Long-serving St Annes CC captain and chairman’s main memories of life at Vernon Road

John Cotton says one thing in particular stood out during his four-decade spell with St Annes CC.

Cotton announced his resignation as club chairman and trustee at Vernon Road last week, along with four other committee members.

It brought down the curtain on a career which also included spells as a player, first XI captain, committee member and treasurer.

Asked about the memories that stand out from his time with the club, Cotton said: “The most important thing was when we built the new clubhouse in 1990.

“I was instrumental in doing the deal to sell some land to enable us to build the new clubhouse and give us some new funds to avoid us going bankrupt.”

If that was the main off-field memory, the on-pitch highlight comes from some of the players with whom he did battle.

“I think we played in a great era for amateur cricket,” he added.

“That was when we could play against the best cricketers in the world.

“I have many fond memories of the players we played against in those times: Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Javed Miandad and Jacques Kallis.

“It was great to be able to compete on the same field as some of the greatest players to play the sport.”

Mentioning that Greenidge, Marshall, Miandad and Kallis - four of Test cricket’s all-time greats - played league cricket away from international duties highlights the difficulties clubs have when it comes to signing and retaining overseas players for a full season.

“Why could an overseas player, who could go abroad to a 20-over league, want to come and play in England for us when he can earn millions for 20 overs?” Cotton asked.

“In the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, some of the best players played in the Northern League.

“They were great times, I met some great people and got fantastic comments from the people we played with and against.”

Following Cotton’s departure, the club has confirmed that the remaining management committee members have co-opted people on to the committee on a temporary basis to help stabilise the club.

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) will be called to take place at the end of the cricket season.

The senior cricket section will now be run primarily by the club’s captains and players, while the junior section will continue as normal.