How Ormskirk’s Calum Turner found the perfect wedding present as Penzance’s dodgy dossier backfired
Calum Turner skipped his brother’s wedding to play at Lord’s – and made amends with a unique gift.
“I’ve offered him my man of the match medal,” he said, after his superb 111 led Ormskirk to victory in the ECB National Club Championship.
On a sticky wicket, he was the only man to consistently time the ball, scoring heavily square of the wicket and occasionally climbing into a straight drive worthy of the grand setting.
Opponents Penzance prepared a dossier on Ormskirk’s players then left it lying around to be discovered – they considered Turner a “front-foot bully” who could be bounced out.
It went about as well as the time England’s Ashes tourists famously did the same in 2006, theorising about how Matthew Hayden could be bored out.
Hayden made 153 then chided the bowlers for overcomplicating things – Turner, an aggressive, stroke-making left-hander in the same mould, was equally dismissive.
He said: “I think that’s the first time I’ve seen a written game plan against me.
“I might be seen as a front-foot bully. But if they’re bowling short, it creates a really good scoring opportunity.
“It can be a bit of a risk with fielders out, but it took my stumps out of play.
“I think the key on Saturday was whoever hit the stumps most would probably win the game.
“The wicket was a little bit tacky, it wasn’t quite coming on, and it wasn’t easy to hit straight from a good length.
“So if you want to have a bumper plan, then crack on with it. With a 40-yard boundary on the leg side, I wasn’t about to take a backward step.”
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Turner, who was becalmed in the 60s and 70s as wickets fell at the other end, then bowled all ends up by Tommy Sturgess on 95.
He had made it half-way back to the pavilion before he realised the umpires had called a no-ball due to a fielding infraction.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been shouted at as loudly in my life as I was from the balcony then,” he said.
“I looked back on the stream afterwards, I dropped my shoulder and did a U-turn.
“I’d made peace with it, it was a peach of a ball that got me out. But to then get turned back around, that was another thing to add to the surrealness of the day.”
Turner punched Brad Wadlan through mid-wicket to reach three figures four balls later, then perished attempting a reverse sweep off the same bowler.
But the damage was done and, thanks to Ormskirk’s bowlers, Turner could relax and enjoy the game’s climax knowing he had more than done his part.
He said: “Once we get a sniff, once we get that breakthrough, we just take that momentum and just run with it.
“It’s one of our massive strengths with the ball.
“I was at third man for most of the innings and I had a great view of the fans in the background – it was brilliant.”
