Dave,

Thank you for the qick response, both your reply and Mike Lee's message bought back many happy memories of people who I remember with great fondness and have never forgotten, despite 30 years in Canada. Eileen and I have been married for nearly 35 years have four children and seven grandchildren, I am still toiling in the Toronto Dominion Bank, and boring everybody by telling them I would be retired if I had stayed in the UK! I used to work in the old Martins (Barclays) Bank with Brian Johnson who Mike mentioned in his EMail.

Please give Brian Tottey who I also remember my best wishes and hope he is feeling better. I hope John Ennion and Dave Jellicoe remember me, I certainly remember them very well. In fact you can tell Dave the ligher he gave us as a wedding present lasted until a couple of years ago, so he is remembered!!!!. John was a very good all rounder, as a batsman he was difficult to dislodge and I know he took many key wickets. Dave was of course a fluent and majestic batsman who scored a lot of runs. More importantly I remember them as people perhaps more so because of emigrating than if I had stayed in the UK. I also have fond mememories of John's brother Brian, who was a key bowler for many years.

Mike I remember you well of course, and in fact we corresponded briefly when you first came to Canada but lost touch. One of our sons lived in Calgary with his wife and three children but has since moved to northern Alberta. However he hopes to move back to Calgary eventually, working for Esso, so we may be able to meet when we visist him.

I played mainly for the third and second elevens and I think Arther Moult's team used to beat us (Mike Watkins) eleven regularly!!

Mike your EMail was very eloquent and very moving for us old people and captured mood of the old days well. I used to meet Jack Forshaw on his moped as I cycled from Hewswall to Martins Bank in Neston.

Dave the reason for the change of league is interesting, clearly something needs to be done with english cricket to make it more competitive internationally, and I suppose the change comes thoughout the game.

I do hope to keep in touch, and congratulations on putting together this web site I know it is a huge amount of work, and unfortunately we also have to work as well!!.

Kind Regards

Martin Smith

Hi,

I was delighted to find the Neston Cricket Club sight, having very happy memories of playing at Neston, many years ago, 1954 to 1962. I have lived here in Canada since 1968 so have only kept up with the news on quite rare occasions, and did not know you had changed leagues.

I expect the majority of people I knew are no longer involved although I did see Charlie Swift approximately 10 years ago now. However best wishes to Charlie if he is still around, also David Jellicoe, Keith Osborne, and any others from that era who are still involved. I believe Peter Cross is still involved in the hockey, I remember the agonies people went through allowing the hockey on the hallowed field!

Very Best wishes in 1999!

Martin Smith
4226, Longmoor Drive, Burlington, Ontario, L7L 4Z9

I began playing cricket at Neston in 1960 when I was 14. I played in Arthur Moult's 3rd X1, with such ancients as Arthur Ashwell, Ron Benbow, Charlie Swift, The Griffins, and many more whose names I can remember, and would love to write about one day. The backfield was a wonderful place to spend sunny summer saturdays and sundays. The old green wooden hut, one couldn't call it a pavillion, with the drop out windows, is quite memorable. Cars would park on the south boundary, having entered from Manorial Drive down by "Nicko,s" house and the tennis courts would be alive with activity.

At tea or games end we would return to the tea room or main bar attached to the Olde Pavillion (pre the great fire) to watch the senior team at play. I have a sharp memory of events, players, sounds and smells of a time in my life that was carefree, full of fun and still provides great memories and quotable happenings. It was an age of innocence and impression when I was quite influenced by the behaviour, values and characters of the time, which prepared me and have stood me well over the subsequent years.

Harry Sprowson was the barman, who used to place grass sods on the beer kegs to keep them cool in the summer months. Jack Forshaw was the groundsman who rode a moped through the country lanes, sometimes "very jolly" to his Moreton home. Arthur Ashwell was my coach, mentor and an incredibly loyal servant of the club. Previously the club's professional, he subsequently played at all levels into his 70's and was happy to cook hot dog sausages (from butcher Swift) till all hours of the early morning. John Pennington was the Secretary. He would season his bat in a bath of seawater. The early 60's saw the end of The Cranston era, the introduction of the breathalyser and a fall off in support of the club by the landed gentry.

I gradually began to score runs and ascended to the First X1 in the mid 60's. Brian Johnson followed by Donald Hughes were the Captains. The teams had two Ennions, Nicko Williams, Geoff Pool, Keith Jackson, David's Costain and Jellicoe, Charlie Sowerby, Phil Monks, Don Favager, David James (Olympic boxing coach) and others : The Byrnes, the late Nick Little, John Dancaster and how could I forget Peter Cross and my opening bat partner Andrew Taylor. Fred Davis was scorer and George Rowlands was the umpire. My first, 1XI , game was at Ruskin Drive St Helens. Opening the batting against Ken Shuttleworth (Lancs and eventually England) and Mike Beddow (Lancs) I scored 56 not out of a total of 70 for four, before rain curtailed play for the day. Another memory was a sunday game at Alderely Edge, when we bowled out a strong side for 51. Opening the batting I scored 54 not, and managed to save my partner Abe Taylor from facing a single ball!

I left the sound of Mostyn House Bells and the food smells of The Old Quay in 1969 and played at Wallasey for two years with several other Neston players (Poole, Douglas) and even Arthur Ashwell had a stint of coaching and grounds keeping at Wallasey. I came to Canada in 1970 seeking fame and fortune. I played a little cricket in Montreal and  Halifax Nova Scotia, but have long since replaced the bat with clubs. I am a Management consultant with an International Organization focusing on organization effectivness and human resources. I owe much to my Neston experiences and a sense of fun and fair play have been constant allies, developed at Parkgate, which have sustained me through life's challenges. Happily married with two teenage kids, I get back to The Wirral only rarely where my mother still lives in Willaston.

I would love to share so many stories. I am still in touch with Brian Ridge, but thirty years is a long time to sustain distant relationships. My best regards to you and any other folk who may remember the 60's. I am still passionate about the game and am in up to the minute touch with the game through the net, newspapers and books.

Best wishes for the 1999 Season.

Mike Lee

PS. I also played field hockey for Neston in the inaugural 1965/1966 season. Even played in the first game.