THERE are team photographs on the walls of the clubhouse at Dalton Cricket Club which go as far back as 1892, with that particular picture showing a side which counted a doctor and a reverend among their number.

The fact those titles are included with their names and that nearly all of the players in said photograph have perfectly-manicured facial hair is a microcosm of the sport in the late Victorian era, but also shows this is a club with a rich and varied history.

But there can have been few days quite as memorable during the intervening 125 years as on Friday, when the stars of the Lashings World XI came down to Ulverston Road to take on the team in a Twenty20 match.

Captained by ex-Lancashire and England spinner Chris Schofield, and featuring the likes of Monty Panesar, Abdul Razzaq and Furness’ New Zealand professional Seth Rance – a late call-up – the famous touring team provided a memorable day for players and spectators alike.

“Most of us have taken days off work to come down and play,” said Dalton captain Liam Curwen, who opened both the bowling and the batting for his team.

“I hope we can do it every couple of years. It’s good to meet all of these players – they’re just like normal people, really.

“We think of them as big celebrities, but they’re just normal people, it’s good to have them down here and it has been a really good day for the club.”

It was the visitors who batted first, and with Dalton giving all of their players two overs with the ball apiece and skipper Curwen having his name drawn out of the hat first when deciding the bowling order, it was him who would send the first ball down to former India opener Wasim Jaffer.

With Test Match Special’s Henry Blofeld providing commentary over the PA system from his seat just in front of the marquee erected to cater for those dining ahead of the game, Jaffer and Razzaq put on 74 for the first wicket before the former was caught on the boundary.

Razzaq was run out with three overs remaining, but big-hitting New Zealander George Worker and Zimbabwean Cephas Zhuwao guided Lashings to an imposing 203 for 2 from their 20 overs.

Curwen helped his side get off to a solid start by smashing ex-England seamer Ajmal Shahzad back down the ground for six, with fellow opener Madawa Warnapura – whose father Bandula was the first Sri Lanka Test captain – keeping the scoreboard ticking over after the captain’s dismissal. But it was Daniel Sharpe who was the star of the innings and, indeed, the match, clubbing slow left-armer Panesar for three consecutive sixes in the 14th over en route to making 45.

“It was a brilliant innings,” said Curwen of Sharpe’s knock. “He’s been struggling for runs, actually, and hopefully this will put him in some good nick for the rest of the season.”

Ultimately, the target of 204 proved insurmountable for Dalton, although they were able to see out their 20 overs, scoring 140-plus runs in a more than respectable showing against the professionals. And for Curwen, the most important outcome from the day was not the result.

“It was about getting people down here and supporting the cricket, really,” he said. “Having this many people down here has been brilliant, the weather has helped and we’ve taken quite a bit of money, so it’s good for the sport.”