By Alan Irving

Last updated 15:54, Wednesday, 23 April 2008

THE late Ike Mossop was a throwback to a more gentle but no less competitive era of cricket, long before Kerry Packer changed the face of the game forever and a time when sledging was something you only did when the snow came and pink balls were never dreamed of!

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North Lancashire League: Whitehaven team: Back (from left) Ted Iddon (club capt) D. Eastwood, Ian Britton, Ike Mossop, R. Williams, A.H. Desai (professional), Bob McLaughlin, George Hodgson (secretary). Front: Jim Denver, Ike Park, George Rumney (capt), Ike Cartmell, Peter Clarkson

This likeable personality, who died recently at the age of 86, was a gentleman who played his cricket with a mean winning streak, hard but fair and with one aim – to get men out!

Ike played into his 50s, a pace bowler whose venom and accuracy skittled out top batsmen all over the county.

Egremont, Cleator, Whitehaven, Gosforth and High Duty Alloys all prospered from his services.

For Gosforth alone, he took nearly 500 wickets during what could be called the twilight years of his career.

Mossop’s majestic bowling meant that he was admired and feared at the same time.

His accomplishments are etched in the annuls of Cumberland cricket.

But, while former team mates and opponents alike could talk forever about Ike’s prolific exploits consistently topping the bowling averages, the native of Moor Row will also be remembered fondly as a character and a gentleman.

One cricketing enthusiast summed it up: “In a recent match, a bowler in the course of one over sent down four deadly shooters – balls which were indeed unstoppable.

“But the batsman who faced them did in fact stop them. And the first person to congratulate him was the bowler, Ike Mossop of Cleator CC.

“Such a spontaneous sporting gesture is typical of this popular Senior League personality.”

A well-known local umpire underlined the point: “When Mossop appeals and is refused, he accepts the decision without question by word or gesture. I only wish all other bowlers were like him.”

But as one of his younger adversaries, Harold Shackley, of St Bees fame, told me: “There was no two ways about him. There was no back door, he told you as it was and was straight as a die.

“Ike was just about coming to the end of his career when I was starting, and he was already ready to give a younger rival, me included, a lot of help and advice which I was only too pleased to take – a great fella.”

One of his regular Gosforth team mates, Tom Lowrey, confides: “The secret of Ike’s success was a really healthy lifestyle combined with a natural ability, determination, an economical action and a good strong pair of hard-toed leather studded boots.

“Ike was like a mean bowling machine – on wickets when playing off the front was impossible, where ‘line and length’ was everything (take note England bowlers!); his wickets were either bowled or lbw, and he spent a cricket lifetime analysing batsmen’s weaknesses.

“Twenty-three overs ‘down the hill’ at Gosforth with the old warhorse Terry Morgan bowling 22 ‘up the hill’ was the order of the day.

“It was a remarkable eight years in Gosforth CC history, fighting for promotion or against relegation, with Ike there was never a dull moment.

“Ike played in an age when bowlers were bowlers and batsmen were batsmen – all rounders were a rarity.”

Tom went on: “Ike came to Gosforth in 1966 encouraged by the then club captain Bill Kelly, the head of the village school.

“He played here for eight seasons and his Gosforth figures speak volumes: 1875 overs, 567 maidens, 487 wickets at an average of 7.8 runs per wicket.

“He was top of the Gosforth averages in all eight seasons. An under-used batsman, in 1969, Ike topped the Gosforth batting averages. In 13 of his innings, nine of them were not out, just 105 runs at an average of 26.2. In 1969 and 1973, he topped the Cumberland Senior League Division Two averages.”

More than 500 wickets in his last eight seasons were achievement enough, but there’s no doubt Ike amassed well over 1,000 wickets in a long, distinguished career which started as a 15-year-old at Egremont.

But, as Keith Richardson, one of my old journalistic colleagues and Keswick cricketer, once pointed out: “It’s a pity his wickets have not been kept track of right along the line. Perhaps some official or recorder might be able to produce some ideas of how many wickets Ike has taken altogether in Cumberland Senior League fixtures.

“What’s certain is that Ike’s achievement merits a place in the league records alongside former Keswick player Ted Bickerdike’s 1,000 wickets recorded between May 1949 and June 1967.”

Keith added: “Ike never thought of keeping a check on the number of wickets he’s taken, but the fact is he has taken 500 wickets in the last eight seasons and along with a 20-year-old from Edenhall (Graham Monkhouse).

“He’s helped make the 1974 season a memorable one with only four fixtures gone.

“Ike considered calling it a day at the end of last season when he announced he would be leaving, because of travelling difficulties, a Gosforth side which had just won promotion to the First Division, but when HDA asked him to help their promotion push, he gladly joined their ranks.”

One newspaper report enthused: “The highlight of Cumberland Senior League Cricket last weekend was Cleator’s victory over Whitehaven, and what a victory.

“Last Saturday at Cleator, Whitehaven were first to bat. It did not take them long to see that bowlers like Ike Mossop and young Paul Hughes were on top form. Cleator had Whitehaven dismissed for 51. Mossop claimed six wickets for 10 runs. Hughes, a 15-year-old schoolboy, clean bowled the last three Whitehaven men.

“This splendid victory put Cleator in the mood for another win on Tuesday evening, the occasion was the opening round of the Burton Cup and the village on their own ground were quite capable of dealing with the situation.

“Mossop was again glowing with brilliance in the bowling department and Egremont finished at 100 for eight. Cleator won by six wickets. and are now probably one of the happiest teams in the district.”

Scanning through a well-kept scrapbook, Ike was always making the headlines for consistently brilliant performances: Mossop’s knock – yes he could bat too – was vital to Whitehaven. “Ike Mossop skittles Workington...Ike Mossop man of the match... Cleator owe a great deal to Ike Mossop,” are among some of the glowing headlines.

Another report enthused: “On reviewing bowling analysis for the past few weeks, one outstanding feature appears to be the performance of Cleator’s Ike Mossop who, although he has been with the team in two recent defeats, has monopolised the ‘wicket attack’ in many victories this season, five Workington wickets went to his credit and when it came to a Burton Cup fight he really put on the pressure with six for 18.

“Cleator certainly have a treasure in their trunk of bowlers.

“Another interesting development in Cleator bowling is the form of their latest recruit young, Paul Hughes, who made his debut last Friday evening in a Burton Cup match against Gosforth, taking three for nine, was quite an admirable display.”

Ike was also a key member of the Cleator side which won the coveted Burton Cup but he also took a lot of satisfaction out of helping Gosforth gain promotion to the Cumberland Senior League First Division in 1970.

In clinching the Division Two championship, Mossop broke Gosforth’s 83-wickets in a season record while the rugby league legend Les Moore hit the season’s highest score for Terry Morgan’s side by knocking up 81.

Like so many others, Ike was taught the art of cricket by Arthur Graves (Kells school headmaster) at Whitehaven before World War Two but, in later years, he was to return to The Playground and play in the North Lancashire League Division One alongside the likes of George Rumney, Roy Dawson, Bobby McLaughlin, Ike Cartmell and the professional Desai.

As well as cricket, Ike also excelled at soccer. He was picking up silverware as a wing-half in the old Scalegill team at his native Moor Row and also for HDA, both forces in West Cumberland football.

Wicketkeeper Ike Park declares: “When I was 10, I used to go from Whitehaven and watch Ike playing for Scalegill. I probably never thought I’d end up stumping for Ike. He was a darn good bowler.

“I remember once at Barrow, where they have a very decent wicket, they just couldn’t hit him off the square and he finished with a bagful of wickets for very few runs.”

Cricket never left Ike Mossop’s blood. Even after retiring from the field, he held office on the Cumberland SL management committee for 23 years.

He was also chairman of the Midweek League and was especially proud of his executive association with Cumberland and Copeland schools cricket, proving to be a mentor to youngsters and umpiring many of their matches over a 20 year period.

The last word to Cleator legend Joe Rooney, for the perfect summing up: “Ike was a bloody gentleman, an absolutely brilliant fella and a great cricketer. There were no wrong words out of him on the field.

“I was only a lad when I came into the team at Cleator, it was a pleasure to play alongside him and what I also like is the way he went into schools’ cricket and helped the youngsters along for all those years.”