TODMORDEN skipper Andrew Sutcliffe reckons a light liquid lunch could have affected his usually reliable catching skills after spilling a crowd catch from New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum.
Sutcliffe was sat on a couch, quaffing a pint and enjoying England’s Twenty20 victory over New Zealand at Old Trafford on Tuesday when the Lancashire League all-rounder became a star of the small screen.
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“I missed cricket training to be at the game – maybe I should have gone practising my catching instead,” joked Sutcliffe, who has captained Todmorden since 2012.
“I normally field in the slips, but I think a liquid lunch may have had a slight effect on my catching.”
On the missed crowd catch he added: “I saw it as soon as it went into the sky.
“I had plenty of time to settle myself but I totally messed it up. I got both hands on the ball but that wasn’t good enough.
“I was gutted. I knew straight away that millions on TV had seen me drop the easiest of crowd catches and the grief I would get off my mates.
“It didn’t take long either because they were sending me the TV replays to view again on the phone.”
Former Lancashire and Accrington batsman David Lloyd, who was commentating on the game for Sky TV, said the cricketing moment would be remembered for a long time by Sutcliffe’s Lancashire League rivals.
“Mr Lloyd took the Mickey out of me, but it was all in good fun,” said Sutcliffe.
“That’s the best side of the game for me.
“If I was playing against someone who had done that I would certainly be reminding them, so I’m sure a few comments will come my way.”
@TodmordenCC @savagesutcliffe @nevsut pic.twitter.com/FhTMNxUvqW
— Mark Clayton (@Claypole43) June 23, 2015
Mark Clayton, Todmorden’s former cricket chairman and who has a long association with the club, said: “Andrew has the safest pair of hands at Todmorden – he stands there catching pigeons.
“I’ve thought about it a lot and I can’t remember him putting anything down, so it was a priceless moment to see him drop one.
“It was all a bit of a laugh and, although he will get plenty of stick, he’ll see the funny side of it because he is a great lad.”
Todmorden face Burnley on Saturday.
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