Ray Digman Trophy final: Leigh’s Mattie McKiernan on his desire for silverware, his young guns… and his own numbers

Leigh’s Mattie McKiernan

Mattie McKiernan is hoping to wind the clock back 13 years when he leads Leigh into the Ray Digman Trophy final against cup kings Northern.

The skipper was part of the Leigh side who got one over on the same opponents in the 2012 competition, winning by five wickets.

He and Matthew Hibbert are the only members of the winning side that day still around the 1st XI, while Northern’s side included Stephen Lucas and captain James Cole.

Since that day, Northern have gone on to win three league titles, four Digmans, three Lancashire Cups, two ECHO Cups, four regional T20 trophies and one national T20.

Leigh’s return over the same period amounts to one regional T20, in 2022, when Karl Brown smashed 121 to give Northern’s trophy cabinet a bit of respite.

No wonder McKiernan is keen to get one over on them on Sunday.

He, Brown, Hibbert and all-rounder Adam Shallcross form an experienced core at the heart of a young side for whom this will be a first taste of a big cup final.

But a number of the younger players recently won the Wigan Big Bash T20 tournament, in a team led by Paddy Allan and Harry Church, and McKiernan hopes his young charges can build on that experience.

He said: “Obviously it’s going to be a big day for us. 

“The majority of the side playing on Sunday will be fresh to an occasion like the Digman final. 

“So there’s a lot of excitement in the group with the younger guys. 

“I think the oldest player in the Big Bash side was 25 so I think that experience of playing in a finals day and winning that finals day, I think that’ll stand them in good stead. 

“They’ll know what it’s about come Sunday.”

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Leigh, in McKiernan’s first season back in charge following his time in the professional game with Derbyshire, have not been far off the phenomenal pace set by Northern and Ormskirk in the league this year.

Third place behind two of the best club sides in the country is a position of real strength, and a trophy would be the icing on the cake.

“I think we identified before the season there’s a hell of a lot of brilliant clubs in the league,” McKiernan said. 

“I think it’s one of the best leagues in the country for that reason, there’s a hell of a lot of depth. 

“But I think all the clubs would have probably identified Ormskirk and Northern as the two to beat. 

“And I think Ormskirk standing first and Northern in second, I think they’ve shown their quality all season. 

“With Northern winning the Lancashire Cup this past Sunday and Ormskirk being in the final of the national knockout. I think they’ve shown their quality not only in the league but in the cups as well.

“Everyone’s chipped in for us at various times and I think that’s obviously been part of the reason why we’ve done well in the league but also part of the reason why we’ve done well in the Digman as well. 

“I’m really proud of the lads. Everyone’s contributed at various points throughout the year.”

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McKiernan highlighted the performances of Shallcross and Paddy Allan, who between them lead his attack, as well as the new arrivals for 2025 – opening batter Luke Prescott, seamer George Brown and wicketkeeper Archie Brown.

He added: “Luke’s had a really good year with the bat and George has bowled at an unbelievable pace – he bowled a spell at Newton at the weekend which was as quick as I’ve seen all season, it was electric.

“Archie’s been unbelievable behind the stumps. We didn’t know an awful lot about him. 

“We knew he was talented, we knew he could play but he’s been really good behind the stumps.”

There’s an elephant in the room when discussing Leigh’s top performers this season with McKiernan – the elephant in question being his own mass of runs.

With a potential three innings left, he already has 1,104 in the league – making him just the seventh man to make four figures in the top flight of the Comp since the split to three divisions in 2010.

One of Sunday’s opponents, Tyler McGladdery, holds the top two spots but his record of 1,174 for Rainhill in 2022 is under threat.

Most runs in a season

ECB Premier Division, since 2010

Player	Club	Year	Inn	Runs
Tyler McGladdery	RNL	2022	21	1174
Tyler McGladdery	NOR	2023	21	1154
Matthew McKiernan	LEI	2025*	16	1104
Chris Laker	NOR	2022	22	1095
Calum Turner	FOR	2022	21	1053
Faiz Fazal	AIN	2017	21	1036
Jamie Crawley	WAL	2022	20	1034
Will Hale	LYT	2014	20	983
Ian Cockbain	FOR	2025*	16	964
Andrea Agathangelou	HFD	2012	15	964

McKiernan’s average of 110.4 is comfortably the highest of anyone in the Premier Division to have played more than three games.

Formby’s Ian Cockbain is having a season for the ages, with more than 2,000 runs in all competitions; but in the league, McKiernan is 140 runs ahead of him and averaging 35 more per dismissal.

He’s also taken 32 wickets with his leg breaks, which is frankly just showing off – among homegrown spinners, only Rainford’s John Dotters, Ormskirk’s Toby Bulcock and Northern’s Tom Sephton and Dan Wilson have more.

“I’ll check in on the stats from time to time,” he said.

“I play a game, I focus on the game and then I’ll probably move on to coaching the next day or whatever I’m doing and then get focused again and ready for the following game.

“I have felt in good nick. I’m still practising as much as I can and trying to take that out into the middle.

“I’ve enjoyed the summer and it’s been a bonus to get some runs. 

“But I’ll take more pride and be more pleased with how we’ve done as a team over any individual success.”

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/os5rnNc