Rose reach final of LGBTQ+ tournament

Mersey Rose (Lancs) beat Warwickshire before losing to Surrey in the Out4Cricket softball final

Out4Cricket, a national organisation promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion in cricket, has held an annual tournament since 2023. This event has both hardball and softball competitions.

Teams representing counties, which are generally supported by their respective county boards, participate in a day of cricket with the aim of fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ people. However, the tournament is also quite competitive and the cricket of a pretty good standard.

Mersey Rose Recreationals were invited to participate in this year's softball tournament, representing Lancashire. It was our first time taking part in this event and we had no expectations of doing well - our main objective was to enjoy ourselves and "play with pride".

This year's tournament was held at Sutton Coldfield Cricket Club in Birmingham on Sunday 15th June. It seemed the ideal location and the host club is clearly supportive of Out4Cricket's ethos and values.

As a club, we have played a fair bit of softball cricket but the quality of the opposition was at higher level than what we are used to and the rules were a bit different to those used in the Liverpool & District Cricket Competition. We normally play on reduced-size fields, but for this event we played on full-sized areas with our opening game being played on the main arena - a huge cricket field. This not only meant longer boundaries, but also a lot more ground to cover for a team of eight players. Rules we were unaccustomed to playing under included free hits following no-balls, but we felt this added something to the game. Semi Final Lancashire 109-5 (Net Score 284) Warwickshire 100-9 (Net Score 255) Lancashire won by 29 runs

We were paired with Warwickshire in the opening game, a team made up largely from players from Birmingham Unicorns. Put in to bat, Rose/Lancashire didn't get off to the best start as the opening pair of David Crossley and Ian Mosquito lost three wickets. However, the team made a recovery as the next pair - Andi Page and Aaron McKenna - scored at a rate of more than a run a ball, playing shots into space and running effectively to turn singles into twos. Amelia Short and Anna Page then shared a partnership of 20 before some big hitting from Joey Harrison, and some sensible batting from his son Zak, took the total to 109 for 5 from 16 overs.

The Rose/Lancashire team felt this was a good score on a field where there would be limited opportunities to hit boundaries. While boundaries were indeed at a premium, Warwickshire got out of the blocks quickly and, despite losing three wickets, after ten overs were well ahead of the run rate with a net score of 265. They needed only 20 runs to win from six overs, while Lancashire need a minor miracle.

What happened next was not exactly miraculous, but was certainly remarkable and testament to the ability within the Mersey Rose squad as well as the team's determination.

Firstly, Joey Harrison bowled a maiden over. Those six dot balls were crucial in stemming the momentum. In the following over Andi Page took two wickets, with Ian Mosquito taking a fine catch, and Warwickshire now needed 28 from four overs - a very different position.

Warwickshire's final pair knew what they needed to do and showed their intentions when they knocked off a couple of boundaries in the 13th over. Joey returned to bowl the 14 over, this time taking a wicket for the loss of just one run. Warwickshire were now feeling scoreboard pressure and needed some positive batting from their final pair, but Andi Page took three wickets in the penultimate over. He finished with barely believable figures of 6 for 8.

The final over became almost academic, with Amelia Short bowling effectively and conceding only two runs. In their first ever tournament, Rose/Lancashire had reached their first final! The final score suggests a comfortable win, but the reality was very different. It was a hard-fought victory against a good side who, until the last few overs, looked totally in control.

Final

Surrey 135-3 (Net score 320) Lancashire 115-4 (Net score 295) Surrey won by 25 runs Lancashire won the toss and opted to field. Surrey got off to a positive start with the opening pair sharing a partnership worth 45 runs. This gave Surrey a platform on which to build their innings. Lancashire were able to slow down the run rate and found some belief when Amelia Short and Joey Harrison each picked up a valuable wicket. Ian Mosquito was then brought into the attack; his third ball was smashed towards the boundary for what looked like a certain six - but, somehow, Joey Harrison got underneath it and made a sensational one-handed catch. That was the last success for Lancashire's bowlers, despite some great bowling from Zak Harrison and Heidi Page. Both juniors acquitted themselves well on the field, with Heidi in particular making some excellent stops and covering a lot of ground. She ran about 60 yards to cut off a four and almost succeeded, getting her fingertips to the ball as it crossed the rope.

Surrey finished their innings on 120-3, a very good score in softball. It seemed a total beyond Lancashire's reach, but no-one was going to give up without a fight. Some strong batting from Joey Harrison and Amelia Short ensured that they stayed in contention but the third and fourth pairs weren't able to maintain the same level of aggression and Lancashire had to settle for second place.

Surrey were worthy winners but Lancashire were proud of how they approached the final and their performances against quality opposition.

The real winner was, of course, cricket. Many thanks to Out4Cricket and Sutton Coldfield CC for putting on such a fantastic tournament, and to all the teams and individuals who made it such a positive and enjoyable experience. Lancashire bowler of the day: If we're being honest, the most effective bowler was Joey Harrison, who could be relied upon to bowl accurately and keep the runs down. However, no-one who takes 6 for 8 isn't going to be the bowler of the day, so it has to go to Andi Page. Lancashire batter of the day: Aaron McKenna. He didn't score the most runs on the day, but he followed instructions and worked well with his batting partners to keep the scoreboard ticking over. His running between the wickets was good and he didn't lose his wicket in either game. A really positive performance.

Lancashire fielder of the day: Heidi Page. She covered so much ground and made some fantastic stops. Her pace in the field was a real asset in the final.

Catch of the day: No question about this one. Joey Harrison's catch was so stupendous, so outrageous and such an impressive display of skill it will almost certainly also be the catch of the season. A truly dramatic moment!

Shot of the day: Heidi Page's reverse sweep in the final. Too good a shot for just one run.

Lancashire player of the tournament: Amelia Short. Batted well, bowled well and kept wicket. A great all-rounder. Photographs of the event can be found here.