Match Day 28th May 2001
RUNLESS IN LEYLAND!
Gerry Wolstenholme
The Bank Holiday Monday round of games in the Bay 96.9 Northern League Premier Division games produced one stunningly low scoring encounter in Leyland. It was at Leyland Motors' Sandy Lane ground where the two teams managed only 103 runs between them. Motors batted first and Leyland probably thought that the game was won when the home side was bowled out for a meagre 81 thanks to five wicket hauls from Brian Tennant, 5-34, and Paul Haydock, 5-44. But such a total was riches indeed for the Leyland side as Iqbal 'Dennis' Liley ran through the batsmen to the tune of six wickets for six runs. Leyland, all out 22, lost by an incredible 59 runs. It hardly sounds the scoreboard of a Premier League, but it is.
Aside from that shock game, other games produced realistic scores and there were wins for leaders Netherfield, Blackpool and St Annes. In the local derby at Netherfield, Kendal batted first and made a modest 151-9 with captain Dave Fallows top scoring with 43 and Ryan Wilson taking 5-33. In reply Grahame Clarke kept the scoreboard moving with 80 and Netherfield cruised to a comfortable eight-wicket victory with 152-2.
St Annes similarly had a relatively easy win at Vernon Road as Preston, with many of its side missing at the Millennium Stadium, could muster only 111 and that was better than it at one time seemed thanks to Manoj Parekh's brave 80. Dave Callaghan continued in his wicket-taking mode with 5-29. St Annes reply had one or two hiccups with the speedy Raoul Akhbar taking 4-37 but in the end 112-5 was sufficient for a five-wicket win.
Blackpool's win was not quite as comfortable as Fleetwood made the seasiders fight all the way. On a damp track Blackpool made the day's tops core of 211-4 with Richard Lamb making 70 and Mark Lomas 67. Fleetwood's reply was going well while Michael Clinning, 96, was at the wicket but once he was out the rest of the batting just folded and Fleetwood lost by 33 runs, being 178 all out. Marcus Sharp was the most successful bowler as he consistently beat the bat in his return of 4-35.
Lancaster and Morecambe found their game a victim of the weather and both sides had reluctantly to settle for four points each. The overall result is that Netherfield still lead the way but the most significant move was that of Leyland Motors who moved up from the foot of the table to third from bottom. Are the good times coming for the Motors boys?
Abbreviated scoreboard (home team in bold):
Chorley 182-9 (Patel 73*, Fazackerley 54, N Cordingley 4-93), Darwen 131-6
(Semple 59)
Blackpool 211-4 (Lamb 70, Lomas 67), Fleetwood 178 (Clinning 96, Sharp 4-35)
Lancaster v Morecambe - match abandoned
Leyland Motors 81 (Tennant 5-34, Haydock 5-44), Leyland 22 (Liley 6-6)
Kendal 151-9 (Fallows 43, Wilson 5-33), Netherfield 152-2 (Clarke 82)
Preston 111 (Parekh 80, Callaghan 5-29), St Annes 112-5 (Akhbar 4-37)
MATCH OF THE DAY
Gerry Wolstenholme
Local rivals Fleetwood and Blackpool met at Broadwater on Monday with both sides looking to add to the previous day's National Knock-Out successes; Fleetwood had worked hard to overcome Little Lever in a rain reduced contest while Blackpool had been given a walk-over by Millom.
Fleetwood won the toss and put Blackpool in to bat on a pitch still very damp from some heavy early morning rain. It seemed a good decision when makeshift opener Gavin Armstrong top edged Alex Laird to wicketkeeper Chris Buschini for 10 when the total was only 12. But that was the limit of Fleetwood's success for nearly two hours as Richard Lamb and Mark Lomas took control and added a splendid 129 runs. Lamb pulled Stephen Hill for one six into the adjacent rugby ground and both batsmen regularly found gaps in the field.
They had been together for 112 minutes when a mix-up in running caused the downfall of Lamb. Lomas, on 49, played the ball to mid-on and set off for a run that his partner did not think was there. He delayed in starting and before he could get halfway down the track, John Wright had thrown down the stumps and Lamb was on his way back to the pavilion with 70 to his name made from 124 balls and with one six and 10 fours.
Lomas then struggled to find the extra run for his half century and with only two runs coming in six overs, Fleetwood had momentarily put the brake on the scoring. But, with Prash Aga as his partner, Lomas soon found his touch again and had motored on to 67 when the returning Craig Pryor uprooted his off-stump. His runs had come from 126 balls with nine fours and on his dismissal Blackpool were 182-3. Aga and Bartholomew then added 39 runs until, with one ball remaining, Aga, who had blossomed after beginning uncertainly, was run out for 34. This left Bartholomew 16 not out, Walton nought not out and Blackpool closing on a commanding 211-4.
Fleetwood's reply began badly as, in the first over, Wright followed a wide ball from Sharp to edge a catch to wicketkeeper Martin Hackett and it was 0-1. It became 25-2 when Bobby Denning was undone by Sharp and the resultant edge flew wide to slip where Lomas took an excellent one-handed catch.
Pryor and Michael Clinning then added 47 runs and Fleetwood were gradually gaining the ascendancy when Pryor, 21, was dismissed by Bartholomew. A shortish ball stopped on the batsman and he was almost obliged to hit a return catch to the bowler who juggled with the ball before securing it. Michael Dewhurst did not survive for long as, on eight, he too became a victim of Bartholomew flighted mixture. He was bowled and Fleetwood were struggling at 96-4.
Clinning and Robin Bracewell threatened to recover the situation and took the total to 150 before the latter was caught at slip by Lomas off Sharp for 14. Two runs later and Clinning, an excellent 96 made from 138 balls with one six and 11 fours, joined his team-mates in the pavilion. Leg spinner 'Billy' Mustafa, bravely brought on by captain Lomas, had taken some punishment but extracted his revenge when Clinning went down the track only to miss the ball and be neatly stumped by Hackett. That was 152-7 and the game was virtually all over.
The admirable Marcus Sharp bowled Alex Laird for nought and Chris Buschini was run out for two when going for a second run. And then the vital wicket went the way of Mustafa when he had Nick Coultas who had previously pulled him for a huge six, well caught at long-off by Chris Barrow for 24. And in Mustafa's next over Jeremy Newman lobbed a gentle catch to Aga at short mid wicket and Fleetwood, all out 178, had lost by 33 runs.
Mustafa on his Premier League debut had taken 3-31 from five overs, Bartholomew had 2-40 and Sharp had figures of 23-9-35-4, good reward for his endeavours.
Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League Second Division
abbreviated scoreboards:
Fleetwood 202-7 (Wilkinson 74), Blackpool 133-7 (Ashton 55)
Chorley 21-3 (Hotham 93, Richardson 60), Darwen 125-7
Kendal 106-9 (Clinton 4-20), Netherfield 106-9 (Casey 41)
Leyland 127-8, Leyland Motors 59 (Hatton 4-13)
Morecambe v Lancaster - match abandoned
