Red Rose switch would be home from home for Mahmood

10:30am Tuesday 30th June 2009

By Graham Hardcastle

SAJID Mahmood is excited at the prospect of playing for Lancashire in his home town of Bolton.

The 27-year-old England bowler was surprised to hear that Red Rose county officials were in talks with Westhoughton with a view to playing County Championship matches at the Bolton League ground in 2011.

“I didn’t know anything about it,” Mahmood admitted after hearing that discussions were ongoing.

“I played in the Bolton League for nine or 10 years, so to play for Lancashire in the town would be fantastic.”

Lancashire’s base, Old Trafford, is currently undergoing a £70million refurbishment, with the main aim of reclaiming an Ashes Test match for the 2013 season.

And, as part of the redevelopment, they are turning the square 90 degrees at the end of the 2010 season to address the issue of the setting sun stopping play in September, and also to increase the amount of wickets from five to 16.

It means that the club will have to play the majority of, if not all, their Championship fixtures away from their headquarters.

And this is where Westhoughton, and their new ground on the Hoskers, will come in.

Westhoughton are well on with their new £2m facility, which is all geared up for first-class cricket. The square, the pavilion, the room for spectators, the lot.

Lancashire’s chief executive Jim Cumbes and Westhoughton-born cricket director Mike Watkinson, who began his illustrious career at the Bolton League club, visited the new site on Thursday.

They liked what they saw, and even discussed the possibility of using the new ground as a base for the county’s second team. “It’s a new ground with outstanding potential,” said Watkinson, who went on to play for Lancashire and England.

“We have looked for a ground that is a second option for us for some time now, and this is a possibility. Westhoughton are a club keen on attracting Lancashire cricket.”

Lancashire have never played a first team fixture in the town, but Mahmood would love to play in the first.

“I am pretty sure I would see some old faces who I played against before,” he added.

“We are getting a lot of good young players coming through in the Bolton League now. Hopefully it would inspire a few more kids to try and play for Lancs.

“It would be quite good to play in Bolton for Lancs because I wouldn’t have to wake up that early.

Former Radcliffe bowler Steven Cheetham could make his Championship debut against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge today. Karl Brown is also part of a 12-man squad.