England and Lancashire County legend Jimmy Anderson has officially called time on his international career after retiring from Test cricket on Friday afternoon, and there was barely a dry eye in sight as he bid goodbye at Lord’s.
Anderson announced his retirement from England back in May and has now played his farewell game for his country, as well as claiming his final wicket with a win over the West Indies on the last day of the first Test. An era really has come to an end.
Helping thrash the Windies by innings and 114 runs, the 41-year-old Burnley-born bowler finished on 704 Test wickets in 188 matches over the course of 21 years – and it could have even been a nice round 705 had he not spilt a very simple catch.
Regardless, it was a humorous way to put a bow out following one of the most revered careers in English cricket, and today was only ever about saying goodbye as the heartwarming guard of honour he received before the game.
Admitting that he had already “come to peace” with retirement and that now is the right time to step aside and play his part as England ushers in the next generation, Jimmy has already joked that he’s looking forward to playing some more golf.
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However, thankfully, it isn’t ta-ra forever as the national team and LCCC veteran has already confirmed he will soon join the backroom staff to help develop future fast bowlers.
Anderson is also yet to confirm whether he will retire full stop and end his time at Lancashire, with head coach Dale Benkenstein stating that currently “it’s not a no” and they will simply do their best not to pressure him into making the decision either way.
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The embrace between him and long-time teammate, not to mention, best mate Stuart Broad was also one that had people in the ground and watching at home welling up.
As did this moving montage.
Congratulations on an unbelievable career and thank you for the memories. 🥹👏
With fans looking back on his truly remarkable tenure, one particular statistic we loved was shared by BBC’s Henry Moeran, who broke down that “supposing Jimmy Anderson’s run-up is about 19 yards, and he’s bowled 40,002 deliveries in Tests… that’s 760,038 yards or 430 miles”.
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As he added, by chance, this just so happens to be “the distance on foot to walk from the Utilita Bowl [in Southampton] to Chester-le-Street [Durham] via every Test venue in England.”
Fair to say he’s put in the hard yards of the best two decades.
Anderson was ultimately met with a standing ovation not only from everyone in the dressing at Lord’s but the entire cricket ground itself as he savoured his final moments in England whites.
We’re not crying, you are…
Jimmy's family and the whole of Lord's rise to applaud a true legend of the game 🥰
As the man himself has already reiterated, he feels as good bowling as he has ever done, so we’re still holding on to the hope that this isn’t the last dance altogether, and even if a dream return to England one day is off the table at this point, he can still shine for Lancs with the likes of 2024 T20 Blast ongoing.
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But for now, we bid Jimmy Anderson a heartfelt farewell and congratulate him on all of his incredible achievements playing for England – we hope he enjoys a little more downtime from here on out.
Naturally, he signed off in the best way he knew how…
See you later, legend, and we’ll cheers one to you at the pub later on.
Featured Images — England Cricket (via Instagram)/Sky Sports (via screenshot)
Sport
Oldham RLFC chairman to step aside following ‘stadium ban’ and winding-up petition
Danny Jones
Oldham Rugby League Football Club chairman Bill Quinn has said he is stepping down from his role at the organisation following a reported club-wide stadium ban and an HMRC winding-up petition earlier this month.
Quinn has now claimed that the petition, which requires a company to appear in court over debts, has since been resolved, but the 59-year-old is still set to leave the local outfit.
Mirroring the concerning circumstances that nearly saw Salford Red Devils disappear completely last year, before a former player’s investment rescued the sporting institute in the eleventh hour, Oldham RLFC looked to be staring down a deeply concerning period of uncertainty.
Speaking directly to Roughyeds fans in a lengthy video share on social media, Quinn said that while he disagreed with many of the comments left by supporters online over the last few weeks, he understands their frustration and right to know what’s going on in and around Boundary Park.
Reiterating that he’s “more than happy” to answer reasonable questions levelled by Oldham residents and matchgoers, he said that he denies allegations made by fellow native club, Oldham Athletic, stating that they are “totally unfounded and untrue”.
The Latics are currently refusing the rugby league side from using their usual home ground, with the football team also serving as landlords and raising concerns over unpaid taxes and outstanding funds still owed to debtors – including OAFC themselves.
You can read their most recent public statement in full HERE.
However, Quinn claims that both entities claim the other one owes them money, and the situation looks to be unfortunately heading towards formal litigation.
Nevertheless, while Chorley-based businessmen say the club is prepared to settle their monetary differences if arrears prove to be the case on their part, he has still said that he will soon be quitting.
As you can see, despite plenty of support and sympathy from the faithful fan base, the process looks to already be in motion, and many are being urged to provide their feedback on what should happen next.
"Trust between a club and its supporters relies on openness and communication — both of which currently feel lacking. This open letter is not written in a spirit of hostility, but out of genuine concern for the future of Oldham RLFC".
Despite Quinn’s insistence that “everyone will be paid”, the spectre of possible liquidation has still caused plenty of concern among the community.
In the case of Salford RLFC, they were fortunate enough to have ex-winger Mason Caton-Brown step in as part of a consortium – you can read our full interview with him HERE – but as the weeks and months of that saga proved, a lot can change even day to day.
As for the coaching front, Alan Kilshaw has been confirmed as the new boss of the Roughyeds following director of rugby Mike Ford and his assistant Callum Irving leaving last week.
While winding-up summons obviously still loom large over the club at the moment, Oldham fans do at least have games to look forward to, with the Greater Manchester Championship club set to face off against Dewsbury Rams in the third round of the Challenge Cup this Sunday, 8 February (3pm).
Tracey Neville appointed as Managing Director of brand new Stockport County Women’s team
Danny Jones
Stockport County FC have finally and officially launched their new women’s team in what they are hailing as a “new era” for the female football in the area.
Moreover, they’ve hired an experienced international coach to head up the department, with Tracey Neville MBE selected as the Managing Director of the new outfit.
Sister to footballing brothers Phil and Gary Neville, but with an oft-overlooked impressive reputation of her own – having not only won bronze at both the 1998 Commonwealth Games and World Netball Championship in ’99 before going on to coach her national team – she arrives with plenty of pedigree.
Now swapping her discipline for a different set of nets, Tracey Neville will lead the pre-existing Stockport County Ladies setup into their next modern chapter as the SCFC Women.
The club is delighted to announce the launch of Stockport County Women, marking an exciting new era for women’s football in our town.
Writing in a short announcement on social media, the Hatters said: “The club is delighted to announce the launch of Stockport County Women, marking an exciting new era for women’s football in our town.
“Founded in 1989 as Stockport County Ladies, the team has spent 37 years as a volunteer-led community club, providing opportunities for women and girls across the borough.
“From the 2026–27 season, the team will compete as Stockport County Women, reflecting the growth of the women’s game and the club’s commitment to equality and opportunity.”
Also confirming the appointment of an experienced women’s and international sports personality, Tracey Neville, as the new MD, they’ve issued a clear mission statement.
Put simply, she and the rest of her staff are going to be tasked with creating “a clear pathway from grassroots to elite women’s football for Stopfordians.”
Commenting on her new role in a lengthier club statement, Neville said: “I am incredibly proud to be joining Stockport County at such a pivotal moment for the club and for the women’s game.
“My career in elite sport has shown me what is possible when there is a clear vision, strong leadership and a genuine commitment to developing talent from the ground up. Women’s football is at a defining point, and Stockport has the opportunity to do something special.
She goes on to add: “This is a community club with deep roots, and my focus will be on creating a clear, credible pathway for girls and women to progress, while building the standards, culture and infrastructure needed to compete at the highest level.”
“We want young girls in Stockport to believe that they can reach the top of the game without leaving their community. That’s how you build something powerful, sustainable and truly representative of the people it serves.”
This comes following another major announcement with the news of the next phase of the infrastructural development, with the wider football club set to take control of Stockport Sports Village (SSV) and turn it into the home not only of the youth academy, but County Women and grassroots club Stockport Town.
As for Stockport County Women, it was only last year that they were playing against Liverpool’s female senior first team at Edgeley Park, and with all the investment happening in and around the organisation, you can expect more dates like these in the near future.
Stockport County Ladies become Women from next season onwards.
Danny Jones -
12th July 2024 
