With thanks to Tom Evans @ Merseyside Cricket Online (merseysidecricket.com can be supported @ https://buymeacoffee.com/tomevanscricket). This week, we present the Liverpool & District results & round up along with a review of Liverpool District Cricket events.
Reports, reaction & round-up: 13th & 14th September
ECB Premier Division: Ormskirk seal title with last-ball six in finish which will go down in Comp folklore
It was not the prettiest shot played in the Love Lane Liverpool Competition’s 133-year history.
But it might just have been the most dramatic.
Needing six runs to win the title off the last ball of their league season, Sam Marsh, Ormskirk’s bowler-who-bats, cleared his front leg and swung with all his might – and hit the jackpot.
“You couldn’t write it,” said Birkenhead Park skipper Alex Harris, whose side gave it their all after sportingly agreeing to set a target.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Ormskirk captain Gary Knight, who has become the first captain to lead a side to three consecutive Comp titles since Noel Overend for Park in the 1960s.
Behind every great side, there is another one. Credit has to go to Northern, who fought back from miles behind in July to push their rivals all the way and were poised to take advantage of any slip-up.
And critical support has to go to whoever decided to schedule Ormskirk’s ECB National Club Championship final on the last Saturday of the league season.
Like the September rain, it threatened to turn the end of the title race into an anticlimax, but ended up making it unforgettable.
Both sides playing their last game simultaneously could have been great, too. But it would have lacked the jeopardy which faced Marsh on that last delivery.
Two runs would have secured a seventh point for Ormskirk, which would have left Northern needing a 25-point win against Wigan last week.
But while in reality Northern might have stumbled at the line, Ormskirk had to assume the Lancashire Cup winners would do what was required of them – they usually do, after all.
Sam Marsh celebrates after hitting a six off the last ball to win the league for Ormskirk
Knight said: “It was never in my head to rely on them not winning, they’ve shown time and time again how relentless they are.
“But to do it on the final ball, with six to win – it’s just incredible, really.
“And for Sam to produce with that level of pressure, knowing that it’s literally the league on the line, was massive.”
Ormskirk’s biggest fear was a washout, and for three and a half hours it looked on the cards.
But the rain cleared at around 3.30pm and mercifully stayed away.
Knight had driven a van to the ground with extra covers and a sopper; they did the trick and the players were back on just after 4pm.
With an organic result unlikely, Park set their visitors 164 from the last 20 overs. Andrew Clarke was top scorer with 84; Knight’s career-best figures of 4/38 were less predictable.
Ormskirk raced to 62/1 from 33 balls but began to falter as Mark Rowland’s off-breaks made scoring difficult on a drying pitch.
Knight made 30 and looked the man most likely, but mistimed a pull off Harris in the 17th over and thought the game was up – 41 off 22 balls was a tall order, with only the tail to come.
With two overs to go, Marsh and John Armstrong still needed to find 32 runs from somewhere; five of them came courtesy of a Harris wide, then Marsh smeared the next ball through the leg side and Armstrong lofted a straight four to leave 16 required from the last over.
Rowland’s first disappeared over cow corner, but the next two didn’t get off the square. Marsh then scrambled a couple of twos to set up the sensational finish.
Ormskirk celebrate winning the Love Lane Liverpool Competition title
Now Ormskirk have a moment for the ages, one to tell the grandchildren about – but more immediately, one hell of a momentum boost ahead of their showdown with Penzance at Lord’s.
Knight said: “I said to the lads after the game, I was a bit worried that we weren’t going to get that moment of emotion, to just get it all out and get the huge rewards for all our hard work.
“Birkenhead were brilliant with us and to win it with a team going full throttle to try and beat you, made it even more satisfying.
“I didn’t want to be checking scorecards at Lord’s, to be honest. It would have felt a little bit of an injustice after how well we’ve played this year.
“It could have easily worked the other way around, we could have got a full day’s play in yesterday and Northern could have been rained off next week – but I think it was meant to happen the way it was.”
Northern kept the race alive on Saturday, when Tom Sephton’s 6/61 was enough to earn a 45-run win over Rainford.
Jason Login’s was the key scalp, given out stumped via a deflection off wicketkeeper James Cole’s pads for 49 when Rainford were 81/3 chasing 177.
Dan Wilson took the other four wickets as the left-arm spin twins continued their personal race; earlier, Liam Gaskell had taken 6/57 to restrict the hosts after a rain delay.
With the weather a constant threat and most games washed out completely, Ormskirk were in a hurry against Wallasey.
Calum Turner blasted an unbeaten 134 off 85 balls as they raced to 231/2 in 25.4 overs. George Lavelle was his accomplice with 87 in a stand of 219. Visiting captain Greg Beaver made 50 in reply but was one of three victims for Toby Bulcock; Jamie Barnes and Sam Marsh also took three to wrap up the win.
Birkenhead Park’s trip to Wigan was the only other game played to a finish, and it was quite the finish. The hosts needed 17 off the last over for a win that would have made certain of survival – they got 14, closing on 182/7 after Park made 184/2 thanks to a maiden 1st XI fifty from Mason Cockcroft, backed up by Andrew Clarke.
As it is, Wigan have to settle for being almost safe – they need two points next Saturday to ensure Colwyn Bay cannot catch them.
The Welshmen needed a win but were frustrated by the weather at Rainhill, where Dan Russell made 74 as Bay posted 172/6.
Northern’s Ray Digman Trophy final against Leigh was rained off again – they will try for a third time next April.
Check out all the 2025 Premier League Centurions HERE
Division One: Liverpool back at the top table after washout
Liverpool CC celebrate winning promotion to the Premier Division
Liverpool will play top-flight cricket for the first time since 1999 after their promotion was secured thanks to a washout against third placed Spring View.
The Wigan side still have a chance of joining them, but Orrell Red Triangle need just five points against Old Xaverians next weekend to earn a place at the top table.
At the bottom, Xavs gave themselves a chance of survival by earning seven points in a creditable defeat at Southport & Birkdale. Bobby Wincer’s 5/59 proved decisive in the end for the hosts, as the Woolton side fell just 22 runs short of S&B’s 185/8.
Jimmy Dixon took 7/31 for Sefton Park in the only other game to have a result, rolling Lytham for 70 to set up an eight-wicket win.
New Brighton got on for 21 balls against Sutton, but the rest didn’t even manage that much.
Division Two: Ainsdale in pole position as Northop Hall edged out by Whitefield
Ainsdale are hot favourites to land the DIvision Two title thanks to their 62-run win at Fleetwood Hesketh, while Northop Hall missed out by just one wicket against Whitefield.
Cronje Van Greunen was the matchwinner for the Roby side with an unbeaten 83, including 15 in a last-wicket stand with Ian Cartwright to see them over the line. Earlier, Jac Kennedy top-scored with 64 in the Welsh side’s 146/6.
For Ainsdale, Dilanka Auwardt went past 100 league wickets for the season with his 7/49, keeping the visitors well short of their target of 172. Harry Beddard had made 51 for the hosts.
St Helens Town’s Venkata Dantuluri was the star of the only other game to survive the rain, taking 8/39 to run through Southport Trinity for 82. Jonny Hine found time for an unbeaten 67 from number four in an eight-wicket win.
You can follow all the fixtures & results HERE (ECB National Club Championship)
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With thanks to Tom Evans @ Merseyside Cricket Online (merseysidecricket.com can be supported @ https://buymeacoffee.com/tomevanscricket)
