The stage is set for the ECHO Cup’s first ever four-team finals day at Birkenhead Park.
The hosts will face Ormskirk on Sunday after Rainhill take on Oxton, with the final following immediately afterwards.
Home skipper Tom Foster says it’s a massive day for the club, and a sign of their progress since winning promotion to the ECB Premier Division of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition this season.
Their semi-final opponents, second in the Prem and in the Lancashire Cup final, will start the day as favourites in most people’s eyes - but Foster thinks his side have what it takes to spring a surprise.
He said: “It’d be unbelievable to win it.
“We’re playing an excellent limited overs team, so we’re going to have to be at our best - but a T20 is a one-off game, so we’re going to go out and play positively, and give it a crack.”
Park saw off Liverpool, Neston, Port Sunlight and St Helens Town to reach finals day - a relatively friendly run.
But they’ve shown this season they can mix it with the best - they have a Cheshire Cup semi-final against Widnes next weekend, and come into finals day on the back of a five-game winning streak in the league - including a five-wicket win over Ormskirk last weekend.
Park’s only success in the ECHO Cup came in 1979 - claiming the season’s first silverware would put the cherry on top of an excellent summer so far.
Foster added: “It’s testament to the club and how far we’ve come from this stage last year, from being in Division One to hosting a finals day.
“For the guys who come and watch us, and for everyone who follows us, it should be a really good day out.”
Ormskirk skipper Gary Knight saw his side book their slot at finals day by winning a five-over slog against Northern on a drizzly Thursday night, after seeing off Firwood Bootle and Fleetwood Hesketh.
With seven wins, most recently in 2011, they’ve got the most pedigree in the competition and will be hoping to dominate from the start.
Knight said: “We’re hoping to hit the ground running, and not let Birkenhead get off to a flyer.
“It was a poor defeat on Saturday, but T20 is a completely different format and a different side.
“We back ourselves against anyone in cup cricket.
“Birkenhead Park played really well last week, but we can’t really take much of that into Sunday.”
Oxton - who overcame Whitefield, Widnes and Ainsdale before seeing off Formby in the quarter-finals - are flying the flag for the Cheshire County Cricket League, in a cup which was last won by Chester Boughton Hall in 2019.
Captain Luke Filer says this season has been one of transition and building for the future - but he wouldn’t mind a trophy to go with it.
He said: “T20 can go either way, but for us it’s about controlling what we can control. I think if we do that, we’ve got a good enough side to compete.
“If we put in the effort, then no matter what happens, we can hold our heads up high.”
Leading the attack for Oxton will be Joe Mennie, the Australian former Test seamer.
Filer added: “He’s been a great addition to the side this year, and he’s a real boost when he's playing.”
Ben Edmundson’s Rainhill, having seen off Newton-le-Willows, Old Xaverians and New Brighton, boast the season’s leading scorer in Tyler McGladdery, who has racked up 1,371 runs in all competitions so far. He’ll be crucial to their bid to reach a first ever ECHO Cup final.
Oxton v Rainhill will start at 10am, with Birkenhead Park v Ormskirk following at about 1.15pm, with the final due to start at about 4.30pm.
