Cann: I'm playing it one ball at a time

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27: St George’s stalwart Lionel Cann is nearing another Cup Match milestone.

The veteran cricketer won the coveted cup as a rookie captain in 2006 and three-years later stroked a maiden Cup Match century at Wellington Oval.

Now he is within striking distance of becoming only the fifth batsman to score 1,000 runs in the classic’s 109-year history.

Cann needs just another one hundred runs to join the likes of Wendell Smith, Charlie Marshall, Clay Smith and Janeiro Tucker, who have all scored 1,000 runs or more in Cup Match.

Former St George’s skipper Wendell Smith was the first to achieve the milestone in 1992 on home turf at Wellington Oval.

When asked about the possibility of joining an exclusive group of company this year, Cann replied: “Obviously that’s in the back of my mind because I just want to go out there and enjoy myself.

Greats

“My thing is to stick to the team’s goal and depending on the situation help them to adjust.

“If I do the right things and continue the good form I’m in that will take care of itself. I just want to take things one ball at a time and do my best to help the team.

“If I reach 1,000 runs this year it will be nice to join such greats as Wendell, Charlie and Clay. But I still have few years left in the game and so I know that eventually I will get there.”

The aggressive batsman is fresh off a highly successful Americas Division One Twenty20 campaign in Florida where he topped the tournament’s run aggregates with 205 runs.

At age 38 Cann is currently the most senior player in Cup Match.

“It just seemed like the other day I was the youngest guy coming into Cup Match and now I’m the oldest.

Skill

“I just have to set the example, sit down and play from experience and pass on the knowledge to the youngsters.”

Cann reckons there’s very little that separates Somerset and St George’s this year in terms of skill.

“Both teams are evenly matched and so I think this year is going to be a very close Cup Match.”