ECB National Club Championship final preview: Run machine McGladdery keen to make it count

Tyler McGladdery in action for Northern
Picture by ROGER GREEN

Tyler McGladdery hailed Northern’s squad of matchwinners ahead of the club’s national finals double header.

The Crosby side take on Brentwood in the 40-over ECB National Club Championship in Worcester on Sunday, a week before facing Oundle Town in the National Club T20.

Together with challenging Ormskirk for the Love Lane Liverpool Competition title, they’ve done it all with just 17 players.

Seven of them – McGladdery,  Liam Grey, Jac Kennedy, Alex Vincent, Ben Edmundson, Dan Wilson and Tom Sephton – have played all 38 games, while Chris Laker, captain James Cole and Josh Thompson have topped 30.

If it’s a sign of Cole having a settled group of elite cricketers to call on, it’s also a reflection of excellent fitness levels and luck with injuries.

McGladdery says: “We’ve got a lot of matchwinners in our XI. 

“Guys who have been there and done it know how hard it is to fight a battle on all fronts – a league and two national competitions. 

“Luckily, we’ve had a squad of players who have stayed fit all year.”

The left-handed runsmith qualifies as a guy who has been there and done it, for sure. 

Click here for the latest Love Lane Liverpool Competition tables

After topping 1,000 league runs in the league two years running, and making 2,048 in all competitions last year – including 52 in Northern’s Lancashire Cup win over Longridge – his 2024 returns have been numerically down by his own standards.

Whether it’s the conditions, or a knee operation which restricted his winter activity, McGladdery isn’t looking for excuses.

Notably, there hasn’t been a century, after 11 in league and cup matches over the two previous summers.

But it’s not always about how many, it’s sometimes about when. In a bowler-friendly season, his runs have often made a crucial difference.

“It’s that type of league where the standard of bowling is good enough to outweigh the batters when the conditions are in their favour,” he adds.

“Obviously, I’d have liked to have scored the same amount of runs as last year, but it’s not going to happen, you have to be realistic. 

“I’ve had a decent season, and managed to win us a few games, so it’s not all doom and gloom. 

“But I set my standards so high and I’d like to have done better. 

“If we win these couple of games now, I’ll look back and think it’s been a good year personally.”

Click here for the latest Love Lane Liverpool Competition statistics

There is a general acceptance at Northern that the league has probably gone. Saturday’s tie with Southport & Birkdale leaves them needing snookers to catch Ormskirk, who also ended their Lancashire Cup defence at the first hurdle.

McGladdery says the early exit from one competition may have been a blessing in disguise when it comes to the others. 

He adds: “Getting knocked out by Ormskirk has allowed us to do well in the other competitions. 

“It’s come down to the last few games in the league and we’ve kind of dropped off – we’ve not dealt with the Saturdays as well as they have. 

“Whether it’s because we’ve been playing so much high-intensity cup cricket on a Sunday, I don’t know, but they’ve stuck to the task and picked up two more wins than us.”

1st XI players used in all competitions

ECB Premier Division clubs, 2024

	Games	Players
Northern	38	17
Ormskirk	38	20
Formby	37	20
Rainford	36	21
Leigh	30	23
Wigan	27	24
Birkenhead Park	31	24
Rainhill	25	25
Southport & Birkdale	25	25
New Brighton	31	26
Newton-le-Willows	26	27
Wallasey	32	30

Now settled at number three, with Chris Laker and Jac Kennedy the regular openers, McGladdery is in exactly the position he wanted to be when he arrived from Rainhill at the end of the 2022 season.

He says: “I felt like I’d done all I could at Rainhill, and moved to Northern to play in games like Sunday, and the following Sunday. 

“With my injury, batting at three has given me a bit of a breather when we’ve fielded first.

“It’s testament to the fact we’ve got so many lads who can bat in different positions – it’s about mixing it up, and people can take on different roles in different games.”

The T20 final is at Derby’s County Ground, where McGladdery has played 2nd XI county cricket. But Worcester’s New Road will be a new experience on Sunday.

“Whenever you go to a county ground, you’re playing a guessing game over what wicket you’re going to be on,” he adds. 

“Will you have a short boundary at one side, will you be on a wicket they’ve played on last week? 

“We know a bit about Brentwood but at the end of the day if we play our best cricket, the best team’s going to win. 

“We’ve got to turn up on the day and deal with what’s in front of us.”

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/tCauDbM