Only one game in the Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League reached a conclusion on Saturday but it was the one that mattered. It was at Chorley where visitors Netherfield defeated the home side to clinch their fourth title in five years. With 12 of 20 completed games ending in victory the Cumbrians 185 points, a lead of 25 points over second placed Kendal, is now unassailable.
Elsewhere the weather interfered with three games that were abandoned and the two others ended in draws.
At Chorley the home side batted first and only Tommy Smith with 47 made sufficient runs to help post a big total as Marc Hadwin weaved his magic with 4-37 to restrict the final effort to 123 all out. Netherfield's reply rattled along and with Pieter Strydom making 45 and passing 1,000 League runs for the season a total of 125-3 was reached thus giving Netherfield a seven wicket victory and the Northern Premier League title. Congratulations to them for a splendid effort. On a personal note, Pieter Strydom now has one game to make four runs against Fleetwood next week to eclipse the professional batting record at the club set by Geoff Foley in 1999 with 1,025.
At Fox Lane St Annes continued its recent poor form when hanging on for a draw against Leyland. Batting first Leyland totalled 150-9 and the St Annes reply stuttered to 88-9 thanks to some fine bowling by Stephen Pallett who took the day's honours with 7-29. Rain fortunately saved the day as the teams went off not to return again with Aiden Cotton and Adam Taylor holding on for dear life.
The other drawn game was at Sandy Lane where Leyland Motors hung on for a draw against Preston who batted first and made 183-8. Manoj Parekh then got amongst the Motors batsmen and took 6-18 so that they too were holding on at 111-8 when the game ended.
Blackpool had a bad day at Stanley Park and thankfully for them rain intervened. At 82-9 it did not look too good for the home side as Gareth Breese looked almost unplayable in taking 5-16 from 24 overs. The rain then came down and although a late inspection was made, there was no further play.
That was the story too at Kendal where Gareth Cordingley's 102 for visitors Darwen was in vain as was Kabir Khan's 7-69 in a total of 229-7. Rain again ended proceedings at that point.
And it was the same at Morecambe where the home side batted and, with Phil Thornton continuing his phenomenal season with 70, made 186-6 before rain ruined the day. Thornton took his League run tally to 834 a total that eclipses the previous Morecambe record for an amateur, 783 by C Knight in 1990.
Division 1
Abbreviated scoreboards (home team in bold):
Blackpool 82-9 (Breese 5-16) v Lancaster - match abandoned
Chorley 123 (Smith 47, Hadwin 4-37), Netherfield 125-3 (Strydom 45)
Darwen 229-7 (Cordingley G 102, Khan 7-69) v Kendal - match abandoned
Leyland 150-9, St Annes 88-9 (Pallett S 7-29)
Preston 183-8, Leyland Motors 111-8 (Parekh 6-18)
Morecambe 186-6 (Thornton 70) v Fleetwood - match abandoned
Gerry's Match Of The Day
RAIN SAVES BLACKPOOL
Blackpool 82-9 v Lancaster - match abandoned
By Gerry Wolstenholme
The rain was that drizzle that does not seem too hard but it very wetting and it started after Blackpool had lost its ninth wicket at Stanley Park on Saturday when bottom club Lancaster were the visitors for the penultimate Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League game of the season.
The cricket that was played was of a bizarre nature as Blackpool displayed their own version of cricketing suicide and the Lancaster bowlers capitalised on this performance and bowled splendidly. Forty-eight overs were bowled in which a lamentable Blackpool batting display saw them limp to 82-9 with Lancaster professional Gareth Breese enjoying a wonderful day by bowling 24 overs, of which 13 were maidens, and taking 5-16
In weather that was not summery but was not threatening Blackpool began slowly as Graham Barnes and Breese bowled tidily to a well spread field. Runs were hard to come by, so much so that by the time 22 were on the board Richard Lamb called striker Martin Pickles for an unlikely single before changing his mind. By that time Luke Phillips had gathered the ball, returned it to wicketkeeper Brendan Hetherington and Pickles was left stranded four yards short of his crease. He was out for eight.
Lamb then continued on his pedantic way until, having made five in 20 overs, he drove a ball from Breese fiercely at Danny Hagen at short extra cover and the catch stuck. That was 30-2. The promoted Chris Barrow struck a couple of lusty blows of Chris Glover but the left arm spinner was not phased by the attack and continued to bowl a good line and length.
Mark Lomas was playing a more watchful innings than one usually associates with him and it did not pay off for, on seven, he went well forward to Breese and was adjudged leg before wicket and that was 56-3. It became 62-4 as Paul Danson went back to Breese only to get a thin edge that Hetherington snapped up.
Another piece of cricket madness cost Blackpool its next wicket. Steven Croft played a shot off his legs to backward short leg and Barrow set off in a canter. But there was no run in it and once again Phillips' throw, this time to the bowler's end, defeated the batsman. The expletives uttered by Barrow on his return to the dressing room must have been aimed at himself for he was entirely to blame for the dismissal. He made 34.
Sixty-seven for five became 68-6 in the following over when Croft, five, tamely turned a ball from Breese to Graham Barnes at backward short leg and the catch was gratefully accepted. Andy Kenyon made seven and was then hit seemingly high on the thigh pad only to be adjudged leg before wicket for five and it was 76-7. No further runs had been added when Darren Walton, three, pushed tamely at Breese for David Heywood to snap up a bat/pad catch at silly mid-off.
David Brooks made just one before he was trapped on his stumps by Glover and Blackpool were 79-9. Marcus Sharp and Martin Hackett then played sensibly without unduly troubling the scorers but at least they kept their wickets intact. They had taken the total to 82 when the drizzle, that had been lightly falling for some time, became heavier and forced the players from the field.
On the pavilion the disappointed Lancaster players wondered if there was chance of the drizzle stopping but local knowledge told them that it was unlikely. And so it proved with both teams having to settle for four points for a no-result. Blackpool were delighted, Lancaster not so!
Division 2
Abbreviated scoreboards (home team in bold):
Kendal 109 (Rheay 4-10), Darwen 110-0 (Grant 62*, Heys 42*)
Morecambe 92 (Thomas 5-17), Fleetwood 94-4 (Whalley 48*)
Lancaster 122-6 v Blackpool - match abandoned
Chorley 186-5 (Dixon 58) v Netherfield - match abandoned
Leyland Motors 148, Preston 20-0 - match abandoned
Leyland 36 (Kelleher 5-7), St Annes 39-0
