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Match Day 14th July 2001

CHORLEY SUFFER FIRST DEFEAT

Gerry Wolstenholme

One more unbeaten record in the Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League went begging on Saturday. In a low-scoring thriller at Windsor Park on Saturday Chorley suffered its first defeat of the season at the hands of Blackpool. Batting first Chorley could only manage 118 on a difficult track which Marcus Sharp took full advantage of with 4-22. And Blackpool looked like faring even worse when nine wickets had gone down for 114. But Marcus Sharp and Martin Hackett held firm and the latter struck a boundary to give Blackpool the win and 12 welcome points. For Chorley Josh Marquet took 4-67.

Kendal also picked up 12 points with a win over Leyland Motors who batted first and made a creditable 182 all out with James Aspinwall top scoring with 72 and Stuart Catterall making 40. Paul Wilson's 4-54 was the best bowling return for Kendal who then knocked off the runs for the loss of just three wickets. The 183-3 was built around Terry Hunte's 90 not out and 44 from Kevin Howarth.

Preston continued its recent run of success with a tremendous victory over Leyland. Preston made the season's second-highest total to date, 261-8, before declaring. Raouf Akbar enhanced his growing reputation as a batsman with 102 not out and Pervis Shah made 83. Brian Tennant took 4-88 for Leyland whose reply was disappointing in the extreme as the team posted the 15th total of less than 100 this season. Rehman Shah took the bowling honours with four wickets for one run.

The only other winners on the day were Darwen who took 15 points from its clash with bottom-of-the-table Fleetwood. Batting first Darwen amassed 247-4 with Mark Hadfield 59, Keith Semple 76 and Gareth Cordingley 75 not out. Fleetwood made a valiant attempt to get the runs but eventually fell short by 30 at 217 all out despite 70 from skipper John Wright and 47 from professional Craig Pryor. Jeff Hacking was the architect-in-chief of the Darwen attack with 6-51.

The other two games were both affected by rain. Morecambe, the only undefeated side so far, was well on course to overtake the St Annes total of 177-7 at 117-3 and Lancaster, at 72-3, was in with a shout of getting past the Netherfield total of 153-6. Gareth Evans top scored for St Annes with 48 while Peter Stephens added to his season's haul of wickets with 6-58. Mark Woodhead was in the runs again for Morecambe with 47. And in the final game Netherfield's total owed much to Pieter Strydom who made 59.

Preston's fifth win of the season now has the table split into two, rather than three groups, as the West Cliff club is rapidly gaining on the front pack. Twenty-four points only separate the top seven sides, any one of which could yet take the title.

Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League First Division

Abbreviated scoreboards (home team in bold):

Chorley 118 (Sharp 4-22), Blackpool 121-9 (Marquet 4-67)

Darwen 237-4 (Hadfield 59, Semple 76, Cordingley G 75*), Fleetwood 217 (Wright 70, Pryor 47, Hacking 6-51)

Preston 261-8 dec (Akbar 102*, Shah P 83, Tennant 4-88), Leyland 68 (Shah R 4-1)

Leyland Motors 182 (Wilson 4-54), Kendal 183-3 (Hunte 90*, Howarth 44)

St Annes 177-7 (Evans 48, Stephens 6-58), Morecambe 117-3 (Woodhead 47)

Netherfield 153-6 (Strydom 59), Lancaster 72-3

Gerry's Match Of The Day

DARWEN WIN AT THE DEATH

Darwen 247-4 Fleetwood 217 all out

Gerry Wolstenholme

The Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League game between Fleetwood and Darwen at Broadwater on Saturday provided an engrossing afternoon's cricket. A game that at one time looked as though it would provide Fleetwood with its third win of the season and its second in succession was turned on its head in the closing overs.

Darwen, inspired by skipper Jeff Hacking, took the final wicket to win by 30 runs with just one over and two balls remaining. Winning the toss and batting first Darwen amassed 247-4 from 60 overs with half centuries for Mark Hadfield, Keith Semple and Gareth Cordingley. And then, after Fleetwood had engineered itself into a position of strength at 148-2 with plenty of overs remaining, the bowlers tightened the grip to dismiss the home side for 217.

The first drama came in the first over when Mark Hadfield edged Craig Pryor to slip where the usually reliable Michael Clinning put down the chance. Hadfield profited from the mistake and he took on some short-pitched bowling particularly from Pryor and to a lesser degree Stephen Hill. A couple of fortuitous hooks and pulls found the boundary or provided runs but in the main he played some classy strokes. At the other end Gary Jackson kept him company and steadily accumulated.

The pair were separated when Jackson, 18, was adjudged leg before wicket to Alex Laird with the total on 75 made in only 72 minutes. Hadfield went on to complete a thoroughly deserved first senior half century, and earn himself a collection to which everyone was happy to contribute, before he played over a ball from Jeremy Newman and only succeeded in getting knocking it onto his stumps. He had made 59 from 97 balls with eight fours and on his dismissal Darwen was 103-2 with the Fleetwood change bowling of Newman and Michael Clinning having put the brake on the Darwen innings to a degree.

Keith Semple and Gareth Cordingley then took over. The pair blossomed and both played some magnificent shots. Semple cover drove two glorious boundaries from successive balls from Newman and, amongst other graceful strokes, Cordingley pulled an enormous six into an adjacent garden and through a double-glazed window.

They had added 137 in only 67 minutes when Newman bowled Semple on the drive for 76 made from 114 balls with 10 fours. John Cordingley came to the wicket but quickly departed for one with the words "Thanks big brother" on his lips as Gareth, trying to retain the strike, called him for what turned out to be an impossible second run. Jeff Hacking had time to make one not out while Gareth Cordingley was undefeated on 75 made from 84 balls with one six and 10 fours. And Darwen's innings closed at 247-4 a good score but not one that was completely beyond Fleetwood on a track that gave more assistance to batsman than bowler.

And Fleetwood showed that to be the case as John Wright and Michael Dewhurst opened strongly and had 54 on the board with relative ease. Dewhurst had played one or two magnificent cover drives but when he reached 18 he became becalmed and this perhaps aided his downfall. He went forward half-cock to Hacking and could only get a thick edge to Semple in the solitary slip position.

John Wright carried on regardless and he was joined by the in-form Craig Pryor and the pair looked in no trouble as they took the total to 129 before the former was out for a splendid 70 made from 87 balls with 11 fours. He was trapped right back on his stumps by Gareth Cordingley and was leg before wicket. But Pryor and Clinning continued to attack and a Fleetwood win looked increasingly likely as Darwen resorted to the flighted spin of Michael Horsfield. He had numerous shouts for leg before wicket turned down but he slowed the momentum down and his endeavours probably helped bowlers at the other end to pick up wickets.

But the first to go was a piece of inspirational fielding by Mark Emery. He was at mid-wicket when a short ball from Gareth Cordingley was pulled ferociously by Pryor and Emery threw himself at the ball. He succeeded in knocking it up and miraculously held it between his thighs and Pryor was gone for 47 from 44 balls with seven fours. Emery later said with a smile "I knew where the ball was, I felt it between my legs!"

The loss of a third wicket at 148 did not stop Fleetwood from still attempting to go for the target but wickets began to be lost with some regularity. Paul Willis made only five before he edged Hacking to wicketkeeper Chris Bolton, 160-4, and then with the final 20 overs starting Fleetwood required 81 runs to win. But a wicket went down almost immediately as Bobby Denning, seven, played half a shot at Hacking for Semple at slip to pouch the easy catch, 170-5.

Clinning kept the scoreboard moving but he lost another partner at 188 when Paul Hague, six, skied Hacking to Jackson at deep mid-on. The requirement was down to 54 off the final 10 overs when Clinning was out as Darwen suddenly sensed victory. He had made 34 when he shuffled across his stumps to fall leg before wicket to Semple at 199. Chris Bushcini and Alex Laird took Fleetwood to a third batting bonus point but when the former had made five he edged Hacking through to Bolton and it was 216-8.

Darwen was not now to be denied and a close field, urged on by the enthusiastic Horsfield, pressured the remaining Fleetwood batsmen. Laird was the only other one to show any sign of aggression and he had made 15 when he slashed Semple to extra cover where Dominic Heys took the skied catch. That was 217-9 with three overs and one ball remaining. Only 11 of those final 19 balls were required for Darwen to complete the victory as, with eight balls left, Jeff Hacking completed a fine day for himself and his side by bowling Hill for nought. Newman was left nought not out, Fleetwood was 217 all out and Darwen had deservedly won by 30 runs.

Hacking with the aid of a fine second spell had figures of 22.4-3-51-6 while Semple had 2-72 and Gareth Cordingley had 2-22. The 15 points did Darwen's cause no harm at all while Fleetwood, suffering its 10th defeat of the season, remain firmly rooted at the foot of the table.

Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League Second Division

Abbreviated scoreboards (home team in bold):

Chorley 211-6 (Hotham 94*), Blackpool 128-7

Fleetwood 210-4 (Emsley 61), Darwen 202-6 (Beesley 73)

Kendal 173-7 (Ellwood 56, Ashburner 49*), Leyland Motors 93-7

Netherfield 89 (Dennison 6-38), Lancaster 92-6

Leyland 138 (Bretherton 60, Kaye 4-23), Preston 139-6 (Farrington 47)

Morecambe 128 (Booth 6-38), St Annes 129-1 (Kellett 65*, Ellis 51*)

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