Cricket: No-frills style is still working for Wells

May 24 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

THOSE coaches who preach the virtues of keeping it simple would surely find the batting of Fleetwood Hesketh’s opener Gary Wells a source of great satisfaction.

Never one to over-theorise about his cricket, Wells has nevertheless racked up 383 runs in the Business Assistance Liverpool Competition this season and his performances have helped to hoist the side from Sea Cop into third place in the Premier League table.

A long career in the Liverpool Competition and the Northern League have helped Wells develop a studiously phlegmatic attitude to success and failure. A good innings is likely to be greeted with a slight smile whereas a low score elicits only a grunt and shrug.

“He doesn’t net, he just turns up, he’s a great player,” is the pithy assessment of Wells offered by his captain and opening partner Neil Rimmer.

Both are mightily effective batsmen, as their centuries in the 42-run defeat of Phil Cooper’s side showed, and they are playing major roles in the Marshside club’s encouraging start to the season.

“We’re doing great and I’m more than happy with the way things are going,” said Rimmer, as he looked forward to the Southport derby on Monday and today’s visit to leaders Ormskirk.

“I think the title’s going to be between Bootle and Ormskirk,” he said. “So today’s obviously going to be a big test for us. But our seam bowlers, Paul Mullen and Mark Prince, have both made an excellent start to the season and look more than capable, and our new pro, Kasun Bodhisha, is a correct left hand bat and a very tight left-arm spinner.”

Monday will be a test too, both of technique and temperament, as the teams from rather different areas of Southport adapt to the particular atmosphere of a local derby.

The relationship between the Fleetwood Hesketh and Southport and Birkdale clubs is now excellent although Rimmer accepts that it was not always thus and he identifies the friendship between himself and the Trafalgar Road captain Mark Fletcher as having helped to bring about a change.

“The game against S&B is always a biggie but there’s not that nasty edge to it any more,” he said.

“Mark and I will both want to win the game but we wouldn’t have anything bad to say about each other and I think that helps to keep the rivalry within limits.”

Before they make the short trip to Sea Cop, S&B face a league and cup double-header against Firwood Bootle, with the Wadham Road side looking to bounce back from the frustrations they experienced in last Saturday’s draw against Ormskirk and the disappointment of Sunday’s last-ball defeat to Bowdon in the Cockspur Cup.

TODAY: Business Assistance Liverpool Competition ECB Premier League: Formby v St Helens Recs, Lytham v New Brighton, Northern v Maghull, Ormskirk v Fleetwod Hesketh, Prestatyn v Hightown, Southport and Birkdale v Bootle, Wallasey v Colwyn Bay. First Division: Huyton v St Helens, Leigh v Wigan, Newton-le-Willows, Northop Hall v Liverpool, Rainford v Orrell Red Triangle, Sefton Park v Highfield, Skelmersdale v Wavertree.