FORMER England and Lancashire all-rounder Dominic Cork has thrown down the gauntlet as England’s PCA Cricket Masters prepare to help Leigh CC celebrate its 125th anniversary.

A galaxy of ex stars has been recruited by the Masters set-up for their game at Beech Walk on Sunday, June 9.

Now, Cork, who also plied his county trade with Derbyshire and Hampshire, says: “Don’t worry about whether we have got enough batsmen.

“I know there has been a lot of talk about that. But the mob we are bringing down, with the likes of Ramprakash and Hoggard, we are going to make you look seriously very average.”

The 20/20 showdown, starting at 4pm, will be the culmination of a fun packed day, planned to celebrate the anniversary in style.

The entertainment gets underway from noon with a fun fair, Caribbean steel band, outdoor bars and a worldwide street food extravaganza including: the Haigh Hall Foodie Friday Crew, Ruby’s Street Kitchen, Waan Yen Thai, Levant Street food and Shakes, Batter and Roll.

Before the main attraction there will be four under nines games with the opportunity for local kids to be coached by the stars.

There will also be an evening of live music leading up to the grand fireworks finale.

Admission tickets and limited hospitality packages are available from events@leighcc.org.

The scheduled England OCA side is: Mark Ramprakash, Matthew Hoggard, Alex Tudor, Dominic Cork, Warren Hegg, Mal Loye, Owais Shah, Saj Mahmood, Phil DeFreitas, Ryan Sidebottom and Simon Jones.