Audlem CC
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Club heritage

Audlem Legends

Names that shaped The Gorse Croft — players, skippers and volunteers whose work on and off the field still defines Audlem Cricket Club.

Audlem Cricket Club team at The Gorse Croft
Built by people who put the club first · figures from official Play-Cricket club records
Andrew Capper

In memory · Player & club servant

Andrew Capper

A true club man — remembered as the heartbeat of Audlem Cricket Club.

Andy Capper gave decades to Audlem CC as a batsman, teammate and one of the people who kept cricket alive at The Gorse Croft. Whether he was opening the innings, helping run the club, or looking after the ground, he put Audlem first — and set the standard for how a village club looks after its own.

His playing record still sits high on the all-time lists: a long career through the mid-2000s and 2010s, capped by a remarkable 137 not out in 2005. More than the numbers, though, he is remembered as an excellent role model for younger players and someone admired by everyone who crossed the gate.

After his passing in 2021, the club organised a Stand Up to Cancer BBQ at Gorsecroft in his memory — raising over £500 and bringing past and present members together. That is the measure of his contribution: the club still gathers in his name.

Still heard around the club

  • “Get out of that fridge!”
  • “£6 an hour and a free tea!”
  • “Shafted! Again!”
  • “I’m a skier and a swimmer!”
  • 133Mat
  • 1,878Runs
  • 137*HS
  • 550s
  • 28Ct

Play-Cricket club records · seasons featured from 2005–2016 · remembered as club legend & long-serving servant of Audlem CC

Chris Shenton batting for Audlem CC

Player · Club contact · Long-serving Audlem man

Chris Shenton

The club’s all-time leading run-scorer — still turning out when Audlem needs him.

Chris Shenton sits alone at the top of the official Play-Cricket batting lists: more than 5,000 runs across 300+ matches, with a high score of 148 not out, four hundreds and twenty fifties. That is the backbone of modern Audlem cricket — season after season from the mid-2000s right through to today.

Behind the numbers is a club man in the fullest sense: a familiar name on team sheets, a first point of contact for new players, and someone who has skippered and steered sides when the club asked. If you have ever rung the club about joining, there is a good chance Chris’s number was the one you were given.

In the field he has taken a remarkable haul of catches — the kind of presence that wins games as much as a big score. Two decades on, he remains part of the fabric of The Gorse Croft.

  • 314Mat
  • 5,182Runs
  • 148*HS
  • 4100s
  • 164Ct

Play-Cricket club records · seasons featured from 2005–2026 · all-time leading run-scorer · club contact

Player · All-time leading wicket-taker

Simon Swift

The club’s all-time leading wicket-taker — over five hundred dismissals in Audlem colours.

Simon Swift sits alone at the top of the official Play-Cricket bowling lists: 535 wickets at an average of 14.03, with a best of 8 for 12 and 18 five-wicket hauls. That is the standard every Audlem bowler measures themselves against — season after season of accurate, relentless overs at The Gorse Croft and on the road.

From the late 2000s through to today he has been a fixture in Audlem sides, taking wickets in every recent season and adding nearly a hundred catches in the field. Whether he is opening the bowling or coming on for a second spell, he has been the club’s most reliable source of breakthroughs for the best part of two decades.

Numbers only tell half the story: Swift’s haul is built on longevity and trust. When Audlem needed a wicket, his name was usually on the team sheet — and more often than not, in the wickets column too.

  • 535Wkts
  • 8/12Best
  • 14.03Ave
  • 185w
  • 92Ct

Play-Cricket club records · bowling seasons featured from 2009–2026 · all-time leading wicket-taker · photo to be added when confirmed

Club legend · Player & servant of Audlem CC

Donald Sutton

A name woven into Audlem Cricket Club long before the scorebook went digital.

Donald Sutton is remembered among Audlem people as one of the figures who helped make the club what it is — a village side with deep roots at The Gorse Croft. His story sits with the generations who kept cricket going through lean years and good ones alike, when the club ran on loyalty as much as league points.

Much of that playing and volunteering record sits outside the official Play-Cricket export that starts in 2005, so the digital tables do not tell the full tale. What they cannot measure is the regard in which he is held: a legend of the club, spoken of with the same warmth as the people whose names still head the all-time lists.

This page is here to put that on the record — and to leave space for the photos, scorebook pages and stories the club still holds in memory.

  • —Mat*
  • —Runs*
  • —HS*
  • —Wkts*
  • —Years

*Full career figures not in the 2005–onwards Play-Cricket club export · remembered as Audlem CC legend

John Wainwright (wearing glasses, back row) with the Audlem side

Player · Sunday skipper · Head Groundsperson

John Wainwright

The man who keeps the square true — and still finds a game when the club needs him.

John Wainwright is one of Audlem’s enduring figures: a long-serving player, Sunday XI captain, and the club’s head groundsman. If the outfield looks a picture or the digital board is ready for the first ball, John’s work — and the small band of volunteers around him — is usually behind it.

On the field he has more than 150 matches and over 1,300 runs in the club records, with a high score of 70. Off it he has skippered the Sunday friendlies, written match updates for the village, and been the public contact for ground and Sunday cricket for years. Few people have done more to keep Audlem welcoming to players of every ability.

From winter scorebox projects to match-day prep at The Gorse Croft, John’s contribution is the kind that doesn’t always make the scorecard — but without it, there is no cricket.

  • 150Mat
  • 1,327Runs
  • 70HS
  • 24Ct
  • SunSkipper

Play-Cricket club records · seasons featured from 2006–2021 · listed Head Groundsperson on club contacts · former Sunday XI captain

More club stories

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