ORMSKIRK WIN ECHO KO FOR SIXTH TIME
Date: 6th September 2010
A Paul Edwards copyright exclusive for L&DCC Official Website.
Ormskirk captain Ian Robinson paid tribute to the unsung heroes of his five-man bowling attack yesterday after the Brook Lane side beat Sefton Park by 70 runs to win the Liverpool Echo Invitation Knockout.
Seamer Chris Smith took 2-9 in the first of Sefton Park's two 20-over innings and Martyn Farrell sealed the win with 6-22 as the Premier League side won the prestigious trophy for the sixth time.The performances of the duo in the final in no way overshadowed those of the highly promising Gavin Griffths or the Lancashire pair Simon Kerrigan and Nicky Caunce, but Robinson believed they showed a key strength of his young side. "I don't think Martyn and Chris get anything like as much credit as they deserve," he said. "A lot of teams we play have three good bowlers, but they can't back it up and keep the pressure on. Our "fourth and fifth bowlers" are both underrated and I'm delighted they got their reward today.
But if Ormskirk's attack made it difficult for Sefton Park batsmen, Robinson's own top order ensured that the bowlers had decent targets to defend. Leading the way was John Armstrong, who topscored with 51 in his team's first innings total of 125-4 and shared a partnership of 91 in just over 13 overs with Ian Glayzer (37). Kerrigan then claimed 3-8 in five overs to restrict Robbie Houghton's men to 79 before Armstrong (40) was again the chief contributor to Ormskirk's second innings of 118-5. That left Sefton Park needing a very formidable 165 runs to win and it proved far too stiff a target despite the never-say-die attitude of the First Division team, who were lacking both Rashidi Boucher, who returned to the West Indies last week and Paul Horton, who was not granted permission by Lancashire to play in the final.
"As John Armstrong pointed out to me, we were facing an attack of Minor County quality," said the Sefton Park skipper Robbie Houghton. "We were always going to be up against it, especially after losing Rashidi and not being allowed to play Paul and I'm a little bit disappointed that we didn't play to our full potential, but overall, I thought we did alright in a very tough game."
Skipper Houghton took 3-26 in the first innings and John Jackson hit Griffiths for three successive boundaries in his defiant 25, but this was an afternoon when Ornskirk were not to be denied, a fact which was exemplified by their at times brilliant groundfielding and catching. "We do work on our fielding a lot and there's no excuse for a lapse in concentration in a 20-over innings," said Robinson. "I don't think we made a mistake in the field all day."
Matty Glayzer's stunning catch at backward point to get rid of Chris Bellis in the second innings and his "wrong handed" throw to run out Phil Calrow in the first, only proved Robinson's point and gave clear signs that this was to be a day when the champagne would flow at Brook Lane. Meanwhile, that admirable club, Sefton Park can take a huge amount of credit for the way they staged the Echo KO Final, while umpires Ray Partington and Mike Leddy officiated with quiet and unfussy authority throughout. It is, as the umpires themselves say, often a very good sign when you don't notice the men in white coats.
Scores: Liverpool Echo Invitation Knockout Final:
Ormskirk 125-4 (Armstrong 51, I Glayzer 37; Houghton 3-26) and 118-5 (Armstrong 40, I Glayzer 27; P Kelly 2-27) beat Sefton Park 79 (Jackson 25, Kerrigan 3-8) and 94 (P Kelly 22 not out; Farrell 6-22, Caunce 2-13) by 70 runs. Back to top
