SHANE Warne, Bobby Simpson, Wes Hall, Eddie Barlow...the names roll off the tongue.

Great cricketers every one, all former professionals of Accrington CC, and men who need no introduction.

Then there are Bill Finney, Alec Jackson, Billy Ormerod and Johnny Pollard - names which do not spring as readily to mind but who have all made magnificent contributions to the Marsden BS Lancashire League club.

And they are all there in "Golden Moments", a book written by Nigel Stockley to mark 150 years of Accrington CC.

Llewellyn stands alongside the Lloyds, Worsick shares the focus with Fowler and recall of the likes of Collier and Cuddihy will prompt many a memory.

Accrington - indeed Lancashire League cricket as a whole - are not the force or presence on the local sporting scene that they once were.

But the club, founded in 1846, has rich traditions, great times and achievements, both team and individual, to celebrate.

And it has brought some of the world's finest cricketers to play on the local stage.

The Accrington story is traced chronologically by the author through the early days, the start of the Lancashire League, the club's first championship successes, two world wars, then back to more heady times in recent decades before the current lean spell. Yet - as Mr Stockley rightly points out - for all their problems and lack of present success, even in the leanest of times, Accrington have been able to make a broader contribution to the world game.

In the last five years, they have helped in the development of two young professionals, both relative unknowns when they arrived but who have now risen to prominence on the greatest stage - in sensational fashion as far as Shane Warne is concerned.

The other young man in question was Sherwin Campbell, who didn't fulfil expectations in his single season as pro in 1994 but returned to England the following year to play a leading role in the Test series for West Indies.

Written to celebrate and record the achievements of both teams and individuals in the first 150 years, the book's greatest asset is its magnificent range of statistics.

Wherever there is a tale to tell, Mr Stockley has the facts and figures to back it up.

There are some good stories to relate too, such as the day in 1914 when players, officials and supporters set off for the final game of their first championship season at Rawtenstall in state of the art motor char-a-bancs!

Anyone interested in league cricket will find the book fascinating. Well illustrated, it includes memorable matches, a personal selection by Lindon Dewhurst - connected with the club for over 60 years - of his greatest Accrington side, fact files, profiles and every other kind of file.

But the gem in the crown is the clearly painstakingly compiled statistical information - as good as anything I have seen.

"Golden Moments" by Nigel Stockley is tremendous value for money at just £6 and available from Wardleworths and the Tourist Information Centre, both in Accrington, the club itself or from Mr Stockley (tel: 01254-392923).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.