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*)
