An update from Paul McKenna, Director of Cricket at Maghull CC.
10 Weeks On…
Things have been moving at pace since my last update 10 weeks ago.
Between all the cricket, we’ve hosted our annual Zoe’s Place Charity Day, which I genuinely think was our best yet. The turnout from both our members and the local community was fantastic, and we’ve once again raised a significant amount of money for such an important charity. Congratulations to Gareth and everyone who helped make the day such a huge success.
As well as hosting Zoe’s Place Day, last Saturday we welcomed back former players and members from years gone by. It was brilliant to see so many familiar faces and to hear stories from people who have helped shape the club over the years. It also gave many of our current players the chance to meet people they’d only ever heard about. The turnout was superb and was topped off by the 1st XI beating Colwyn Bay in the sunshine.
1st XI
Onto the cricket, starting with the 1st XI.
In the 10 weeks since my last update, the 1st XI have neatly manoeuvred themselves into an unprecedented promotion battle.
We ended May with back-to-back draws against New Brighton and Spring View before a poor batting display away at Sutton saw us bowled out for just 66. Despite reducing the hosts to 28-4 and then 51-6, we couldn’t quite complete an incredible comeback and started June with a disappointing defeat.
The conversations after the Sutton game were honest and, ultimately, hit the right note.
We bounced back immediately with a 20-point victory over a very good Highfield side, chasing 217 inside 44 overs. That was followed by a spirited defeat away at Colwyn Bay where, after looking well behind in the game, we fought back brilliantly. Every player agreed afterwards that we were probably just one wicket away from pulling off an unlikely win – their number 11 had been enjoying a pint for the best part of an hour before having to throw the whites back on!
That defeat remains our last in league cricket.
Since then we’ve won five of our last six league matches, beating Southport & Birkdale, Northop Hall, Sutton, Highfield and Colwyn Bay, while drawing with Spring View.
That run has lifted us into 6th place, just 38 points behind Colwyn Bay in second. With seven games remaining, there’s still plenty to play for.
https://maghull.play-cricket.com/website/division/134698
Although we’ve lost a couple of players during the season, those who’ve stepped up have done an excellent job. Macauley has handed 1st XI debuts to Paul Houghton, Frank Byron, Niall Noble, Rowan Badger and Tadhg Bell, and every one of them has contributed positively.
2nd XI
A recent victory away at Ainsdale has hopefully put the 2nd XI back on track.
A freak accident saw skipper Joe Cunningham break his hand after falling awkwardly in the cordon, and with Joe also heading out to Melbourne earlier than planned, a change of captain became necessary.
As vice-captain, Liam Gibbons was the obvious choice. He’s successfully captained the side before and brings exactly the sort of leadership qualities the group needs. Now that he’s available more consistently, I’m confident we’ll see an upturn in results.
The biggest challenge for the 2nd XI has been availability. Not only have they regularly been without players from their own squad, but injuries and absences in the 1st XI have often meant losing key performers at short notice. Hopefully that improves during the run-in, and Liam gets the opportunity to field his strongest side more regularly.
https://maghull.play-cricket.com/website/division/134700
It’s been great to welcome Chris King to the club, contributing both runs and wickets.
Personally, I’ve been delighted to see Owen Quilliam settling into 2nd XI cricket and proving that he belongs at that level.
A special mention must go to Liam, who scored his first ever 2nd XI century against Ainsdale last Saturday. His unbeaten 111, watched on by young Oliver, was a superb innings. Congratulations, Liam.
The next three fixtures against Highfield (H), Bootle (A) and New Brighton (H) will provide a real test.
3rd XI
After an unusual start to the season, the 3rd XI have put together an outstanding run of form.
In the nine games since my last update, Gareth Lloyd’s side have won six, drawn two and had one game abandoned.
Those results are impressive enough on their own, but when you factor in the availability issues we’ve faced, they become even more remarkable.
For what feels like every Thursday night and Friday morning over the past month, we’ve looked dangerously close to conceding. Somehow, Gareth has managed, by hook or by crook, to persuade people to swap shifts, rearrange childcare or dust off the whites one more time.
Earlier in the season we actually had the opposite problem – too many players available. It would have been easy to pick the strongest XI every week and simply leave people out. Gareth resisted that temptation.
His man-management has been outstanding.
He knows how much I like team selections announced early, yet he’d often hold his back because he wanted to personally ring someone who’d missed out rather than send a text message. By taking that extra time, he’s kept people engaged, committed and available.
It’s something I’ve genuinely learnt from watching him this season.
The 3rd XI currently sit 5th with 200 points, averaging 14.29 points per game.
https://ldcc.play-cricket.com/website/division/138054
Keep up the excellent work, Gareth.
4th XI
The 4th XI season has been a little stop-start, with two opposition concessions and one concession from ourselves due to a rearranged 2nd XI fixture.
In the completed matches since 17 May, they’ve recorded three wins and two defeats.
The standout performance came against Winstanley Park, where 13-year-old Tadhg Bell scored his maiden senior century, carrying his bat for 100* before taking 2-27 in the second innings.
Further victories followed against Haydock 3rd XI and Prescot & Odyssey 3rd XI.
While winning games is important, the priority remains giving our younger players valuable time in the middle and getting overs in their legs. I think we’ve finally found the right balance within the 4th XI.
Lewis McDonald, James Forrest and Rowan Badger have all spent significant time in the 2nd XI and are beginning to show the leadership qualities we want to see. Harrison Willis continues to improve with the ball, while Joseph Byrne is settling into senior cricket well.
We’re also seeing the next wave come through, with Lucas Crookham, Korey Wainwright and James Carthy all making their senior debuts this year.
Neil Dutton, 4th XI captain, has built a really good group, and we must continue developing these players into regular Saturday cricketers.
Junior Cricket
The junior section continues to go from strength to strength.
Congratulations to Oliver Gibbons and Zoe Dutton, who have both been selected for the Inter-League sides.
Looking at individual performances, Owen leads the way with the bat, scoring 274 junior runs (347 overall), including two half-centuries at an average of almost 46.
With the ball, Tadhg sits top of the wicket charts with 13 junior wickets (32 overall), one ahead of Oliver Gibbons, who is making a welcome return to action after breaking his foot.
The Under 15s have enjoyed a much smoother season with far fewer concessions than in previous years. Lewis McDonald has captained the side exceptionally well.
The Under 13s have unfortunately been hit by opposition concessions during the holiday period, but before that they dominated their division and have now earned a playoff against Ormskirk to decide the North/South champions.
The Under 11s have now moved into the competitive league following the mid-season split. It’s been many of the players’ first experience of “when you’re out, you’re out.” There were a few tears at first, but they’ve adapted brilliantly.
With such a large Under 11 group, we’ve also entered a development league to give newer players the chance to gain confidence and experience. By the end of the season, they’ll have played an incredible 32 hardball matches.
Huge credit goes to Greg Gillespie in his first year as coach for organising additional friendlies and experiences such as the upcoming trip to Old Trafford for The Hundred.
The Under 9s continue to flourish under Si Crookham. They won the Dave Hewitt Trophy on Zoe’s Place Day for the third consecutive year and, last week, experienced hardball cricket for the first time in an inter-club match alongside some of our Under 11 players.
Finally…
Like every season, cricket has a habit of completely taking over our lives.
For six months it’s 100 miles an hour for players, coaches, volunteers and parents alike. Sometimes it’s worth stopping for a moment and appreciating what we’re achieving together.
It’s not just about league positions or results. It’s about seeing a junior score their first runs, watching a youngster make their senior debut, or seeing someone who has given years to the club finally score their first hundred.
Those are the moments that define a cricket club, and they’re easy to take for granted.
So, with seven weeks of the season remaining, let’s enjoy it. Keep working hard, keep supporting each other, and let’s make these final weeks really count.
Who knows where we might end up?
Thanks,
Paul Mckenna
DoC
