Written by Gary Hayes
BATTING WOES FOR ORRELL
It was a weekend of poor batting displays from the Orrell senior teams as only one of its teams emerged victorious from the weekend fixtures.
Sam Heeley’s first team made the trip to neighbours Leigh bolstered by the debut of Sri Lankan slow left-arm bowler Duvindu Tillakaratne but once again without injured opening quick bowler Josh Fallows. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat and shaded the early exchanges. However, Tillakaratne then struck twice in quick succession including the key wicket of Derbyshire County player Matthew McKiernan. When Cameron Sharp struck to make the score 45-3 via an excellent catch from Chris Riley, Orrell looked to be in the ascendancy. However, a pivotal moment in the game’s outcome happened the very next ball when incoming batter Adam Shallcross was dropped in the covers of the first ball he faced. Unfortunately, Shallcross and ex-Lancashire County batter Karl Brown then put on a fourth wicket partnership of 84 and this look to set the hosts up for a large total. However, the Orrell bowling attack stuck manfully to the task and dried up the scoring rate. When Shallcross was run out via a brilliant piece of fielding from Heeley and Tom Jones dismissed Brown, the whole momentum of the innings changed back again in favour of Orrell. Tillakaratne then made light work of the remainder of the hosts batting line up as they were dismissed for 153 and 48.1 overs. The Sri Lankan finishing with the amazing figures of 7-49 from 24.1 overs on debut- an exciting addition to the team and to local cricket. Sharp took 1-38 and Jones looked much more like the bowler he can be with figures of 1-29 a welcome return to form.
With only 153 runs to defend, a pumped-up Leigh came out of the blocks all guns blazing with their bowling and fielding effort. Despite this, a second wicket partnership between Ammer Mirza and Richard Everett, looked to be carrying Orrell a significant way to their victory target. However, Orrell plummeted from 52-1 to 62-4 as the middle order again failed to deliver the required runs in the face of outstanding bowling performances from McKiernan and Shallcross. Only Everett stood firm but when David Naylor was adjudged LBW to a ball that hit him on his thigh pad to make the score 120-9, the game was almost up. The dénouement came when Everett was last man out for a brilliant 57 to leave Orrell 130 all out and 24 runs short of the victory target.
A disappointing end to the game for Heeley’s team when, for large parts of the day, they looked favourites to win the game. The return to form of Jones with the ball and the brilliance of Tillakaratne are major positives, but Heeley will expect more from his batting line up in the coming weeks and will stress the need to take catches given the damage that the Leigh fourth wicket partnership inflicted.
Meanwhile back at Winstanley Road, Dave Whiteley’s second team entertained Sefton Park. Having won the toss and asking the visitors to bat first, Orrell dismissed the Sefton Park for the low total of 20 in only 14.2 overs. The opening bowling partnership of Phil Taberner (4-7) and Gareth Houghton (5-8) wreaking havoc. In reply, Orrell strolled to a seven-wicket victory in only 8.3 overs with the game over in less than two hours. A second successive win for Whiteley’s team as they continue their movement up the table.
Also on Saturday, Alan Moore’s third team welcomed Northern cricket club to their ‘home’ ground at Haydock CC. Having been asked to bat first by the visitors, Moore’s team plummeted to an inadequate 53 all out in 38 overs. Will Alker once again top scoring with 14 but no other batters reaching double figures. The visitors strolled to a six-wicket victory in only 14.4 overs. James Leyland finishing with figures of 2-23 and George Berry 2-20.
Only one Sunday team was in action this week as Mark Crumpton’s fourth team made the trip to Southport and Birkdale CC under the stand in captaincy of George Mushahwar. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat first on a very hot Sunday afternoon. Dominic Hayes struck twice with the new ball including the key wicket of league leading run scorer Ian Sutcliffe. When Hayes then took an outstanding diving catch in the slip cordon off the bowling of James Leyland, Orrell looked to be well on top. Indeed at 59-6, it looked like Orrell could restrict the hosts to less than a hundred. However, the host put up impressive resistance as a series of partnerships (aided by some loose bowling and poor fielding) saw the scoreboard moving along. However, at 112-9 it still looked like Orrell were favourites to win the match. Unfortunately, a last wicket partnership of 67 saw the hosts turn the tide of the match as the Orrell bowlers were slow to react to the favoured scoring areas of the home team batters by adjusting their bowling plans and field positions- too many runs were leaked before they reacted. The hosts eventually declared on 179-9 45 overs- an impressive recovery from the hosts and a massive opportunity missed by Orrell. Hayes took 2-28, Leyland 2-36, Declan O’Shaughnessy 1-25 and James Edgington. Special credit must go to Alan Moore who took 3-25 from 11 overs.
In reply, Orrell were soon in trouble at 7-2. Dominic Hayes then came to the crease and brought assurance and scoring options as he formed an effective third wicket partnership with Logan Pallett- partnership that has worked well in junior cricket too as their batting styles complement each other and they run very well between the wickets together. Disaster struck when Pallett was out for a stoic 11 to make the score 65-3. The timing of the dismissal could not have arrived at a worse time for the team as Hayes had to retire for a very well made 50 with the score on 66-3 as he had played for the first team the day before albeit batting at nine. Even taking into account the young age of the team, what followed was a very disappointing implosion from Mushahwar’s team as a succession batters failed to show either the necessary application and or sound shot selection (too many cross-batted swipes) as they plunged to 72-8 which is a loss of six wickets for only seven runs. Moore (15) and Edgington then did show the required appetite for the battle that had been so lacking elsewhere in the batting order, as they added 26 for the ninth wicket. Hayes then returned to the crease to try and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat but when Edgington was bowled for 11, Hayes was left stranded on 60 not out (a fine all-round display) as Orrell were dismissed for 109 in only 30 overs. A very poor batting performance from the Orrell team and lots to work on in training not just technically but also with regards to the mental approach to constructing an innings.