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: 14th & 15th June
GAME OF THE DAY
Birkenhead Park fell just short of victory over Wigan in a frantic and spicy last hour.
Visiting captain Jordan Hampson’s defence was tested but not broken by Chris Stenhouse’s final over, and the hosts’ cries of dismay when the last ball was blocked told a story.
The seventh wicket had fallen 12 overs earlier with the score 113, and with it went Wigan’s hopes of chasing 194 on a misbehaving pitch.
Park ended the more frustrated of the two sides, but the visitors had their chances.
Notably, and memorably, an explosive cameo from the Comp’s latest headline act, Ashutosh Sharma, threatened to carry the day.
Coming in at 31/3, the Delhi Capitals star flayed his first ball from Stenhouse through a gap invisible to everyone else on the field; his fifth, from the same bowler, disappeared over long-off.
Sharma had by this time been joined by Aaron Redmond, who can seldom have played second fiddle quite this much. David Nevin in particular was brutalised – the 19th over went for a huge six on to the pavilion roof, followed by four through point, an inside-out six over cover, another straight hit and a two to bring up Sharma’s 50 off 22 balls.
He then took a single to pinch the strike as the last hour was called, and played out a maiden from Safi, who was causing him problems he will have to solve if he wants to thrive in a league full of quality left-arm spinners.
After more punishment for Nevin, Stenhouse returned and found a more challenging length – Sharma managed only an edged four before he picked out Jon Crofton on the deep square boundary.
After a few words with the fielders, who felt he had nicked one to Ste Hird earlier in the over, Elvis left the building – with a little more application, he could have won the game for Wigan.
Instead, the dam was breached, and Park looked like pouring through. Safi found Dan Yates’ edge, then Nevin dusted himself off to remove Lucas Harrison.
Redmond remained, and when Bradley Barrow was spilled at short cover off Safi with five overs to go, it seemed Wigan had escaped.
But the veteran New Zealander had a rush of blood against the part-time spin of Dan Jordan, and sent a full toss high into the air – home skipper Alex Harris had time to offer a prayer of thanks before pouching it.
Safi’s last over, the 19th of the last hour, ended with him trapping Barrow then sinking to the ground – his efforts had been exhaustive and almost, but not quite, decisive.
Harris said: “It is frustrating but we’ve played a lot of good cricket out there today.
“We had to graft but we got to a score which we thought was competitive and the lads stuck together and bowled well – it just doesn’t happen sometimes.
“It’s sore when you get them to nine down, but I can’t fault the lads today. We’re disappointed but happy with the way we played.”
After a half-hour delay due to a wet outfield, Hampson won the toss and removed both openers himself before Josh Boyden nipped one back through the defences of Andrew Clarke.
By the time Sharma’s off-breaks and Barrow’s left-armers had spun out Jordan and Khalid Wahbi, it was 79/5 in the 30th over and the innings was meandering a bit.
It was up to Harris to drag his side towards a competitive total, denying his usual style in a 91-ball 48 before being bowled by Hampson, who finished with 6/80, his best figures since 2022.
Due to the delay, Park had to bat on after tea – Safi and the tail briefly showed some aggression, but Boyden held a fine high catch off Stenhouse to convince Harris it was time to pull the plug on 193/9 in the 58th over.
The home skipper added: “It was a difficult wicket to bat on so it was a case of staying out there and waiting until there was a ball you could hit straight.
“Cross-batted shots on there were going to get you in trouble. It was nice to get a few runs but it was disappointing we couldn’t turn it into a win.”
ECB Premier Division
Mattie McKiernan’s highest Comp score of 150* from 103 balls set up a 112-win for his Leigh side over Firwood Bootle.
Helped by Luke Prescott, who made 76 out of a stand of 192, McKiernan was able to declare on 274/3. Adam Shallcross’s opening burst then reduced the visitors to 24/4; Kris Ali’s 63 offered some resistance.
Ormskirk maintained their lead at the top with a 105-run win at Wallasey, confirmed by Tom Brown’s Comp-best figures of 5/40. Four of the defending champions’ batters reached 33 but none topped Calum Turner’s 43 in their total of 207, as Ejaaz Alavi took 6/83 for the Wirral side.
Northern are still breathing down Ormskirk’s necks after a 32-run win at Rainford. Louis Bhabra’s 48 was the top score in the visitors’ 220/8, as John Dotters claimed 5/58; the hosts gave themselves a sniff but lost regular wickets.
Formby chased 132 for a six-wicket win at struggling Newton-le-Willows, and bottom side Colwyn Bay never recovered from 8/4 against Rainhill, slipping to a six-wicket defeat.
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Division One
Spring View drew dead level with Liverpool in top spot after winning their clash by three wickets.
Supun Samarathunga’s 5/34 restricted the visitors to 155 after 57 from Alex Harper; James Critchley’s 55 got the chase off to a good start and a late wobble wasn’t enough to derail it.
The two sides have an identical record, meaning View are currently top owing to their head-to-head record.
Southport & Birkdale’s spinners ran through Old Xaverians to keep up the chase in third; Bobby Wincer and Muhammad Kashif took four wickets each to dismiss the Woolton side for 96 in reply to 179.
Sutton got the better of New Brighton on a bowler’s day. Andy Cowley’s 5/44 helped dismiss the visitors for just 60, but the Rakers’ bowlers gave the hosts a fright on their way to a three-wicket win.
It was a similar story at Sefton Park, where Lytham only managed 69 thanks to Huzaifa Zubair’s 4/23 and Daksh Singhvi’s 3/6. The hosts slipped to 11/5 in reply but Paul Horton and Matthew Young saw them home.
Orrell Red Triangle’s Sam Heeley made his first century for the club in his 10th season, his unbeaten 104 leading a successful chase of 214 against Maghull. Ben Mahoney kept him company with 54; earlier, Dileepa Jayalath took 5/41.
Highfield’s Madduma Lakmal starred with the ball in their win over Hightown St Mary’s, taking 5/28 as the visitors only managed 102.
Division Two
Prescot & Odyssey and Norley Hall went into the last ball of their encounter with all four results on the table – Hall, nine down, needed three to win or two and out to tie.
Instead, Harry Clegg managed just a single – meaning they closed on 173/9, one behind their hosts’ total. Harsh Shonak’s unbeaten 83 had been the best individual contribution.
Ainsdale reclaimed top spot with a 58-run win at Fleetwood Hesketh, with Jehan Yahathugoda making 54 for the visitors; Nathan Condon’s unbeaten half-century was in vain for the hosts in pursuit of 192.
Caldy won but slipped to second due to bonus points. The Wirral side only made 105 against Wavertree thanks to 5/26 from Hamish Farrell, but defended it with 5/24 for Rohan Sanjaya.
Northop Hall just had enough to get over the line at Whitefield, who managed 183 then induced a collapse from 163/4 to 173/8.
Parkfield Liscard’s Adnan Khalid made 116 and Naveed Salah 52 out of 228/7 at Prestatyn; the hosts, still without a win, only managed 79 in response.
St Helens Town came agonisingly close to their first win, as Southport Trinity closed on 121/9 in response to 223/9, in which Jonny Hine made an unbeaten 82.
Sunday: ECB National Knockout
Ormskirk and Northern will meet again for the chance to represent the Comp in the latter stages, after both won their group finals.
Their last-16 clash at Brook Lane on July 6 will be a reverse of last year’s quarter-final, which Northern won on their way to the final.
James Cole’s side prevailed in an all-Comp clash at Moor Park on Sunday, getting revenge over Formby for their league win on the same turf last month.
Just like in that game, Ian Cockbain and Liam Grey traded centuries. This time, Formby’s total of 230/2 looked a little short as soon as Grey and Tyler McGladdery got going with a stand of 137, and Grey finished unbeaten on 111 as the visiting bowlers ran out of ideas.
Earlier, Cockbain brought up his ton with a six off Dan Wilson in the last over, and Jack Carney made 71* alongside him in a stand of 119.
Grey’s eight overs cost just 20 runs – his economy rate of 2.5 an over was half that of any of Formby’s bowlers. In a match where the batters cancelled each other out, that made all the difference.
Calum Turner was Ormskirk’s hero in their comfortable win over Roe Green. The big-hitting left-hander made an unbeaten 112 to wrap up their chase of 222 with nine wickets and 12.3 overs to spare.
Sam Holden made 63* in a stand of 168; earlier, visiting pro Tilaksha Malshan made 109 for the Greater Manchester Cricket League side.
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)
