Love Lane Liverpool Competition reports, reactions and round-up: June 28-29

Game of the weekend

Whitefield’s Rob Magee bowling to Prescot & Odyssey’s Harsh Shonak

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.

“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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Wallasey’s Seb Botes on his ‘surreal’ spell and coming back to the Comp

Seb Botes was on cloud nine on Saturday when he took the best bowling figures in top-level club cricket so far this season.

The Wallasey all-rounder claimed 9/41 against Rainhill last Saturday – his personal best, his first five-for in more than four years and the 10th best figures in the top flight since 2010.

Among seamers, his figures were the seventh-best; of the six above, three were by overseas pros and two by domestic first-class players.   

So in the three-division era of the Comp, only Ormskirk’s Sam Marsh – whose 9/18 against Formby last year was the best return in the whole country – has done better as an amateur bowler.

Best Bowling Figures

Liverpool Competition Premier Division, since 2010

Figures	Player	Match	Date
10/85	Srikant Mundhe	Colwyn Bay v Birkenhead Park	27 Aug 2016
9/9	Sumit Ruikar	Wallasey v New Brighton	29 Aug 2022
9/18	Christopher Liptrot	Firwood Bootle v Wallasey	19 May 2018
9/18	Sam Marsh	Ormskirk v Formby	6 July 2024
9/22	Keith Barker	Firwood Bootle v New Brighton	20 Jul 2019
9/35	Jonathan Wells	Leigh v Colwyn Bay	25 Aug 2012
9/37	Matthew McKiernan	Leigh @ Hightown	15 Sep 2012
9/38	Chris Firth	Southport & Birkdale @ New Brighton	21 May 2022
9/39	Saliya Saman Jeewantha	Colwyn Bay @ Wallasey	29 Jun 2019
9/41	Seb Botes	Wallasey v Rainhill	21 Jun 2025

Understandably, Botes was chuffed.

“It was a bit of a surreal experience,” he said.

“It’s not the sort of thing you expect when you rock up on a Saturday, so it’s quite nice.

“I took three in my second over and after that I thought it might be my day, so it was just a matter of carrying on and hoping for the best.

“It’s one of those things that you hope happens every week but it’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing… you never know, we’ll see what happens.”

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Botes, 21, first played in the Comp for New Brighton in 2015 – aged 11, he made 39 and took 3/8 for the 3rd XI against Wavertree on debut.

He became a Rake Lane regular alongside his older brother Louis – just like their father, also Louis, had done from 2005 to 2018.

So it was a wrench for both Botes brothers to leave the club last year for Moorside in the Greater Manchester Cricket League.

Botes the younger reckons the break did his game the world of good, and says it was always in his plans to come back to the Comp.

He said: “I think taking the year out might have helped a little bit with trying to be more attacking early on.

“Long-term it was probably always the plan to come back.

“It’s the best standard of cricket in the area and you always want to play at the highest level and challenge yourself.

“You’re playing against pros or a couple of pros every week, so it’s a good challenge for everyone really.”

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He admits it was a challenge to sign for his old club’s fiercest rivals, but credited everyone at Wallasey with helping him settle in.

It’s been a middling start for Wallasey in the league, currently seventh with three wins and five defeats, but they are through to the quarter-finals of the Cheshire Cup after Botes’ 3/27 helped set up a six-wicket win over Bowdon last Sunday.

“With the ball, I feel better than I ever have,” he said.

“We’ve had some pretty bad losses but our wins have been very good. 

“When we get a full performance together, we’re a good team and we’ve shown that.”

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New Brighton’s Chris Edwards on blazing a trail at Lord’s as part of mixed disability England side

Chris Edwards celebrates the wicket of Rajesh Kumar of India at Taunton
(Photo by Harry Trump – ECB/ECB via Getty Images)

Chris Edwards says he is delighted to be a part of England’s first ever mixed disability side in their trailblazing series against India. 

The Wirral-born all-rounder helped his side win their first two T20s at Taunton and Worsley. 

But the tourists bounced back at Lord’s on Wednesday to leave the seven-match rubber nicely poised ahead of Friday’s game at Worcester.

The squads are made up of a mixture of physical disability, learning disability and deaf players, with at least three of each category in the playing XI.

Edwards, who captains England’s learning disability side and was awarded a British Empire Medal for his services to the game in 2021, thinks the new format is a win for disability sport.

He said: “I think it’s going to be great for the game to put mixed disability cricket at the forefront of everything that we do and this series is a massive step forward.

“We’ve known each other for a long period of time and to finally put on an England shirt alongside a lot of lads I’ve known over the years from various disability sides is a fantastic opportunity.”

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Opener Dan Bowser, all-rounder Alfie Pyle and batter Ronnie Jackson are teammates of Edwards from the learning disability side, while wicketkeeper Will Flynn and all-rounder Liam O’Brien played alongside him for the Tridents in the Disability Premier League last year.

Edwards, who was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder as a child, is also delighted to be sharing a squad with another Liverpool Competition player, Sefton Park’s deaf international seamer and former skipper Jimmy Dixon.

Despite Wednesday’s two-wicket defeat, he was delighted to take the field at Lord’s, and is confident England can get back to winning ways quickly.

“Any time you play at Lord’s is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the game and it was great to get out there and play at the Home of Cricket,” he said.

“I played there last year and it was really good to get the opportunity to play there again.

“It’s going to be quite an intense series. I think for us Wednesday was a bad day at the office and I’m sure we’ll pull it back when we get to Worcester.”

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After coming through the ranks at Caldy, Edwards moved to Neston last year, then joined New Brighton this season.

The Rakers suffered their first ever relegation from the Premier Division after a tough 2024, and are now rebuilding in Division One under a young captain, Tom Anders.

Sitting ninth in the table, it has not been easy for them so far, but Edwards is happy to be part of the new era at the club, who were Comp champions as recently as 10 years ago.

He said: “I’m enjoying it. I’m getting to play a bit more of a role at New Brighton than I would have done at Neston.

“I really loved and enjoyed playing cricket at Neston but moving has helped me to be able to train more regularly and play more of a role within the side.

“It’s a very young team. There’s a lot of potential in that team to kick on further and we’re setting the foundations this year to be able to build again for the next couple of years. 

“It’s a big project and the club’s in a great place.

“Martyn Evans, who captained the side last year, has brought the club much closer and made it much more of a tight-knit group – not just across the first team but across the other teams as well.

“You’ve only got to see the clubhouse after a game to see how much of a tight-knit club it’s becoming.

“As long as we continue on that path, we will definitely be successful in the near future.”

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Jasprit Bumrah Workload Watch… 43.4 overs

3 minute read

England achieved a couple of things at Headingley. Most obviously, they won – but they also did so while compelling Jasprit Bumrah to bowl really quite a lot of overs. That’s an investment that might pay dividends later in the series.

Unleashed!

It’s easy being a really good batter because all you have to do is bat a lot, whereas it’s tough being a really good bowler because you’re inevitably asked to bowl a lot.

“I think there are certain spells where he can just unleash a little bit more,” said Joe Root – infamously – midway through England’s 2019 ‘Bowl Jofra Archer To A Broken Standstill’ project.

In the early part of his Test career, Archer bowled like a man who didn’t believe in tiredness. On one occasion, he delivered 22 overs of out-and-out fast bowling and then from his 23rd over onwards cranked the pace up even further.

Who is whispering to Michael Vaughan about Jofra Archer?

Sometimes, as a Test fast bowler, you have to do a bit more work – that’s just the way it is – but this kind of thing is not sustainable in the longer-term. At some point you have to do less. This is not some great secret. Archer’s stress-fractured medical record tells us as much.

He’s actually back in England’s Test squad for the next match, after managing only two Tests in the last five years. Who knows whether he’s even now over all of this.

“We need a breakthrough here”

At the start of this year, Jasprit Bumrah played all five Tests against Australia, but halfway through the last one his back spasmed and said no.

These guys can bowl quickly when they’re tired, but it’s not just a matter of finding the energy. A good breakfast and a line of espressos won’t heal muscular microtrauma or tiny cracks in your bones. Without a longer rest, the body’s weakest link will continue inching towards its breaking point.

In short, there are only so many times you can say, “Can you warm up please, Jasprit? We need a breakthrough here.”

Shubman Gill will tell you that the first Test of this series was a very, “Can you warm up please, Jasprit? We need a breakthrough here,” kind of match. It wasn’t just that his premier quick was electrifyingly good – that much is a given – it was that two of his other seamers were for the most part stultifyingly bad.

If your main man reckons he’s probably only got three Tests in him, maybe four, the above is not a good equation to grapple with. Long term strategy may well tell Gill that he should be giving Shardul Thakur another over, but his short term tactical sentiments might well overrule on the grounds that doing so will most likely cost six runs with zero chance of a wicket.

So who instead? Prasidh Krishna? That probably feels much the same.

‘When did Jasprit last turn his arm over?’ Gill thinks to himself. ‘He must be fresh again now, right?’

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‘We’re a group of mates doing the best we can’… captain Noctor on Sutton’s flying start

Sutton captain Joe Noctor Picture by Sutton CC

Sutton skipper Joe Noctor hopes a couple of tough away trips don’t derail his side’s flying start to life in Division One.

Last week’s clinical win over Sefton Park made it five out of five at the New Street Oval for the newly promoted side.

They are the only team to beat leaders Spring View in the league this season, and Noctor is delighted with how they have adapted to their first season at this level.

But they are yet to win away. And with trips coming up to the other two sides above them – Liverpool tomorrow, followed by Southport & Birkdale next week – Noctor knows they are about to be put to the test.

He said: “We’ve definitely exceeded all expectations and we’ve adapted really well, and we’ve played some really good cricket at home. 

“We’d quite like to get the monkey off the back away from home, but we’ve probably got the two toughest games of the year coming up. So they’re good tests to see where we are.”

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Unusually for the Comp, Sutton’s top three wicket takers – Andy Cowley, Finn Thomson and New Zealander Depp Bolingford – are seamers.

“Our wickets have probably given a little bit more for seamers than spinners when we’ve played at home,” said Noctor.

“But even when we’ve played away, our seamers have been able to hold an end up and create a bit of pressure. 

“The challenge for them now is to build on that, going towards the halfway mark and in the second half of the season.”

Cowley’s 19 wickets place him 13th in the division, and Noctor himself is third in the run charts with 294, including three half-centuries.

But apart from that there is nobody in the top 20 in either discipline. 

Noctor said: “It’s very much a team effort, which is really pleasing. 

“There have been moments in every game where someone stuck their hand up for us.

“We’ve never been reliant on just one player. 

“And what makes us the team that we are is we are a group of 11 mates who on a Saturday try to pull together the best we can. So that’s held us in really good stead.”

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Show me a cricket captain in June, and I’ll show you someone who’s trying to take it week by week and not get carried away. 

But with Sutton in their loftiest ever position, it’s understandable that Noctor wants to keep the expectations measured.

“For us, this year was all about making sure we stay in the division and then consolidate,” he said.

“So that’s still the aim, make sure we’re safe and then build from there.”

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It’s an Indian summer for Academy North as part of a busy tours programme

Cricketers from JBCN International School in Parel, Mumbai on their tour of the region

Things are not going great for most of the Indian touring squads in England so far.

At Headingley, the men’s Test side became the first in history to lose a match having posted five individual centuries; the mixed disability side are 2-0 down going into today’s showpiece at Lord’s.

The women’s side have a chance to turn things around when they begin their white-ball clashes on Saturday.

But one group from India who definitely enjoyed their time on these shores was a team from JBCN International School in Parel, Mumbai. 

They were hosted by Liverpool-based coaching organisation Academy North on a tour of the region.

Coach Ste Cole said: “They had a few games against our local sides and a West Lancs team, then they had longer format games at Merchant Taylors and King’s Macclesfield schools. 

“It was good fun for everyone.

“We had a conversation with them and asked ‘how good are you’, to which their answer was ‘we’re OK’ – their idea of OK turned out to be a bit better than our idea. 

“They had a couple of lads who were fabulous players – it was hard to get the balance right but that’s part of the job. 

“Once you get the first tour in, you know their levels and how the fixtures will go, so you can plan accordingly.

“It’s a franchise of five different schools over there, so hopefully they’ll all be working with us from next summer onwards, which is pretty exciting.”

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Players from Switzerland at Liverpool CC with Academy North

As well as the Indian tourists, Academy North also welcomed a group from Switzerland – not a traditional cricket hotbed, but a sign of the game’s growing popularity in Europe.

“The guys said there are only about five or six grounds in the whole country,” said Cole. 

“Two Swiss teams came over for four days, they combined the national under-12 and 13 teams, and under-15s and 16s. 

“We’ve already had a dialogue with them to come back next summer.”

And the tours are not just a one-way thing. Earlier this year, Academy North’s Phill O’Brien led a group of eight youngsters on a trip to the SIX Cricket Academy, north of Bengalaru.

“That place is out of this world,” added Cole, who admitted he was jealous not to have been part of the tour. 

“There’s over 30 turf wickets in the same venue, 12 indoor lanes, gyms, swimming pools, restaurants, all in the same place. 

“It’s incredible – and we’re going back there in Easter 2027. 

“It caters to every level of cricket you could imagine, they give you a net session then they put you in whichever level you fit into. 

“It’s a brilliant experience and we’re very excited to head back – and we’re looking to take a lot more people this time. 

“A lot of the parents have said they want their kids to go next time as well.”

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The picturesque cricket ground in St Moritz, Switzerland

Academy North is also planning a post-GCSEs tour to Switzerland next summer.

Cole said: “A lot of kids miss two or three months of cricket because of their exams, so we’re going to head over to Switzerland for a few days. 

“It’ll give the kids something to look forward to after a tough few months of revision.”

There will also be a long-awaited senior tour to Barbados in October. Delayed several times due to Covid and its aftermath, this is not one which required much arm-twisting to get people to sign up for, according to Cole.

Future plans also include a girls’ tour to an overseas venue, and hosting multiple visiting sides at once in a festival or tournament.

This is on top of Academy North’s 1-1 and group coaching, with sessions available across the region and beyond.

“But the tours are the highlight,” added Cole.

• To express interest in any of the upcoming tours, or to find out more about what’s on offer, visit www.academynorth.co.uk.

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The late show: How Josh Tongue (kinda) outbowled Jasprit Bumrah in that Test match

2 minute read

It feels like Josh Tongue arrived for this match bang on eight hours late. But did he let prolonged abject non-contribution to his team’s cause dissuade him from bagging a hatful? No, for some reason, he did not.

Tongue gleefully licked up rabbit pie, according to the peculiarly nauseating mime of his captain.

Cricketers sometimes talk about being willing to lose to put themselves in a position to win. What they mean is being brave and taking a few bold risks to increase their chances of victory. What they absolutely do not mean is allowing the opposition to steadily progress to 453-5.

That’s very much the wrong brand of ‘risking defeat’.

After 107 overs of this match, that was India’s score and Josh Tongue had figures of 0-78. It was a similar story in their second innings, where they reached 349-6 after 90 overs, by which point Tongue’s contribution was 0-60 off 15 overs.

Two match-losing performances really – and yet our man finished the Test with 7-158 – the most successful bowler in an England victory.

Jasprit Bumrah, by contrast, took England’s first three wickets and generally looked impossible to deal with throughout. He finished the match with 5-140.

Round one to Tongue.

It’s like the old saying goes: Sometimes you unexpectedly go through the lower order like the Ripperveyor head of a Joy 14CM10 continuous miner through candyfloss; other times your team-mates drop about seven catches off your bowling and you lose the will to live.

You don’t always get out of an endeavour precisely what you put in.

Utterly perplexing. But at least we can all agree on one thing: Chris Woakes’ innings, and the 111 runs added while he was at the crease, constituted the decisive contribution to the match.

Mind fodder: Five things to think about as England take on India in a big ol’ five-Test series

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The Last Hour S1 E6: Toyota ft. Mike Grealis

Caldy captain Mike Grealis joins Tom and Jamie. As well as Caldy’s adventures at the top end of Division Two, topics include Toyota, Jasprit Bumrah, umpires, draws, Toyota, Floridian turn-of-the-century skate punk bands, useful but unreliable cricket scoring websites, and Toyota.

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Love Lane Liverpool Competition reports, reaction and round-up: June 21-22

Archie Davies bowls to Joe Adderley during Formby’s win over Firwood Bootle
Picture by RAY HIBBS

ECB Premier Division

Saturday was the longest day of the year, but the Love Lane Liverpool Competition’s two leading lights still couldn’t find time to force a result.

Mid-afternoon rain had the decisive say, stopping leaders Ormskirk in their tracks after a strong start at Northern’s Moor Park.

After the resumption, George Politis was able to complete his third 1st XI league century, before he fell for 101 with the score 143/2.

Captain Gary Knight then joined George Lavelle for a stand of 108. With his side in control of the game and ahead in the table, the skipper was in no rush to declare and only pulled the plug shortly after he was out for 67, with Lavelle unbeaten on 71 and the board reading 257/3.

There was time, it turned out, for 35 overs – Ormskirk’s bowlers had a puncher’s chance, while Northern’s batters had somewhat less. 

In the end, both landed a few blows – the hosts slipped to 62/4 before half-centuries from Louis Bhabra and Alex Vincent led them to safety.

Ormskirk’s two-point advantage on the day stretches their lead in the table to 16.

Knight admitted it was difficult to balance trying to push for a win while also not conceding ground to their rivals. It’s becoming a theme when they meet, with five of their last 10 league encounters ending in stalemate.

They have traded blows in the cups – Northern ended Ormskirk’s defence of the Ray Digman Trophy earlier this month, while Ormskirk returned the favour in the ECB National T20 knockout last Wednesday.

But when a draw is an option, with so little to choose between the sides, caution often wins the day – the last time a team successfully defended a total in the El Compico was May 2021, when Northern won by 15 runs on their way to the title.

Knight said: “You want to make the smartest decision you can, and we had a good crack at them and pushed as hard as we could.

“But it was a fast-scoring ground and I didn’t want to give them too much freedom in terms of being able to throw six wickets at a run chase, knowing they could block out in the end.

“Personally I felt I pushed the game on as much as I could with the bat, but we went 20 or 30 runs more than we usually do because we didn’t want to risk losing. 

“I still wanted a good crack at them but as soon as the ball got soft, there weren’t too many opportunities.”

Ormskirk remain the team to beat in the league, with early exits from the Digman and the Lancashire Cup helping them stay fresh and focused. 

But there are still cups to be won – Northern are the opponents again in the last 16 of the 40-over ECB National Knockout on July 6, and a week later Rainford, Formby and Wallasey await in the regional finals day of the T20 version.

“Wednesday was massive for us,” said Knight.

“I was really buzzing because we’ve missed out in the T20 for the last couple of years. And in the league we’re a match for anyone when we play our best cricket.

“George’s knock sums up the last two or three weeks – he batted really well against Wallasey and Roe Green in the national without getting a big score, then Saturday was a chanceless knock against one of the best attacks in the league.”

Bottom side Colwyn Bay surprised Leigh by chasing 180 for a two-wicket win.

 Zack Gidlow and Dan Russell’s opening stand of 115 got them off to the best possible start after a sporting declaration; Paddy Allan roared back with 5/82, including three wickets in an over, but Jack Parry got his side over the line with a six off visiting skipper Mattie McKiernan.

Adam Shallcross continued his excellent season with an unbeaten 68 in Leigh’s innings of 179/6.

Formby are third after they chased 226 inside 34 overs for a four-wicket win against Firwood Bootle.

Half-centuries for Tom Billington and Ollie Sutton, in a stand of 108 for the fourth wicket, did the bulk of the job; St Lucian spinner Larry Edward claimed 5/72 for the hosts in the first innings, with Ivan Kriek’s 57 the top score.

Wallasey’s Seb Botes claimed his best-ever figures of 9/41 to blow Rainhill away and earn a 72-run win. Khalid Usman’s 6/45 had held the hosts to 151, but he was quickly usurped by the former New Brighton man.

Rainford captain John Dotters made his best ever top-flight score of 81 not out to set up a 49-run win over Wigan. Helped by half-centuries from Jason Login and Will Threlkeld, he was able to declare on 260/5 inside 47 overs; in reply, Ashutosh Sharma hit six sixes in his 58, the highest of eight double-figure scores for the hosts, but Dom Hayes’ 6/46 sealed the win.

It was a bad day for Birkenhead Park, who were leapfrogged by Newton-le-Willows with a four-wicket win. Captain Ben Walkden’s 5/39 rolled the hosts for 112 and, despite a wobble to 17/3, the visitors completed the job.

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Division One

Spring View sprung clear at the top of Division One with a 76-run win over Southport & Birkdale. 

The batting was a team effort – seven men made double figures but none more than Supun Samarathunga’s 24 – but the bowling was dominated by Marc Birch, who took 6/18 to roll the visitors for 68.

View started the day dead level with Liverpool, but pulled away thanks to the Aigburth side’s 38-run defeat at Highfield. The visitors reached 105/4 in pursuit of 161 but as soon as Rob Rankin was dismissed for 56 they stumbled – Madduma Lakmal wrapped things up with a spell of 4/9 in just 20 balls.

Sutton’s spell as the surprise package of the division continued with a seven-wicket win over Sefton Park. Captain Joe Noctor’s unbeaten 54 anchored their pursuit of 94, after the visitors failed to really recover from 3/3.

Orrell Red Triangle are also going strong after a six-wicket win at Hightown St Marys, set up by Matty Wareing’s 5/47 and confirmed by captain Andy Baybutt’s unbeaten 52.

Lytham veteran Anthony Mulligan took 5/34 to dismiss bottom side Old Xaverians for 97; the hosts wobbled to 31/5 in response but Stewart Davison and captain Ryan Norris saw them home.

Maghull and New Brighton played out a rain-reduced draw, the Wirral side closing on 158/6 in reply to 183/9. Alex Watkins made an unbeaten 58 for the Rakers.

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Division Two

Ainsdale held on to top spot thanks to a 101-run win over Southport Trinity, after half-centuries from Harry Beddard and captain Oli Green helped them to 220/6.

But Beddard’s old club Caldy remain hot on their heels after Rohan Sanjaya’s 5/11 set up a chase of 87 and an eight-wicket win over Wirral rivals Parkfield Liscard.

Northop Hall’s Paul Jenkins had winless St Helens Town in a spin, taking 6/54 to dismiss the visitors for 124 at Smithy Lane. Matthew Jones’ unbeaten 57 sealed an eight-wicket win.

An unbeaten 87 from Dan Fisher, backed up by 51 from Harbir Singh, led Norley Hall to a nine-wicket win at another side still looking for their first win, Prestatyn. Ben Hughes made 51 and Nauman Ahmed 46* from number 10 to help the Welsh side post 173.

Wavertree skipper Theo O’Brien made 92 out of Wavertree’s 202/7 against Whitefield, before his bowlers wrapped up a 94-run win.

Fleetwood Hesketh couldn’t force a win over Prescot & Odyssey, despite posting 245/4 with 72 for Nathan Condon and an unbeaten 67 for Raja Immi. The visitors closed on 153/7.

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Ray Digman Trophy

Messrs Duckworth, Lewis and Stern shone brightest on semi-final day, deciding both clashes and setting up a final between Northern and Leigh.

The September showcase will be a repeat of the 2012 final, which Leigh won by five wickets.

It was their last such triumph, while Northern have lifted the trophy three times since then – most recently in 2022.

The Crosby side progressed at the expense of Birkenhead Park, who recovered from 22/3 in the ninth over to 186/4 after 37 thanks to an unbeaten 74 from skipper Alex Harris and 64 from Andrew Clarke.

Northern reached 81/2 by the time play was abandoned – just one run ahead of the DLS target.

Leigh overcame Division One side Liverpool in similar circumstances. The visitors posted 202/9 from the full 45 overs, with an unbeaten 67 from Finn Hulbert against his former side.

Rain reduced the hosts’ target to 76 from 13 overs, which they reached with four balls and six wickets to spare.

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Did you see… Harry Brook charge Jasprit Bumrah?

3 minute read

We generally prefer to highlight less obvious moments, but this one seems a perfect synopsis of why this has already been a top rate Test. It was two uncanny cricketers with their own peculiar ways of going about things taking each other on within a match where you’re never quite sure what’s coming next.

Jasprit Bumrah is the best cricketer in the world. As we said before the series, plenty of magnificent cricketers have been capable of extraordinary feats, but vanishingly few stroll onto the pitch all but guaranteeing to deliver them.

This Headingley pitch is not a fiend. Players with minimal experience of UK conditions, like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, have been able to make hundreds on it. All of England’s seamers bar Ben Stokes conceded comfortably over four runs an over. Of India’s other seamers, only Mohammed Siraj went at less than a run a ball.

Jasprit Bumrah surveys all this and is entirely unfazed. He doesn’t need a pitch to provide assistance. He mumbles some words and summon his own private demons who labour away for him throughout his spells.

Lord Megachief of Gold 2024 – Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah had already bounced out Harry Brook on Day 2. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just his right hand that was (freakishly far) beyond the line for that particular delivery. His foot was a smidge over too, so Brook survived.

Brook had been visibly discomfited that evening. It wasn’t just the non-dismissal. You know you’ve not got it right when you find yourself simultaneously leaping and ducking, which is how he tackled Bumrah’s final ball of the day.

But Harry Brook is not like other batters. If a particular bowler is giving him serious trouble, he figures the best thing to do is to bat like they’re a military-medium part-timer. What’s extra weird about this is that Brook only really struggles against the finest bowlers in the history of cricket.

Prasidh Krishna is not one of the finest bowlers in the history of cricket, so Brook had got his eye in with a lightning cut for four and then a fully-mullered six to cow corner. You could have been forgiven for thinking he was consciously upping his run-rate against the also-rans in the expectation of deadbatting the superstar at the other end. But no…

England were 227-4, still 200-and-plenty behind, and Ollie Pope – the man who’d made 106 of those 227 runs – had just been dismissed. Bumrah had visibly troubled him. There was every reason to think he was about to do so again.

Bumrah releases the ball closer to the batter than any other bowler – but not close enough for Brook, who apparently has an appetite for facing 90mph bowling from a distance of about 19 yards. He therefore scuttled down the pitch to hit the sweetest cover drive imaginable.

We’ll emphasise again how moronic it is that people have said that Harry Brook can only get better. If Harry Brook can get better, it is not by much. It is in fact far, far, far more likely that we are already witnessing peak Harry Brook and that it is only a matter of time before the curse of damn-giving comes to whisk him away from us.

There are England fans who complained vociferously about the way Brook got out later in the day. You simply cannot take away the dismissals and leave everything else behind. It is not so much that the good stuff is firmly adhered to the airborne hook shot on 99, it is that they are all but the same thing. Tug away at that particular brick and you’ll find the bloody keystone is attached to it.

The thing about performing mad, unlikely, incredible feats is that you first have to attempt them.

Are we already watching peak Harry Brook?

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The post Did you see… Harry Brook charge Jasprit Bumrah? first appeared on King Cricket.

Related posts:

1. How do you stop Harry Brook? We’ll tell you how
2. Was Jasprit Bumrah’s yorker to Ollie Pope the best since Waqar Younis?
3. ‘Enough’ runs from Virat Kohli for India, Jasprit Bumrah the ventriloquist, South Africa’s theoretical snowball + more from the T20 World Cup final

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Mind fodder: Five things to think about as England take on India in a big ol’ five-Test series

3 minute read

England v India. Five Tests. Man alive, there’s scope for some stuff here. We’re only stopping at five with this article because if we send the email any later, you’ll all end up paying attention to THE WRONG THINGS and we’d never forgive ourself.

Rishabh Pant v Shoaib Bashir

In truth, this is more Every India Batter v Shoaib Bashir. We’ve singled out Pant though because… you know… Rishabh Pant. If he doesn’t have a go in the first Test, history suggests he’ll have warmed up sufficiently by the fifth.

A young spinner who can’t even get a game in county cricket wouldn’t ordinarily be enraptured by the prospect of bowling to Pant et al, but who honestly knows what’s going on with Shoaib Bashir’s career? This might play into his giant hands. Perhaps he’ll emerge as England’s cow-cornered tiger.

Ben Stokes’ bowling

The body’s never been better he’ll maintain, right up to – and probably beyond – his next physical derailment.

> Succession: Who becomes England Test captain when Ben Stokes inevitably suffers his next major injury?

Ollie Pope’s hair

Where’s it heading? Is he going to go Full Lloyd?

Brydon Carse with the new ball

England’s appetite for bowlers who can perform well with the old ball means that they’ve managed to pick a side with only one clear new ball bowler for the first Test. After years of square-pegging at first-change, Chris Woakes now finally finds himself opening and yet he’ll do so with a round peg partner in the form of Brydon Carse, who’s barely ever done the job.

This is slightly bizarre in that the ‘new ball in English conditions’ queue is pretty much always the England team’s longest. It does however tally with Ben Stokes’ previous comments about favouring versatile bowlers who can implement all sorts of different strategies. Speaking after Josh Tongue’s debut in 2023, he complimented him on this quality, saying it was a way for him to get “different types of spells out of one bowler.”

Jasprit Bumrah just generally

Speaking of adaptable bowlers, real, out-and-out, class-above quicks don’t come around too often. And even when they do come around, they quite often only plan on playing three out of five Tests due to workload management.

The reigning Lord Megachief of Gold is in the country and provided his back doesn’t give in, you can count on him doing incredible things. Not many players have ever carried such a guarantee. Enjoy it while you can.

Jasprit Bumrah v Australia’s top four

Was Jasprit Bumrah’s yorker to Ollie Pope the best since Waqar Younis?

Ranked: All eight deliveries in Stuart Broad’s world record 35-run over to Jasprit Bumrah

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The post Mind fodder: Five things to think about as England take on India in a big ol’ five-Test series first appeared on King Cricket.

Related posts:

1. The Rishabh Pant campaign for longer Test series
2. Six things to watch out for during the India v England Test series on Channel 4
3. Rishabh Pant is not India’s wicketkeeper – what possible reason is there for this?

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