Run-fest at Ormskirk – but Formby secure tight win
ARUN-FEST at Ormskirk, in Love Lanes Leagues Group B, saw more than 500 runs scored for the loss of just eight wickets – but visitors Formby prevailed by 10 runs after Callum Turner’s 126* and Sam Oldham’s 71 helped them to 258/4.
George Lavelle and Gary Knight struck half-centuries in return, but the hosts’ chase came up just short.
Firwood Bootle join Formby on two wins after a 111-run opening stand between Will Hale and Owais Shah, on his club debut, broke the back of their pursuit of 160 against Northern.
Elsewhere, Group C of the Love Lanes Leagues now has three teams on two wins apiece, after victories for Sutton and Maghull over Hightown St Mary’s and Alder respectively.
Sutton’s win was a nailbiter – they crept over the line by two wickets chasing 190, after Hightown’s Tatenda Taibu top-scored for the day with 65.
Adam Burton scored 70 and Chris Hewson 50 as Maghull closed on 262/7; Tom Connolly’s 5/18 made sure Alder never got close.
In the top division, a maiden firstteam century for Jack Carney and a fine supporting act from former Ormskirk man Harvey Rankin gave Southport & Birkdale skipper Adam Phillips a glimpse of the future – and he liked what he saw.
The teenage pair put on 120 together for the third wicket in S&B’s Love Lanes Leagues Group A clash with Fleetwood Hesketh, laying the foundation for a 135-run victory.
After a two-run defeat against Ainsdale on the opening day, Phillips’ side have bounced back strongly with two wins – and the new skipper is all the happier for seeing his youngsters play a leading role.
“Jack’s been a breath of fresh air since he came into the first-team set-up last year,” said Phillips, after Carney’s unbeaten 101 and debutant Rankin’s 60 dominated a total of 246/3.
“A lot of people like to give 15-yearolds first-team experience, but he’s a genuine first-team player. He’d be in outright as a wicketkeeper, but to come in and be the star of the show with the bat is superb.
“He’s shown glimpses of it in the last few weeks, but he was getting a bit frustrated when he was getting out in the 20s. So I had a word with him and said just relax, enjoy it, and your quality will come through.”
Rankin – a leg-spinning all-rounder – was recruited from Ormskirk over the winter amid rave reviews from the Lancashire Academy.
Seeing him making an impact on a game so early into his time at Trafalgar Road was particularly pleasing for Phillips.
“It’s a few weeks earlier than we could have hoped for, because he’s a young lad and he needs time to bed in,” the skipper said.
“For them to have that partnership at 3 and 4 is exactly what we’ve been looking for and what we’ve been wanting.” See facing page for a fuller report.
Group A’s other game saw an unbeaten 126 for Stephen Lucas, as Ainsdale kept up their perfect start with a 75-run win over Southport Trinity. Adam Friar and Oliver Green then took four wickets each as Trinity fell well short of their target of 199.