page_title: Dominic Cork
section_title: Lancashire
hierarchical_section_title: Dominic Cork / Domestic career / Lancashire
caption_attribution_description: English: Old Trafford 3rd Test June 2007 England v West Indies day 2. Taken from stand E1.
context_page_description: Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English county and international cricketer. Cork was a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium, and was renowned for his swing and seam control. In 1995, he took the best figures for an England bowler on Test debut, with 7 for 43 in the second innings against the West Indies.
  Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He made 69 appearances for England from 1992 to 2002. Cork played for Derbyshire for 13 years, before leaving under controversial circumstances to join Lancashire in 2004. Leaving Lancashire after the 2008 season, Cork joined Hampshire, who he played for from 2009 to 2011, acting as captain for much of the 2010 and 2011 seasons. While at Hampshire he won the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy, and captained the county to victory in the 2010 Friends Provident t20. He was released by Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season, shortly thereafter he announced his retirement on Sky Sports News on 22 September 2011. His popular nickname is "Corky".
context_section_description: Following his release from his Derbyshire contract, Cork joined Lancashire for the 2004 season.  After surgery on a troublesome ankle injury, Cork joined the county in their pre-season tour of South Africa before making his debut for the county in a County Championship match against Northamptonshire.  Cork's early days at his new county brought mixed fortunes, suffering a loss of form in 2004, coupled with relegation from Division One of the County Championship.  Cork's maiden season with Lancashire did see him play a role in taking them to finals day in the Twenty20 Cup at Edgbaston, where he played in their semi-final defeat by Surrey.  He was awarded his county cap in 2004.  The county were promoted back to Division One the following season, a season in which Cork took 46 first-class wickets at 26, and 17 List A wickets at an average 27.47.  This season was a marked improvement on Cork's debut season for Lancashire.  In 2006, Lancashire mounted a challenge for the County Championship, with Cork taking 42 wickets at an average of 25.50.  Lancashire were eventually beaten to the title by Sussex.  Cork also played a key role in Lancashire's run to the final of the 2006 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, where they played Sussex.  Opening the bowling with Kyle Hogg, Cork did not take any Sussex wickets, but did run-out Richard Montgomerie and Carl Hopkinson.  His not out 35 in Lancashire's innings was in vain as Sussex ran out winners by 15 runs in a low scoring match.
  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.  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. Lancashire captain Stuart Law stated that he had not been consulted about the decision and wanted Cork to stay at the club. 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".  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.
caption: Old Trafford, where Cork played for Lancashire from 2004 to 2008
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