Captain Will Wrathall’s reluctance to accept the player-of-the-match award following his unbeaten 57 off 31 balls in Sunday’s Hamer Cup final told you everything about the manner of Read’s landslide win against hosts Little Lever.
Wrathall was quite understandably picked as the star player from a nine-wicket win chasing 101 after opening the batting and breaking the back of the chase.
But Read’s performance was absolutely not about just one man. Their display with the ball and in the field indicates that. Five of their six bowlers used all struck, with left-arm spinner Matthew Heap claiming 3-5 from 6.2 overs added to two wickets apiece for South African substitute professional Ockie Erasmus, Chris Holt and Nizam Vaid.
South African overseas amateur Zadian Muller claimed the other wicket, while seven catches were taken.
With the bat, Wrathall shared 64 for the first wicket with Dec Bailey, who contributed 20 before Muller helped dot the i’s and cross the t’s on the win with 22 not out.
This was a match which lasted just a combined total of 37.3 overs, and afterwards a jubilant Wrathall said: “I got player-of-the-match, but I don’t want to take one bit of credit because it deserves to go to the team rather than an individual. I think I said it in my interview before the final, ‘If it’s not the pro, it’s someone else’.
“It’s such a good feeling knowing that someone is going to step up. It just happened to be me in that final, but it could have easily been any one of my mates. And I don’t say team-mates, because they’re all my mates. I’d have given it (POTM award) Matt Heap, to be fair, with his bowling figures.”
Given Little Lever are the defending Premiership champions and are in the thick of this season’s league title race – added to the fact they hosted the final – it was understandable why they went into Sunday’s final as the fancied side.
But Read have had a fabulous season. In all cricket, they have lost twice, and they are top of the Championship and on course for promotion. Before the match, their captain Josh Gent knew it wouldn’t be an easy task.
In his NWCL website preview, he said: “If Read were in this season’s Premiership, they wouldn’t be at the bottom.”
Wrathall continued: “Going to Little Lever, the champions of the league, and they didn’t put a scratch on us. It may well be the best feeling I’ve experienced on a field.
“I’ve won Ramsbottom Cups before, but playing against a team such as Little Lever away from home – they are a fabulous side – you just can’t beat it. I was actually fielding on the boundary when they were nine down, and one of their spectators said to me, ‘Well, I bet you didn’t think you were going to win this easy?’.
“I turned around and said with the straightest face in the world, ‘I did, actually’. He just said, ‘You *******!’ “I was taking the mick like, and it was all good fun. Their spectators contributed to it all. They made it a really good atmosphere.
“In the first couple of overs, I couldn’t hear Matt Heap at mid-off when I was at mid-on. Then, when they were in trouble, I could have a genuine conversation with square-leg from mid-on. It was a great day.”
Reflecting further on their performance, Wrathall said: “It was an absolute road of a pitch, but we fielded brilliantly. I can’t remember one dropped catch or misfield.
“Myself and Dec then said, ‘If we can get off to a flyer here, the game’s done and dusted’.
“I think Dec hit a four off the first ball of the innings, and after that moment we sort of knew without wanting to sound big-headed.”
That’s now one down and one to go for Read, who arguably have an even bigger prize to play for in terms of promotion from the Championship division.
They are in a great position, too. They lead the table by 16 points from Walkden with six games to play. More importantly, they are 28 points clear of third-placed Atherton, who only have five games remaining. The top two teams will go up.
“Nothing’s done and dusted yet,” insisted Wrathall.
“I said last week that it’s white noise to us with people saying that we’re already up, and that remains the case.”
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