Cricket: Townsend switches to Hare Hill after successful Heywood stint

Travis Townsend

Professional Travis Townsend has become the third player to leave Heywood following the 2018 season.

The 33-year-old all-rounder has accepted an offer from Littleborough to be their paid man in the Lancashire League next season after impressing the Hare Hill club as a substitute professional towards the end of the recent campaign.

It follows the exits of Danny Pawson (to Prestwich) and Andy Kerr, who is returning to Greenmount.

Townsend has therefore completed two separate two-year spells at Crimble, in 2012 and 2013 followed by his stints in the past two seasons. He was captain as well as professional in 2018.

His Heywood career has featured 3,126 runs at an average of 39, and 162 wickets at 15.56 runs apiece.

Cricket chairman Roger Smethurst said: “Having joined the Greater Manchester League in 2016 and been relegated in our first season it was crucial that we stabilised as a club and ensured we didn’t go into freefall.

“Travis came back in 2017, knowing the club and most of the players, and his performances helped us secure promotion.

“Everyone recognises that last season could have gone either way and with more luck in the last three games we could have easily stayed in the Premier League.

“With a number of off-field issues last season Travis held the team together and put in a number of match-winning performances, perhaps most notably at home to Egerton with a spell of six wickets for seven runs.

“We wish him good luck and hope that at some point in the future we might see him in a Heywood shirt again.”