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Post by Admin on Jul 10, 2022 11:17:43 GMT
 Trafalgar Road Ground is a cricket ground in Southport, Merseyside. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1956, when the Lancashire Second XI played Cheshire in the Minor Counties Championship.[1] In 1959, the ground held its first first-class match when Lancashire played Worcestershire in the County Championship. From 1959 to 2017, the ground played host to 44 first-class matches, the last of which came in the 2017 County Championship between Lancashire and Middlesex.[2] The ground has also held List-A matches, the first of which saw Lancashire play Glamorgan in the 1969 Player's County League. From 1969 to 1987, the ground held 4 List-A matches, the last of which saw Lancashire play Scotland in the 1987 Benson and Hedges Cup.[3] With the first recorded match on the ground in 1956 involving the Lancashire Second XI, the ground has since held a combined total of 25 Second XI fixtures for the Lancashire Second XI in the Minor Counties Championship, Second XI Championship and Second XI Trophy.[4][5] In local domestic cricket, the ground is the home venue of Southport & Birkdale Cricket Club.[6] who play in the Liverpool & District Cricket Competition. In February 2016, the Club signed a three year staging agreement with Lancashire to host county cricket, which is believed to be the first of its kind in England and Wales. www.somersetcountycc.co.uk/www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2637343cricket.lancashirecricket.co.uk/news/2022-news/match-information-southport-birkdale-cricket-club/ |
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Post by Admin on Jul 10, 2022 17:03:23 GMT
It is a crucial month in the Championship title race, in which Lancashire are right in the thick of.
The Red Rose side are third in Division One after eight games, five points behind Hampshire in second place and 21 behind leaders Surrey. It is a wide open race when you consider the two teams directly below Lancashire, Essex and Yorkshire on 96 points apiece, both have a game in hand on the leading trio.
Lancashire, who will celebrate Steven Croft’s 200th first-class appearance, head into match number nine on the back of a high-scoring draw against Gloucestershire at Bristol late last month, a fixture in which the visitors held sway only to see the hosts hold on with a degree of comfort.
Somerset head to Southport deep in relegation trouble. They are second bottom having lost five and won two of seven games so far, 20 points adrift of third bottom Northamptonshire.
Lancashire, who will field seamer Will Williams as a domestic player after the New Zealander signed a long-term contract at Emirates Old Trafford earlier this week, have won their last two Championship fixtures at Southport.
That was Middlesex in 2017 and Worcestershire in 2018.
Opponents
Jason Kerr, the Lancashire-born coach at Taunton, and his side are having a disappointing season in red ball cricket.
They head into this fixture following back-to-back home Championship defeats against the top two sides in the division, Surrey and Hampshire, dating back to late May.
While the majority of counties across both divisions have been dealing with a plethora of draws and good batting pitches, Somerset are yet to draw in 2022.
After losing their first three games, they beat champions Warwickshire at Taunton and then Gloucestershire at Bristol.
Australian duo Matt Renshaw, the left-handed batter, and Peter Siddle, the one-time Lancashire seamer, have both represented Somerset as overseas players this summer.
Renshaw is due to return home at the end of August for domestic duty, but the Cidermen have signed Imam Ul Haq to finish off the campaign in September.
Captain and England Lions man Tom Abell is their leading run-scorer with 497 from seven appearances, including two hundreds. But he is unavailable for this match, along with Tom Banton, due to Lions duty.
All-rounder Lewis Gregory is a potential replacement to lead the side.
Opener Renshaw has also had a solid campaign with 371 runs from five games.
Seamers Craig Overton (26) and Siddle (24) lead the way in terms of wickets.
First-innings runs have been an issue for Somerset. On four occasions, they have failed to pass 220 in their first innings, including three below 200.
Opposing player to watch
Somerset will have England left-arm spinner Jack Leach available for this fixture following recent Test Match duties against New Zealand and then India.
Leach claimed 14 wickets in four matches, including a career best 10-wicket haul - five in each innings - in a victory over New Zealand at Headingley last month.
The 31-year-old is 18 wickets short of 400 in his first-class career.
If Southport continues to be useful for spinners, as it has been in the past, Leach will be a real threat.
Previous meeting
Lancashire beat Somerset by 10 wickets inside three days at Taunton last September (12-14) to keep their Championship title hopes alive heading into the final week against Hampshire at Liverpool.
Luke Wells hit a superb 103 from number three - his first Lancashire century having moved from Sussex - to underpin a first-innings 373 all out, achieved during the early stages of day two in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
Josh Bohannon, Steven Croft and Tom Bailey all contributed half-centuries.
In reply, Somerset were skittled for just 90 during the second afternoon, with seamer Jack Blatherwick claiming a pacy 4-28 from 10 overs in only his second Lancashire Championship appearance.
Somerset fared much better second time around, but it was merely delaying the inevitable following their first-innings collapse.
They had reached the end of day two at 226-4, though struggled again on day three, losing their last six wickets for 81 to fall to 314 all out.
Opener Tom Lammonby made 100, though he was one of three wickets to standout Wells, who excelled with his leg-spinners (3-8 in seven overs). Two of them came in one over.
It left just a target of 32, which was knocked off by openers George Balderson and Alex Davies in six overs, ensuring a 23-point haul.
What they said:
Steven Croft is relishing a huge week in Lancashire’s season and in his career.
Croft will play his 200th match before taking part in his seventh T20 Blast Finals Day on Saturday. But, as ever with Croft, it is not about him, it is the team which comes first.
“It’s a massive week for us,” he said. “We’ve ticked half of it off by extending our T20 season.
“But a positive result at Southport is going to put us right up there in the table and give us some great momentum going into the back end of the season.
“There’s still a lot to play for. I feel like there’s going to be some result games on result pitches, and it’s very exciting and all to play for still.”
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Post by Admin on Jul 10, 2022 17:12:57 GMT
No Washington  |
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Post by man in the stand on Jul 10, 2022 18:51:45 GMT
or any of our England players...
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Post by chris on Jul 10, 2022 20:56:21 GMT
or any of our England players...
After completing the loan agreement, Somerset Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry said: “Jack Leach is unavailable for the match against Lancashire, and with Amar currently not playing First XI cricket, we felt he could add real balance to our team at Southport. |
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Post by oldhamexile on Jul 11, 2022 9:04:35 GMT
I really rate Virdi although I notice he didn't seem to have the best game in Surrey's Seconds last time out. That this is his first championship game of the season says a lot about what's wrong the championship.
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Post by exile on Jul 11, 2022 9:15:56 GMT
(Nothing to do with this thread but probably the best way to get a quick response) Has anyone booked a ticket for Sedbergh that they are not intending to use? My wife and I are going and one of my grandsons would like to come if we can find a ticket.
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Post by Admin on Jul 11, 2022 9:58:04 GMT
Be warned if you are a member you need a ticket Shambles is the phrase. In the queue might get in by Thursday
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Post by oldhamexile on Jul 11, 2022 10:11:39 GMT
Anyone else struggling with the live stream? Buffering making it unwatchable for me.
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Post by Admin on Jul 11, 2022 10:18:47 GMT
In as the first wicket falls as they give out paper tickets to members and relax
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Post by lancsdes on Jul 11, 2022 12:30:35 GMT
“Anyone else struggling with the live stream? Buffering making it unwatchable for me.” Funnily enough, on Somerset Forum someone said how good it was. Like you, OE, mine has been intermittent though there have been problems on my wi fi for first time I can ever remember as not been able to access other sites. Roland Butcher bemused we have two very similar bowlers opening. He says he was baffled by the use of Wood at Bristol. Website wrong saying we beat Somerset at Southport in 84. It was 94. |
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Post by oldhamexile on Jul 11, 2022 13:25:24 GMT
Cheers Des. Mine still buffering but other streams are OK. The OT stream is very good quality but suspect this is something to do with Southport.
Agree that Williams and Bailey are very similar. Bailey taller, I've noticed that Williams normally delivers from quite wide of the crease so at least there are different angles.
I didn't see much of the Gloucester game but I thought Wood looked unsurprisingly out of sorts in thaqt game after a disappointing time with England. They don't seem to be doing our players too many favours with Parky getting clubbed around by the Indians.
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Post by chris on Jul 11, 2022 14:30:56 GMT
(Nothing to do with this thread but probably the best way to get a quick response) Has anyone booked a ticket for Sedbergh that they are not intending to use? My wife and I are going and one of my grandsons would like to come if we can find a ticket. |
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Post by Admin on Jul 11, 2022 15:52:54 GMT
Rew’s HS before start of season was 2 neither youngster looks in trouble at the moment
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Post by man in the stand on Jul 11, 2022 16:43:46 GMT
Be warned if you are a member you need a ticket Shambles is the phrase. In the queue might get in by Thursday I suspected as much but on checking the LCCC website yesterday couldn't find confirmation. However they can issue you with tickets for the remainder of the match at the same time.No idea why they have done this this year.
Ground was rammed and getting around the ground tricky with all spectators' and their seats blocking the way.. There are no temporary stands. Note that if you aren't a LCCC member then car parking at Birkdale is £10.. Left at tea..too hot and view obscured by people wandering around the ground looking for seats...
As for the game Bailey was bowling off spin in the last over before lunch..
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