A reminder of lofty standards required
PERHAPS the best thing about Southport and Birkdale’s defeat of Rainhill on the first Saturday of the Liverpool Competition season was that none of Chris Cunningham’s victorious players were deluded by it.
They all knew that tougher challenges lay ahead and two such afternoons arrived last weekend when S&B drew their game against Birkenhead Park on Saturday before losing by 40 runs to Farnworth in the National Club Championship 24 hours later.
Let us stress at once that there were many fine performances by S&B cricketers on both days.
Perhaps the most impressive was that of Jack Carney, who followed his 71 against Park with a fine 74 against the Bolton League side on Sunday.
But Steve Gregory also reinforced his growing reputation as one of the club’s shrewdest recent signings by taking wickets on both days and making an immensely valuable 25 not out on Saturday, runs that ensured that the home side took nine points and a draw from the game instead of seven points and a defeat.
Gregory’s partnerships with Carney and his unbroken lastwicket stand with Cunningham should be taken as examples of what can be rescued from unpromising situations. Such occasions will come round again.
But a salvage operation should not have been necessary.
Having seen Birkenhead Park’s openers get off to an outstanding start by putting on 100 in 18.2 overs, S&B’s bowlers, led by Chris Firth, took seven wickets for 52 runs in the next 18 before a late rally allowed the visitors to hoist their total to a formidable 221.
To a degree they were allowed to do this by an attack that has not yet bowled consistently for one complete innings. Both on Saturday and against the Sri Lankan Test batsman, Milinda Siriwardana, on Sunday, the Trafalgar Road attack sometimes failed to do the basics, such as bowling towards one side of the wicket, thereby allowing a field to be set more easily.
Against Siriwardana such indiscipline was irritating but first-class batsmen can butcher even fine attacks; against Birkenhead Park, it put the batsmen under that much more pressure, especially when they were facing the accurate left-arm spin of Ahmad Abdullah, who bowled through the innings and took seven for 58.
The fact that Carney made 71 against Abdullah before he was ninth out on Saturday and then more runs on Sunday is a deeply pleasing reflection of his development. Other batsmen who can be relatively pleased with their achievements were JJ Fielding, who had to graft for his 40 runs on Saturday, Jack Stanley, who made 39 on Sunday, and Jonny Whitehead, who made 58 in the losing cause against Farnworth.
Overall, though, this was a weekend in which S&B’s cricketers were reminded of the improvements that still need to be made – and the probable penalties of not making them.
S&B’s second team came off second best at Birkenhead Park, losing by 48 runs despite a fine all-round performance by Sam Holliday, who took five for 62 in the home side’s 210 for nine and then made 55 as S&B replied with 162 all out.
However, there was yet another victory for David Salt’s third-team on Sunday, thanks in part to fine batting from Ian Sutcliffe, who made 79, and Henry Eccles, who contributed 67 to his side’s 194 for four declared. Tom Dixon then took five for 43 as Oxton were dismissed for 131.
But there was a slight disappointment for S&B’s Ladies team, who lost to Liverpool by 21 runs.
Barnes c Wincer b Firth ............................... 45 Rowland c Whitehead b Wincer .............. 50 Foster lbw Gregory ....................................... 25 Harris b Firth ....................................................... 4 Beadsworth c Stanley b Firth ...................... 0 Abdullah st Carney b Wincer ....................... 0 Foran lbw Firth ................................................... 5 Parker c Gregory b Cunningham ........... 19 Wahbi not out ................................................. 18 Hird st Carney b Firth ................................... 39 Baker not out ...................................................... 4 Extras ...................................................................... 8 TOTAL ................................................................ 221 FoW: 1-100 2-104 3-116 4-122 5-123 6-140 7-152 8-166 9-211 10-221
Gregory 10-3-32-1 Gailey 3-0-31-0
Firth 20-4-66-6 Wincer 14-2-74-2 Cunningham 5-1-13-1
Fielding c Beadsworth b Abdullah ........ 40 Stanley lbw Abdullah ...................................... 0 Whitehead lbw Abdullah ........................... 14 Carney c Rowland b Abdullah ................. 71 Snellgrove b Abdullah .................................... 0 Sultan lbw Wahbi .............................................. 6 Firth lbw Abdullah ........................................... 7 Wincer b Baker ................................................... 4 Gailey b Abdullah ............................................. 4 Gregory not out ............................................. 25 Cunningham not out ...................................... 9 Extras ................................................................... 11 TOTAL ( for nine wkts) ................................ 191 FoW: 1-6 2-28 3-88 4-88 5-105 6-118 7-127 8-146 9-167
Baker 15-5-49-1 Abdullah 26-8-56-7 Harris 2-0-21-0 Wahbi 6-0-34-1 Foster 3-0-20-07.8
LIVERPOOL earned their first win of the Division One season thanks to Dan Clubbe’s 6/38, which ensured Fleetwood Hesketh fell 52 runs short.
Alastair Andrady and Callum Doyle each hit halfcenturies to help the visitors to 245/8; Lee Rimmer’s 68 was in vain for the hosts.
Sefton Park recovered from 104/8 to post 198 at Ainsdale, thanks to an unbeaten 41 from Jimmy Dixon, who then took a wicket with his first ball. But it still wasn’t enough as Harry Turnbull’s 62 led the hosts to a five-wicket win.
Lytham were too strong for Firwood Bootle, rolling them for 101 then knocking off the runs with nine wickets to spare, thanks to Edward Fiddler’s unbeaten 63.
Lloyd Eastham took 8/32 as Caldy restricted Rainford to 160, but visiting skipper John Dotters had the final say, twirling out 7/20 to seal a 53-run win.
Colwyn Bay earned a seven-wicket win over Highfield after Adam Campion’s 6/23 did the damage.
WAVERTREE’S Luke Carus-McDonald hit an unbeaten 108 to rescue his side from 30/4 and set up a 102-run win over Parkfield Liscard in Division Two.
Maghull’s Liam Crilly finished unbeaten on 121 – with 64 from Jonathan Ring and 61 from Jamie Breakwell – before Munowar Samsodien’s 6/39 wrapped up a 189-run victory over Sutton.
Norley Hall chased 144 to beat Alder; the visitors’ Greg Harvey top-scored with 56, but the hosts won by three wickets.
St Helens Town’s 205/9 was too much for Southport Trinity, who fell 72 runs short.
New Brighton Newton-le-Willows Northern
Orrell Red Triangle Southport & Birkdale Wallasey
Formby Wigan
Rainhill
Leigh
Ormskirk
Birkenhead Park