A TAMESIDE cricket club is back on the way to Lording it as it is two matches from a national final.
Stayley CC face Halifax-based Thornton in the quarter finals of the Voneus Village Cup on Sunday, July 20.
It is the second time in three seasons the Millbrook-based outfit has reach this stage – in 2023, they went one further.
And Lance Bromley, chair of Stayley CC, is ready for a big crowd at Oxford Street to see them try and reach the last four again – before, hopefully, a final at Lord’s.
He joked: “Always the bridesmaid, aren’t we? Never the bride.
“This is the fourth year in which we’ve entered the Village Cup. In our first, we got to the regional final, second year the entire semi-final, last year we lost in the first round on a bowlout, so that’s not even included, and this year we’re in it again.
“So back-to-back, in my opinion, national quarter finals – we’ve not done bad really.”
Stayley’s success in the Village Cup does not bring huge financial gains – the takings from the bar and food hut are as good as it gets.
But the real benefit is in the numbers of juniors looking to play there after the mark they have made.
Lance added: “All this is big for the club because of the juniors and it shows the hard work that everyone puts in, off the field as well as on it.
“The junior numbers have probably tripled over the last 12-18 months.
“The nets that we fundraised for have also added a bit towards it as well and our pro, Pawantha Weerasinghe, is on board.
“He’s come this year, the first time he’s ever been to the UK, and he’s doing good for us – with what he’s doing off the field as well as on it.
“There are also five or six lads playing who are from Millbrook, not just from Stalybridge. From literally across the road.
“And these runs – and taking part in the competition – help bring that togetherness to the club.
“You see people you might see only once or twice a year. But if we make it to Lord’s, they’ll all be going.”
Stayley’s road to the quarter finals has seen them pit in the miles. Sacriston CC in Durham were defeated before a trip to Cleator, who are based at Whitehaven in Cumbria, and a dramatic victory.
Opening batsman Jake Barlow added: “We got 100 and from the last six overs, they needed about 15 runs with three wickets left.
“I remember I fielded on boundary next to my dad and I was going, ‘We need a wicket here.’
“They had a really silly run out and we got it down to them needing four off Leighton Parker’s last over. Three would have been enough because they lost fewer wickets than us.
“It went dot ball, dot ball. bowled him, they got a one and a one. So then they needed two – well. One – to win off the last ball.
“They missed the ball our wicket keeper got it, threw in to the bowler’s end and we took the stumps off.
“The coach actually had to drop us off five or 10 minutes’ walk away from the ground because it couldn’t get any further!
“It waited at a hotel, so after we’d beaten them by a run, we had to walk through them and back to the coach!”
Should the weather prevent play at Stayley CC on July 20, it will be over to Halifax a week later.
And like their last two Village Cup matches, it will be a voyage into the unknown, even at home.
Lance told The Correspondent: “Because they’re playing in another competition, you don’t really know about them.
“A couple of people watched them in their tie at Woodhouses and watch I’ve been watching them on YouTube.
“But you can only get so much from YouTube. It’s really hard as it’s not actually watching them in person