Lancashire Cup final: Four-time winner Cockbain keen to pass on ruthless mentality to Formby’s young players

Ian Cockbain hits a six on his way to 101* against Northern in June
Pictures by RAY HIBBS

Formby are preparing for a big trip to Blackpool – but for captain Ian Cockbain it will be anything but a seaside jolly.

Cockbain leads his side into their first ever Lancashire Cup final against Northern on Sunday, in a competition he won four years in a row in the 2000s with Bootle.

Since those silver-studded days playing under his late, great father, Cockbain has gone on to have a successful career with Gloucestershire, along with several T20 outfits around the world.

And with Formby boasting a clutch of young players hoping to make it into the professional game, he reckons part of his job is making sure they all have a ruthless love of winning.

He said: “It was such an amazing team to be part of, and that sort of just instilled that winning habit into me. 

“It wasn’t a case of it was a big day out for the club, we were there to win it and if we didn’t win it, it was seen as a failure. 

“Not just the Lancashire Cup but also the league and the other cups as well.

“In terms of the local stuff, we pretty much won everything a number of times. 

“So for me that’s what I’m trying to instil into the club. 

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“It’s not just about this game on Sunday, it’s about getting the lads prepared for winning and it being an expectation to win, not just a nice day out.

“If you haven’t got that winning instinct, you’re going to find it quite tough to have a long career. 

“So for me, that’s my biggest goal for their development – getting that mindset right for them to carry them forward into the professional game.”

Despite a disappointing ECHO Cup finals day on Monday – Formby lost their semi-final to Widnes, stumbling at the line after bossing the run chase – the mood around the club is positive ahead of Sunday.

“From the club’s point of view it’ll be awesome to get over the line and get that major silverware,” said Cockbain.

“It’s probably the biggest game in the club’s history.

“Everyone’s pretty chilled to be honest, everyone’s really excited but not getting overly worked up, which is quite nice.

“We’re going to have a decent number of people watching, and I’m sure Northern will probably bring quite a few as well, so it should be a really good atmosphere.”

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Promising top-order batter Lucas Kennedy will be available on Sunday, and Cockbain is hopeful Ollie Sutton will be able to play some part, possibly just as a batter, as Lancashire manage a shoulder injury.

Cockbain added: “We’re just sort of waiting to see on Ollie. 

“We’re hoping that he’ll be able to play at least as a batter, he’s just carrying a little bit of a knock from a couple of weeks ago.”

An all-Comp final – only the second in the Lancashire Cup’s history – is a source of pride for everyone involved in the league, which has dominated the competition over the past three decades.

Cockbain himself has been in outstanding form this year, needing just five runs to reach 2,000 in all competitions. 

Three meetings with Northern so far have yielded two centuries, so he’s relishing another high-pressure encounter with one of the best bowling attacks in club cricket.

He said: “The Comp is probably one of the strongest leagues not just in Lancashire, but across the country as well. 

“We know what Northern’s strengths and weaknesses are. They know what our strengths and weaknesses are. 

“So it’s going to be a bit of a game of cat and mouse. 

“And I guess whoever plays to their strengths the best on the day will probably come out on top.”

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/ek0MgbD