Kent fast bowler’s slower than expected recovery from knee surgery prompts decision
Matt Roller20-Jul-2021Tim Groenewald has called time on a 15-year professional career by announcing that he will retire from professional cricket with immediate effect.Groenewald, 37, had surgery on his knee in April and said that despite “amazing support” from Kent’s medical staff, his recovery has not been sufficient for him to resume his playing career.Born in South Africa – and educated at the Maritzburg College in Natal, the same school as Kevin Pietersen – Groenewald juggled his early county career with winters back home but he made a breakthrough in 2006, making debuts for Warwickshire in all three formats, and played for the club as a non-overseas player thanks to his English mother.He left for Derbyshire at the end of the 2008 season where he quickly became an integral part of their bowling attack across formats, and took 42 wickets in their promotion season in 2012. He led the attack in Division One but turned down the opportunity to extend his contract and joined Somerset on loan in 2014 as a precursor to a permanent move.He became a fan favourite at Taunton, not only for his whole-hearted efforts with the ball but also for his knack of playing match-winning innings with the bat, dragging them to famous one-wicket wins against Surrey in the Championship and Gloucestershire in the Royal London Cup in 2016, with Jack Leach and Jamie Overton for company respectively.Groenewald joined Kent on a permanent deal ahead of the 2020 season and took seven wickets in his nine appearances for the club. Paul Downton, their managing director, confirmed that he would stay with the club in a coaching capacity until the end of the season.”I feel privileged to have played professional cricket for 16 years,” Groenewald said. “I will always be extremely grateful to the clubs I’ve represented and the opportunities they have afforded me. I’ve made some lifelong friends and memories along the way and will cherish those forever.”Groenewald retires with 625 career wickets, 403 of which came in first-class cricket at an average of 29.53, with 16 five-wicket hauls. While England Lions selection eluded him, he was part of the North v South series in the UAE in early 2017 after earning a spot through his performances in the Royal London Cup.
Eintracht Frankfurt have slapped a huge price tag on Manchester City target and in-demand striker Omar Marmoush.
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Marmoush an in-demand strikerMan City linked with forwardEintracht Frankfurt name their priceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to Sky Germany reporter Patrick Berger, the 25-year-old wants to move to City and there is a 'complete' verbal agreement between him and the Premier League side. The report adds, however, that the Bundesliga team want €80 million (£67m/$82m) for his services in January.
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City are having their worst season in many years and even with the prolific Erling Haaland up front, Pep Guardiola's team looks a shell of their former selves. Allowing Julian Alvarez to join Atletico Madrid may have been a mistake but reported Arsenal and Liverpool target Marmoush could be a good replacement. The report adds City are planning to lodge a bid this weekend but Eintracht would demand a lot less this summer.
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The Egypt international, whose contract at Eintracht runs until 2027, has scored 18 goals and bagged 12 assists in 24 games in all competitions this season.
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All eyes will be on whether or not City make an offer for Marmoush and if Eintracht will be willing to negotiate to get a deal done. A transfer, however, may be more likely in the summer.
Premier League giants Liverpool are believed to be interested in signing an “amazing” Sunderland player alongside Chris Rigg, according to a fresh transfer claim.
Liverpool eyeing Sunderland ace Chris Rigg
The Black Cats fell to second in the Championship table after five matches this season following their disappointing 3-2 defeat away to struggling Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon.
There have been so many different Sunderland players who have caught the eye during the campaign to date, one of whom has been Rigg. Still only 17, the Englishman has performed with a level of maturity beyond his years, starting four of the five league games and continuing to enhance his reputation.
Chris Rigg for Sunderland.
Rigg is such a highly-rated footballer that Liverpool have been linked with a move for him in the near future, seeing him as a player who could develop into something special over time. There is also the small matter of Real Madrid also reportedly seeing him as an option, which says even more about his ability.
Regis Le Bris will no doubt be desperate to keep hold of the teenage star for as long as possible, not least the entirety of this season, but there is always the threat of his head being turned by a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Now, another Sunderland ace has also been linked with a move away from the Stadium of Light, acting as a further concern.
Liverpool also keen on another Sunderland hero
According to a new update from HITC, Liverpool are eyeing a move for Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson as well as Rigg.
The 24-year-old is said to be on the Reds’ “radar”, as they prepare to replace current backup to Alisson, Caoimhin Kelleher, at the end of this season. The Republic of Ireland No.1 looks increasingly likely to move on at that point.
While Rigg looks like a particularly prized asset for Sunderland, considering the impact he is making at just 17 years of age, Patterson is also a hugely important young player in his own right. He has already made 127 appearances for the Black Cats, becoming a hugely consistent performer between the sticks, and former manager Tony Mowbray once heaped praise on him, saying:
“The goalkeeper… listen, he’s a top goalkeeper. I’ve been in football more than 40 years and this kid is a very talented boy who has an amazing temperament. Nothing fazes him, he’s very calm about everything, he’s not bouncing all over the place and losing the plot. He’s a very calm goalie who makes great saves.”
The lure of moving to Liverpool could be huge, given their status as one of the biggest teams in the country, but Patterson will know that he may not be replacing Alisson any time soon, with the Brazilian arguably among the leading ‘keepers of his generation.
Sunderland have injury concern to "impressive" 24/ y/o alongside Ballard
This isn’t ideal for Regis Le Bris.
1 ByHenry Jackson Sep 15, 2024
Hopefully, he may feel that staying put at Sunderland for now is the best decision for him, before potentially testing himself elsewhere further down the line. Sealing promotion to the Premier League this season would certainly help, though, acting as a further incentive this season.
John Obi Mikel took another dig at a misfiring Nicolas Jackson as he urged Chelsea to sign Victor Osimhen, Alexander Isak or Viktor Gyokeres.
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Jackson hasn't scored in last four gamesChelsea have dropped 10 points during this periodMikel wants top-tier strikerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Jackson started the season with promise but has struggled to find the back of the net in the recent past. The forward has failed to score in Chelsea's last four games, a period where the team squandered crucial points and slipped further behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.
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Mikel, a known critic of Jackson, addressed this issue during , stating that Chelsea's lack of clinical finishing is hindering their progress.
"We are creating chances, we are still playing well, we are still doing the right things but we’re not clinical enough, we’re not scoring goals," Mikel said.
"We’ve talked about getting another top, top striker who can win us these kind of games, difficult games where if Nicolas Jackson is not firing on all cylinders you can give him a rest and then get someone else to come into the team and try to win us games and score goals. We are not clinical enough, he is not scoring enough goals. He puts himself in the right positions but then he’s not finishing, he’s not scoring enough.
"He’s not a striker who’s going to get us to the top four or win us the Premier League title. He’s not that striker. I don’t think he can get us over the line in terms of winning trophies. For me, he’s a player who can link up play, he’s good on the ball but he’s not scoring enough goals."
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Mikel emphasized that Chelsea need a top-tier striker to complement Jackson or even replace him when necessary. He went on to specifically name Victor Osimhen, Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, and Newcastle's Alexander Isak as players who could significantly improve the team's offensive capabilities.
"If we had Victor Osimhen or the guy from Sporting, Viktor Gyokeres, trust me, we’d still be competing for the Premier League," Mikel added. "Nicolas is not scoring enough, the finishing, he needs to find a way. For me it’s a bit of a worry because we’re not scoring enough.
"Without Cole Palmer I don’t know where we would’ve been this season, definitely not where we are right now, he’s carrying the team on his shoulders, he’s creating chances, scoring goals, what more can he do? One goal in six [from Jackson] is not good enough. You talk about top, top strikers, look at Isak at Newcastle, he’s flying, that’s what we need."
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WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA & JACKSON?
Chelsea's relatively light January schedule provides a window of opportunity to recalibrate their approach. They face League Two side Morecambe in the FA Cup third round on January 11, followed by league matches at Stamford Bridge against Bournemouth and Wolves. These fixtures could allow Jackson to regain his confidence and fire on all cylinders until the business end of the season.
Bangladesh’s young players step up to seal a 3-0 sweep over Zimbabwe
Mohammad Isam20-Jul-2021Two critical moments in the third ODI demanded that Bangladesh find someone besides their experienced trio to help the team turn a corner. On both occasions, the “other guys” came through. Nurul Hasan will take the headlines. The 27-year old was playing his first ODI in five years and yet he played the finisher’s role to perfection, scoring an unbeaten 45 off 39 balls to seal victory with two overs to spare.But there were so many crucial contributions.Mohammad Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rahman took five wickets in the space of 13 balls, at a time when Ryan Burl and Sikandar Raza were tearing it up, to bowl Zimbabwe out for 298. Bangladesh have not always had pace bowlers capable of completely changing the momentum of a game like that.Then came Hasan.Zimbabwe had removed Tamim Iqbal – who made a scintillating 112 – and Mahmudullah off successive deliveries. They had their tails up. But that didn’t help one bit.Hasan displayed exactly the sort of batting Bangladesh have been waiting for from one of their younger players. He was calm. He trusted his game. His six boundaries were all perfect cricketing shots. No innovation necessary. He added 64 for the fifth wicket with Mohammad Mithun and 34 for the unbroken sixth wicket stand with Afif Hossain to help the team complete a 3-0 sweep.Captain Iqbal was pleased with Hasan’s performance but made a point to add that his spot – and a couple of others in the middle order – is still up for grabs.”I think everyone should get opportunities,” Iqbal said. “(Mohammad Mithun) didn’t do well in the last couple of matches but if you think back to New Zealand, he made a good contribution in the game we should have won. We don’t have the perfect player at No. 5 and 6 so we are giving them opportunities. Today Sohan’s [Nurul Hasan] innings was very good to see. There are two-three people who are fighting for one spot.”Iqbal played a stroke-filled innings and reached his fastest ODI hundred, off 87 balls.”I felt I was in good rhythm,” he said. “I didn’t think it was a challenging time. I felt I was batting quite well in both Tests and ODIs recently, but maybe I missed out on scoring big runs. I am happy to have contributed in this chase.”He admitted he played through pain due to his knee injury, which will keep him out of action for at least two months. “I was going through a lot of pain although I wasn’t showing it. My knee is heavily taped. It is such an injury that maybe if I continue, I might do the job, but if it flares up, I will be out of cricket for seven-eight months.”I don’t think we need to take that risk. I should be fine before the T20 World Cup if I take rest for eight to ten weeks during which I will do the rehab,” he said.Shakib Al Hasan, who was adjudged Player-of-the-Series for his all-round performance, said that despite the 3-0 series result, Bangladesh were tested in all the matches. Shakib himself had bailed the side out with an unbeaten 96 in the second game when they were 173 for 7, chasing 241.”I think we faced a number of situations when we got tested,” he said. “I think we passed those tests, which was satisfying. But there’s always room for improvement. We should take as much as possible from this series to the next ones. We have to keep improving.”
Celtic’s incredible start to the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership campaign continued on Saturday as they secured a 2-0 win against Hearts at Parkhead.
The Hoops have kept five clean sheets in their five league matches so far, winning all five games, and are sat at the top of the division, having also won the title in Brendan Rodgers’ first season back in Glasgow.
Summer signing Arne Engels opened the scoring for the Scottish giants from the penalty spot after Nicolas Kuhn’s cross was handled by a defender, which provided the Belgian with a chance to roll the ball past Craig Gordon.
The veteran Jam Tarts goalkeeper may have been disappointed with his part in the second goal for Celtic. Luke McCowan, also signed in the summer, came off the bench and fired a left-footed effort Gordon’s way from the edge of the box and it was helped into the back of the net by a weak hand from the shot-stopper.
Whilst it was another impressive showing from the Hoops, who have continued their near-perfect start to the league campaign, there were some underwhelming performances, including Daizen Maeda on the left flank.
Daizen Maeda's struggles against Hearts
The Japan international was selected to play on the left flank, after his goal against Rangers before the international break, and struggled to make a significant impact at the top end of the pitch.
As ever, Maeda was full of running and constantly looking to threaten in behind and down the sides of defenders to get on the end of long passes and through balls.
However, none of his runs resulted in a clear goalscoring chance for the forward, with Gerald Taylor’s sublime sliding challenge in the first half preventing him from going one-on-one with Gordon.
Celtic's Daizen Maeda.
The 26-year-old forward did create two chances for his teammates throughout the game, but neither of them were ‘big chances’ and he did not register an assist for either of the goals.
He also lost two of his three physical duels during the match, and only completed one dribble, in what was a fairly underwhelming showing from the winger.
Maeda had very little say in the match from an offensive perspective and did not do much defensive work to help to preserve the clean sheet, as shown by these statistics.
However, he was not the worst performer on the pitch for Celtic as Kyogo Furuhashi endured a frustrating afternoon and must now be finally ditched from the starting XI by Rodgers.
Kyogo Furuhashi's frustrating performance against Hearts
The 29-year-old striker scored his first goal of the season against Rangers before the international break but his struggles in front of goal returned for this clash with Hearts.
Rodgers kept him in the starting XI after his strike against the Gers and was not rewarded with a strong performance from the Japanese marksman, who struggled on and off the ball.
Kyogo was presented with one ‘big chance’ to find the back of the net when he was sent one-on-one with Gordon and the striker fired his effort wide of the post, which was one of the four shots he failed to find the back of the net with.
The former Vissel Kobe number nine only had seven touches of the ball in 72 minutes on the pitch and completed two passes, to go along with his four shots on goal, and did not create any chances for his teammates.
He was also a liability out of possession for the Hoops. Hearts defenders came out on top against them in all three of his physical duels at Parkhead, which shows that he struggled with the physicality of the match as he lost 100% of his duels.
These statistics show that he was even worse than Maeda, who at least created two chances for his teammates and won one of his three duels, for Rodgers.
Appearances
5
Shots
20
Big chances missed
7
Goals
1
Assists
1
As you can see in the table above, Kyogo’s showing against Hearts was not out of touch with his form from the previous four appearances in the division.
The experienced forward has struggled in front of goal throughout the season so far, which comes after he missed 24 ‘big chances’ and scored 14 goals in 38 league outings last term.
These statistics show that Kyogo has been an incredibly wasteful finisher for Celtic over the past 13 months or so, whilst also offering very little outside of his goals, due to his weak play out of possession and lack of creativity.
With all of this in mind, Rodgers must finally ditch the striker from the starting XI for the club’s first Champions League clash of the campaign against SK Slovan at Parkhead on Wednesday night.
Kyogo, who scored two goals in six Champions League matches last term, must be ruthlessly dropped from the line-up to make way for Adam Idah.
Why Adam Idah should be unleashed
The Ireland international is yet to score since his return to the club on a permanent deal from Norwich City this summer but was unfortunate to have a goal ruled out by VAR for offside on Saturday, due to an offside on Greg Taylor in the build-up.
His form during his loan spell at Parkhead during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign suggests that the potential is there for the 6 foot 3 star to come in as an upgrade on Kyogo for this clash with Slovan.
Appearances
15
38
Goals
8
14
Big chances missed
7
24
Conversion rate
27%
14%
Aerial duel success rate
64%
26%
As you can see in the table above, Idah outperformed the Japanese attacker in the Premiership, with a higher conversion rate and greater goals to ‘big chances’ missed ratio.
The former Norwich academy graduate also won a significantly higher percentage of his aerial duels and this suggests that he could be more useful in European matches, where Celtic may need an outball when they are under pressure to get up the pitch.
Therefore, Kyogo should be ruthlessly ditched from the starting XI after his poor showing against Hearts and Idah should be unleashed against Slovan.
£5m Celtic flop who was sold by Rodgers is outscoring Kyogo this season
The Hoops allowed the centre-forward to move on from Parkhead last summer.
A £17,000-a-week Celtic player has been ruled out of the upcoming international break with a new injury, it has been reported.
Celtic suffer first defeat of 2024/25 against Borussia Dortmund
The Hoops tasted defeat for the first time in the 2024/25 season under Brendan Rodgers, losing 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Daizen Maeda cancelled out Emre Can’s opener in the first 10 minutes, however, after that, it was all Dortmund, with Karim Adeyemi hitting a first-half hat-trick.
A couple of Celtic players came in for criticism in the media, including left-back Greg Taylor and permanent summer signing Paulo Bernardo, and Rodgers will be looking for an immediate response against Ross County prior to the international break.
Celtic plan to agree new off-field deal which Hoops once called magnificent
It is one to watch before the end of 2024.
ByCharlie Smith Oct 3, 2024
Right-back Alistair Johnston was one Celtic player who spoke to the media after the heavy defeat in Germany and said: “We have got to understand what we did wrong, what they punished us with and what we did right. There aren’t as many things we did right in this match unfortunately, but there will be little moments where we could make a little change to be braver in our positioning, be more compact defensively and things like that. We will get it sorted out.
“It’s a really confident group we have here. We are not going to let this wobble us at all. We just have to understand it can happen, but it can’t happen again.”
Johnston was brought off with minutes remaining of the midweek encounter and looked to be in some pain, with a new Celtic injury update emerging.
Celtic injury latest – Alistair Johnston out of Canada squad
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Johnston has been left out of the Canada squad as he rehabs from a back injury. That’s according to Canada boss Jesse Marsch, who said: “Alistair Johnston and midfielder Ismael Kone are both rehabbing injuries. It’s back and ankle injuries for them.”
Celtic defender Alistair Johnston.
It seems as if Johnston, on £17,000-a-week, would have been included in the squad for Canada’s upcoming friendly against Panama if it wasn’t for this new injury, and you’d expect then that the 25-year-old will be missing against Ross County also.
So far this season, Johnston has made six Scottish Premiership appearances, scoring one goal and providing an assist, while also playing a League Cup game and two Champions League ties.
He was hailed by Steven Caldwell last year, who said on the right-back: “His real strength is his mentality in terms of the way he applies himself and how professional and athletic he is. He’s a voracious learner, always wanting to get better, challenge himself. He has an honesty, a sort of British mentality in the way he takes things on the chin and pushes forwards. The way he took different positions and philosophies and his positive outlook make him a real special player and person.”
Anthony Ralston was the man who replaced Johnston against Dortmund, so perhaps the Scot may get the nod against Ross County on Sunday.
Thunder limp to 90 for 9 before Diamonds dispatch chase in 12.2 overs
ECB Reporters' Network30-Aug-2021A stunning bowling performance from the evergreen Jenny Gunn saw Northern Diamonds ease their way to victory over rivals Thunder and secure qualification for Finals Day in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Gunn, 35, rolled back the years in taking 4 for 15 for Diamonds as the hosts were restricted to 90 for 9 from their 20 overs, with the modest target never looking enough to prevent a win for the visitors.Thunder had got off to a decent start with an opening partnership of 20 between Georgie Boyce and Daisy Mullan hinting at better things to come before Rachel Slater struck with the wickets of Boyce and Threlkeld. Laura Marshall helped progress the score to 47 until she was bowled by Linsey Smith for 14 with Mullan falling to Katie Levick for the same score in the same way soon afterwards.From then on it was all about Gunn as the former England seamer decimated the Thunder middle order, with the dangerous Kate Cross proving the vital wicket after she had scored successive boundaries off Alex MacDonald.Laura Jackson fell to a sharp caught-and-bowled chance for Gunn for 8 with Alice Dyson finding skipper Hollie Armitage at long-on off the very next ball. Gunn’s next delivery was hit for four by Danielle Collins but the veteran bowler made it three wickets in four balls when Collins was caught by Slater off her second delivery faced.Thunder’s fight was done and they quickly subsided, with Smith claiming her second wicket when Alex Hartley was stumped without scoring.The home side’s fortunes failed to improve with the ball as Diamonds as openers Leah Dobson and Bess Heath set about the Thunder attack in powerful fashion. The pair had eased their way to 46 off 39 balls when Dobson offered an easy chance to Laura Jackson off Dyson and departed for 20 which brought the ominous figure of Lauren Winfield-Hill to the crease.With the hosts looking increasingly ragged in the field the victory never looked in doubt and despite Hannah Jones bowling Winfield-Hill for just 5, Heath was able to reach her half-century before the eight-wicket win was secured in the 13th over.
Paul Pogba has been urged to take on a “revenge” mission alongside Mason Greenwood at Marseille, with a Premier League return being ruled out.
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Frenchman released by JuventusSuspension ends in March 2025Linked with clubs around the worldFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Ex-Manchester United midfielder Pogba has become a free agent on the back of seeing his contract terminated at Juventus. That decision was taken as the France international continues to serve a worldwide doping ban.
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Said sanction has been cut from four years to 18 months, meaning that Pogba will be able to resume his professional career in March. Various landing spots have been speculated on for the 31-year-old – from England to the United States – but Emmanuel Petit wants to see him head home.
WHAT PETIT SAID
Ex-Monaco star Petit has told of what happens next for his fellow World Cup winner: “There is big speculation about Pogba joining Marseille. Marseille, they are doing great in the transfer market. With the new Sports Director, the former player, Medhi Benatia, who just signed a new contract at the club. He has done such a great job at Marseille, bringing some very exciting and good players into the team.
“Playing for Marseille is something special, you know. This city lives for the club. They are so passionate about football and about their club. You can see that every single time they play at home in front of almost 60,000 people. The atmosphere is amazing. That reminds me of back in the day, when I had to play with Monaco for the title at the Velodrome. The atmosphere was volcanic. I loved it. So, you must have the character to play over there because the storm is not very far away. It always comes in Marseille, but it's been months now that we only speak about Marseille for the right reasons, not the bad reasons.
“Coming back to Pogba, he's been linked probably with a move over there, but I know that he's training alone, he's doing hard work, he's very fit but it's a big difference working in the gym compared to working on the pitch with your team-mates. When was the last time he touched a ball? It was 18 months ago with Juventus which means It will be a gamble. I love when you get a player with a feeling of revenge, that their image has been destroyed, for the last two seasons, starting with Manchester United.
“If I am a manager of a club, it would be interesting because we all know the quality of the footballer when everything is set up in his mind. We all know what kind of player he can be on the pitch, which means it can be a gamble. He knows that he will have to accept less money than what he is used too. No problem. He cannot make a great deal financially at the moment. For any club that signs him, it would have to be a deal with a club that will help him come back the way he was before. It's a win-win deal for any club. Do what you have to do on the pitch, we will help as much as we can to come back to the level you were before.”
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Quizzed on whether Pogba – who has previously taken in two spells at Old Trafford – should consider a return to the Premier League, former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Petit said: “I think it's too soon for Pogba to come back to the Premier League. The image he left when he left Manchester United was not good enough. He was under such criticism and scrutiny all the time. For me, coming back to Ligue 1 would probably be the best decision for him. If he goes to Marseille with the passion of the club, the fans, that's something that can help him to come back step by step.”
Helter-skelter third day ends Hampshire’s title hopes and leaves Lancs with glimmer of hope
Paul Edwards23-Sep-2021Lancashire did all they could at Liverpool today. Tomorrow they will find out if it was enough.The one-wicket victory of Dane Vilas’ side over Hampshire diced, sliced and pureed the nerves of all who witnessed it yet none of them would have missed it for a moment. Seemingly strolling to the win that would have ended their opponents hopes of winning the title for the first time since 1973, Lancashire collapsed from 151 for 4 to 194 for 9 in 17 quite deranged overs.That left them two runs short of their target while Hampshire required one more wicket for the title. Matt Parkinson defended two balls from Mason Crane, who bowled magnificently to take 5 for 41 on this final afternoon, and Vilas swept Liam Dawson to the square-leg boundary to end the game.And yet, should Warwickshire defeat Somerset at Edgbaston on the final day of the County Championship season, Lancashire will have to settle for a runners-up spot and a place in next week’s Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s. It may be seen as a poor reward for a season’s effort from a fine Emirates Old Trafford side but it will do nothing to dull the memories of this victory, one that had players, non-players and executives dancing such jigs of delight on the Aigburth balcony that one feared for its foundations.Related
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The joy was the greater because the prize had so nearly been snatched from Vilas and his players. Nine overs after tea they needed 45 runs with six wickets in hand. Lancashire supporters are not given to complacency but they were risking a dash of optimism. Then Steven Croft was leg-before to Crane for 20. 151 for 5. Danny Lamb fell to the first of Joe Weatherley’s three catches off Crane in the post-tea session. 177 for 6. Luke Wood succumbed to the same combination. 187 for 7.Nine to win. The coffee truck and the burger bar were deserted. A leg-bye sparked a genial riot. “Come on Hampshire!” roared a lone voice, much as it had done at ten-minute intervals during the day.Tom Bailey risked a single to backward point but was run out for nought by Crane’s brilliant direct hit. 193 for 8. Jack Blatherwick made a single before edging Crane to second slip. 194 for 9. “What odds the tie?” somebody said. Parkinson defended two balls and may be nominated for an award at Old Trafford.Then Vilas swept Dawson and connected. Young men roared and strong men wept. They remembered Lancashire’s title victory at Taunton in 2011 but this was tenser, this was harder. The players came out onto the balcony and took the cheers of the crowd. Vilas spoke of his pride in his team and no-one doubted him. No-one who was at Aigburth today will forget it and yet it still may not be enough. Suddenly it seemed about three days since the morning session had got underway. How did this happen?This day of days began with the possibility of Hampshire winning the title, the near-impossibility of Warwickshire being confirmed as champions by the evening but a fair chance that Lancashire’s hopes would be extinguished. Someone even voiced the weird idea that the visitors would bat so long that nothing at all would be settled today. Uncertainty spread like a tummy-bug in a nursery and the news that it was raining in Birmingham didn’t help. Nonetheless there were more photographers in the press tent than normally cover a royal wedding and at least the sun came out at more or less the same time as the players. But suddenly the chatter ceased there was a heavy silence as George Balderson ran in to bowl the first ball of the last day of these sides’ County Championship season. Brad Wheal played it defensively and everyone settled again.The ability of Hampshire’s last three four batters to hang around was plainly significant. Lancashire’s task was already tough enough and there was the psychological impact of adding another 40 or so runs to be considered. So there was applause from the away balcony at every scrawped single, every edged boundary. Felix Organ drove Bailey through the covers but was soon leg-before for 8 when looking to whip the same bowler through the on side. 176 for 8.Hampshire’s last two wickets added another 17 runs, which was an outcome for which both captains might have settled. Certainly Bailey would have accepted his career-best figures of 7 for 37 from 24 immaculate overs; that analysis also brought Bailey’s 50th wicket of a season in which his value to Lancashire’s attack has been immense. James Anderson has bowled spells from his personal stratosphere; Saqib Mahmood’s five-for won the Roses match. But Bailey has been there, morning in, morning out. He has turned his particular skills into a form of devotion.Tom Bailey returned career-best figures•PA Images/GettyAlex Davies’ services to the county he is about to leave are rather more violent, something he exemplified when smacking two successive balls from Keith Barker to the cover boundary to get his side’s pursuit under way. Two overs later, though, the opener was badly dropped by Wheal at mid-on and Lancashire came in to lunch very-nicely-thank-you on 19 without loss Suddenly we heard that Somerset had lost another wicket at Edgbaston and the thought grew that neither of the teams at Liverpool could win the title today.A quarter of an hour after lunch that possibility appeared to be extinguished as Jack Leach prevented Warwickshire taking the ninth wicket they needed. Now we knew that if Hampshire won this game, they would be champions; Lancashire still needed to win and hope that Warwickshire didn’t contrive a victory over Somerset. As though publishing a defiant manifesto Davies speared Barker through backward point and the score moved on to 43 without loss. Every run was being cheered now.Also every dropped catch, of course, and Hampshire put down two before they took their first wicket. Most bizarrely, the substitute wicketkeeper Lewis McManus and first slip James Vince allowed one to pass between them when Balderson was on 12. Next over Davies celebrated his partner’s reprieve by whacking Dawson’s first ball over long-on for six.Four balls later any misplaced air of jubilee was removed when the left-handed Balderson was bowled round his legs by the spinner and next over, Davies’ final innings for Lancashire ended when he drove Barker straight to Crane at backward point. He had made 44 and had batted with the pugnacity that has marked his decade in Lancashire’s first team. Edgbaston awaits him.Hampshire strove for further breakthroughs – the “bang, bang” beloved of their encouraging cries – but Luke Wells and Josh Bohannon added 55 in 19 overs. Wells was for ever looking to use his long levers to work the ball through the covers while Bohannon, having driven his first ball for four was becalmed until he took two boundaries off a Wheal over. The first of them, a straight-drive, was perhaps the shot of the day. The crowd eased themselves into gentle optimism – then suddenly both batters were caught at slip by Vince in the ten minutes before tea. Bohannon edged a forward defensive stroke and then Wells nicked off when trying to force on the off side. 118 for 4.There were nervous walks around the boundary. People walked purposefully to catering outlets only to forget what they wanted to buy. Hampshire supporters were amongst them. Then the players came out for the final session: the one that even now men and women are telling their partners about, the one that may win a ninth outright title for Lancashire; the one that even now on this nearly black night in Liverpool may do no such thing….