Inaugural winners back in 2023, runners-up last year, Padiham are ready to go again ahead of this summer’s Hamer Cup, which begins on Sunday with a first round clash at home to Astley Bridge.
The Anthony Axford North West Cricket League’s flagship cup competition begins with a handful of ties in the first of four rounds leading up to an August 23 final.
Little Lever are the reigning champions, but Padiham are confident that this can be their year yet again.
And no surprise, really, given their recent record.
“We’re always a good cup side,” said Padiham’s left-arm spin bowling captain Toby Burrows.
“We have plenty of bowling options, and they’re not just fourth, fifth or sixth options, they’re all genuine bowlers, which is brilliant for us.
“That’s stood us in good stead.
“We also have a professional (Iftikhar Naseer) who really enjoys the nuances of cup cricket, the power-plays and stuff like that.
“It does suit us really well, and that’s why we’re usually successful at it.
“Hopefully it’s the same again.”
Padiham have won three from five so far in the league.
Their opening game at Farnworth last month was abandoned earlier in the week leading up to the game because of wet conditions.
Over the weekend just gone, they were beaten at home by early pacesetters Little Lever on Saturday before winning at Blackrod on Sunday.
This coming Saturday, they travel to Lostock to start another double-header weekend.
Sandwiched in between, they lost in the first round of ECB National Knockout Cup to Egerton.
“It’s a good club to be at at the minute,” said spinner Burrows. “Good people, a lot of good players.
“The seconds have started well, and we always say that if the seconds are strong, the firsts should be.
“It’s a long season, but we’ll enjoy it whilst it’s good.
“We’ll be as competitive as we can in the league and see if we can have a crack in the cups. If we get another cup run, great.”
Padiham have added a trio of signings to their squad for 2026; Dec Bailey (Read), Dec Metcalfe (Lowerhouse) and Harsh Verma (Prestwich).
The signing of Bailey to bat at three is a direct replacement for Burnley-bound Callum Clarke.
“We’re happy with what we’ve done on that side of things,” added Burrows.
“Dec Bailey’s batting is obviously his main role for us, but he does offer us something with the ball as well. As I said, that’s really useful in the cup competitions.”
Given their Hamer Cup record and long-standing position in the Premiership, they will no doubt be favourites against newly-promoted Astley Bridge, who have so far won two of their opening four league matches.
“All the Bolton teams are good, aren’t they,” added Burrows. “It’ll be a good game, but we’ll be confident of getting through.”
Astley Bridge were actually the last Hamer Cup winners of the Bolton League era, in 2022. They beat Westhoughton in that particular final at Farnworth, by 83 runs.
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Sunday May 17 – Hamer Cup, round one: Padiham v Astley Bridge, Lostock v Cherry Tree, Oswaldtwistle Immanuel v Atherton, Blackrod v Farnworth, Baxenden v Walkden.
Byes: Farnworth Social Circle, Read, Little Lever, Kearsley, Salesbury, Tonge, Eagley, Barnoldswick, Ribblesdale Wanderers, Earby, Brinscall.
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There are two returning figures who loom pretty large when it comes to their importance to Kearsley’s bid for a first Hamer Cup title since 2009, South African Byron Giraudeaux and wicketkeeper-batter Rick Hamblett.
Overseas amateur Giraudeaux’s batting style at the top of the order lends itself to getting the team off to a flyer in a shortened format, which the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League’s flagship cup competition is – 40-overs per side.
Experienced Hamblett, meanwhile, has come back home to Springfield Road from living in the Lake District and playing his cricket in Cumbria. He is the only member of Kearsley’s squad to have been part of that 2009 triumph, when they beat Horwich at Farnworth Social Circle.
The Hamer Cup begins this coming Sunday, when there are five round one ties. The other 11 teams, including Kearsley, get a bye through to round two on June 14, for which the draw hasn’t been made.
The first round is the first of four leading up to an August 23 final.
Kearsley captain Andy Gregory, whose side finished fourth in the 2025 Premiership table, said: “As good a season as we had last year in the league, we didn’t qualify out of the T20 group and got knocked out in the first round of the Hamer Cup.
“I certainly want to be more challenging on all fronts this year.”
Of the two aforementioned players, Gregory said: “Rick’s a great addition. He’s moved back to Bolton. He could have gone somewhere else, but you could just tell that he only wanted to play for Kearsley.
“We’ve obviously signed Chris Lane from Farnworth Social Circle, and he’s started well. I’m not sure if he won it with them or not. But Rick’s definitely the only member of our squad who has won the Hamer Cup for Kearsley.
“That experience, it’s certainly something I will be trying to use once we get to that second round. I want him to make sure the lads know how important this cup is for us.
“Byron is another great addition. It’s great to have him back.
“Towards the back end of his second season with us, in 2024, he was plagued by injuries. So he had a year back at home rehabilitating. He did play back at home, and it was only a month or so before he came over that he scored 212 off 76 balls in a game.
“So we’re hoping we’ll see an innings like that from him.
“At the end of the day, he’s a match-winner. In one-off cup games and T20s, playing like he does, he could really come into his own.
“He’s just a great person to have around, and he’s fitted back in brilliantly – with the new lads as well.”
Kearsley have also signed a new South African professional in all-rounder Karabo Mogotsi.
“It turns out that he actually knows Byron pretty well, so that’s been a nice dynamic,” said Gregory.
“I do believe we’ve strengthened with what we’ve signed, so we’re pretty hopeful that we’ll have a good season.”
So far, it has been a slow start to the Premiership campaign for Gregory and co. They have won one and lost three of their opening four games.
They were beaten away by Read on Saturday just gone. This coming Saturday, they host Salesbury before a Lancashire Knockout Cup trip to Prestwich on Sunday.
Shortly afterwards, they will find out their Hamer Cup opponents for June’s second round.
