S&B only offer scant resistance to Trinity Phillips’s batsmen failed to give an answer to accurate bowling
WITH the Ainsdale Club closed prior to being deep cleaned no play was possible in the other Group A semi-final of the Love Lane League on Saturday, so the precise consequences of Southport Trinity’s five-wicket defeat of Southport and Birkdale were uncertain.
None of which makes a whit of difference to the judgement that Trinity thoroughly deserved their win. If anything, the margin of victory was generous to the hosts, whose signally inadequate total of 81 was overhauled with 64 balls to spare by visitors whose batting and fielding was plainly superior to that offered by Adam Phillips’s side and whose bowling was, at the very least, just as good.
One or two home batsmen may feel they were a trifle unfortunate on Saturday. Perhaps they were but such moments did not account for the result and to take refuge in such explanations is to compound defeat by not learning from it.
It would be much more useful to examine why Phillips’s batsmen had no answer to an accurate attack in which there was no weak link. Only the brothers Lea reached double figures, minor outscoring major while pater looked on.
Grimly placed on 51 for seven, S&B’s batsmen did at least scramble another 30 runs but even the later batsmen resorted to aggression when there was time to nudge the ball around.
Few sides that are bowled out with 9.1 overs unused go on to secure victory in cricket’s shorter formats; the galling thing for home supporters was that even a total of 120 might have been competitive.
As it was, an S&B attack lacking Chris Cunningham could afford very few loose balls while their fielders needed to hold on to every chance that came their way. The bowlers did their bit and Chris Firth was outstanding. But a number of chances went down though it would be unfair to blame S&B’s defeat upon those errors. Cunningham’s offspin was missed, as was his presence
In contrast to most of his opponents, Trinity opener Bobby Eyes exhibited excellent understanding and game management. His 32 was by far the longest innings of the match and it was a shame that an unexpected rush of blood prevented him taking his side home. Trinity’s total was augmented by 14 runs from wide deliveries but there are only so many times one can flog a horse that has all but expired.
At the Rookery Tom Baybutt’s second team recorded their sixth victory in seven games when they defeated Trinity by 64 runs. Thirties by Nick Devlin and Harry May saw S&B post 129 all out in 41.4 overs and that proved more than sufficient against hosts who made 65 all out in reply.
In the first innings of the game Shehan Alokbandaralage took four for 31 for the hosts but that effort was more than countered by S&B’s youthful attack. Peter Crew took three for 20 and leg-spinner Matthew Hennessy returned the remarkable figures of 8-46-3.
Following careful consideration of the events surrounding the cancellation of Ainsdale’s match on Saturday due to a Covid-related issue it was decided by the league’s management committee that the Liverpool Road club should host Southport Trinity in the Group A final. Fleetwood Hesketh will visit S&B in the 3rd/4th place play off.
SOUTHPORT TRINITY WIN BY FIVE WICKETS
I Lea c&b Cragg
Holliday c Thorpe b Prince
Carney b Cragg
Rankin b Cragg
Byrne b G Campbell
Phillips lbw Roberti
T Lea c Prince b T Campbell Gailey c v.d. Walt b G Campbell Regan c van der Walt b Roberti Warhurst c Johnston b T Campbell Extras
TOTAL
(35.5 overs)
S&B
FoW: 1-7 2-8 3-14 4-22 5-29 6-46 7-51 8-68 9-70 10-81
Cragg 9-2-20-3 Prince 6-3-9-1 G Campbell 7-0-22-3 Roberti 9-4-19-2 T Campbell 4.5-0-8-2
SOUTHPORT TRINITY Eyes c Lea b Firth
McKeown b Warhurst Johnston run out
Thorpe c Warhurst b Rankin Hine c Phillips b Firth
Van der Walt not out
Prince not out
Extras
TOTAL
(for five wickets, 34.2 ovs)
FoW: 1-3 2-30 3-47 4-48 5-63
Warhurst 7-2-15-1 Gailey 8-1-25-0 Rankin 9-0-22-1 Firth 9-5-11-2 Byrne 1.2-0-11-0
32 1 7 5 1 14 11 15 85