Sharp: I just want to bowl without pain

Date: 10th October 2012

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

There are two ways of describing the injury suffered by Lytham seamer Marcus Sharp. One is to say that he has damaged the tendon of the sub scapularis, one of the rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder. The other, and perhaps the better way, is to quote the doctor who examined the results of the various tests carried out on Sharp and wrote in his report: "+++ tatty tendon".

Whatever description is used, the result was the same. While Lytham's players were regaining the title, Sharp played most of his cricket in the second team and tried to regain his fitness representing MCC. None of it was much fun and the bowler has admitted that his days of bowling 20-over spells in first team cricket are over.

It is all far removed from the summer of 2010 when the former Southport and Birkdale and Blackpool bowler took 74 wickets as the Church Road club won the ECB Premier League in 2010 for the first time in its history. Sharp's ambitions are now relatively modest.

"I'd just like to bowl without pain in a friendly match," he said. "But the truth is that I've not been needed this season because Mully's players have risen to the challenge magnificently, bowlers like Fayaz Ughradar and Sam Holliday have filled in superbly and Martin Hackett has been brilliant, as he so often is."

Sharp turned up on the afternoon when Lytham won the title and remains deeply appreciative of the efforts of the wicketkeeper who has been one of the rocks upon which Lytham's recent achievements have been built.

"It's essential to have a keeper you can trust and with Martin you have absolute faith that he isn't going to fluff chances. There's nobody more cheesed off if he drops a ball, never mind drops a chance."

All the same, while Hackett was helping Mulligan's men maintain an 17-match unbeaten run, Sharp turned out for the second team and also for Clitheroe in a game against the MCC to celebrate his home club's 150th anniversary. Yet even those games were cursed by the injury which may end one of the finest careers in club and minor county cricket.

"At the start of the season I thought I could bowl myself back to fitness but that was just stupid," said Sharp. "I had to rest it and have treatment, but when I went back to playing second team cricket the shoulder went as soon as I didn't warm up properly. I didn't do all the things which, as a physiotherapist, I tell people to do and frankly it was a bit dim."

"I played for Clitheroe against the MCC and it wasn't fun at all. Finally I played for the second team at Wavertree and it was too painful to be anything but a waste of time. I'll rest over the winter but really I just want to bowl and not send down a shower of garbage."

Sharp still harbours hopes that he will play some first team cricket next summer, yet he is also realistic enough to understand that his magnificent career might be drawing to its conclusion.

"Apart from my shoulder, my body feels fine, but it may still be that my time has come and that happens to everyone," he said. "If so, I can't complain. I've chucked down a fair few overs and it's not come out too badly. I've had a terrific time and played in some wonderful places."