Captain hails Lostock legends in T20 Cup glory

Lostock won the Birtwistle Cup title on home soil, at Chew Moor Lane, beating Ribblesdale Wanderers in the afternoon semi-final and then local rivals Blackrod in the early evening final.

And Dave Flanagan and Rob Holgate were at the heart of their success.

In the five-wicket semi-final win over Wanderers, which saw Evans and co win by five wickets chasing 117, Flanagan claimed three wickets and hit 50 not out opening the batting. Holgate struck once.

In the final against Blackrod, a 39-run success which saw the visitors fall from 95-1 to 112 all out as they chased 152, Flanagan hit 45 before Holgate returned 4-14 from 3.3 overs.

“The club has been through so much,” said Evans.

“There was a period where we didn’t have a ground, we were playing somewhere else, an old clubhouse burnt down and got built on.

“There’s been a point where this club has really struggled. But those players have been there and stuck with the club through that time.

“They’ve been to Finals Days in the past and not quite managed it.

“So seeing them finally win something, it made the day even better.

“There were a couple of messages put in our group chat from them about how much it actually means.

“Look, Dave Flanagan could have gone and played for money pretty much wherever he wanted at one point in his career. But he stuck with Lostock. To see him finally win something for his club, effectively - he’s been there since he was 12 - was amazing.

“It’s exactly the same for Rob as well.”

There were other performers as well in front of an estimated 700-plus crowd. Pakistani professional Mohammad Suleman was chief amongst them, with 36 opening the batting in the semi-final and then 73 not out and three wickets in the final.

“What was really nice to see on Sunday was that all the issues we’ve been having in the league, which we’ve been working hard on at training, all came together,” continued Evans.

“Some of the catches we took were unbelievable, but we’ve been dropping a lot in the league games.

“The way we batted in the final is what we want more of in the league, for us to bat around the pro, who was brilliant.”

The skipper went on: “It’s not been easy this season, but I said to the lads after the game, ‘It’s been difficult this year, but we’ve stuck together through it all’.

“For me as a captain, I’m just really proud of them.

“I grew up at Lostock, moved away, came back and took on the captaincy last year.

“To play with a group of your best mates, and win something, is a big thing for me. Also, the young lads were absolutely buzzing.

“My head was absolutely fried at the end of the day!

“The preparations, everything. I’d still not decided on my final eleven when the first semi-final was going on in the morning.”

If Evans’ head was fried, it may have felt a touch worse on Monday morning, with celebrations going on long into the night.

But now they must switch back to league mode and make sure they improve a Premiership position which sees them 10th out of 12 in the table, one place and seven points above the relegation zone with three wins from 13 matches to their name.

“Last year, we showed we can compete in the league (finishing second),” said Evans. “This year, it hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to. But we’ve shown that we’re still a good team.”

They do still have a T20 engagement to fulfil, representing the NWCL in the Plate section of the ECB’s National Vitality Club T20 competition.

Lostock are due to host their Area final early next month, though a date and opponent is yet to be confirmed: “For us, we’re going to go and enjoy that,” added Evans.

“The league was the big one we wanted to win. Anything else will just be a bonus.”

n NWCL Birtwistle Cup semi-finals: Blackrod (85-1; Antonio Greenidge 51 not out, Jonny Wardle 1-3) beat Whalley (84-9; Stuart Crabtree 25, Charlie Fletcher 2-9) by nine wickets.

Lostock (118-5; Dave Flanagan 50, Joel Blackledge 4-24) beat Ribblesdale Wanderers (116 all out; Jordan Hermann 34, Dave Flanagan 3-15) by five wickets.