.”

The first thing they did was to apply for a grant to build new nets. Rejected at first, their second attempt was successful and they were awarded £5,000.

They had laid the foundations of junior set up, which now boasts teams in the under-13s, 15s and 17s divisions of the Saddleworth League.

“A reason for joining the North Manchester League has come from the success of the juniors,” said Scholes.

“We don’t want to lose the youngsters. By doing this, we can keep them interested by pitting their talents against more senior players.

“It also means the club is open for another day.”

The ground itself has undergone a transformation. Thanks to another grant, this time of almost £40,000, they landscaped part of the hill next to the scorebox and extended the car park. They also laid a walkway and built a fence around the edge of outfield.

The club’s next project is to complete the work on the hill.

These improvements have had a knock on effect in that Austerlands have hosted Oldham town team games and the Saddleworth League’s under-18s side, who played their Colts Inter-League Trophy pool game against the Bolton League at the ground last Sunday.

Austerlands have strong links with the local community. Blue Coat School use their facilities twice a week and Counthill stage a six-a-side competition for feeder schools.

The club’s fortunes have also taken a turn for the better on the pitch.

The first team, who won three titles in the 1980s before experiencing a slump, reached the 2007 Tanner Cup final and finished fifth in the table last year.

Scholes said: “The thing that gives me the most pride is the success of the juniors.

“The under-17s won the Romida Cup last season and that was as good as anything we’ve achieved here.

“I also look at the reaction of players, umpires and spectators when they come to Austerlands. They quite like coming here and that says a lot about what’s been done my so many people.”