Old Trafford jinx again hits Ormskirk
Sunday 9th September 2001

Thwaites LCB Knockout Cup Final

The two finalists of this year's Thwaites LCB Knockout Cup competition met under clear Manchester skies at Old Trafford this morning before a healthy crowd covering the area around and to the front of the pavilion.

Tonge won the toss and asked Ormskirk, playing in their third successive LCB final, to bat on a bare, moist, grassless pitch. Kevin Burns (25) and David Snellgrove (19) opened with 44 in 17.4 overs before they both fell within 2.3 overs of each other. John Armstrong (47, 73 balls, 2x4s) and Brad Pilon (33, 29 balls, 7x4s) took the score to 100 (29.5 overs) before the former was unfortunately run out, but then Ormskirk lost two more wickets to make the score 107-5 (33.2 overs). Mike Taylor (16) and the tail then took the score to 160 in 44.2 overs.

Tonge's openers, Northrop and Adil Nisar put on 61 in 18.2 overs from the bowling of Alan and Mike Taylor but it was skipper David Snellgrove who made the breakthrough by bowling Adil Nisar (36). Phil Unsworth's second ball bowled Northrop on the same score and then Tonge's captain, Anderton was run out for 0, making the total 61-3 and giving fresh hope to Ormskirk. New batsmen Hallows and Aspden added 59 in 20 overs and when Hallows was acrobatically caught and bowled by Alex Bailey, Tonge needed 31 in 4.2 overs. Aspden went for 36, caught by Mike Taylor at long on off Phil Unsworth (138-5, 41.3 overs) but Dion Taljard saw his side through with 26* which included a six that was caught by Alex Bailey just outside the boundary rope. scorecard

Ormskirk have yet to win at Old Trafford, their 1999 victory in the Competition being in a replay at Brook Lane after the original tie at Old Trafford was abandoned after one over in the second innings.

STOLEN
The day was later soured by the news that a 'lap top case' was stolen from the Lancaster Suite containing not a lap top computer but Neil Girvin's Wigan's scoresheets from this season. If anyone finds these documents or anything else relating to Wigan Cricket Club, please return them to Wigan or to Neil at Old Trafford (tel no: 0161 282 4029).