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: 28th & 29th June
Game of the Weekend
Whitefield bounced back from a horror start to win the Comp’s first ever Battle of Knowsley, beating Prescot & Odyssey by 69 runs in their Division Two encounter.
The usual local derby spice had a bit of added salt thanks to the presence on both sides of former opposition favourites.
And one of them, Whitefield’s Rob Magee, who played at P&O in 2016 and 2017, stole the show.
Whitefield’s Rob Magee bowling to Prescot & Odyssey’s Harsh Shonak
“I always loved bowling here,” the all-rounder, told home supporters on the boundary on his way to claiming 6/22 with an intelligent spell of leg-breaks and googlies.
It was one of the latter which gave the game its decisive moment, spinning through the gate to bowl Harsh Shonak – star of Whitefield’s 2023 promotion season, now with P&O after a spell at Rainford.
A post-drinks wobble had already claimed Callum Jacob and Steven Donoghue, both to Magee, to leave the hosts teetering on 83/5.
But Shonak had eased to 39 and looked in command. As long as he was there, the chase was in safe hands; with him gone, the wheels fell off.
Whitefield’s wild celebrations had barely died down when Stewart Guy top-edged Amruth Deveraj; Magee castled another former Whitefield man, Ali Zubairi, then had John Nation superbly held at deep mid-on by Asiri Gamage.
Skipper Graham Talbot and his regular 2nd XI counterpart, Dean Fairclough, prolonged the innings into the sixth over of the last hour, but Fairclough was struck on the front pad to become Magee’s sixth victim.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said skipper Ben Ashcroft of his side’s second league win of the season.
“We’ve been close a few times and it feels good to get over the line.
“Rob’s still buzzing – that ball to get Harsh was an absolute cracker.
“We always knew we had the bowlers to cause them problems, and Rob proved decisive there.”
The ending was the opposite of the beginning – Magee was bowled by Fairclough in the fifth over, with only extras on the board. Matty Connolly departed the same way first ball, and Deveraj was smartly stumped by Donoghue off Stewart Guy in the next over – Whitefield were 5/3 and in danger of foundering.
South African Cronje van Greunen quickly worked out that on a slow wicket, with the wind whipping in off the Prescot Reservoir strong enough to topple a sightscreen, judicious attack was the best form of defence.
Hitting mostly with the wind and to the shorter boundary, he threw the bowlers off their lengths and spread the field. He and Mark Green put on 57 together before Green edged to gully; van Greunen, dropped at slip on 36, simply carried on regardless.
A huge straight six off Zubairi followed by two fours took him to 50 – all but six of them were in boundaries.
He eventually perished for 79, with 66 in boundaries. A score of 114/6 was still not a position of strength, but James Anderson (not that one) made a clean-hitting unbeaten 32 – dropped twice in the deep – to marshal the tail to a decent total of 175.
Ashcroft said: “After the start we had, I thought here we go again.
“But Cronje came in and set the tone, along with Mark, and it was a team effort alongside Ando in the lower order to make sure we got to a competitive total.”
Fairclough, Zubairi and Nation finished with three wickets each but their attack perhaps lacked a little variety in the absence of Hedley Molyneux.
Gamage helped show them what they were missing with a fiery first over which found the edge of Kenny Highdale; he also castled Adam Critchley, but Shonak looked untroubled until Magee’s magic moment.
ECB Premier Division
Wallasey’s Seb Botes said last week’s nine-wicket haul was a one-off, and so it proved… he only managed 8/58 as his side rolled Newton-le-Willows for just 96.
All but one of Botes’ strikes were unassisted, and he again took three in an over – a high-quality trio of captain Ben Walkden, Lancashire’s George Bell and overseas all-rounder Hamish McKenzie.
It wasn’t plain sailing for the batters after that, but they did enough to wrap up a four-wicket win.
Left-arm spinner Toby Bulcock took his best club figures in 12 years, 8/55, as defending champions Ormskirk stretched their lead at the top with a comfortable win over Birkenhead Park. The hosts eased to a six-wicket win after Park managed just 118.
Northern are well clear in second after their 62-run win at Wigan. Aussie Alex Vincent top-scored with 77 in the visitors’ 211.
Formby lost their first league game since May 3 against Rainhill, who chased 215 to earn a seven-wicket win. Ryan Brown haunted his former club with an unbeaten 65 to see the visitors home, while Bilal Khan also made 50; earlier, there were half-centuries for Tom Billington and Ian Cockbain in an opening stand of 127.
Rainford’s draw at Leigh was enough to take them third. Luke Prescott hit 106, his first century for the hosts, and shared a stand of 136 with Mattie McKiernan, who made 77; they finished with 257 before Rainford, with Matty Bailey making 88, closed on 219/7.
Colwyn Bay came desperately close to chasing 252 at Bootle, running out of time just four runs short. Veteran Sion Morris made his first top flight century since 2018 and Charlie Collins chipped in with 58 in the chase; Alastair Andrady and Sagar Trivedi made half-centuries for the hosts.
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Division One
It’s hard to say with any certainty how “unique” something truly is in the Comp… but Maghull’s trip to Hightown St Mary’s was probably the first time both captains have taken exactly 8/42 from exactly 16.5 overs.
The hosts’ Matt White went home happier than the visitors’ Anthony Molloy after Hightown won by 24 runs.
Spring View managed to defend just 107 to stay top with a 24-run win at Sefton Park.
Only two home batters made double figures, meaning Daksh Singhvi’s 5/29 was in vain.
Liverpool are still second after Dan Harrison hit an unbeaten 131 – his maiden 1st XI century – to set up a 135-run win over Sutton. If that wasn’t enough, he then took 6/23 to keep the visitors well short of their target of 248.
Half-centuries from skipper Ryan Hargreaves and Mohit Jangra set up an 81-win for Highfield at New Brighton. Adam Neal made 87 in response to 228/8, but Madduma Lakmal’s 6/23 carried the day.
Old Xaverians earned their second win of the season by just five runs against Orrell Red Triangle. Mark Waddington made 66, and Matty Aggrey took 5/39 – but both ended up on the losing side.
Southport & Birkdale’s last pair of Alex Halsall and Tom Crew frustrated Lytham for more than six overs to earn a draw. David Snellgrove rolled back the years with 5/75 for the hosts, before a ninth-wicket stand of 90 between Charlie Nixon and Anthony Mulligan helped the visitors to 229.
Division Two
Ainsdale and Caldy continue to pull clear at the top – the gap between them is just three points, with third a further 35 behind.
Dilanka Auwardt was again the star for Ainsdale, as his 6/61 dismissed struggling Prestatyn for 154. Andrew Barlow’s unbeaten 51 helped earn a seven-wicket win that keeps them top.
Rohan Sanjaya top-scored with 88 in Caldy’s 176 at St Helens Town – the hosts reached 123/5, but fell 24 runs short.
Fleetwood Hesketh’s Matty Howard made an unbeaten 95, and Nathan Condon 91, in a stand of 140 to help a chase of 241 at Norley Hall. Home captain Callum Hughes and Matthew Hayes made half-centuries in a high-scoring encounter.
Wavertree survived a late scare to hold off Northop Hall by 12 runs. Hamish Farrell’s unbeaten 63 led the hosts to 135, with 6/57 for Paul Jenkins, and the visitors stumbled to 46/6 before a late rally.
Parkfield Liscard’s Piushan Gamekankanamge took 5/26 to dismiss Southport Trinity for 100. There was just time for Jake Sunderland to claim 5/40 before the hosts knocked off the runs six down.
Sunday: Lancashire Cup
Northern and Formby both reached the Lancashire Cup semi-finals – and they could yet meet in the final.
Captain Ian Cockbain continued his stellar form at Cricket Path, making 89 to give his side a strong start against Fleetwood.
Ollie Sutton picked up the baton with 50, but the total was not imposing until Larry Edward whacked 32 off 12 balls at the death, to post 253/6.
Visiting keeper Harry McAteer made 85 but became one of three victims for Lucas Kennedy – nobody else made more than 30 and the visitors finished 32 runs shy.
Formby’s first ever Lancs KO semi-final will be at North West Cricket League side Salesbury.
Northern’s stars were Stephen Lucas and Tyler McGladdery, who made 97 and 83 respectively in an unbroken stand of 179 which sealed an emphatic nine-wicket win over Clitheroe.
Lucas had earlier taken three wickets as the visitors were dismissed for 189. Northern’s reward is a trip to defending Lancashire League champions and 2021 Lancs KO finalists Burnley.
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)
