Raymond Scott - 90 Years Old

Everyone at Haslingden Cricket Club is delighted to wish Raymond a very happy 90th birthday for 24th August 2020. He celebrated his birthday with his wife, 3 daughters and grandchildren at his home in Sidmouth, Devon.

Raymond was the 323rd player to play for Haslingden Cricket Club and on the 12th June 1950 aged just 19 years, he made his debut at Bentgate against Colne Cricket Club scoring 19 not out in a drawn match where the Colne professional was Bill Alley (Australia). This innings bizarrely turned out to be the highest score Raymond made for Haslingden at his home ground.
Raymond played a further six games in 1950 and eight games in 1951 as he established himself in the 1st XI.
1952 was Raymond’s best season in the 1st XI finishing fourth in the amateur batting averages with 177 runs at 13.6.
The highlights of his season included 34 against Accrington, which featured a partnership of 54 with J Burton. At Acre Bottom on the 28th June, Ramsbottom scored a total of 96 with Alan Pilkington taking 6 for 22. Raymond came to the wicket with Haslingden struggling at around 38 for 5. There followed a quickfire partnership of 60 with Pilkington to win the game by five wickets which must have thrilled the home crowd  (always nice to see HCC win at Rammy). The game at Burnley featured Raymond’s career highest score of 36, sadly in a losing cause. He seemed to enjoy batting with Alan Pilkington as they put on 64 for the third wicket. He took 10 catches in the 1952 season as Haslingden finished fifth in the League. Most of the catches were taken at short leg off the bowling of Vinoo Mankad!


The 1953 season saw Raymond playing 15 games scoring 94 runs, with a best of 28 at Burnley (he obviously liked playing at Turf Moor). He was dismissed stumped by Hindle off the bowling of Australian legend Cec Pepper. The Lancashire League records show him playing for HCC at home against Lowerhouse in the penultimate game of the 1953 season and we suspect that he also played in the final league game at Enfield where the league was won. Unfortunately, that scorecard shows some unknown players but we are sure that there were many ‘unknowns’ in the celebrations that evening!

Raymond played his final game at Lowerhouse on the 7th June 1954, where he bowled his one and only over (eight ball) conceding 10 runs. It would appear that bowling was not his stronger suit!

Overall, Raymond had a good Lancashire League career playing with professional Vinoo Mankad at Haslingden and against the likes of Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Bill Alley, Cec Pepper, Ray Lindwall and Polly Umrigar to name but a few. To play in that era was to play in front of large crowds with and against top quality players.


We thank Raymond for his contribution and would like to remind him that he will always be a former Haslingden C.C. player (number 323) and of course a Lancashire League Winner!