Dominic Cork

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Dominic Cork : biography

7 August 1971 –

Cork was banned for the first 50-over game of 2007 after an incident at the previous season’s final against Sussex, and was fined £2,500.. Retrieved 28 September 2006. This was later reduced to £500 on appeal. The 2007 season panned out in a similar fashion to the previous season’s County Championship, with the fight for the title, again with Sussex, going down to the final day of the season. Playing Surrey at The Oval, Lancashire required nothing less than a victory to claim the title. Chasing 489 runs to win, Cork struck a dogged 47 in Lancashire’s second-innings, as they ultimately fell short of their target by 25 runs. Seemingly falling down the pecking order at Lancashire, Cork did not feature in any one-day matches in the 2008 and only played a handful of County Championship matches. On 12 August 2008 it was announced that Lancashire would not be renewing Cork’s contract for the 2009 season. While Cork said that "it hurts, decisions like this", he also said that he intended to continue playing cricket at the highest level that he could.. Retrieved 12 August 2008. Lancashire captain Stuart Law stated that he had not been consulted about the decision and wanted Cork to stay at the club.. Retrieved 25 August 2008. The club released a statement saying Cork was released "with the longer-term development of the playing staff in mind and to allow the side to evolve".. Retrieved 25 August 2008. The decision to release Cork was criticised by Lancashire and England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.

In his five seasons with Lancashire, Cork played 64 first-class matches, scoring 1,822 runs at an average of 24.95, with three centuries, eight half centuries and a high score 154. Meanwhile in the field he took 49 catches. On Old Trafford pitches typically suited to pace and bounce, he took 173 wickets at a bowling average of 28.29, with four five wickets hauls and best innings figures of 7/120. In List A cricket he played 57 matches, scoring 749 runs at an average of 22.69, with two half centuries and a high score 57. In the field he took 15 catches. With the ball he took 58 wickets at an average of 28.98, with best figures of 4/14. Cork had left Derbyshire after the first season of Twenty20 cricket, so with Lancashire he had more exposure to the format. He scored 259 runs for Lancashire at an average of 13.63, with a high score of 28. With the ball he took 26 wickets at an average of 22.72, with best figures of 4/16.

Hampshire

On 2 October 2008 he joined Hampshire after signing a two-year deal,. Retrieved 25 March 2009. making his debut against Worcestershire in the 2009 County Championship at the Rose Bowl. Having been a key part of the Hampshire squad throughout the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy, where he played a part in guiding them to the final. In the final Cork helped Hampshire to a 6 wicket win. Cork was man-of-the-match, 16 years after his man-of-the-match performance for Derbyshire in the 1993 Benson & Hedges Cup final. Cork took figures of 4/41, including the wickets of England wicket-keeper Matt Prior for a second ball duck and Pakistan international Yasir Arafat. Cork’s first season was a qualified success, with him taking 62 wickets in all formats. His first season form played a part in helping Hampshire to a late season rally after being within the Division One relegation zone for most of the season.

With Dimitri Mascarenhas injured for the large part of the 2010 season, Cork took over the captaincy when Nic Pothas stood down following a run of poor results. During the 2010 season, Cork led the side to victory in the 2010 Friends Provident t20 finals day at the home of Hampshire cricket, the Rose Bowl. During the final itself he took the wickets of Jos Buttler and Arul Suppiah, as well as hitting West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard in the eye with a bouncer, which led to Pollard needing hospital treatment. Cork was praised for his sportsmanship during the incident. Following the match, Cork was offered a new one-year deal by Hampshire, a deal he stated he was likely to sign but a decision he would still nonetheless consider over the coming weeks. In October it was confirmed that Cork had signed a one-year contract extension taking him into the 2011 season, which would be his 21st in first-class cricket. Cork was also given the captaincy for the 2011 season on a permanent basis.