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I wasn’t aware of the Raeburn Shield, thanks.
England were good throughout the Autumn series, particularly against New Zealand, though had they played South Africa I feel their winning streak would have come to an end. Those huge Boers are something else.
Drone, no – quite the reverse in fact.
City of Liverpool FC was only founded in 2015. The idea was that Liverpool did not really have a non league club and it could fill the gap in the market. About 1,000 people signed up as members.
Unfortunately, the huge disadvantage the club has had is it has never actually played in Liverpool. It has played in Huyton, Bootle, Ellesmere Port, Widnes and now in Burscough – but never in Liverpool itself. As a result, interest dwindled and the club has no name recognition in the city.
The club’s other problem is it has been taken over by events.
Firstly, Lower Breck (based in Anfield) has started to do well. It won promotion to non league level 4 last season (one step above C of L) and is currently top of their division. It could get into the Northern Premier League next season.
Secondly, after a 30 year absence, South Liverpool got back into the formal non league structure in 2021. The club has a much longer history and better name recognition. It is in the same division as C of L and doing much better.
Finally, there is the rise and rise of Marine FC from Crosby. When C of L was founded, Marine were at Level 4 and getting crowds of 200. Then in 2020/21 they went on the fairytale FA Cup run which culminated in a third round tie at home against Tottenham Hotspur, live on BBC1.
Lockdown restrictions meant that no crowd was allowed but the club sold lots of virtual tickets, made a lot of money and gained a huge amount of publicity.
Since then, Marine has secured two promotions and is now in the play off places in National League North. It regularly gets crowds of 1,200 and has unveiled plans for a new stadium. It now rivals Southport as the main club in the Sefton region – which saddens me to say as a Sandgrounder!
If you live in Liverpool and want to watch non league football, you are more likely to get the bus or train to Crosby or follow one of the other local teams instead of a club which has never been able to put down roots in the area.
Saddened to find out that Robin Smith has died. In the early 1990s (a difficult time for the England Test team) he was often the best batsman and stood up to the fearsome West Indies pace attack better than anyone.
While no cause of death has been given, it is well documented that he struggled with alcohol and mental health issues. He also lost his father only a few months ago.
I hope cricket has got better at supporting its players. Too many from Smith’s era and before received very little assistance.
It’s very sad to see them dying so young, as you say he is far from the only one with documented issues.
Drone, I believe there are plans afoot to make a physical Raeburn Shield although whether they’ll eventually be holding it aloft alongside the Calcutta Cup et al I don’t know. It all started out as a bit of Internet fun but I do find it interesting to follow as a trivial aside to the game. It was briefly ‘held’ by Romania in the 80s! Probably long before the concept was actually thought of.
Thanks for that comprehensive review of minor-league football on Merseyside. I’d heard of Marine FC but didn’t know they were in your neck of the woods.
Like City of Liverpool FC, Sheffield FC – reputedly the oldest extant club in the world – no longer play in Sheffield; their home ground now being in Dronfield, ‘twixt Steel City and Chesterfield, though I think they plan to move back in the near future at a new stadium to be shared with Sheffield Eagles RLFC.
They played at Abbeydale Park for many years and despite once living nearby I never went to watch a game. It’s better known as a cricket ground and Yorkshire CCC used to play matches there quite regularly, and I did turn out for those several times.
The roster of cricket ‘out grounds’ seems to have declined a lot, which is a shame. Yorkshire still get to Scarborough but other than there I think it’s just Headingley.
I picked up a second hand copy of Colin Cowdrey’s autobiography in the summer, when I was at Chesterfield to watch Derbyshire v Lancashire. Cowdrey must have mentioned at least a dozen grounds in Kent where he played for the county. I don’t imagine many of them are used now.
Lancashire are playing at both Blackpool and Southport next season. I was rather intrigued to see their away fixture against Middlesex is at “Merchant Taylor’s School”. I am not sure where that is located. I didn’t think Middlesex played any Championship matches away from Lord’s nowadays.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/videos/cj01zdry9m2o
A nice video of Robin Smith from the Beeb’s archives. The lack of a face guard makes this whippersnapper wince.
Merchant Taylor’s is in Northwood, Middlesex. Afaik it was used this summer for some matches in the One Day Cup.
One of the (very few) benefits of the horrible Hundred is that by using the main County grounds it means the Counties tend to use outgrounds for the One-Day Cup during Summer. I know Surrey used Guildford, Yorkshire – York,
Middlesex – Radlett, Warwicks – Rugby School to name some.Ah yes, Clifton Park, York. How I forgot that I don’t know, as I live the other side of town
There were two 50-over games and a County Championship match played there this year. The latter competition made a return circa 2018 after a gap of around 100 years
I really must make the arduous 20-minute bus trip next summer
Lancashire are scheduled to be one of Warwickshire’s opponents at Rugby School next year. I might try to go along.
I note that two of Lancashire’s home One Day Cup fixtures are still to have a venue confirmed. I am hopeful they will be at Liverpool Cricket Club in Aigburth. The old ground made a welcome return to the county cricket circuit last season after being out in the cold for a few years.
“The lack of a face guard makes this whippersnapper wince.”
I remember that was commonplace when I first started to watch Test cricket. In fact, it wasn’t particularly unusual for a player to go without a helmet. Something unthinkable now.
I think Richie Richardson was the last player to not don a helmet. When he did start using one, some people said he had lost his nerve.
Yes I believe Viv was probably the last never to wear a helmet. I think Mike Brearley may have been the first although this was unrecognisable to the modern day helmet. It may even have been homemade
Mike Brearley’s ‘helmet’ consisted of little more than plastic protrusions that covered his temples, presumably held in place by strapping over his head beneath his regulation cap. As you say, I think he was the first to wear any protection.
Brearley was reputed to have said that he’d hum the music of Beethoven when facing deliveries: the response from some wag being ‘a fat lot of good it did him’. Very good captain though.
A nice obituary of the troubled Robin Smith here:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/dec/02/robin-smith-obituary
Brearley may have been the first player to wear a helmet but I believe Graham Yallop of Australia was the first player to do so in a Test match. It looked rather like a motorcycle crash helmet.
Dennis Amiss: The first cricketer to wear a helmet on the 50th anniversary of the 1974/5 Ashes
Don’t think Amiss wore one in Test Cricket before Yallop, primarily because he moved to World Series Cricket for the 77/78 Aussie season and I don’t think he ever played for England again.
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