Liptrot back injury keeps Highfield captain sweating

Jun 13 2008 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

HIGHFIELD captain Michael Farrell admits that when he turns up at Billinge Road on a Saturday morning he is unsure whether opening bowler Chris Liptrot will be fit to spearhead the attack.

Liptrot’s loyalty and commitment to the First Division club are unquestioned – he has repeatedly resisted the blandishments of Premier League outfits – but the freak back injury which put an end to the former Worcestershire player’s first-class career may soon prevent him bowling in recreational cricket too.

The 28-year-old Wigan-born seamer’s retirement from that department of the game would be a grievous blow to Farrell’s “big goal” of achieving promotion to the Premier League.

Liptrot’s 29 victims this season have included six-wicket hauls against Skelmersdale and Huyton and four for 41 in the important victory over Leigh in April.

Farrell, though, understands that cricketing considerations must come second to broader priorities. “Chris has got three prolapsed discs in his back and recently he slept on the floor for two weeks in order to get fit for bowling,” he said. “But he’s also got a life outside cricket and his overall fitness has to take precedence.”

“At the moment, he can bowl one spell but if he comes back into the attack, it’s at a reduced pace.”

Liptrot’s efforts have been one of the reasons why Highfield currently occupy a very respectable seventh position in the First Division table going into tomorrow’s derby against fifth-placed Orrell Red Triangle, a clash Farrell sees as vital in reinforcing his players’ self-belief.

“Northop Hall look a strong all-round side but I think Orrell are dark horses, and if we can come through that game, it will help our confidence,” he explained.

Morale at the club, whose facilities are among the best outside the Premier League, has also been boosted by a five-match unbeaten run and Farrell is broadly content with the playing strength at his disposal.

“I think our Indian pro, Niranjan Behera, is one of the best batsmen I’ve ever seen at Highfield and I’m hoping his tally of wickets will improve as the pitches get drier,” he said.

“And we’ve also added a couple of former Norley Hall players to the side. Stephen White leads the attack with Chris and bowls a very heavy ball, while Andrew Hargreaves bats at number five and has steadied the ship on a couple of occasions.”

Add in the undoubted talent of Sean Casham and the valuable batting of Michael Farrell’s brother, Richard, who goes in at number six, and then mix in the presently misfiring captain – “I’m a bit disappointed with my form,” he said – and it’s easy to see why Highfield may yet steal a march on the favourites and secure a promotion place.

Farrell knows, however, that there are at least half a dozen captains leading the teams who currently trail Leigh and Northop Hall who will be thinking pretty much the same thing. As has become the norm, the First Division is fiendishly difficult to call.