No Bacup return for Cairns by Nigel Stockley

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Player:

CL Cairns

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DateLine: 3rd January 2007

 

Chris Cairns will not be returning as Bacup professional this season due to business reasons.

 

Arguably the Lancashire League's biggest signing since Allan Donald joined Rishton in 1996, Cairns helped Bacup to the runners up spot last season.

 

The signing of world class New Zealand all rounder Cairns was just the tonic that the club and indeed the Lancashire League needed. Bacup had a poor start to the season after winning the opening match with the services of sub professional Charlie Shreck. After five matches the club was next to bottom with just one victory. Cairns soon got to grips with the softer wickets and the New Zealander was quick to work out the league's amateur batsmen, picking up 87 victims at 10.4 with a best of 8-35 amongst his eight five wicket hauls. A brilliant unbeaten 144 single handedly won the match against Haslingden, the first of two centuries in Cairns 953 league runs at 63.5. But for the weather Cairns would certainly have achieved the coveted double.

 

Cairns went to Bacup with an impressive CV with countless awards from a career that began in 1988 and saw him play in 62 Tests before retiring in 2004. Cairns held the record for most sixes in Test cricket. The New Zealander played the shorter version of the game at top level a little longer, having played a staggering 215 ODI's in which he scored 4950 runs and took 201 wickets.