REFLECTIONS ON GREAT LAST DAY FOR S&B and HIGHTOWN ST MARY'S

Date: 25th September 2016

A Paul Edwards copyright exclusive for L&DCC Official Website.

Firth "dumbfounded " by events

It was a last Saturday of the season which most Liverpool cricketers may easily forget and a few will remember for as long as they play the game.

The main issues in the Premier League had been settled the previous week. But in the First Division, five clubs had a mathematical chance of going up with Ainsdale and in the Second Division, though few at Sandy Lane could credit it, Hightown St Mary’s could burgle the second promotion place if they defeated Liverpool and St Helens Town lost to Caldy.

Which is exactly what occurred. The pain at Ruskin Drive was matched by the joy among Jim Kelly and his players. The Sandy Lane ground could have been a housing estate around now, so precarious were Hightown’s fortunes a couple of seasons back.

Now, a merger, a Test cricketer and a truckful of collective resolve have left the rejuvenated club looking forward to playing in the MI Dental Liverpool Competition’s second tier.

Meanwhile, at Trafalgar Road the admirable Richie Forsyth and his players watched as Southport and Birkdale edged closer to their target of 149 to beat Newton-le-Willows. Earlier in the afternoon Sefton Park had beaten Fleetwood Hesketh and now there were only themselves and S&B left in it. A couple of boundaries and a scrambled two runs later, it was done. S&B had squeaked home by one wicket.

Even their skipper, Chris Firth, was left dumbfounded by it all.

“I don’t know what to make of that,” he said. “We once beat Formby by one run the last time we got promoted but this was better because we had been so useless for the seven weeks of the season.

“Getting promoted meant a lot more because we had to work so much harder to get it with a team that is nowhere near as good as we were back then. That all made it feel a bit better.”

Well, quite. As Firth tweeted, there were “#Scenes” at staid old Trafalgar Road, including a pitch invasion and general mayhem.

“For us to chase down 149 with our batting side in those circumstances was massive,” said Firth. “When we only needed two to win, there was obviously a chance the game could have ended in a tie so I asked Adam Phillips out to the middle to check with him on the points situation.

“I called for a drink and asked Adam whether a tie was good enough. He could barely speak but he just about whispered, “Yes” and I then tickled one down the leg side.

“So I ran the first one, going mad at the time, because I knew we were promoted, and forgot we needed two to win. By then I was halfway to the indoor nets and I had to run back to complete the two.”

And with that, another season was done. Some games ended quietly, others ended with more at stake than there had been at any stage of the season. Officials at Ainsdale, S&B, Skelmersdale and Hightown St. Mary’s are left to consider what strengthening might necessary as they prepare for a higher division.

Teams for whom 2016 has not gone as well also have interesting decisions ahead of them. Already it has been announced that David Snellgrove is to leave Firwood Bootle after 13 seasons and take over from Paul Farrar at Rainford.

The movement of players begins earlier every year, That, though, is another story – or ten.