Orrell’s first team came out on the wrong side of an exciting game in the clash of the two teams with 100% records in the ECB Premier League Liverpool Competition when they visited neighbours Leigh on Saturday.
Skipper Sam Heeley won the toss and elected to bat first- a decision that would usually be the correct decision but might not have been so on this occasion on a day when seam bowlers reigned supreme across the region with most games seeing lower than usual batting totals.
Leigh opening bowlers Patrick Allan and Finn Hulbert bowled superbly and used the seam friendly conditions expertly as first Andy Baybutt edged Allan behind and then Luke Prescott was given out leg before wicket to Hulbert. This left Orrell in serious trouble at 0-2 and the home team scented victory. This soon became 21-3 as Richard Everett edged Hulbert behind having faced a series of high-quality deliveries. Orrell’s hopes at this stage rested very much on Mark Waddington who looked to be batting on a different wicket to the rest and looked very comfortable. Disaster ensued when Waddington on 34 fell for the trap set by the home team and swatted a bouncer from Adam Shallcross straight to mid-wicket. Heeley then played a captains knock as he showed dogged determination and stoicism to repel the rampant home team attack. The skipper did receive some support from the rest of the order to get his team to a batting bonus point before he was eventually out for 33. The Orrell innings ending on 106 all out from 47.1 overs.
After a short rain break, the Leigh reply got underway. Naveen Gunawardana struck twice early including the wicket of Derbyshire County player Matt McKiernan to leave the hosts 20-2. Leigh’s third wicket partnership of Sam Dorsey and Lancashire County Player Matthew Hurst took the score to 60 until Matthew Parkinson bowled Hurst and then had ex Lancashire County Championship winner Karl Brown caught by Matthew Wareing. In between these two wickets Gunawardana dismissed the impressive Dorsey to leave the hosts 80-5. However, despite Gunawardana dismissing Harry Church to make the score 93-6, the hosts showed their strength in depth as they won by 6 wickets. Gunawardana taking 4 wickets and Parkinson 2 wickets.
On the face of it, a disappointing first loss of the season for Heeley’s team. However, sometimes in sport you have to acknowledge the excellence of the opposition and their strength in depth in both batting and bowling options. It would be remiss not to acknowledge the performance in particular of the pace bowling triumvirate of Allan, Shallcross and Hulbert especially as most of the Orrell top order were got out by the quality of the bowling rather than loose shots. From an Orrell perspective, a major positive can be taken from how they made the hosts work very hard for their victory- this developing resilience and maturity as a team will prove important over the coming weeks.
On Sunday, Heeley’s team were back in action as a sun kissed Winstanley Road in their National Knockout Trophy game against Cheshire Premier League highflyers Hyde CC. The visitors won the toss and elected to field first. Orrell openers Andy Baybutt and Luke Prescott got the innings off to a positive start as the score passed 50 with Baybutt the more expansive of the two including playing his trademark paddle sweep to great effect. When Prescott was caught at mid off for 18 to make the score 61-1, Richard Everett came to the crease and joined Baybutt in keeping the scoreboard moving at more than 5 runs per over. The visitors tuned to their premier pace bowler Andrew Jackson to arrest the Orrell momentum and he achieved this as he bowled Baybutt for an excellent 76 with a ball that seemed to move back in significantly to the right hander. This made the score 128-2 and there was hope that Everett and the incoming Mark Waddington would maintain the Orrell push towards a large total. Unfortunately, Waddington was out leg before wicket and then Everett holed out to mid off for 35 to the first ball of Cole Turner’s second spell to leave the score 148-4. Heeley and Matthew Wareing then had some work to do in ensuring that the home team posted a competitive total. Wareing posted a quickfire 25 (including a large straight six) before he was caught at wide mid-wicket. The captain then showed that what he lacks in conventional boundary hitting power in the limited overs format of cricket he more than makes up for with his 360 degrees scoring ability as he played a series of sweep and reverse sweep shots. When Heeley was eventually out for 44, he had ensured that his team would post a competitive total. The home team innings ending on 236-7 from 40 overs.
In reply, Heeley struck early to remove Lancashire Academy player Keshana Fonseka and then Dominic Hayes struck also to leave the visitors 9-2. What followed next, will live long in the memory of all present as the visitors Cheshire Minor Counties player Jackson unleashed some of the biggest and cleanest hitting against the home teams spinners that you will ever see at any level of the game. Apart from one half chance when he was in the 30’s, he looked to be taking the game away from Orrell at an inexorable rate as a series of cricket balls were recovered from neighbouring gardens as he studiously left deliveries bowled outside his off stump but was savage on any ball bowled at the stumps or on his legs. Relief came when Matthew Parkinson had Jackson caught for 70 (from only 49 balls) by Andy Baybutt at mid-wicket to make the score 97-3. Crucially for the visitors, their number three bat Rohit Acharya was still at the crease and the run rate was less than a run a ball. When Naveen Gunawardana bowled Turner and then Parkinson bowled visiting captain Daniel Cramner it put the game back in the balance. However, when the visitors sixth wicket partnership added 50, it very much looked to be advantage Hyde again. The redeeming factors for the hosts were that, although the scoreboard was moving along, there were not many boundaries being hit plus there were still a number of overs left to be bowled by the pace attack of Heeley and Hayes.
When Hayes was reintroduced to the attack, he had Ben Balderson caught at backward point by Wareing to make the score 191-6. Incoming batter John Ashley was then dropped off the bowling of Gunwardana and this looked very costly when he then hit the Sri Lankan for a straight six. Thankfully, the drop was not too costly as Heeley had Ashley caught behind by Everett. When Gunawardana had Lancashire Academy Player Hussain stumped by Everett in his last over then at 206-8 the game was finely poised with a lot of responsibility to win the game falling to Acharya for the visitors. Hayes was bowling with great pace and control from the Winstanley College end of the ground and Heeley was complementing this with his guile from the Winstanley Road end. Heeley clean bowled Jamie Richardson for 4 and then soon after Acharya was run out by a direct hit from Wareing off a Hayes delivery. Hyde were all out 219 in 38.4 overs leaving Orrell victors by 17 runs. Heeley took 3-33, Hayes 2-29, Parkinson 2-38 and Gunawardana 2-61.
Whilst it must be acknowledged that the visitors were missing a couple of their first choice eleven, this was an important victory against such an esteemed team for the young Orrell team in their evolution.
They now play Northern Premier League Team Blackpool away in the next round next Sunday 14th May.
Meanwhile on Saturday, Steve Unsworth’s second team sought to maintain their 100% start to the season as they welcomed good friends and neighbours Spring View to Winstanley Road. The visitors batted first and were bowled out for 66 in 27.3 overs. Arthur Moore led the way with 4-7, James Edgington 3-21 and David Cheetham 3-19. In reply, the home team were in trouble at 5-3 until the Mahoney brothers took charge of the situation. When Ben was out for 34 to make the score 60-4, Oliver saw the team to victory finishing unbeaten on 24. A proud moment for the Mahoney family.
Also on Saturday, Alan Moore’s third team won away at Northern CC. Moore’s team won the toss and chose to bat. With the threat of rain about, Orrell took a positive approach and made 155-8 declared in only 33.4 overs Geof Burrows (45) and Ian Davies (38) leading the way as well as contributions from Thomas Wilkinson (16) James Hine (14) and the skipper himself (16). The hosts were bowled out for 77 in also 33.4 overs with the skipper taking 4-6, James Such (3-14) and George Berry (2-19).
On Sunday, Mark Crumpton’s Sunday Premier League team had a potentially difficult away game at Formby. In batter friendly conditions on a fast outfield, the hosts made 201-4 declared in 45 overs with one wicket for James Such (1-34) and three wickets for George Mushahwar (3-34). In reply, Crumpton (35) and Mushahwar(43) laid an impressive platform for their young middle order with an opening stand of 81 before they were both out in quick succession. Despite the loss of Tom Such to leave the score 95-3, Orrell young guns Oliver Mahoney and Logan Pallett showed their increasing maturity as they assumed the mantle from Crumpton and Mushahwar as they saw Orrell to a comfortable 7 wicket victory in 37.4 overs. Pallett finishing 59 not out and Mahoney capping a fine weekend with the bat with an unbeaten 55.
Emily James’ Sunday Development Team made it a clean sweep of Sunday success with a victory against Fleetwood Hesketh in a game moved to Ormskirk due to the first team home cup game. When James won the toss, she chose to bat first and saw her team make 137 all out from 42.4 overs on the back of 27 from Under 14 Charlie Sarath and Under 13 Archie Howarth with 23 runs as well as contributions from older juniors Arthur Moore (18) David Haslam (15) and James Leyland (16). In reply, Fleetwood Hesketh recovered from 4-3 to leave the game on tenterhooks going into the last few overs. However, captain James and her young charges held their nerve as the visitors were all out for 128 in the dying embers of the match. Mo Nizam took 2 wickets for 26 runs with the rest of the wickets being shared amongst the young team- Haslam with 1-5, Alfie Berry 1-8, Charlie Sarath 1-25, Tom Capstick 1-18 and Leyland 1-9. A well-deserved victory and a boost for Emily and her young team after a couple of difficult games.
All in all, a highly successful weekend for the club with 5 senior wins from 6- and positives to take from the only defeat too. Over the course of the weekend, we fielded 6 senior teams with 44 individuals playing. From the 44 players who played, 33 are current or ex members of our junior set up- something for the club and its junior coaches currently and over the years to be proud of as it vindicates their efforts.
A big thank you must also be extended to all who supported our teams this weekend- parents, members and supporters alike. It was nice to see our picturesque ground so busy this weekend including a number of visitors from other clubs alongside seasoned cricket watchers who came to see the National Knockout match including a sizeable number from our good friends at Norley Hall CC. Thank you for your support