Tony Garner: Praise from a legend (28 July 1997)

28 July 1997

Praise from a legend

Tony Garner

WHEN you get praise from a legend you know you must be doing something right, writes TONY GARNER.

And James Peterson must have left Lanehead last night feeling a couple of inches taller after scoring a ton which brought a verbal bouquet from Lancashire League great Everton Weekes.

Weekes was back at Lanehead meeting up with old friends at the ground he graced nearly half a century ago.

Many still feel the West Indian was the best the League has ever seen.

And the stories of his precision batting and dry humour were flowing from every corner of the ground.

The Master batsman was given an excellent display to admire from Peterson who fittingly honoured his visit with a splendid century.

"It was a fine innings," observed the silver-haired Weekes who is now in his 70's.

"Mind you it has always been a good batting wicket here," he added with a smile turning back to his old batting partner Stan Entwistle.

Other batsmen yesterday seemed to find the pitch had plenty of demonds.

But who am I to argue with a legend?

Weeks first came to Bacup in 1949, almost 50 years, returning in 1951, 52, 53, 54, 56 and 58.

In 1951 he scoed 1,518 runs - still the Bacup club record and for 40 years the league record.

But Weekes, who made those runs in a golden era for League cricket when games were played on a time basis, has reservations about the current limited overs game.

"For younger players it is not always a good thing," he explained.

"When you are trying to groom young players they need time to learn the game."

"For established players who have made the grade, limited overs cricket is good."

For this summer's Bacup professional, the task has been to follow in the footsteps of another West Indies legend - Roger Harper. Harper - pro from 1989 to 1996 - was an absolute professional. Devastating with the bat, mean with the ball and deadly in the field.

But his 102 out of 182 all out against Todmorden took his tally well past the 800 mark.

His displays have impressed enough for him to be offered terms for next summer, but he is unsure of his commitments in Australia at this stage.

His was a vital innings on a day when the wicket clearly offered the bowlers some assistance.

Todmorden never really got in the hunt slipping to 54-5 and losing pro Fransie Cronje cheaply (to Peterson).

David Whitehead, (35) who earlier in the day had taken a magnificent seven victims behind the stumps, and Brian Hewood made a fight of it.

But they both fell to Terry Lord who took 5-12 off five overs to mop up the tail and give Everton Weekes another happy Bacup memory to take back to the Caribbean.