Lands of hope

LOW Lands may hardly be supposed subterranean; High Lands is loftier yet.

United, Lands is a two-village community on the leading edge of Cockfield Fell in west Durham, and probably not much above 300 good folk between the pair of them.

There’s neither shop nor pub.

When the little Methodist chapel suddenly closed a few years ago, local reaction was biblical. There was weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Still, however, the village fields two teams in the Darlington and District Cricket League, a competition whose website features a clock counting digitally down – days hours, minutes, seconds – to the start of another hope-spring season.

Last Wednesday, the night of the club’s annual meeting, it stands at 86-and-a-bit, but doesn’t much feel that way. A foot of snow covers deep mid wicket and little better at the shallow end, the historic fell coruscating beneath its pure white blanket.

Two thoughts occur as I yomp the mile or so from the main road in order to join them. The first is that it’s a canny night not to be a sheep, the second that this may be the nearest thing to live sport this side of Arsenal v West Ham.

“By, but she’s cold,” they say as they stamp into the village hall, but these are Lands of hope and gloriousness, even in the dark.

About a dozen gather between two strategically placed heaters. “Waist deep where I live,” says Carroll Simpson, the wonderfully dedicated chairman. Remembering what they say about not casting a clout, none but Carroll removes his cap, much less his coat.

First, however, there is sad and sudden business. Andrew Bowes, 38, occasional player and dependable teas supplier, has been found dead the night previously in tragic circumstances. There’s a minute’s silence – “to collect our thoughts,” says the chairman.

The oldest is 79-year-old club president Arnold Marley, still a Level Two umpire, who as a 14-year-old scored 50 on his Lands debut, against Willington. Back then he was the only team member not from Lands.

Arnold belonged Butterknowle; Butterknowle must be getting on two miles away.

“It was an honour to play for your village team in those days,” says Arnold. “Now we’ll welcome them from anywhere.”

Report of last season? “Minging,” says John Little, the secretary, presumably as in minging in the rain.

Carroll reports that they’ve a healthy £4,011 22p in their savings account.

Times being as they are, it’s accrued 23p interest. When folk in these parts talk appreciatively of Banks, they don’t mean HSBC – or any other of that fiducial fraternity – but the community-friendly opencast/energy firm.

They need a first team captain, last season’s incumbent having commitments to his pigeons. None is keen, the turn seemingly not so much Buggins’ as Muggins’.

“Once you’ve got 11 men on the field, captaincy is easy, a doddle,” says Mark Little. “It’s getting them 11 that’s the hard bit.”

Other players have also drifted away, work and women blamed equally.

They start again on April 20, the date slightly complicated because it’s also Lands stalwart Rob Little’s wedding day. “It always rains on the first day, anyway,” he argues.

They talk about ground maintenance, about teas – the chairman reckons Lindsey’s pies from Shildon the best in the world – decide against holding nets. The meeting lasts an hour, grass roots carefully nurtured.

“It doesn’t get any easier, but it’s vital to our way of life that we still have cricket up here,” says Carroll Simpson.

Outside on Windy Ridge the temperature’s dropped to minus three.

None seems much to mind. For the cricketers of Lands, and elsewhere, the clock is happily ticking.

Lands CC, smashing folk, would welcome interest from cricketers of all ages. Carroll Simpson is on 01388- 7187662, John Little on 01388-835717.