European Cricket League: Northern settle into new surroundings with two wins from two
Northern 138/3 (10) beat Austrian Cricket Tigers 123/7 (10) by 15 runs
Byron 88/8 (10) lost to Northern 89/2 (5) by eight wickets
Europe, meet Northern.
The Love Lane Liverpool Competition’s first ever national champions showed what they can do on their first day of European Cricket League action, recording two wins with two increasingly assured performances.
The day was all the more impressive given it was their first taste of T10 cricket, and for most of the players their first competitive action on an artificial wicket.
First they tamed the Austrian Cricket Tigers, holding their nerve to record a 15-run victory, then they were streets ahead of Byron, smothering the Greek side’s batters then romping home with eight wickets and five overs to spare.
Captain for the day Chris Laker, standing in because of James Cole’s injured finger, made 87 runs from 39 balls across the day and looked increasingly at home managing his outfielders on the small playing surface at Malaga’s Cartama Oval.
He said: “There was a lot of learning that took place in the first game. The cricket is a good standard, but it’s very different out here.
“Game two was a much more polished performance, so we were quite pleased with that.
“We had a couple of new players coming in and there were a lot of different challenges – some we were prepared for, some we weren’t.
“But these players can adapt to any conditions.”
Laker and Tyler McGladdery gave Northern the perfect start against the Austrians, putting on 96 in 35 balls to set up a total of 138/4.
The Tigers made a brisk start and kept up with the rate early on but lost key wickets.
One turning point was a stunning boundary relay catch by a tumbling Alex Vincent, who threw to Laker as he toppled over the rope.
Another was the ninth over, in which the skipper took two wickets for eight runs to shift the equation from a plausible 30 from 12 balls to a fanciful 22 from six.
Against Byron, Dan Wilson was the star with the ball, taking 3/6 from his 12 balls, backed up by Vincent’s 2/9.
Spinners firing it in full and seamers hitting the pitch with variations was the order of the day – after an opening flurry, the batters had no answer.
Northern needed to knock off the runs within seven overs to claim an extra bonus point – thanks to Liam Grey, who clubbed eight sixes in his 15-ball 55, they did it with plenty of time to spare.
It means they will be first or second in Group B overnight, potentially significant with rain forecast for tomorrow.
Finishing in the top two will give them two bites at the cherry when it comes to reaching the group final on Saturday’s finals day.
Weather permitting, Northern will face Cyprus’s Al Fatah before the first of a potential three games in a row against defending champions Hornchurch – including their wildcard signing, Formby skipper Ian Cockbain.
“The forecast isn’t good but we’ve put ourselves in the best position we can,” Laker added.
“I enjoyed being out there and it was really good to contribute.”
