Match Day 4th August 2001
IT'S TIGHT AT THE TOP - BLACKPOOL CLOSE THE GAP
Gerry Wolstenholme
Although Netherfield won comfortably against Leyland in the Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League on Saturday and maintained its position ahead the table, a convincing Blackpool win at Morecambe gave the visitors a swift move up the table into third place. And with Chorley's game against Lancaster falling a victim to the rain, only 17 points now separate the top three.
At Parkside Netherfield restricted a Brian Tennant-less Leyland to 159-7 with stand-in professional Ullah making a top score of 57. In reply Pieter Strydom continued his awesome form with 99 not out to take his side to 165-3 and victory by three wickets.
Meanwhile Blackpool batted first at Morecambe and thanks to 82 by skipper Mark Lomas totalled a formidable 222-8. Perhaps it was not so formidable to a Morecambe batting line-up that has consistently scored over 200 this season but the worse imaginable start put the home side on the back foot from the first ball. Mark Woodhead, Amol Muzumdar, Phil Thornton and Andy Bird had all returned to the pavilion before a run was on the board, courtesy of a brace of wickets each for Marcus Sharp and David Brooks. Rudra Singh, 25, and Ghulam Maje, 27, effected something of a recovery but from 0-4 it was not easy and with Sharp returning 5-16 Morecambe eventually capitulated for 74 and suffered its first defeat of the season by 148 runs.
Michael Clinning continued in his winning ways as stand-in captain of Fleetwood as his side defeated Kendal by five wickets. Terry Hunte was the mainstay of the Kendal innings with 50 while Jeremy Newman took 4-41. Fleetwood declined to 39-4 but Craig Pryor, 73, and Bobby Denning, 31 not out, put together a partnership that took the side to the verge of victory. It came at 160-5 with plenty of overs in hand.
Preston also continued its good form with a win over Darwen. James Anyon was in the runs again with 43 out of Preston's 212-9 and then a good performance in the field saw Darwen bowled out for 169 and so lose by 43 runs. Preston's Tony Hesketh survived a close catch when the umpires ruled in his favour and one Darwen player who later politely asked the umpire to explain his decision is allegedly being reported for his action.
Leyland Motors gained its third 15-point win of the season against St Annes whose form is currently on the downward trend. Motors recovered from a sad looking 48-7 thanks to Asfar, 33, and Phil Iddon, 45 and finally totalled a more respectable 142 all out. Dave Callaghan returned to wicket-taking action with 4-56. In reply St Annes never really got going and finished up with only 104 all out with Stephen John taking the day's bowling honours with 6-51.
The only other game at Chorley was washed out with both sides taking four points, a result that hit hard at Chorley's bid to gain on Netherfield. The Chorley innings was completed at 210-4 declared to which skipper Roland Horridge contributed 85 and Iqbal Patel 57. Lancaster had reached 34-1 when the rains came and the match was subsequently abandoned.
Division 1
Abbreviated scoreboards (home team in bold):
Chorley 210-4 dec (Horridge 85, Patel 57), Lancaster 34-1 - match abandoned
Kendal 157 (Hunte 50, Newman 4-41), Fleetwood 160-5 (Pryor 73)
Leyland Motors 142 (Iddon 45, Callaghan 4-56), St Annes 104 (John 6-51)
Blackpool 222-8 (Lomas 82), Morecambe 74 (Sharp 5-16)
Leyland 159-7 (Ullah 77), Netherfield 165-3 (Strydom 99*)
Preston 212-9 (Anyon 43), Darwen 169 (Semple 77)
Gerry's Match Of The Day
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC!
Kendal 157 Fleetwood 160-5
By Gerry Wolstenholme
Stand-in skipper Michael Clinning has done a fantastic job for Fleetwood in the absence of John Wright. He pulled off his second win in two games at Broadwater on Saturday as he led his side to a five-wicket victory over title chasing Kendal. He won the toss, was uncertain what to do and decided to ask the visitors to bat. They did so, badly and could manage only 157 all out in the last of the scheduled 60 overs. Fleetwood in reply looked in trouble at 39-4 but professional Craig Pryor and the dependable Bobby Denning put on 113 to take their side to the verge of a victory that was completed shortly after Pryor was dismissed.
Pryor and Stephen Hill opened sharply for Fleetwood and Stephen Cooper and Simon Little found it difficult to score and the former had still failed to do so when Hill comprehensively bowled him. That was 3-1 and it was soon 18-2 as Little was dismissed in similar fashion having struggled to reach six.
Gareth Ashburner and Terry Hunte then fashioned a partnership that took their side into the more healthy reaches of the seventies. Ashburner was the more sedate while Hunte took full advantage of anything wayward that was sent down to him. And then with the total on 74 Jeremy Newman deceived Ashburner, 15, in the flight and a return catch was the result.
Drinks were taken after 30 overs when the total was 84-3. But in the immediately following over it was 84-4 as, for the fourth time this season, Hunte was undone by the break. Young Danny Thomas had come on with his leg spin and he had Hunte trying to turn a ball to leg but only succeeding in getting a leading edge and Bobby Denning at mid-wicket snapped up the easy catch. Hunte's 50 had come from 53 balls with eight fours.
Denning was also in the action with the next two wickets. Firstly he caught captain Dave Fallows, five, off a poor shot that spooned up to him at extra cover and then he took a fine low catch in the gully to dismiss Kevin Howarth for eight. Kendal had then subsided to 97-6. And it was only a fighting 27 from professional Kabir Khan that helped get the total up to reasonable proportions. He was initially assisted by Paul Wilson, 10, who was run out when the two batsmen had a misunderstanding about a possible single. Khan, 27, was then dismissed when he fell leg before wicket to Pryor who had returned for a second economic spell.
Guy Dangerfield, a pupil from Sedbergh School, on his debut made 12 and Stuart Parkin was dismissed in the last over, appropriately caught by Clinning for nought. That left Andrew Dugdale seven not out as Kendal was all out for 157. For Fleetwood Newman had 4-41, Hill 2-27, Thomas 1-42 and Pryor an excellent 2-32 from 21 hostile overs.
As has often been the case this season, Fleetwood's reply began badly. Both openers were back in the pavilion by the time 14 runs were on the board and two more batsmen had joined them by the time the total had been advanced to 39. First to go was Paul Willis, two, who fell leg before wicket to Howarth at six and he was followed by Michael Dewhurst, three, whose defence was ripped through by a Khan special. And that was 14-2.
Third to go was Clinning, 13, who had just stroked two majestic fours off Khan but the Pakistani pace man took his revenge by completely removed the batsman's middle stump with the total on 36. Chris Buschini came to the wicket but his stay was short-lived as Howarth bowled him before he had scored and that was 39-4.
Bobby Denning is just the man to come in at such a time and although he survived a vehement appeal for leg before wicket to Howarth, he set about digging in. Pryor at the other end went for the runs. Howarth and Khan were removed from the attack and the two batsmen took advantage of the lesser bowlers with Paul Wilson suffering to the tune of 18 runs in two overs.
Pryor cruised to his half century while Denning steadily accumulated and kept him good company. They had added 113 runs in even time and were in sight of victory when Kendal brought on Simon Little. The "multi-talented" Little, as his friends often know him, turned his arm to a little bit of leg break bowling. And after a horrendous no-ball from his first ball, he did as his team manager predicted and took a wicket with his second legitimate ball. Pryor, going to win the game in the grand manner, played all round a ball and found his stumps rearranged. He had continued his recent run-glut and had made 73 from 109 balls with six fours and two sixes.
Paul Hague came to the wicket and finished the game within three balls by crashing Little to the boundary twice to leave him eight not out. At the other end Denning had made 31 from 97 balls with four fours and Fleetwood at 160-5 had won an entertaining game by five wickets. As for skipper Michael Clinning he could only remark with a gleeful smile "Captaincy, it's easy!"
Division 2
Abbreviated scoreboards (home team in bold):
Blackpool 77 (Winder 5-38, Lee 4-13), Morecambe 78-4
Darwen 151-8, Preston 115-5 (Greenwood 51)
Fleetwood 189-7 dec (Clark 61*, Brown 6-60), Kendal 77 (Sherlock 6-29)
Chorley 86, Lancaster 87-0 (Parkinson 42*)
Netherfield 215-6 (Welbourne 108, Jones 76), Leyland 179 (Gardiner 80, Nixon 7-51)
Leyland Motors 187-5 (Rounding 60*, Totham 56), St Annes 189-0 (Hill 122*,
Kellett 57*)
