Consistency the name of the game for Lisburn skipper

Mark Berry is one of a number of young players to come up through the ranks and impress in Lisburns first team. Now, their captain says, they must bring their A game more often. Pic: Presseye.

Sunday’s mauling of CSNI showed they have a huge amount of potential.

But without showing it more often, progress will remain illusive.

Skipper David Simpson, however, is optimistic that there are brighter days ahead for the side who have made blooding their teenage stars a habit this season.

Latest to come through is Friends pupil Cyril Verghese, whose off-spin bowling claimed two wickets on Sunday.

“He was absolutely brilliant,” said Simpson. “He was doing very well for the Seconds and now has made the step up and has done enough to keep his place in the first team for this weekend.”

The 17 year-old follows in the foot-steps of a number of Lisburn players to come right up from the club’s U13 side to reach the first team.

Another of those home-grown players to impress last weekend was Callum Atkinson, who took a five wicket haul against CSNI.

“Callum’s a great talent,” said Simpson. “He has played for Ireland U19s and still is a big prospect for us.

“He just needs to be more consistent now. He showed what he could do and bowled really well at the weekend and now he has to do it more often.

“When they are playing for the seconds, the young guys can get away with bowling one or two poor balls in an over, but in this Premier League, when you are up against teams full of guys who have representative honours, you bowl a poor ball and they’ll hit you for six.”

That call for consistency is a request Simpson is making of the whole team, whose win on Sunday was just their third of the Premier League season.

“If I’m being honest, it’s nothing more than I expected with the way we approached the season in respect to bringing through our young players,” he told the ‘STAR.’

“It’s not sustainable for us to pay players so I knew it would be a difficult season.

“At least we have generally been quite competitive and we really showed on Sunday what we can do.

“I was standing thinking ‘what is happening?’ It was one of those days that every came together. This season, we have typically done one or two disciplines well and been poor in the others but on Sunday, our batting, bowling and fielding were all good.

“It’s just about being more consistent now.”

If Lisburn can do that and add to Sunday’s vital victory, they will at least secure Premier League survival.