JOHN STANWORTH has painful memories of the Benson and Hedges Cup final.

In 1984, as a young wicket keeper preparing to make his Lord's debut against Warwickshire, he was told on the morning of the match by Lancashire coach Peter Lever that he wasn't playing - Chris Maynard had been selected instead.

Tomorrow it's Stanworth who will have to break the bad news to two of Lancashire's 13-man squad. It's the only part of the day he is dreading.

"It's a nightmare job, but unfortunately it's part of the coach's role," he admits.

"I know how much it hurts to miss out on a big game. In 1984 I had played in the semi-final when we bet Notts at Trent Bridge, and also in a Gillette Cup game against Gloucestershire in the week leading up to the final.

"I assumed they would keep a similar side, but on the day they picked Chris, who had been out for a while with an injury.

"Mind you it could have been worse," adds Stanworth with typical humour. "We had a batsman called Mark Chadwick who was man of the match in that semi-final. But he never had any chance of playing in the final and went down to Lord's on the bus with the catering staff." Stanworth was a level-headed youngster, and claims: "I understood the decision and it was probably the right one. It came very early in my first team career and perhaps I wasn't ready. I thought it would be the first of many Lord's finals with Lancashire. As it turned out it was my only chance."

Stanworth lost the gloves to Warren Hegg in the 1986 season when he suffered a finger injury, and Hegg seized his chance. He remained on the Old Trafford staff as Hegg's deputy and quickly became second team captain, then coach, then last season Lancashire's first-ever Cricket Development Officer.

Then Lancashire lost David Lloyd to England on the verge of the new season. At their pre-season press launch chairman Bob Bennett insisted Lancashire would take their time before making an appointment. But already it was obvious that captain Mike Watkinson needed someone to share the burden - he couldn't be asked to do his job, and Lloyd's as well.

For Watkinson, Stanworth was the obvious choice. They had forged a close relationship in over a decade on the Lancashire staff, and Watkinson rated Stanworth a top class cricket coach.

Now, less than three months into the job, Stanworth finds himself on the verge of his first major trophy as a coach.

"It's been a great honeymoon period," he says. "And if we win on Saturday it will be brilliant. I would expect to be judged on results, so it won't do me any harm either. "I was at Lord's for last year's final, and in the dressing room when we won. But you don't feel part of it in the same way when you're not directly involved.

"Last year belonged to David Lloyd and the players. It will be different if we do win again, I will feel partly responsible. But the credit should still go to the players - they are the ones who have got us here."

Stanworth has been happy to stay in the background throughout his career. As he says of his 1984 disappointment, "I was an easy person to leave out. That was probably one of my mistakes."

One Lancashire stalwart who will not be easy to leave out is Ian Austin, who has suffered the disappointment of being dropped from the championship side this season.

So Stanworth has already had a test of his management skills.

But compared to Northants counterpart John Emburey, one of the big threats to Lancashire tomorrow, he still remains an unknown - one Sunday newspaper referred to him as John Stanmore throughout their B&H final preview last week.

But whether Lancashire are successful or not, Old Trafford members appreciate Stanny, cheerful most of the time, but as he has shown on the odd occasion this season, ruthless when necessary.

Lord's glory could just be the first step on a coaching career to match that of David Lloyd.

See also: Lloyd stays at home

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