Calls to honour Anderson
On the weekend he became the first Englishman to reach 500 Test wickets, and rise to number one in the ICC Test bowling rankings, Anderson’s old rivals from across town feel his achievements deserve official recognition.
Heaton said: “I think that every cricket loving person in Burnley and Padiham , and indeed far beyond , and all those with civic pride, must feel an immense surge of local and national pride in the astonishing feat that James “Jimmy” Anderson has joined the elite 500 Test wicket club.
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Hide Ad“Arguably– albeit a brief argument , Jimmy is the town’s greatest-ever sportsman.
“Whilst I accept that we are a town that usually underplays itself , we cannot simply ignore Jimmy’s achievement .
“My suggestion is that we erect a statue in the town centre , perhaps with Jimmy bowling towards Turf Moor.
“I don’t know how we would go about this, but Lowerhouse Cricket Club will fully support this.
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Hide Ad“What Jimmy has achieved allows all coaches in this town, where appropriate, to tell any aspiring cricketer – you too can achieve this.
“Cricket in this borough, through it’s four clubs of Belvedere, Burnley ,Lowerhouse and Padiham, is a hot bed of cricket.
“How lucky are we to have James Anderson as it’s icon.”