Griffiths targets success in all formats

It is fair to say that making your T20 debut on Finals Day is notable in its own right. However, the occasion held even greater significance for Gavin Griffiths as he played an important role in helping boyhood county Lancashire to win the trophy.

Griffiths hails from Ormskirk, a market town situated north-east of Liverpool and south-east of Southport, and he played for Lancashire at every level after joining as an 11-year-old.

The 22-year-old quick bowler got off to the perfect start after being given the nod to play in the semi-final. He bowled a maiden in a high-pressure situation to help Lightning emerge victorious against Hampshire, a county Griffiths would go on to enjoy a successful loan spell with in 2016.

Lancashire then beat Northants in the showpiece game with Griffiths being given the responsibility to bowl the last over. He ended with figures of 2-44 from six overs over the course of the day, a mightily impressive effort in the testing circumstances.

Griffiths, who is pictured bowling at Edgbaston that day, said: “Making my T20 debut for Lancashire on Finals Day was a special moment and to go on to win it was even better. In terms of cricket, it was the best day of my life so far. But that’s in the past now.

“A lot of the white ball cricket I have played has been a bit stop-start in nature. I’ve never had a run of five or six games to cement down a place in the side and get a bit of consistency in my cricket. Hopefully I can do that in the years to come and put some performances in.

“Looking at the group of players we have, I see no reason why we can’t achieve good things here. Leicestershire have already won the T20 competition three times so it’d be good to win it again,  push for promotion, and challenge in the one-day stuff.

“It’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility to have success in the three competitions because we have a good blend of youth and experience at the club. I can’t wait to get started.”

Leicestershire and Lancashire have had some good contests over the years and there have been plenty of connections between the counties in recent times.

Current Leicestershire players Griffiths, Paul Horton, Harry Dearden, Callum Parkinson and Dieter Klein all have connections either with the Red Rose or the Lancashire leagues while Parkinson’s twin brother Matthew, who is also a talented spinner, is currently part of Lancashire’s squad.

“Lancashire is a place and a club that is pretty close to my heart as I played there since I was 11 years old,” said Griffiths.

“I’ve played with Harry Dearden since I was about 16 or 17, he’s a very good player who was in a similar boat to myself, finding opportunities limited at Lancashire.

“Harry is one of the talented younger players we have got here. If they can keep progressing then it promises to be an exciting time in the years to come, but we also have to look at where we are at the moment and work hard to move forward as a team.

“You get to know all of the northern teams quite well. Leicestershire and Lancashire play each other a lot in white ball competitions, and in Second team competitions, so I’ve come across Leicestershire a lot over the years, which can only help.”

Thanks to Lancashire for the photograph of Gavin.

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