Scott “Scoop” McHugh was a Heywood youngster who progressed into the senior sides and played in the first team during a challenging time for the club in the 1990′s. A talented left hand bat and deep thinker about the game, and usually about who would get him out and how, Scott recalls some of his memories of Heywood:
1. What do you remember of your Heywood debut?
I think it was at home to Crompton in 1991. Opening bowling attack of Les Whittle (himself in his late 40s I think) and Cec Wright, who was probably late 50s early 60s at time. Crompton were always a bottom 4 side at the time, but these two were basically keeping them going. Think I was due in at 7 or 8 but never batted so we must have won, we had a decent side that year to be fair.
2. What was your favourite game for Heywood and why?
Has to be one of the few matches I did something in, v Radcliffe at The Racecourse in 1997. We were chasing 170 something to win, and were down to 85-7 when Marcus Caveney joined me. We knocked them off with time to spare, me finishing on 61 (joint highest score) followed by a skinful around Heywood and short-lived adulation from the Crimble faithful. Many memories of poor games and performances.
3. What was your favourite away ground?
Some shabby grounds in the 80s and 90s and the odd good one, but I think my favourite was Stockport. Silly changing rooms underground, bowling green and a massive old clubhouse. One of those grounds where it was always sunny
4. Best professional you played with and against?
I only played with 4 (Alley, Flower, Badenhorst and Hara) so it has to be Flower, although I only played a few as I was at Uni. Best played against I think would be Dave Callaghan from Rochdale. Used to smash it and they were a top side in the early 90s. Mike Warden close
5. Best amateur you played with and against?
Best amateur played with would be David Fare. Not always everyone’s cup of tea, but a fair captain (told you if you had been rubbish and equally was willing to praise you) and though a bit past his prime when I played with him had a proper sportsman’s eye for the game. Funniest, Vinny Ball. Best I played against was Peter Wilcock at Rochdale
6. Best memory on the field?
David soiling himself at Unsworth; taking a one-handed diving catch at Milnrow at mid-off; countless outrageous comments from Ball. Wish I’d spent more time talking to the opposition.
7. Best memory of the field?
Winning the first team fielding prize in my final year at the club was a high point, came nowhere near winning anything else. The after-match fines (always got £2); Gill Knowles’ summer solstice night; free Guinness promotion in the mid 90s, it took some drinking. Lots of memories of being a kid around Crimble.
8. Any other memories?
Despite being a poor team in the 90s in general, had some great times and some cracking nights drinking John Willies after games. The second team provided many of the best memories, though, playing with mates I’d played with from the age of 11 and hearing their tales of what they’d been up to the night before.
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Scoop – you were ( are ) a one off. You will remember in reference to getting ready to face Mike Warden declaring to team mates ” I don’t know why I bother – he always gets me out”
You never heard Steve Wundke say something like that but we loved you for it nonetheless.
How is the book coming along – ” Positive belief and overcoming cricket adversity – a personal view of the 1990′s ” ?
Scoop – A left handed wordsmith who was a better cricketer than he thought………………..
Scoop, loads of natural ability whose only fault was to over complicate the game too much by thought process.
A pleasure to have him in the side as there was always a funny one liner around the corner.
By the way scoop that ‘knock’ against Michael Warden, yes he did get you out as you predicted but not before he pinned you.damaging my white helmet !
I sort of rushed this out in the morning, should have thought about it a bit more but would have been self-indulgent.
A couple of other good memories, involving VD. He used to wind me up no end, knowing I was a bit soft at that stage, but it toughened me up and the thought of his rapid and dead funny quips and comebacks and banter still makes me chuckle. Remember him throwing a pint over me out of the window at Crimble once and sitting there just laughing like an idiot. That aside, smashing 50 in the last four overs at Norden with Bally off Snell and Storey was a something I won’t forget, and I think I snaffled Jason Hirst at slip (on the boundary!) off Irv in a game we may have won during the dark years.
Also the time me and Vinny opened at home Unsworth, Ramanayake breaking his arm as he ducked into a length ball in the first over of the match. Not funny at the time, funny now.
That year I got into the first team in 1991 I think was because I scored runs in the 18s, but if I remember rightly it was an excellent team. Hirst, Wrighty, Starmer, Fare, J Kaye maybe, Bannerman, Alley, C Kaye, Irvine (?) and Tony Ellis (had a really good season 600 runs seem to remember), a lot of them in their prime. Would be a good team now, but I think it was the last of the really strong eras of the CLL, with Rochdale, L’Boro, Milnrow, Middleton, Stockport, Werneth and Norden all having good pros and teams. Oldham, too. I know there have been eras with better teams before and after, but late 80s to early 90s was a good era for the CLL, and even our good team could only finish mid table.
Happy days indeed
Scoop you were a legend in the dressing room even though our first team days were restricted to two years. You never shirked a ball ( even a Vinny ) and your comebacks to bowling pros comments superb. The day you destroyed Dion Kruis at Walsden still makes me chuckle.
I played a lot with Scott (Harold) and he had a lot more success than he gives himself credit for….but probably not as much as he should have given his ability. Strangely, he had a very acute sense of other people’s game and spent more time building up their confidence than his own. Probably needed to be a bit more of selfish. Those last 3.5 overs at Norden, where he and Vinny scored 51, mainly off Richard Snell, were a glimpse of how good he really was. All in all, junior or senior team, Scott was one of my all time favourite team mates….don’t let him try and tell you otherwise.