Centenary celebrations at Northop Hall - Ellesmere Port Standard

[this article first appeared in the Ellesmere Port Standard, 30/7/08] 

The highlight of Northop Hall's centenary year celebrations ended a success after a Lashings World XI visited Smithy Lane on Friday.

Despite the absence of star player Herschelle Gibbs from the Lashings side, there were still plenty of top international performers on show for the paying public.

Alan Mullally, Henry Olonga, Chris Harris, Rashid Latif, Ian Butler, Nilesh Kulkarni, Brendon Taylor, Dinesh Mongia, Alvin Kallicharran, Mohammed Akram, Ed Giddins and Hall's very own Ata-ur Rheman were all on show in the eight-a-side tournament.

With the weather set fair and a sizeable crowd at the ground to watch local talent battle it out with a number of famous faces, those that paid the reduced entrance fee of £6 were not left disappointed.

Connah's Quay captain and member of the winning team - Team Two, Group Two - Martin Burger was delighted with the opportunity to play with and against professional players.

"The day was absolutely fantastic," he highlighted.

"I was lucky to be on the winning side and that made it even more worthwhile. The day was brilliant and to have Chris Harris and Alan Mullally on our side was superb.

"The two of them really mixed with the lads and they proved to be two top blokes. We were lucky enough to have what looked to be the best Lashing players and that saw us to victory.

"Another highlight was Henry Olonga's singing at the lunch interval. It was incredible and nobody really expected it. He sang Nessun Dorma and everybody loved it."

Hawarden Park overseas professional Scott Inglis echoed the thoughts of Burger.

"It was very enjoyable," said Inglis.

"The day was organised really well and our pro Ata-ur Rheman was a really great bloke who was happy to talk to everyone.

"Some great players were on show and Chris Harris and Dinesh Mongia showed their excellence all day.

"I know Chris from back in New Zealand and have played him a number of times over the years, he is a great bloke and it was good to have a chat with him.

"Henry Olonga's singing was also brilliant and everyone enjoyed the occasion."

Lashings players Harris and Mullally praised Northop Hall after the tournament.

"It is a wonderful set-up here at Northop Hall," said Harris.

"They have a nice pitch and the organisation of the day has been brilliant.

"The pleasing thing to see is the talent of the players in North Wales and the whole day has been a fun experience."

"The day has been excellent," added former England pace man Mullally.
"The players have been brilliant and all the people at Northop Hall have been great with all the Lashings players."

With six group matches between two groups, Team One from Group One and Team Two from Group Two made the showpiece final.

Team Two with Chris Harris and Alan Mullally on their side recorded a comfortable victory over Henry Olonga and Ata-ur Rheman's team.

Harris led his side to 80 from their seven overs - the day's highest score before Mullally and Burger bowled well to leave Team One stuck on 62 from their allotted overs.

Burger praised the performance of the Lashings players after winning the trophy.

"The upped their game in the final," he declared.

"They were taking it fairly easy in the group stages but as soon as the final came around they played a little bit harder.

"It was good to see that despite everything they have done, winning was still important to them."

Although Gibbs failed to show up, Northop Hall will have been delighted with the day and the week as a whole after a brilliant seven days of Centenary celebrations.

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