Seniors Update - June 2023
1st X1
Led by new skipper Matthew Sonczak, Glossop CC 1XI have made an excellent start to their GMCL Premier 2 campaign and currently sit in third place.
Six of the first eight league games away from home looked tricky on paper, but the 1XI are as yet unbeaten on the road. They've won four, with two further matches being abandoned due to poor early season weather.
Fixtures at North Road have been rare, with the 1XI winning and losing one each in the league, in addition to a comfortable victory in the first round of the cup.
Brendon Schultz - our new Australian overseas amateur - arrived in the UK on May 11th and has made an instant impact. In four matches so far, Brendon has taken 13 wickets @ 9.85, including 5-32 at Stand on debut, and hit a classy unbeaten half-century in the first round of the cup.
Elsewhere in the 1XI, Chris Gill has enjoyed a brilliant start to the year with the bat, making 244 runs @ 48.80 in eight innings and scoring his second Glossop CC century. Lee Dale and Matt Sonczak have also chipped in with important runs, both in the league and T20 competition.
One of the 1XI's strengths last season was spin bowling, and it's been no different in 2023. Will Hargreaves leads the wicket-taking charts with 20 @ 10.40, while Matt Sonczak has 9 @ 15.44 with an economy of just 2.29.
Dom Perrin has perhaps been the pick of the bowlers so far, taking 15 wickets @ 11.07 as a leg-spinner in early April and May, including two brilliant five-wicket hauls against Walshaw and Astley & Tyldesley.
2nd XI
After a successful 2022 season of introducing some of our promising juniors into 2nd team cricket and a 3rd place finish, it was decided early this year that the club needed to continue on its journey of transitioning players from junior to senior cricket. Many of the senior players are in their 40s with fitness, aches, pains, work and family commitments to contend with so the club has realigned its expectations for the year with a clear goal of maintaining its divisional status.
Despite losses versus Moorside and Dukinfield and rain affected match against Shaw, there was early promise shown. Over the 3 games, 13-year-old Derbyshire CCC representative Ben Wilson bowled 21 overs of off spin, picking up 8 wickets for 112 runs. Greater Manchester Cricket League representative Olly Boothroyd debuted, bowling his promising seam and showing some flare with the bat.
The team picked up its first win versus Saddleworth at a bustling North Road. Jonny Booth hit his straps and got 5 for 24 off 11 overs with stalwarts Mark Usher and Steve Bates both bowling miserly spells and picking up 1 and 2 wickets respectively. It was a landmark for the u13 player Olly Boothroyd too as one of his deliveries took a snick through to Steve Wood and he celebrated his first senior wicket. Saddleworth were all out for 89 which looked like an easy target to chase. However, after a solid start, wickets fell in quick succession and again the youngsters had a chance to shine. Another Derbyshire CCC junior, Joseph Bolton, batted fearlessly against a good bowling attack with a mixture of careful shots and some aggressive blows. When the classy left hander fell just over halfway to target the game was in the balance. Two partnerships became crucial with Steve Wood (16) and Ben Wilson putting on 18 together. When Woody fell, Sam Elliott (14*) came to the crease and both him and Wilson (13*) batted beautifully to see the game home in style, much to the plaudits of packed crowd.
Werneth and Prestwich proved to be challenging games however notable performances from seniors Usher, Sam Dyson and Dave Allen with some great signs of batting promise from junior Jack Stopford too. Olly Boothroyd picked up his 2nd senior wicket at Werneth and proved his talent with the bat scoring a fluent 19* off 24 balls.
The final game of May came at North Road with Woodhouses making the short trip from Failsworth. Their first innings total of 185 for 4 looked like it could be a challenging task. However, with a return to the side for David Wilde, Dan Eyre and first teamer Adam Hayes in at 3 Glossop fancied its chances…if only they could get a start…The left hander Wilde looked class, stroking the ball all around the wicket whilst at the other end, Eyre dominated the Woodhouses attack. Their opening partnership of 129 was a joy to watch and had the crowd elated. Eyres innings included 11 fours and 2 sixes when he was eventually out for 59 ball 75. Wildes 66* came off 85 balls and included 12 fours and Adam Hayes scored a run a ball 34* which saw Glossop home with 16 overs to spare.
3rd X1 and Vets.
The clubs newly formed 3rd X1 and Vets team have played one game each to date.
The 3rd team, playing with 8 juniors, managed a penultimate ball win against a Stalybridge side.
Match report below
Top start from the 3rd X1 yesterday. Excellent effort in the field with Olly, Nathan, Mike Boothroyd, Jacob, Alfie and Ben picking up wickets. Everyone deserves a mention with the ball but Nathan and Max deserve singling out as their spells were particularly miserly.
Also special mention to the 'vets' Steve for an excellent diving (forward) catch off the ever improving bowling of Jacob Dyson but then, not to be outdone by his aging teammate, Jason Allen pulled out an outstanding catch diving to his right to snaffle a beauty off the seam bowling of Alfie , removing dangerman Tolley (62) in the process.
Both crowd and teammates went wild for both catches and rightly so! (I share Paul Edgars view, Jason's catch was the better though, just!).
All in all, it was a really good half in the field, even when the ball was flying around for boundaries later on, we seemed to keep our cool and remained disciplined. Really happy with our progress here.
2nd innings started really well with Jack Stopford and Steve Marsh (42) opening up putting on 60 for the first wicket. Steve played well and punished the bad ball. Jack was patient and correct and managed to rotate the strike well when possible against a good bowling attack. When Steve fell to an excellent caught and bowled up stepped Olly Boothroyd and he picked up where Steve had left off punishing the bad balls particularly anything down legside. Jack showed great bravery after being peppered in the mid-riff from a few of the faster bowlers, but having weathered the storm incredibly well he eventually fell to the spin bowling of Tolley for a solid and very encouraging opening knock of 15.
Ben joined Olly and the pair of them rotated the strike well with both playing some nice shots. Olly rode his luck but was destructive in the process and started to edge close to his maiden 50..... As Ben (18) looked to push on he was caught with a beauty of one handed catch just as the game was looking like it was going to get wrapped by the pair. Max came in at 5 and although played some nice shots he was unfortunately bowled trying to push the score on. Like most of the lads he's progressing at a really good rate and the difference in his technique in 4 weeks is huge.
Next out was debutant Mike Boothroyd with son Olly on 49 and with us only needing 10 more runs. Mike's looked good value for runs in the practice sessions but this is match day......would/could the pressure show? Could this fine golfer who knows pressures and competition at a high level guide his cricket side to victory alongside his son? Well, if he was feeling the pressure it didn't show. He was calm, pushing a few deliveries back off the pick of the Stalybridge bowlers, even picking up a few singles in the process. Olly though, in true belligerent style smashed his way to his half century and released the pressure on the game. With only 3 balls remaining of the game and Mike facing, Olly saw a ball go down leg and decide to run through for a single bye to win the game much to the adulation of the spectators. Son and Father walking off the pitch together was a very special moment.
Glossop CC Vets vs Hare and Hounds
The vets games vs Hare and Hounds was the clubs first ever midweek social game. A mixture of parents, friends of parents and a GCC player took the field against a much fancied Hare and Hounds team.
The Hare raced to a great start with Chris Coll, Chris Sonczak, Rose and Brammer all reaching their retirement with relative ease helping H&H put on a large score of 143 in their allotted 20 overs.
Despite losing Marsden (6), Marsh (24) and Tinsley (20) kept the run rate ticking over. A few more wickets were lost but Halpin (24), Taylor (22) and Carroll (10) helped get the team back in with a chance of winning. Eventually it was up to Ingham (2*) and Edgar (10*) to see the game home with a ball to spare. A nervy finish to day the least but a great effort for the Vets first outing. Just a shame to see all the pulled hamstrings, groin strains and headaches after the game.
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Glossop Cricket Club’s 1st XI kicked off their 2025 GMCL Championship campaign in style on Saturday with a confident 7-wicket victory away at Moorside. Chasing 126 for victory, Glossop reached their target in just under 30 overs, led by a composed half-century from Matt Sonczak and a polished unbeaten 34 from captain Chris Gill . The day heralded the start of a new era for Glossop with four players made their 1st XI league debuts — Owais Shah , Max Hatzoglou , Digby Evans , and Tom Lane — all talented cricketers in their own right, signalling some exciting times ahead at North Road. With the sun shining and conditions helpful for seam bowling, Moorside won the toss and elected to bat first. Glossop’s bowling attack, featuring a mix of youth and experience, wasted little time in making inroads. The standout performer was debutant Digby Evans , who bowled with excellent rhythm and control to finish with superb figures of 4 for 24 from 8.2 overs. Evans struck early and returned later in the innings to clean up the tail, showing maturity beyond his years. James Eyre chipped in with 2 for 18 in a probing 7-over spell, while William Hargreaves supported brilliantly with 3 for 28. Fresh from a stint Down Under, Matt Sonczak also claimed a wicket and helped dry up the runs in the middle overs. Tom Lane, also making his debut, bowled with genuine pace and was unlucky not to pick up a wicket, ending with figures of 0 for 27 from 8 overs — a performance that bodes well for the season ahead. Moorside were eventually dismissed for 125 in 48.2 overs. In reply, Glossop lost debutant Owais Sha h early for 4, bowled by Saqib. Max Hatzoglou also was adjudged LBW, although early days both players have a pedigree which means that they’ll settle quickly at this level. When David Wilde was trapped lbw for 17, Glossop found themselves at 45 for 3, but any nerves were quickly settled by the experienced pair of Gill and Sonczak. Their unbroken 81-run partnership saw the visitors home without further loss. Gill played the anchor role, guiding the innings with authority, while Sonczak took the attack to the bowlers with a fluent 51* off just 55 deliveries — striking seven boundaries and a six. It was a commanding win for Glossop, underpinned by an excellent bowling performance and a calm chase under pressure. The debutants brought fresh energy and enthusiasm, and with such a strong team performance to build from, confidence will be high heading into the next round of fixtures. The 1st XI return to North Road this coming Saturday vs Greenfield where they’ll look to continue their winning start in front of the home crowd. Scorecard
Glossop CC 2nd XI made a strong start to their 2025 GMCL Division 5 East campaign with a narrow yet impressive 6-run victory over Moorside 2nd XI at North Road on Saturday. Batting first, Glossop posted 154 all out in 38.2 overs, led by a composed innings of 41 from Ben Wilson, who anchored the top order. He received good support from Jarrod Holmes, who added a steady 19. Despite wickets falling regularly, Glossop were able to battle their way to a defendable total, with the father and son partnership of 39 between John (30) and Jack Stopford (14) though Wajid Khan posed a serious threat for the visitors with a superb spell of 5 for 38. In response, Moorside looked well in the chase but were ultimately bowled out for 148 in 39.1 overs. The standout with the ball for Glossop was Joe Doody, who claimed 4 for 38 from an 11-over spell, regularly disrupting the visitors’ progress. Sam Dyson also impressed with figures of 3 for 21, whilst skipper David Allen returned a vital 2 for 7 at the end to seal the win for the home side. Behind the stumps, John Stopford had a fine day with five dismissals—three catches and two stumpings—capping off an excellent all-round performance. A solid all-round display with bat, ball and in the field got Glossop’s season off to a winning start. Scorecard
Get ready to swing into action for a fantastic day out! Glossop Cricket Club is thrilled to announce our annual Golf Day, taking place on Friday, August 1st, 2025, at the beautiful Glossop Golf Club. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just enjoy a leisurely round, this is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a day of golf, good company, and support your local cricket club. Gather your team of four and get ready for a day of friendly competition on the greens. Here's the lowdown: Date: Friday, August 1st, 2025 Location: Glossop Golf Club Format: Teams of 4 Cost: £200 per team The Schedule for the Day: 11:00 AM: Arrive at Glossop Golf Club for a warm welcome and refreshments to get you ready for the course. 11:30 AM: Get set for a thrilling shotgun start! Following the round, join us for the all-important presentation of prizes, followed by a delicious fish and chip dinner and the chance to relax and enjoy some drinks with fellow participants. Don't miss out! Gather your team and book your spot now. More details on how to register will be announced soon, so keep an eye on our website and social media channels. We look forward to seeing you on the fairways! For more information, please contact Dal Allen ( dave.s.allen@hotmail.co.uk )