Old boys on the baize
Date published: 12 July 2011
CHALKING UP THE YEARS . . . from the left: Frank Ingham, Ian Shaw, Roy Taylor, Dob Taylor, Geoff Blomeley, Ron Mead and Norman Corbett.
POOL: AN amateur pool team from Shaw could possess the strangest claim to fame – they could very well be the oldest pub side in Great Britain.
It’s not often you will hear of people shouting their age from the rooftops in this heady world of media youth, glitz and glam, but the men who make up the Cricketers Arms’ pool team insist they have nothing to be ashamed about.
The team is made up of seven locals with ages of 64 to 72. They gather every Wednesday night to take part in the Shaw Pub League.
Team captain Roy Taylor (66) said: “We’ve been together for three years now, and it’s just been for fun.
“It was a few months ago when I started to ask everyone what their age was and I thought, ‘could we be the oldest team in the country?’”
Starting out as a friendly weeknight game of pool at the Tara Leisure Centre in Shaw, followed by a pint or two, The Cricketers Arms soon found themselves with a couple of new patrons. After meeting some of the locals, a new team was born.
“It was just a way of getting out midweek,” said Roy.
“It was just something to do with friends. We moved on to the Cricketers and we didn’t know anybody at first, so the team coming together just kind of happened.”
Despite the team’s combined age of 475, Roy says his players often give opposing younger teams a hard time.
He added: “We are home and away on alternate weeks and you do get quite a few younger teams playing.
“We do beat them on occasions and we have a lot of banter with the players. It’s something everyone enjoys.
“We started well, now we’re kind of hovering around mid-table in our league, but it’s just for fun.”
The rest of the team is Dob Taylor (72), Frank Ingham (70), Ian Shaw (68), Geoff Blomeley (68), Ron Mead (69) and Norman Corbett (64).
DO you know of any other teams in the area that have a similar claim or could possibly beat this record? Call the Chronicle on (0161) 622 2116.
