THE Aussie twang to his accent may betray Paul Horton’s Sydney roots but the batsman’s passion for Lancashire and his adopted home town of Liverpool is never clearer then when discussing rivals Yorkshire.
“Every game for Lancashire is a big one but we don’t get many derbies in cricket and this is ours,” said Horton, on the eve of tomorrow’s eagerly-awaited Roses clash.
“There is a lot of tradition that goes with the fixture that makes it special and of course you want to get one over on your local rivals.
“I played a lot of my cricket at Sefton Park after I moved from Sydney so it means a lot to me to be able play in front of my family and friends.”
Lancashire have made a stunning start to their Championship season, including two wins already at Aigburth, and the feelgood factor surrounding the squad is palpable as they return to Liverpool.
“Our good start is not a shock to the players,” said Horton.
“We knew we had a small squad and we needed to be lucky with injuries but what happens with a small squad is that you have a real unity and camaraderie.
“We play a lot of cricket together so we have a knowledge of each other as cricketers and as people and that is what you are seeing.”
Despite the apparent thinness of Lancashire’s squad, competition for placesis fierce with England opening bowler James Anderson just one player expected to return for the Roses match.
Sajid Mahmood and Farveez Maharoof were both absent from the recent win against Warwickshire, not to mention the likes of Tom Smith and Oliver Newby, who could all be competing for two places.
Perhaps set to be unluckiest of all is Orkmskirk’s left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, who despite posting stunning figures of five for seven against Warwickshire, could find himself dropped if Lancashire play only one slow bowler, in the form of Gary Keedy.
Horton is full of praise for Kerrigan however, and the local cricket scene that helped produce the young bowler.
“Simon is a great prospect and it is fantastic for people in and around the Liverpool Competition to appreciate what the league has and how it can create players,” said Horton.
“Steve Mullaney is at Notts, then there’s me, Gareth Cross, Karl Brown and Simon, who have all played in the Liverpool Comp at some stage of our careers.
“It shows what a good competition it is and that it has produced some real talent in recent years.”
Horton is also keen to point out the impact made by Sri Lankan all-rounder Maharoof, who turned down the chance of a spell in the IPL with Mumbai.
“The Roof has added depth to our bowling and his batting has strengthened our lower-middle order,” Horton added.
