da bwin： Wallasey Cricket Club of the Liverpool Competition, winners of the QuinnFoden Cheshire Cup in 1998, again reached the final this season
Roger Eagles25-Nov-1999Wallasey Cricket Club of the Liverpool Competition, winners of the QuinnFoden Cheshire Cup in 1998, again reached the final this season. Theycruised to a comfortable victory in the semi-final against Cheadle Hulme ofthe Cheshire County League Premier Division.Having elected to bat on a wet wicket, Wallasey struggled to a totalof 128 for 8 in their allotted 40 overs, helped by a gutsy 57 from skipper MikeBeaver. This total should have been achievable despite the conditions, butCheadle never liked the look of the pitch and failed to apply themselvesagainst some excellent bowling, mustering only 56 all out. Pick of thebowlers was Phil Luxon, an occasional medium pacer, who devastated theopposition with a spell of 6 wickets for only 10 runs in his 8 over spell,supported throughout by some fine fielding and catching.Wallasey’s opponents for the final, staged at the compact Wallasey Ovalground, turned out to be neighbours and arch-rivals New Brighton, 1998Liverpool Competition champions, who had seen off Bramhall fairly easily inthe other semi-final. The pairing ensured a match which was possibly evenmore tense and exciting than the final staged at the same venue last seasonagainst Warrington, when Wallasey won dramatically with a six off thepenultimate ball of the game.This time, played in front of a raucous and partisan crowd of around500 spectators, New Brighton batted first on what appeared to be a difficultpitch. Wallasey’s opening bowlers gave nothing away, making scoring almostimpossible. Mark Anderson finished his allotted 8 over spell with 1 for 14,whilst Ian (Eddie) Hemsworth ended up with 2 for 14. New Brighton wererescued to a great degree by Steve Nealy (47) and Paul Watson (43) who hitout well and put on a valuable 94 run partnership. Charlie Lamb chipped inwith a quick 24 not out towards the end, to give New Brighton a respectabletotal of 187 for 7 at the close of their 40 overs.Wallasey set about the chase in uneasy fashion early on, Mike Beaver goingcheaply to a hotly disputed catch, which created even greater tensionamongst players and spectators alike. Only when Zac Feather and Mike Hughesjoined each other at the crease did Wallasey increase the tempo. Featherscored an immaculate 68, whilst Hughes stayed through to the conclusion with45 not out, the pair putting on 112 runs. However, some tight, penetrativebowling from Simon Verry (3-16) and John Horrocks (2-25), supported by NeilCross (0-16), ensured that Wallasey would have to emulate their previousseason’s performance to retain the cup.Their supporters need not have worried as the promoted 2nd XIyoungster, Chris Bourne, who appeared nerveless as he strode to the wicket, scored 9 runs from 5 balls, hitting a 4 to win the match with 3 balls to spare. Zac Feather was rightly named Man of the Match for his batting, made to lookeasy on a less than perfect track.Full credit to Wallasey, as never before in the history of thiscompetition has a club managed to retain the cup, but they do make life difficult for themselves with these continual heart-stopping finishes!