Denton West Cricket Club

 
 

About

Denton West Cricket Club was born at the renaming of the Reddish & Gorton Cricket Club in October 1947 following local boundary changes and the club committee’s wish to align themselves with the rapidly growing housing estate in the West End of Denton, an area known today as either Dane Bank or Thornley Park depending on which end of Windsor Road you come from.

Reddish & Gorton Cricket Club was born in 1934 following a merger of the separate clubs that were Reddish CC, who played on the current ground from around 1880, and Gorton CC who, formed in 1848 at a ground opposite the current location of St James Church on Wellington Street/Gorton Lane, had played at several sites in Gorton before being evicted from their last ground off Chapman Street in 1934.

Over the years the clubs have been represented by International Cricketers from around the world and International Footballers from both sides of Manchester divide but more importantly the clubs have provided sporting activity for the residents of Denton, Gorton and Reddish for nigh on 165 years.

The Gorton Cricket Club’s history features some of Manchester’s most famous industrialists as players, officials and benefactors, and a number of players from Manchester City FC of the twenties including the like of Eli Fletcher, Tommy Johnson and Eric Brook. As Reddish & Gorton Cricket Club and then Denton West Cricket Club we produced one of the world’s greatest cricketers. We are not actually sure if there were such things as ‘coaches’ in those days but he certainly took advice from someone to bowl ‘line and length’ to which he added his own talent to bowl ‘fast and straight’ to become the England legend that is Brian Statham.

Brian was joined at the club by another young man from the same area, a young man who would also go on to play for England but this time with a football. Roger Byrne was a Manchester United and England legend who played for West for a number of years before he became one of the games stars. Of course Roger was one of so many talented players to lose their lives in the Munich air disaster of 1958.

Over the years the club has been led by some fantastic administrators; volunteers who could organise, lead and do stuff that most of us would shy away from and they have taken the club from strength to strength to a point where we are able to raise sufficient funds each year to enable us to compete on the field and continually develop and improve our facilities.

Along the way we have been champions of Lancashire and league champions a number of times in different competitions. Today we are the most successful club in the Lancashire County League with 6 junior teams and 3 senior teams regularly competing for honours.

It is hoped that we will soon publish the history of the clubs both in print and as a living document online to which we would welcome all contributions. The information on our web site is being added to all the time, please come back soon.

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