Lancashire's celebration party does not materialise on flat afternoon in Manchester

JAMIE BOWMAN turns up to Old Trafford in the hope of being part of raucous scenes, but the band soundchecking on the outfield end up making the most noise as Warwickshire pip Lancashire to the County Championship crown

It was the infamous 1982 World Cup game between Austria and Germany that finally convinced the footballing authorities that the final two games in each group should be played simultaneously.

Known as the ‘Disgrace of Gijon,’ the 1-0 win for Germany which royally stitched up Algeria, who had played the day before, led to furious spectators throwing eggs at the disgraced footballers after both sets of players settled for a result that suited them both.

Sadly, although four-day cricket may start at the same time, there is no guarantee it will finish in tandem and while there was no question of any dairy products being chucked in Manchester or any skulduggery at Edgbaston, it was hard not to feel sorry for the band of Lancashire supporters who had gathered at Emirates Old Trafford a day after their side’s incredible victory against Hampshire.

As glorious as the one-wicket win at Aigburth had been, the following day’s action loomed large with Lancashire knowing a win for Warwickshire against a battered and beleaguered Somerset outfit would mean second place and only the consolation of a place in the Bob Willis Trophy final.

By the time the supporters and Lancashire staff had taken their seats to watch coverage of the game the writing was on the wall, with Warwickshire’s morning onslaught setting the tone for a day where Somerset never really looked like they were going to put up the fight required for the Championship to head up the M6 via courier.

“It’s the beauty of four day cricket isn’t it?” said supporter Craig Tranter, who 24 hours earlier had been one of the most vocal fans at Aigburth. “This season it’s had its highs and its lows and it’s been a fantastic end of the season and although I would have liked to have seen Lancashire win the Championship it wasn’t to be.

“At the end of the day we knew our fate was out of our hands and we had to rely on Somerset – you could tell they were downbeat after the Blast final and although I was hoping for a miracle to happen I just felt it wasn’t going to.”

^{The Courteneers, setting up for Saturday's concert, made the biggest noise at Old Trafford}

It was hard not to think of Lord Mayor’s parties as the supporters drifted away, the players failed to turn up and a lonely staff member manned a redundant merchandise stall. To add to the surreal atmosphere Manchester indie band The Courteeners could be heard soundchecking outside ahead of Saturday’s concert as the Emirates Old Trafford pitch was covered with black sheeting. The cricket season felt very much over.

“The way they lost wickets regularly at Edgbaston we were always going to be suffering,” said Lancashire’s outgoing director of cricket, Paul Allott, who did stay to watch until the final wicket fell at Edgbaston, despite admitting a slight hangover from the night’s celebrations.

“It’s what happens when things get taken out of your hands even though we did brilliantly well yesterday – we couldn’t have done more than win that game at Liverpool and put ourselves in with a chance to win the Championship.

“I’ve been involved in the game for the best part of 50 years and you think you’ve seen it all but then yesterday we thought we were cruising and Dane (Vilas) is batting well. And then it all goes to dust – it was the enormity of the occasion for some guys but we got over the line. It showed character, guts and fortitude and we were obviously elated.”

Despite his departure from the top role, Allott was keen to look forward rather than identify regrets from the season’s games.

“You can always highlight points that would have made a difference,” he said. “But there is no point looking back like that and I’d prefer to be proud of what we’ve achieved without any overseas player influence and missing out on our England players at various times of the season.

^{Warwickshire were crowned champions on Friday}

“Instead I’m delighted for the lads who’ve played – the idea is to build a squad of 16 or 17 players all of whom can fit into an 11 man team and perform to the highest level. We’re very close to that – Josh Bohannon has had a spectacular season with the bat, Tom Bailey has taken 50 wickets, George Balderson is emerging and Matt Parkinson continues to get better in all forms of the game – that’s just four individuals.

“I’d prefer to look at the season from that angle and appreciate that we have a solid core of players.”

Moments later the big screen showing the action from Edgbaston was turned off, the bar was closed and security men began to usher the stragglers away. Was that Johnny Marr we could hear on the stage outside? Was it Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now?

“You can’t fault what the boys have done this season on the field,” added Craig, preparing to walk home to nearby Stretford. “Yesterday at Aigburth was one of the great games of county cricket and anyone who says to me county cricket is boring that proved it isn’t. It should be here to stay and that game was a sign to the ECB to look after this competition.”