Futile endeavour, but no faulting the effort
RARELY in Trafalgar Road’s long history have there been scenes to equal those the old place witnessed on Saturday afternoon: spectacular feats of endurance, impressive performances by both battle-hardened veterans and promising youngsters, entertainment beyond imagination and dramas aplenty were all greeted with whoops and cheers that rang out over the old ground into the evening.
But enough of Ladies’ Day.
The cricket played will not feature in anyone’s end of season show-reel. Indeed, had not Wilfred
Owen written a fine poem entitled “Futility” some of Southport and Birkdale’s players might have grabbed the chance to scribble a few stanzas along similar lines.
Readers with only moderate memories might recall that it rained at lunchtime on Saturday.
Indeed it hosed down so hard that satellite reception from the Test Match was interrupted and the puddles on Waterloo Road looked more like ambitious lakes.
Most games in the Liverpool Competition were abandoned but S&B skipper Chris Cunningham asked his players to help get a game on and they obliged him.
This is not a trivial point. Rather it is an example of how Cunningham’s players have worked together on and off the field towards a common purpose. While there was any hope of cricket taking place they got out the mops and tried to make the ground playable.
Nonetheless, it was still more than a surprise when Rainhill’s openers went out to bat at 2.30 and the cricket that followed rather reflected that air of unreality.
Ben Edmundson’s batsmen were rightly intent on posting as large a total as they could in something like 35 overs and there was never a stage when the scoring rate was not brisk.
Cunningham’s bowlers did their best to contain their opponents but most members of the attack have enjoyed better days this summer.
There were a number of sharp catches taken with David Snellgrove’s anticipatory effort moving across from slip to gully and Jack Carney’s leg-side grab off Chris Firth being the pick of them.
It was, of course, all for nothing. Rainhill declared on 200 for five and S&B had reached 26 for one in reply when the prediction of club chairman Tony Elwood was precisely fulfilled and the rain returned at 5.00, wiping out any possibility of further play.
Both teams collected five points from the nodecision.
Southport and Birkdale’s second team game on Saturday and the third team’s match on Sunday were also victims of the weather but the second team were able to play at Trafalgar Road on Sunday, when they inflicted a 56-run defeat on Orrell Red Triangle.
Batting first, Tom Baybutt’s side posted 231 for two declared in 37.1 overs with JJ Fielding and Dave Aston sharing an opening partnership of 134 before Fielding was dismissed for 87.
Rotherham c Carney b Firth .......... 13 McGladdery c Lea b Sultan ............ 59 Kershaw c Snellg’e b Cunningham. 35 Atkinson c Carney b Wincer ........... 37 Higham c Cunningham b Firth .... 23 Edmundson not out .......................... 19 McKeown not out ................................. 9 Extras ........................................................... 5 TOTAL (for 5 wkts. decl.) ................ 200 FoW: 1-37 2-86 3-134 4-164 5-181 Dilshan 4-1-17-0 Firth 9.4-2-39-2 Gailey 3-0-19-0 Wincer 7-0-41-1 Cunningham 7-0-41-1 Sultan 4-0-38-1
Aston’s departure for 74 prompted the declaration with Jack Baybutt 53 not out.
In reply, Orrell were dismissed for 175, although opener David Whiteley batted through the innings for 77 not out. Tom Baybutt took four for 61 and Sam Holliday three for 32.