THE uninformed may have presumed that Liam Jackson "arrived" yesterday, writes PAUL AGNEW.

You know the sort of thing - promising young pretender finally finds the sort of statistical analysis to make even the most battle-hardened sit up and take notice.

An anorak-clad crowd, huddled in the main near the tea tent, could be counted in tens rather than hundreds.

The weather better suited November.

But, amid the gloom of Dill Hale Lane, teenage all-rounder Jackson produced a matchwinning effort to elate Enfield and crush Church.

Five cheap wickets and an undefeated forty odd, now surely that must rank as the 17-year-old's finest hour in a first team sweater.

Not so. "Did better on the last game of last season actually," he was quick to point out afterwards. "Six wickets and a half century here against Haslingden.

"But I was pleased with this one and by the manner of the win. We can still figure in the title race although everyone now accepts that Nelson must slip up for someone else to move in."

Let's concentrate on the efforts of the individual rather than the team. Jackson, a former pupil of Rhyddings School and very much a part of the young scene with Lancashire, isn't a strike bowler who would strike fear into opposing batsmen.

There isn't anything particularly scary about the way he saunters in off a few paces.

The secret though is in the swing - a succession of visiting batsmen left to vouch for the fact that the ball does come back a touch dramatically. Jackson's cause was assisted by a peculiar decision from Church skipper Peter Gilrane.

According to their "army" of travelling fans, Church don't like scoring too many runs at Enfield.

Surprising, then, that with such facts in mind and the fact that conditions certainly suited medium pace bowling - overcast and greenish wicket - Church should choose to bat.

At 11-3, and with professional Neil McGarrell, back in the pavilion it looked a bad decision.

Church were never really off the back foot although Phil Sykes did produce some sort of resistance mid-stream.

The long-serving batsman hasn't had the best of seasons by his own admission - hitting home pro Otis Gibson for a four and a six off successive deliveries will undoubtedly figure amoung his highlights when the events of the campaign (almost said summer!) are chewed over after the hour changes.

Along with Trevor Hatch, Sykes did share a stand of 38 for the fourth wicket but it didn't take Jackson and Gibson long to polish things off once that little party had been disturbed. Gibson watched in horror as four catches went down in the slips, but still Church could muster but 75 in 41 overs.

Jackson opened the reply with another Enfield wonderkid, Sam Reidy, normally a member of the late order brigade.

Reidy enjoyed a moment of glory by pushing McGarrell for a four while Jackson set about the attack.

A brief spell of rain (44 minutes) threatened to deny Enfield but once Jackson and Gibson got together it was only a matter of time. Not much time either, the winning runs from the pro coming in just the 16th over.

Comprehensive stuff from Enfield and the second best day in the life of a young cricketer with much to look forward to.

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