Mottram bowl over the competition

Batting through their first season in the Greater Manchester Cricket League, Mottram Cricket Club have impressed fans across the borough.

After moving out of the Derbyshire and Cheshire Cricket League, many were left wondering how Mottram would perform this season against new opponents.

Michael Scott, first team player, spoke of his sense of pride behind how the team has excelled this year.

“Changing leagues meant people weren’t sure what standard we would provide. We won all of our games apart from one this season, putting us in a really good position,” he said.

With Covid regulations in place and restrictions on travel, the season has been compiled of mostly derby games.

Michael told us how this has ‘increased the number of spectators’ in the crowd.

He said: “We had a match against Denton St Lawrence where we had around 200 spectators, it’s such a good feeling to play in front of a crowd like that.”

The initial worry was the fear of a lack of fans attending games due to the implications around the clubhouses and bars functioning without seating. However, this has not affected the members at Mottram as they have been very thankful for their support this year.

The team is happy to play any cricket at the moment, as at one point it was unable to play any.

Michael told us how ‘ideally more competitive games would be great with more relegation’ but playing friendly matches is ‘better than no games at all’.

Mottram say they are proud to house a stunning ground and are one of the only teams with a full-time groundsman.

“We’re very pleased with our ground here and we believe it’s one of the best in the area,” Michael said. “It’s important to have a professional that can take care of the land.”

As always, the club is looking to start winter nets in January and it is keen for new players who want to get involved with an excellent team.

With a strong bowling unit, they are on the look-out for more batsmen to play.

They are also looking to begin a fourth team next year, leaving plenty of room for potential cricketers.

You can watch our interview with Michael on our website, www.questmedianetwork.co.uk.

You can keep up-to-date with all the latest news on their Twitter account @MottramCricket