By Michael Latham
Thwaites Cup holders St Annes crashed out of the 2008 competition at the first hurdle when they went down to a dramatic two-wicket defeat at Fox Lane against Leyland.
St Annes's depleted side kept fighting to the end before Tom Reece and Ian Farrington helped steer Leyland home with eight balls to spare.
The holders would have been disappointed with their final total of 182 after the in-form Atiq Uz-Zaman and Sean Bickerdike had given them a lightning start.
With Atiq the dominant partner St Annes had reached 61 in the sixth over when Peter Cummings trapped Bickerdike LBW. Later in the same over Atiq was superbly caught by Karl Cross at backward point for 42 and when Aiden Cotton was LBW to Leyland captain Dave Makinson St Annes had slipped to 62 for 3.
Atiq Uz Zaman crashes Shackleton through the offside |
Sean Bickerdike becomes the first of Peter Cummings five victims trapped LBW |
Captain Duncan Whalley and pro Mansoor Ahmed helped repair the damage before Whalley was bowled by Leyland pro Ameer Khan to leave his side 105 for 4 in the 18th over.
Mansoor Ahmed then cleverly nursed an inexperienced middle order, going on to reach a fine 61 before he was eighth man out, caught by Cross off Cummings with the score on 179 in the 34th over.
Mansoor Ahmed drives Ameer Khan through the legside |
St Annes captain Duncan Whalley is bowled by Ameer Khan |
Cummings mopped up the tail to finish with impressive figures of 5 for 35 as St Annes were bowled out in the 36th over.
Ameer Khan, with 2 for 13 off his 8 overs and Dave Makinson, 1 for 27 off 8, were the pick of the rest of the attack.
Cummings then crashed his way to 21 before he was caught by Mansoor Ahmed off Dave Taylor in the fourth over of Leyland's reply.
But Cross and Ameer Khan then appeared to be taking their side comfortably towards their victory target with an accomplished second wicket partnership.
When Ameer Khan fell to a catch at mid on off Mansoor Ahmed one short of his half-century, Leyland were 109 for 2 in the 19th over.
But Cross then departed in the next over, caught behind by Whalley off Seve Hurst for 35. And Andrew Makinson's dismissal, LBW to the impressive Hurst set the alarm bells ringing.
Tom Coxhead, promoted from the 2nd XI after a string of fifties, and Reece batted sensibly against testing bowling from the St Annes spinners taking the score to 164 before Coxhead was LBW to Mansoor Ahmed for a patient 18.
Reece was then bowled by the off-spin of Atiq in the next over for 25 and James Rounding bowled by Atiq to leave Leyland still 19 runs short of their target.
Skipper Makinson perished to a catch on the point boundary to give Hurst his third wicket but, with the tension rising, Farrington and wicket-keeper Matthew Watkinson steered Leyland home without further loss, the game ending in anti-climax when a rare loose delivery from Atiq went for four wides down the leg-side.
Hurst (3 for 25), Mansoor Ahmed (2 for 23) and Atiq (2 for 34) all bowled well as St Annes refused to lessen their grip on the Thwaites Cup without a fight.
Elsewhere Barrow pro Pasan Wanasinghe hit a superb unbeaten 120 to see his side past Carnforth's imposing total of 222 for 7. Carnforth's South African pro Ryan Bailey hit 84 off 83 balls before he was run out by Gareth Smith, with Ben Hornby (47) and Richard Forsyth (44) also making valuable contributions.
Wanasinghe, for whom it was his first century at the Ernest Pass Memorial Ground, received good support from Ian Kermode (30 not out). Barrow still needed nine off the last over but Wansinghe hit Bailey for six and victory was achieved with one ball to spare.
Blackpool's Sri Lankan pro Sajeewa Weerakoon hit a magnificent 111 not out off 77 balls with 11 fours and five sixes to spearhead his side's 75-run victory over Lancaster. Openers Luis Reece (39) and Adrian Darlington (37) had given the visitors a solid start before Weerakoon's assault. With pro Taufeeq Umar having returned home to Pakistan for family reasons Lancaster called upon Durham's Gareth Breeze as substitute professional. Breeze made 38, Michael Stevens 44 and Michael Walling 43 but the home side fell well short, Reece returning figures of 3 for 20.
Morecambe came out on top by 40 runs at Parkside Road against Netherfield. Consistent batting down the order led by Vishnal Goyal's 47 helped the visitors to 215 for 6. Netherfield were restricted to 175 for 8 in reply, Tommy Prime top-scoring with 35 before he was one of three run out victims.
