"There's been a wickit in the crickit"

Usually, we went by train to find more trains. Sometimes, we went by train to do something else – like watch cricket. On 5/6/65, Ian and I went to Old Trafford for the first day of the Roses match.

We travelled from Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Exchange and from there by bus to the ground. We were there in good time. Geoff Boycott had just finished a net practice and was leaning on his bat and chatting to Don Wilson, the slow left arm spinner, and also to a third bloke who was in civvies.

We just sidled up to them and stood there. Their conversation was so intense that none of them batted an eyelid. We stood within earshot for ages, overlooked [in my case, anyway, as Ian was taller than me] and completely ignored. It was great. I was standing next to a hero.

Lancashire batted first but Fred Trueman soon had them on the back foot, taking 3 wickets in the innings. By the end of the day, we had seen another legend, Brian Statham, in action and we had watched Geoffrey as he started to compile his own respectable total of 53.

Back at Elleray Park, we used to take brief interludes from football to take part in the summer game. Trees of suitable girth were chosen as make-do stumps, though bare, dry patches developed in front of them where so many previous batsmen had made their marks and the depressions, so formed, became deeper and deeper.

Luckily, we didn’t need trees because a promising and rather stylish young opening batsman lived in our road and he had his own stumps - three of them, in fact, held together at the base by a block of wood. Only an occasional footballer, he was always up for a game of cricket - at least until an all too predictable disagreement arose [probably over a contentious LBW decision], at which point he would sweep his lengthy fringe off his forehead, sweep his stumps under his arm and make for the pavilion [his house]. That meant it was game over and - quite possibly - straight back to the footy.

We saw no namers on our trip to Manchester but Peaks and Black Fives were well represented - 42455, D2852, D3793, 44753, 45332, 12075, 45352, 48273, 44888, 45404, 42230, 48155, D5214, 45269, 42051, D156, D94, 42159, 42053, D56, D114, D5189, 42112, D5277, 42030, 42960, D4147.

Stanier Class 5 2-6-0 No. 42960 was in Liverpoool Lime Street on our return from the cricket. Sister engine No. 42964 was spotted on Birkenhead sheds in the same year.