President Allen Bouchier Retires

Words by Phil Mellor

Bouch has recently announced that he is retiring as Club President and Trustee. He is not leaving and will still be around and supporting the teams throughout the season. 

Bouch came to Mottram in 1981 at the invitation of the Chairman Graham Holt. It turned out to be one of Graham’s most astute transactions as he’s still with us and going strong after 42 years. 

Graham spotted his potential and recruited him as our ‘Insurance specialist’ on the General Committee. An astute move as his services have been invaluable over the years with the club having a number of break-ins, machinery thefts and a couple of fires for him to settle our claims. 

He became Club President and Trustee in 1984 and has held those position for 39 years. During that time he has worked tirelessly, both on and off the field, for the club in many roles. For most of those years he was also the clubs Vice Chairman supporting five Chairmen.

He was a dedicated and much respected member of the General Committee at a period at a time of the greatest development and improvements seen at the club. He could always be relied on to get stuck in when any jobs needed doing...from running the bar, to sorting out insurance claims and cleaning the club. For many years he was the regular Friday evening barman. For many seasons he did the food shopping every weekend and delivered it to the tea ladies every Saturday morning. 

During the 1990’s he helped run the junior set up when both his lads, Ian and Martin, played. He was prepared to turn his hand to anything… he coached, umpired, scored and ran the youngsters to games. He also was an umpire in the Glossop and District League in the 1990’s and regularly represented the club at the monthly league management meetings. 

He was instrumental in setting up the O’40 in 1980’s with Graham Holt and Jack Delaney and was one the first name on the team sheet for around 30 years until he hung up his boots. 

Bouch’s love for cricket started as a youngster in the 1960’s when he played for Hadfield St Charles in the 2nd division of the Glossop & District league. He then moved to Charlesworth for a number of seasons before being transferred to Staley Millbrook in the Saddleworth League for an undisclosed amount. He was a regular on their 2nd XI and was described as a lively fielder and enthusiastic all rounder. 

He moved on a free to Mottram in 1981 and was a regular on the 2nd XI in the 1980’s and 90’s . He made the wicket keeping slot his own for a couple of seasons before retiring to fine leg and third man in his latter years. His trademark stroke was the ‘spotty dog shot’. Well before the Big Bash and IPL he was ramping and reverse sweeping. He would lunge forward going into the splits, pivoting round and guiding the ball through his legs or over his and the wicket keepers head to all areas of the ground. It was impossible to set a field to him. He suffered many injuries when fielding as he was always prepared to put his body on the line for the team. He was known to stop balls with his head, chest, knees and feet and he still has injuries to prove it. 

Bouch’s first love was football.  For some reason he was a lifelong Newcastle United supporter ?  He played Saturdays and Sundays throughout his long career. He playied for around ten teams  inc. Old Glossopians, Dukinfield Town and Mottram Central.

He was much in demand throughout the Tameside and Glossop area as a rock solid centre half or a powerful and spritely centre forward, good with his head and with a thunderous shot. He should have played at a higher level but was always happy to play with his mates.   

In 1984 Mottram CC entered a football team in 2nd division of the Manchester Amateur Saturday League. The team changed in the clubhouse and played on what now is the overgrown area at the Broadbottom end of the ground. Bouch and Birchy ran and played in the team that was made up of mostly cricketers from the club. 

Every Club needs a Bouch. He will be a hard act to follow.