There is just no stopping the legend that is Andy Bradley as he passed yet another significant milestone on Sunday – the peerless 1,500 wickets mark.
The 51-year-old, in his 36th year playing senior cricket with the club, starting as a seamer before reverting to spin due to injury, stood just 14 wickets short of the landmark at the start of the season but has had to wait patiently to tick them off.
With the final ball of his eighth over on Sunday in the Derek Kay 1st XI Cup clash at Edgworth, number 11 batter Jake Whittaker was beaten all ends up and Bradders had his 1,500th scalp in the 1st XI, finishing the day with 2 wickets for 44 having dismissed the hosts’ professional Ashley Chandrasinghe for his 1,499th – stumped by James Wharmby.
He was already the club’s all-time leading wicket-taker, having surpassed the great Bob Hinchliffe’s total of 891 way back in September 2012 and it was fitting that his next milestone would come in a cup game – having secured his first in a similar vein as a fiery 16-year-old seam bowler on 27 May 1990 – having been drafted into the side at Thornham as the sides’ fifth bowler for the Lancashire and Cheshire League Cup clash.
Thornham’s professional Manoj Parekh was wicket number one on the Bradley list, caught by first-team stalwart Steve Orrell for 69 – Orrell is still the leading run-scorer for the club and one of three players to pass 10,000 runs alongside ex-pro Ken Morgan and James Wharmby.
August 2014 was when Bradders moved into quadruple figures, ironically on the same ground where he made his debut 24 years previously, when opening batter Liam Grey was well caught by Tom Gibson.
On Sunday, however, it was all his own work as Whittaker played around a straight one and the waiting was over.
His work wasn’t done for the day though as he was ushered into action with the bat at number 11 and, using all of his batting skill, helped Jack Doyle (13*) over the line with a four-ball unbeaten 0 as the side has tripped from 160-4 to 170-9.
And he isn’t stopping yet either – there is more to come from the erstwhile Prestwich legend.
Where do you want your statue, Andy Bradley?
— by Richard V. Isaacs
