Tim Orrell calls himself a “tagger-on in the twilight of my career”, but he still loves the cut-and-thrust of league cricket.
That self-depricating description from the 48-year-old hides a fierce determination to compete , and be successful, which was instilled by Lancashire and his talented teammates at Old Trafford 25 years ago.
“I had two summer contracts and one full contract and Lancashire were the one-days kings when I was there,” explained the respected Mirfield Parish captain.
“People like Wasim Akram, Mike Atherton and Neil Fairbrother were around but, if I’m honest, my game is more suited to today’s cricket than how they wanted you to play the game back then.
“I hit the ball in the air and was a bit more aggressive than perhaps I should have been, but I don’t regret anything.
“I played with and against some greats, I can say I scored a hundred against
Curtly Ambrose and I thoroughly enjoyed it and taking on the fast bowlers.
“To be honest, I was a little bit weaker against the spin department, but not many people get the opportunity to play at that level and I not only had the opportunity, but I really enjoyed it.”
Orrell played one first-class and two List A matches for the Red Rose, in addition to a lot of Festival cricket.
“Since my release by Lancashire, I’ve played the majority of my league cricket in Yorkshire,” said the man born in Prestwich, Manchester.
“I wanted to play the best level and a friend of mine said the Bradford League was where I needed to be.
“I had six seasons at Saltaire and then moved to Woodlands, where I played for 15 years and won pretty much everything going, including the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champions Trophy, the Priestley Cup and the title a good four or five times.
“I’m not really one for the stats, because the important thing was that we really enjoyed it and had a lot of success – they were fantastic seasons at Woodlands – and then I had a year at Undercliffe before coming to Parish.
“This is my third season with the club and it’s a great place to play, really down to earth.
“It’s the sort of place where everyone just gets on with it.
“We take it seriously when it comes to game time, but we also make sure we enjoy being part of a really good team atmosphere.”
Orrell jokes: “I enjoy combining playing with being a teacher.
“I’m currently an acting deputy head so, after a hard week at work, I love coming to play cricket and taking charge of some more challenging kids to deal with!”
