‘I was in the zone… there had to be one outcome’: Ormskirk’s Sam Marsh on THAT six and looking ahead to Lord’s

Sam Marsh celebrates after hitting a six off the last ball to win the league for Ormskirk

Sam Marsh admits his title-winning six for Ormskirk was a bit of a blur, as he prepares for Saturday’s ECB National Club Championship final at Lord’s.

Heaved over the long leg-side boundary at Birkenhead Park, it completed a dramatic run chase off the last ball, when nothing but a six would do, and secured his side’s 14th Love Lane Liverpool Competition title.

Ahead of the delivery, Marsh recalls being given advice by his batting partner, Comp legend John Armstrong.

But he added: “He was saying a few things to me but it was a bit odd really, I was sort of trying to block out one of the leading run scorers in the Liverpool competition’s history, because I was just trying to hit the ball over the boundary. 

“I think he did say just keep your head still, have a clear plan. But I was in the zone. I knew there had to be one outcome. 

“It’s a bit of a blur, to be honest.”

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The hit wasn’t the cleanest of Marsh’s career, or even of that over – the first ball went in the same direction, a lot further.

But it was good enough, and sparked wild celebrations of elation mixed with relief amid the gathering gloom, after a weekend spent dodging the rain.

“We weren’t sure if I’d got enough of it but I think it landed over the line by maybe two or three yards,” Marsh said.

“Andrew Clarke was fielding on the boundary… he signalled six and I think John and I both bolted then and got mobbed by our teammates.

“We knew there was a bit of weather about and it felt a little bit like justice had been done. 

“We just wanted a shot at playing a game to get however many points we needed. 

“Comp cricket is hard graft and we wanted that opportunity to win it rather than it being done by the weather.”

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With the league wrapped up, Ormskirk can now focus fully on Lord’s and their showdown with Penzance.

Marsh is in the side for his new ball bowling rather than his six-hitting, and is looking forward to making use of the famed slope at the Home of Cricket.

In his sights will be Penzance’s Christian Purchase, who smacked 143 off 63 balls in their semi-final against Wanstead & Snaresbrook.

But the seamer, who starred with 4/22 as Ormskirk saw off Comp rivals and 2024 finalists Northern in the last 16, says he won’t be focusing too much on the opposition this week.

Marsh said: “Obviously, they’re going to be a really good side because they’re going to be at the other side of a national final.

“But we don’t tend to worry too much about the opposition in front of us until we meet them on the day.

“We just turn up and we’ve just got one goal in our mind and that’s to win a game of cricket. 

“If it means winning it in the ways we don’t usually do, it doesn’t matter. We’ve got match winners from 1-11 in our team. 

“So we just play the conditions, see what’s in front of us and go from there.”

In the empire business… most consecutive Liverpool Competition titles

Titles	Club	Years
5	Birkenhead Park	1960–64
3	Liverpool	1952–1954 (*)
	Ormskirk	2023–2025
2	Bootle	1949–1950
	Neston	1969–1970
	Ormskirk	1976–1977
	New Brighton	1982–1983
	Bootle	1989–1990
	Bootle	2003–2004
	Bootle	2006–2007

(*) 1954 title was shared with Southport & Birkdale

Ormskirk are the first side to win three consecutive Comp titles since Birkenhead Park in the 1960s, and could become the first side from the league to win the 40-over national knockout.

Hindsight will determine whether the class of the 2020s will be judged on the same level as the Park side of Noel Overend, Tony Shillinglaw and Brian Jameson.

But for now, Marsh is delighted to be part of a winning team, looking forward to a huge occasion.

“It feels like we’re all on a bit of a high,” he said.

“It’s been nice to get the league won, even if it’s maybe not how we would have dreamed it happening. 

“But it couldn’t have worked out better going into Saturday.

“We feel like if we can perform to our best ability we’ll beat anybody on our day.”

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/zXA8nG9