A CRICKET stalwart who has kept score in Acc-rington since 1994 is putting down his pencil for the final time.

Lionel Cooke, 75, has been recording each run, wicket and over at Accrington Cricket Club for two decades.

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Now the dad-of-two and grandad-of-two said he will continue to watch the matches, but will no longer being scoring.

Lionel, who lives in Calgary Avenue, Blackburn, moved to the area in 1968 while serving in the army.

He had joined in 1957 for his national service and decided to pursue a career in the military following his mandatory two years.

He married his wife, Maureen, in 1968 and left the army after a 25-year career in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and the Royal Army Pay Corps, reaching the rank of warrant officer second class.

After leaving the army, he worked for Blackburn with Darwen and Burnley Councils as a rent collector and housing benefits officer.

He took up a receptionist role at Blackburn College for ten years before retiring in 2005.

Lionel said: “It’s a reluctant retirement – at 75, I find it hard to make it up the scoring box stairs!

“I’m determined to keep on going to watch as many matches as I can and I can’t even start to guess at how many I have kept score on.

“My favourite moments have to be Accrington winning the Worsley Cup and going from bottom of the league to the top in the 2008 season.

“I have greatly enjoyed the job and will miss being part of the team.

“I will miss the camaraderie and going through the rough times with the team and the good times.

“I have enjoyed my time at the club’s scorer very much and I enjoy every aspect of an afternoon of cricket.

“The sad thing is that fewer people seem to be joining the club than they did when I first came.

“If they do come, then a lot of them don’t stick around past juniors, and something needs to be done about that.”