Cricket: Colwyn Bay prepare for big derby day battle

Jun 18 2009 by Mark Currie, North Wales Weekly News

BIG DERBY DAY BATTLE aT BAY

A FIRST North Wales derby for some years on Saturday provides the perfect opportunity for Colwyn Bay to banish the disappointment of last week’s home defeat by Liverpool Competition leaders Bootle.

That’s the view of Bay skipper Graeme Jones ahead of an eagerly anticipated visit to Rhos-on-Sea of Flintshire rivals Northop Hall.

Still picking through the bones of last weekend’s 81-run reverse, he said: “We have got to respond positively and this is an ideal match for us to do that.

“After our two previous defeats we bounced back with very good performances to win and that’s what we need again this weekend in a game that has added spice because the two premier sides in North Wales are pitted against each other.”

The Premier Division table bears that out with second-placed Bay currently 40 points clear of Northop Hall in fourth.

But Jones, who is expecting another testing afternoon, added: “They have just been promoted back to this division after three seasons, so I’d have thought they will be absolutely delighted with their position in the table.

“We haven’t met for quite some time, but there has always been a healthy rivalry between the two clubs and I’m sure it will be another very competitive match.”

The Bay skipper will be hoping for an improved batting performance from his side following last weekend’s failure to run down the modest target of 160 set by Bootle.

“Our bowling and fielding was absolutely first class but when it came to batting I think we lacked a bit of belief that we could beat Bootle for the first time ever,” he said.

“You get very few chances against sides like them and games can turn on the finest of margins.

“We got their top-scoring batsman Patrick Jackson out twice when he was in single figures, but both dismissals were off no-balls and he went on to get 44 valuable runs.

“And with Bootle on 130-8 a catch was dropped – it wasn’t an easy chance, but it was not the hardest – and had that wicket gone then we would almost certainly have finished them off more quickly.

“Had we been able to reduce the run-chase it might have made it less of a mental challenge and showed some of our less experienced players what sort of standards they have to aspire to.

“But we certainly gave Bootle a scare and we were able to take a few positives from the performance.

“Alex Walburn came up from the second team and turned out to be our second-top scorer with 34 runs, so he proved he could come into a difficult match situation and make a valuable contribution.”