West Indian: Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge and Malcolm Denzil Marshall Each made 444 professional appearances for Barbados, Hampshire, and the West Indies. But there is a fourth link between these two legends of the golden age of Caribbean cricket that few people know about. The West Indies had the most first-class runs (37,354). and the second-most wickets (1651). They—recognizable à la Michael Jordan by the silhouettes of that swivel-pull. It was one of the ultra-glamorous professionals of Leyland CC, an unassuming town south of Preston in Lancashire. In back-to-back seasons, Greenidge in 1993 and Marshall in 1994. Even though they were 42 and 36 years old and had reached the top of their careers around the world, this was a once-in-a-lifetime meeting for the police officers, teachers, sales managers, and engineers in the Leyland dressing room.
Leyland was one of the original 12 members of the Northern League when it was founded in 1952.
The league has had its fair share of celebrity players. From David Boon, Ravi Shastri, and Javed Miandad in the 1980s to Rohan Kanhai. And the Mohammad brothers, Mushtaq and Hanif, in its first decade. However, the early 1990s were without a doubt its heyday, when it was among the best in the country.
Greenidge’s arrival West Indian
Prior to Greenidge’s arrival, Richie Richardson captained Blackpool and amassed 1056 runs at an average of 88, while Fleetwood substituted a young Trinidadian left-hander named Brian Charles Lara for Atul Wassan.
Lara visited the country after his childhood friend Dwight Yorke’s breakthrough season at Aston Villa.
Greenidge and Marshall introduced to Lancastrian club cricket by Leyland’s hard-headed forty-something captain and hard-handed wicketkeeper, John Farrar.
“He was a legend, Faz, but as a goalkeeper, he could just about stop. According to Tim Barry, a teammate. Remember that Malcolm occasionally appeared to be being black and blue?
Farrar handed Leyland his bag of stardust after being given permission to resume mooning.
With former Lancashire and Gloucestershire stalwarts Phil Bainbridge and Ken Snellgrove acting as captain and professional, respectively, they won the league in 1991.
Additionally, they had Geoff Miller and Graham Roope. Two former England players who were technically amateurs but travelled across counties for their Saturday hit despite being outstanding after-dinner speakers.
They weren’t the only cricketers earning extra money. Farrar also enlisted the assistance of seasoned league players and players from Minor Counties to assist the official pros.
In 1992, Greenidge and Mark Greatbatch both made the team after putting up impressive pinch-hitting performances in the World Cup.
According to Doug Green, a lawyer who relocated from Preston. With Farrar, he was the only member of the team who did not receive compensation that year. In jest, I wrote “Leyland Amateur, 1993” on my coffin.