IF Sunday's Trinity Cup game proved anything at all, it was that given the weather, and thankfully we were, people will still come to watch good quality local cricket writes Peter Stafford

It also proved something else. And that was the fact that, provided a match is close enough to retain the interest of the crowd, then those spectators aren't all that bothered how long it lasts.

Had both innings of Sunday's game run their full course, it would have ended at somewhere around 9pm and while I heard several people comment on that aspect of the proceedings, not one of those comments was voiced as a complaint.

This is cricket we're playing, not ice-hockey and when cups and points are at stake, captains and bowlers need time to get things right.

First things first, though and before I move on to the cricket itself, tribute must be paid to the Darcy Lever club for the efficiency with which the event was staged. The ground looked a picture, everyone from the club seemed to go out of their way to be helpful, and the mid-innings buffet would have been hard to improve on in terms of quality and quantity. Whoever was responsible for that trifle should have received some kind of award!

The cricket itself didn't leave a lot to be desired either. I know that's always easy to say when your team has won, but both sides made equal contributions which resulted in the outcome remaining in some doubt right up to the final over or two. The general feeling was that the Association simply didn't make enough runs. At one time they appeared to be on course for a total of around 220 to 230 which, with the benefit of hindsight, could well have been more than enough.

When Bhazid Khan and Arindan Sarkar were occupying the crease anything was possible, but things went a bit adrift in the middle of the innings when five wickets were lost for 46 runs. Andy Taylor and Adil Nisar bowled to their field and kept things tight, and Robin Morris's three cheap wickets pegged the home team back to 134 for 7.

A spirited stand between Rob Faulkner, hero of Walshaw's win the previous day, and the dangerous Brett Collins raised the Association's hopes as the latter hit 35 of the 55 runs added while he was at the wicket, but then Sajid Mahmood struck with consecutive deliveries to leave his side needing 190 for victory.

That the target was achieved was largely thanks to a 4th-wicket stand of 70 between Paul Rayment and Robin Morris, whose innings of 57 clinched the Man-of-the-Match award. I became a great fan of the Greenmount pro over the weekend, having seen him destroy Heaton almost single-handedly 24 hours previously, of which more later. But there was still work to be done after his dismissal, and Rayment produced what was required, batting through with exactly the professionalism and imperturbability that his captain would have been looking for.

He was assisted by two short but effective cameos from Ingram and Saj, and thoroughly deserved the half-century that materialised just before the winning runs were scored, bringing to an end the 32nd match in the Trinity series. Long may it continue, from next year, hopefully, under a new sponsorship umbrella.

On Saturday, as I said earlier, I went to Heaton to see if Greenmount's run of form could continue. It could, and it did, and when I say that Heaton were bowled out for 92, I mean just that! I don't ever remember before seeing two players bowl unchanged through an innings and take all 10 wickets without the aid of any of their fielders.

After a decent opening stand between Neki and Tripathi, Mark Stewart took the first three wickets, all bowled, after which Morris so monopolised the game that, after trapping Carson leg-before, he clean bowled the last six, giving further credence, if it were needed, to Brian Statham's famous bowling dictum, "If they miss, I hit!"

He then opened the batting and hit precisely half of Greenmount's 94 for 4, giving an entertaining foretaste of what was to come at Darcy Lever the following day. The straight drive is arguably the most exciting shot in the game, and Morris plays it regularly with exquisite timing and utter certainty. (The one aspect of his batting that does need a modicum of attention, though, is his running between the wickets, a failing that left him badly exposed on both Saturday and Sunday when he narrowly survived being run out on at least three occasions.)

No target is easy when Hirwani is bowling at one end, and, sure enough, he gave anxious moments to all six of the batsmen who were needed. But this Greenmount side, while possibly lacking the "star" names of their immediate rivals, is one which seems able to make the most of its corporate ability.

On Saturday it was the turn of John Sharples, who stepped in when Morris was dismissed and made the game safe for his side. And, speaking of the need for maximisation of ability, three of Greenmount's next four opponents are Walkden, Kearsley and Tonge.