S&B’s fate slips out

IF Southport and Birkdale’s cricketers are in any doubt at all about their situation going into the final two games of the season a glance at the Premier League table should clear some things up very quickly. Following their comprehensive eightwicket defeat by Ormskirk on Saturday S&B now trail Bootle by 22 points.

While Chris Cunningham’s bowlers were being butchered by the former Lancashire batsman, Taylor Cornall, the Wadham Road side were defeating New Brighton at Rake Lane and their fate is in their hands. One victory and a bunch of bonus points should be enough to see them survive.

All S&B can do is defeat already relegated Sefton Park on Saturday and hope that Ormskirk continue their ruthless streak when they visit Bootle. The situation can then be reviewed again before the final Saturday of the season.

The stock response to such situations – a rather limited one to be honest – is that a league table does not lie. True enough, of course, but it can mislead. There are, however, no such doubts attached to S&B’s performance on Saturday.

Just one week after 500 people watched a magnificent game during the beer festival, a much smaller crowd saw Cunningham’s batsmen post what appeared a very defensible total only for some undistinguished bowling to allow Ormskirk to get home with ease.

This was a shame because four S&B batsmen played with distinction and might have expected more for their efforts. Isaac Lea put on 76 with Jack Carney, who has truly emerged this season as a major batsman, and then David Snellgrove added a further 74 with Chris Firth.

These partnerships sandwiched a collapse that saw S&B lose three wickets for no runs and they also allowed Cunningham to declare with four batting bonus points in the bag.

However, only one more point was to be added in the second half of a game in which Cornall feasted on the indiscipline of the home bowlers.