In April 2005, FA Cup semi final Sunday, a group of players from Maghull CC assembled at a murky Ainsdale Cricket Club. These were the first 11 players selected to represent the Maghull 5th XI. The game itself was abandoned after a mere 14 overs, as the rain kept coming in, but seven years later, again on an FA Cup semi final day, the 5th XI will kick off their 8th season. In this time they have started (but not necessarily completed) 91 matches, and as long as the weather holds the team should celebrate both its 100th match and its captains 100th match at the helm (the record is currently 89 out of 91 matches).
In this blog, I have decided to take a walk down memory lane, and look back at those first 11 players for the 5ths. Where are they now, what have they done, and (a question asked more than once when one of the XI is batting), "What are they doing?".
Mike Hagan - Mike had the honour of facing the first ball ever bowled at a 5th XI batsman, and also the more dubious honour of being the first 5th XI batsman to be dismissed. He was captain of the Saturday 4th XI until 2008. He has enjoyed his last two years as 2nd XI umpire at Maghull.
Andy Barlow - 2005 would prove to be Andy's last season at Maghull, but he certainly enjoyed himself with the bat. He scored over 300 runs for the 5ths this season (2 50's) and enjoyed a similar return with the 3rd XI, scoring his first ever senior century. In 2006 he left the club to join Ainsdale, and by the end of that season he was playing for their 1st XI. In 2010 he joined S&B, but returned to Ainsdale in 2011. He is currently the U15 coach for Sefton District Squad.
Mike Bell - Mike enjoyed the best all round season of any 5th XI player in 2005, with over 250 runs and 24 wickets (still a team record). He took over the role of vice Captain in mid 2005. He has only played two more 5th XI games since 2005, including an epic performance versus Lytham in 2006 (58 and 5-38, best all round one game performance in team history). He is currently a key component of the 3rd XI, having alternated between them and the 2nd XI for several years.
Paul Mainwaring - Mainzey was only really on loan to us in 2005, helping his friend The Skipper out. He famously lost a finger nail at Caldy in 2005, and did not return to the 5th XI until 2008. He bowed out from cricket after the 5ths victory over Prestatyn in 2009, on the very unreasonable grounds that he was about to get married and become a father. His presence is still missed by many members of the team, though not by the skipper so much after he has embedded himself into Mainzeys batting spot at 6.
Paul Walters - Wally played through the 2005 season in sedatry fashion, only really catching fire with a blistering 78* in the final game of the season. In 2006, he exploded into the consciousness of the club, with 461 runs (a team record) for the 5ths alone. He continued to play for the 5ths until 2008, at which time he had become a regular in the 1st and 2nd XI's. As of March 2012, he is the leading 5th XI run scorer. He was also the first man to score a 50 or more in a match for all five senior XIs at Maghull.
Liam Gibbons - The Ainsdale match was the first appearance in a Maghull shirt (he actually wore a Northop Hall shirt with a green sticker over the badge) for Gibbo. He starred for the 5ths in 2005, stealing the show with a marvellous 49* at Colwyn Bay in what some argue is still the greatest game in 5th XI history. Since the middle of the 2005 season, he has been a regular for the 2nd XI, becoming captain before the 2009 season. He returned to the 5th XI for one match in 2008, scoring a marvellous 108* against Rainford, only the second century recorded by a 5th XI batsman at that time. He will move to live in Maghull by the time the 2012 season starts.
Mike Challinor - Chally was the first vice-Captain of the 5th XI, but left the job in mid 2005 after being promoted to the 2nd XI. He didn't feature again for the 5ths until 2008, and became something of a regular in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, he became the first player to score two centuries in a single season for the 5ths. He was also a key member of the 3rd XIs Embee Trophy success in 2011, taking the final wicket in the final itself.
Billy Symes - Billy was at the time, and in the memory of some remains, one of the best gully fielders in the league in 2005. He became vice Captain in 2006, but tore his Achilles tendon in his first match of the 2006 season. He retired from 5ths duty in 2007, but still enjoyed a rare outing for the 3rd XI away at Sefton Park in 2008, diving into a nettle bush to stop a boundary. His legacy lives on in the side, with his youngest son Liam a regular in the side. He was a very active Club Welfare Officer, and was instrumental in the club attaining Clubmark in 2006. He can still be found patrolling the boundary as one of the legendary Borrowers Trio at Maghull.
Gareth Barry (w/k) - Yes, GazSymes, Jack Snowdon and Chris Barlow. He holds the 5th XI single match best bowling figures, famously taking 7-9 against Huyton in 2007 (ask him about it.) He is one of only three people to have played in at least one match in every 5th XI season. He scored his first ever senior fifty for the 5ths against Norley Hall in 2010, putting on 100 for the first wicket with Craig Parkinson.
Jack Snowdon - Jack was another newcomer to Maghull in 2005. He became a vital cog in the bowling machine after taking 4-30 against Ainsdale in the return fixture, the 5ths first ever win. He continued to play for the 5ths until 2007, when he moved up to join the 2nd XI (as a batsman). He has become a potent off spinner since his time with the 5ths. In 2010, he left Maghull to seek out 1st XI cricket with Skelmersdale, but returned halfway through the season to spearhead the 2nd XI championship push. In 2011, he broke into the 1st XI, playing a key part in their title winning season. Jack has been U13s coach at Maghull for several years, and also works for West Lancs district side.
Neil Dutton (c) - Neil wonders how many people thought hed mention himself last, but would like to point out that this review has been done in orginal batting order. He has been captain of the 5th XI since 2005, and has missed only two out of 91 matches. He has been 4th XI vice-Captain (2010), 3rd XI vice-Captain (2006-8) and 3rd XI Captain (2009). Off the field, he has served as Fixture Secretary (2007), U18s Manager (2006-7) and since 2009 has been the Club Welfare Officer, following on the fine job done by Billy Symes. He is 2nd leading run scorer for the 5ths, and has taken the most catches for the team. He bleeds Red Gold and Blue.
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