Top talents, great characters and super sledgers in an unbeatable all-star local cricket team
By Alan Swann
Published 11th May 2020, 12:59 BST
Updated 11th May 2020, 13:08 BST
The Peterborough Telegraph have published a few all-star local football teams, but now it’s officially the cricket season it’s time to switch sports.
I’ll start with the best team based on players I played with and against in the local area. I spent 30 years playing for Peterborough Town CC in the Northants Premier Division, South Lincs Premier Division and the Rutland League.
Only players from within the PT circulation area were considered with professionals and overseas players banned.
I make no apology for the abundance of PTCC players in my line-up as they have been the dominant local club in the last 30 years. E-mail your all-star team to [email protected]
I make no apology for the abundance of PTCC players in my line-up as they have been the dominant local club in the last 30 years. E-mail your all-star team to [email protected]
5.
TONY HOWORTH: A true legend of Northamptonshire cricket. I first came to PTCC to attend his popular kids courses and he was a top coach, top player and just the nicest man you could ever meet. He was in his forties when I first played alongside him, but his batting technique was still so pure he could play the fastest of bowlers and trickiest of spinners with ease. Tony was a Northants second team regular in the early 1960s and tipped to play first-class cricket until he was injured in a car accident. Excellent leg-spin bowler who skippered PTCC for more than 20 years.
AJAZ AKHTAR: Ajaz is the best local cricketer I’ve ever seen. I didn’t pick him for the first PTCC team I ever selected, but he was soon the first name on every teamsheet. He was a supremely gifted swing bowler and lord help anyone who turned up on a cloudy day at Bretton Gate to face him. His batting also improved as his career progressed with his leg-side hitting unmatched by many. Ajaz was also a fierce competitor, and a superb tactical captain who went on to lead minor county Cambridgeshire as well as PTCC with distinction. Ajaz has done it all. Won at Lord’s, played for England amateurs.
GARY RICE: Gary was probably the greatest all-rounder in PTCC history until Ajaz got into his stride. Gary was a very quick bowler when he first burst onto the scene, but one with the ability to swing the ball into right-handers with devastating accuracy. He bowled one of the quickest spells I’ve ever seen when former Northants and PTCC batsman Alan Tait was playing for ONs. Gary also scored one of the best hundreds I’ve seen rescuing PTCC from 30-6 against the high-class bowling unit at Wolverton. Another popular man who is now an award-winning groundsman at PTCC.
DAVID CHRISTMAS: David is one my favourite local cricketers of all-time. He was not only an outstanding all-rounder, he was a excellent skipper and a strong competitor who never crossed the line verbally unlike the odd one in my team! ‘Father’ was relentlessly accurate with his seam bowling and could hit a long ball when he was batting. He was so good he’d have walked into any of the great PTCC teams, but there was never a chance he would leave Bourne where he remains a club legend and still turns out occasionally in the club’s second team. A Lincolnshire Minor Counties regular also.
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