HOLDERS LOSE AGAIN
A new name on the Northern Premier League Twenty20 Cup looks almost certain this season after Darwen, winners of the competition in each of the previous two years, went down to their second successive defeat in the group stage.
Chorley opened their Twenty20 campaign with a four-wicket victory, achieved with eight balls to spare in a game that mirrored Darwen's defeat at Leyland three days previously.
Again Andrew Cook's side bowled and fielded tigerishly aiming to protect what proved to be a below-par total. This time Darwen were all out for 108 off the last ball of the innings and despite an inspired bowling spell from Mark Emery, who took 3 for 16 to follow up his top score of 27 with the bat, Chorley got home with something to spare.
Darwen's innings was in ruins inside the first three overs as Chorley's highly rated South African professional Friedel de Wet got to work.
Fresh from recent county second eleven appearances with Middlesex and Lancashire, de Wet removed Chris Clarke in his opening over, caught by Nigel Eastham at mid on. De Wet then captured the prize wicket of Darwen professional Atif Ashraf, caught at mid off by Will Moulton in the third over to leave the home side struggling at 5 for 2.
John Cordingley struck some fierce blows before he was bowled by Kieran McCullagh and when Jordan Clarke was caught by Eastham on the boundary edge Darwen were 30 for 4.
Emery batted sensibly to help steer his side towards respectability before he top-edged Sam Sweeney to be caught by de Wit.
Mark Emery top scored for Darwen and then took 3 wickets |
Joe Anderson provided the other main resistance with some clean hitting until he was bowled by Eastham for 20.
Darwen's Joe Anderson gets leg-byes over the wicket keepers head off Sam Sweeney's bowling |
The last wicket pair of Nathan Jackson and Cook put on 19 to help steer Darwen past the century-mark with Eastham returning figures of three for 7 and de Wit and McCullagh each taking two wickets.
On a beautiful sunlit evening at Birch Hall, Chorley's opening pair of the in-form Josh Tolley and Eastham set off like a train.
Eastham smashed his way to 16 until he was brilliantly stumped by Jordan Clarke off Ashraf in the third over.
Tolley, fresh from making a century for MCC against Stockport GS earlier in the day, had made 26 before he lofted Cook down to Ashraf at long on in the fifth over.
Moulton hit one stunning straight six over the sightscreen before he was bowled by Kamran Anwar to leave Chorley 71 for 3 in only the eighth over.
Chorley's Will Moulton hit Yakub Bhamji for six |
But Darwen then spied their opening and Emery was introduced into the attack with his little-used medium pace to good effect.
Emery claimed the wickets of Andrew Holdsworth, caught at mid-wicket by Cordingley and Chorley skipper Jack Catterall, another stumping victim for Jordan Clarke, in his first over.
And when Emery had Craig Millward caught by Cordingley at mid-wicket Chorley had slumped to 86 for 6 in the 17th over.
Michael Critchley batted patiently, however, and in partnership with de Wet steered the visitors past their target, settling the issue in grand style, hitting Emery for a glorious six over mid on.
Darwen's captain Andrew Cook bowls on a glorious summer evening at Birch Hall |
