ENGLAND’S loss at Euro 2016 was Old Elizabethans’ gain as Liam Booth struck a “surreal” first hat-trick for the Worcester cricket club.

The seam bowler was expected to miss OEs’ Birmingham and District Premier League Division Two clash after landing a ticket for what he hoped would be England’s last 16 tie in Paris.

But when Roy Hodgson’s men failed to top the group after drawing 0-0 draw against Slovakia, Booth, pictured left, turned down the chance to see Wales face Northern Ireland in favour of playing for OEs.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of watching Wales after they topped us in the group, so I sold my ticket and played cricket instead,” he said.

It proved to be a great decision by the 26-year-old, who chalked up impressive figures of 6-23 to help his side beat Stourbridge by 46 runs.

Booth, who was standing in as captain for the absent Jamie Boyle, also memorably clinched the win with three successive lbw appeals.

“It felt surreal as I have had so many hat-trick balls over the years but it has never come off,” said Booth, who first joined the club as an eight year-old.

“I saw the number 11 walking to the crease and fancied my chances because he was only a young lad.

“We were all screaming for an lbw and the umpire didn’t give it for a good 10 seconds. We thought, ‘What’s going on here?’ as it was absolutely plumb.

“But he put his finger up and we started celebrating.

“At the end of the game, I asked, ‘Were you doing that on purpose?’ And he said, ‘Of course I was, it was stone dead’, so that was a bit of good banter from the umpire.”

Booth’s maiden hat-trick came in the same week he notched his first century batting at number eight for Royal Grammar School Worcester’s old boys team.

“It has been a funny week for me personally because I scored my first hundred in an old boys competition that my old school got involved in and last Saturday was my first ever hat-trick,” he added.

“So it was a surreal experience but one I thoroughly enjoyed.”

Booth, who lives in St Peter’s and teaches geography at South Bromsgrove High School, has taken more than 300 wickets since breaking into the senior side eight years ago.

This season is expected to be Booth’s last having got a new job near Manchester and he wants another personal milestone before leaving.

“I think I only need 12 more wickets to become the club’s leading wicket-taker,” he said.

“There was an Australian cricketer called Steve May who used to play for us and he took 315 wickets, so I am chasing him at the moment.

“I will be delighted to get that milestone because it is my boyhood club and I want to get it ticked off as soon as possible.”

OEs moved up to fourth in the table and host Halesowen, who are just six points below them, on Saturday (noon).