10/09/2026
💙 ONE OF OUR OWN, ONE OF THE GREATS: THANK YOU, IAN 💙
This Saturday marks the final game of the 2026 season — a year of mixed fortunes for the 1st team, who will be desperate to finish with a win.
But this Saturday means so much more than just the last fixture.
For one man, it will be his last ever game for the 1st team. A man who first walked through our gates in 1980 as a 10-year-old boy. A man who has given this club 46 seasons of unwavering devotion.
That man is IAN BRITCLIFFE. A true Ribblesdale Wanderers legend. 💙
In 46 seasons, we believe he missed just ONE game — his daughter's wedding. That says everything.
He has played for every senior side, captained both the 1st and 2nd teams, and served as club treasurer for over a decade. The quiet, steady heartbeat of this club.
And the honours? He's won the Ramsbottom Cup three times — and was captain for the first one. He also lifted the T20 Cup, in a final where he defended just 2 runs in the final over. Some say he was bowling in the dark. 🌙🏏
And the numbers? Bear in mind play-cricket only started in 1997, so many of his best years aren't even recorded. What we know is astonishing:
🎯 1,246 wickets
🎯 5,561.5 overs
🎯 1,095 maidens
🎯 68 five-wicket hauls
🎯 Best figures: 8-35
🏏 321 innings — a steady tailender who could hold up an end when it mattered!
🏏 106 not-outs
🏏 Top score: 39 vs Whalley
We'll never know his true numbers — but even these are simply remarkable.
🎶 Oh way oh, we got Ian Britcliffe, oh way oh, we got Ian Britcliffe, oh way oh, he only swing the ball away! 🎶
So as Ian takes the field at Church Meadow one final time with the 1st team, we hope he savours every second. He has given this club everything — and he deserves to know just how much he means to us all.
Thank you, Ian. You are, and always will be, a legend. 💙🏏
