Match Day 2nd June 2001
PRESTON IN A CANTER - NETHERFIELD JUST!
By Gerry Wolstenholme
Preston gained its first win of the season on Saturday with a well-deserved 85 run triumph over struggling Fleetwood. But leaders Netherfield left it to the final over before securing victory against Leyland Motors at Parkside.
Preston batted first at Broadwater and looked like making a very big score but mid-innings stumbling saw them lose their way somewhat to finish at 195 all out. James Anyon, in a rich vein of form at the moment, made 46 and Manoj Parekh, coming in at number seven, scored 36 just when the runs were needed. For Fleetwood Alex Laird took 4-28, Jeremy Newman 2-39 while professional Craig Pryor had his first League haul of more than one wicket when taking 2-50.
Fleetwood's reply never really got going with the first three batsmen back in the pavilion with only 28 on the board. Nick Coultas did make 58 not out but a run out in the final over cost Fleetwood dearly. Defeat by 85 runs put them at the foot of the table.
Netherfield found Leyland Motors more difficult to deal with than they would have imagined. Early wickets were lost but 30s by David Makinson and Iqbal Liley, whose batting is entertaining to say the least, enabled the Sandy Lane side to reach 151 all out. And Netherfield struggled to get them with only Jim Moyes, 43 making any impression on the Motors bowling of which Stephen John with 4-62 was the pick. It was only a last over boundary that enabled them to win through and that flew off the batsman's glove to his helmet and thus to the boundary when if it had gone through without the aid of the headgear, a catch could well have been the result. It was a one-wicket victory that kept Netherfield five points clear of the chasing pack.
The only other winners on the day were Leyland who comfortably defeated Blackpool whose innings was declared at 211-5. Mark Lomas continued his good form with 52 and Gavin Armstrong hit 51. Leyland's reply centred around stand-in professional (how long will the League allow the club to continue with substitutes in this role?) Martin van Jaarsveld of Enfield who made 99 not out and Munaf Bavla who made a senior best of 88. With only two wickets lost, Leyland cruised past the Blackpool total to make 213-2 and earn themselves their third win of the season.
Morecambe and Chorley played out a draw as the home side scored 227-7 with Nigel Heaton making 65 and Jim Fazackerley 49. In reply Morecambe went for the runs but in the end had to settle for 188-8 to which the in-form Phil Thornton contributed 69. For Chorley Iqbal Patel took 4-57. Incidentally there was no Rudra Singh for Morecambe as, despite appearing on the programme, he had not been registered within the specified seven days and the League refused permission for him to play.
The other two games were both affected by the rain. St Annes batted first at Darwen and made 212-6 with Dave Callaghan making 93 not out and Neil Cordingley leading the way in the bowling stakes with 4-60. Darwen's reply had stumbled to 75-5 and the likelihood was that they would bat out time for a draw when the rains came. On the injury front, Gareth Cordingley is out of action with ligament damage to his ankle but he may make a return at Stanley Park next week but if so he may well only feature as a batsman. Blackpool look out!
There was a similar scenario at Lune Road where Kendal were the visitors and, batting first, made 148 all out thanks to 73 from Terry Hunte. Graham Barnes took 5-42 for Lancaster who then had their innings terminated by rain with their total at 58-3.
Abbreviated scoreboards (home team in bold):
Chorley 227-7 (Heaton 65, Fazackerley 49), Morecambe 188-8 (Thornton 69,
Patel 4-57)
St Annes 212-7 (Callaghan 93*, Cordingley N 4-60), Darwen 75-5 rain stopped play
Preston 195 (Anyon 46, Laird 4-28), Fleetwood 110 (Coultas 58*)
Kendal 148 (Hunte 73, Barnes 5-42), Lancaster 58-3 rain stopped play
Blackpool 211-5 dec (Lomas 52, Armstrong 51), Leyland 213-2 (van Jaarsveld 99*,
Bavla 88)
Leyland Motors 151, Netherfield 153-9 (Moyes 43)
MATCH OF THE DAY
By Gerry Wolstenholme
It was very much a case of cricketing suicide at Broadwater on Saturday when the League's two bottom placed clubs met in a game that was vital for both sides to gain a victory. Preston won the toss and batted and, after an excellent start, declined somewhat to reach a still-reasonable 195 all out with three overs and two balls left of the 60 overs. Fleetwood's reply was almost a non-event as the first three batsmen went early, the middle order collapsed and then only a rearguard action by the tail end and Nick Coultas took them to the final over. And with five balls remaining a suicidal run out ended the resistance, Fleetwood all out 110 and losers by 85 runs.
It all started very promisingly for Preston as Ian McDonnell and James Anyon opened with a partnership of 55. There was only one scare when the former was missed at slip by Michael Dewhurst who seemed slow to react to the chance which flew low to his right. But at 55 McDonnell was dismissed as he remained crease-bound to a ball from Jeremy Newman that beat the forward push and bowled him for 17.
Oliver Clayson, who former Fleetwood professional Shaun Young rates as one of the most promising young batsman in the country, only survived two balls after his drive up from Bedfordshire as he pushed forward at Newman only to send a gentle catch to Pryor at first slip.
Paul Richardson came in and began playing his shots from the start and he and Anyon, who had also played some delightful shots, added a quick 30 before Anyon was adjudged leg before wicket to Laird for 46. His innings had lasted 55 balls and contained eight fours. Richardson, 18, fell one run later when he rashly drove Laird to debutant Mark Emsley at mid on. Professional Raouf Akbar made only six before he edged Laird through to Riley and Preston's promising start had been frittered away to leave them at 96-5.
Rehman Shah and Paul Paynter were naturally watchful for a time but they added 44 runs for the sixth wicket before Shah, on 30, was caught by Michael Clinning at slip off professional Craig Pryor. Paynter's wicket was lost without addition to the total, 140, when he drove a long hop back at Stephen Hill to be caught and bowled for 12. Manoj Parekh splendidly masterminded most of the remainder of the innings as he made a cameo 36 before being ninth out at 189 when he was bowled by Emsley. He had already lost Jabbir Namajee, leg before wicket to Pryor for six and then it was left to Alex Laird to claim his fourth wicket for 28 runs as he bowled an almost strokeless Paul Mann for six. Glen Johnstone was left two not out and Preston were all out for 195. Pryor, removed from the attack after the first ball of his 19th over was his third beamer of the innings, had his first haul of more than one wicket with 2-50, Newman, surprisingly removed from the attack, had 2-39 and Emsley 1-4.
Fleetwood's reply had its now almost customary disastrous start. John Wright, 10, edged Parekh to Mann when he had made 10, Dewhurst was comprehensively bowled by Akbar for five and when Clinning was adjudged leg before wicket for six it was 28-3. Paul Willis and Nick Coultas began a recovery and took the total to 70 before Willis lost patience at not scoring freely enough and lofted a simple chance to Anyon at cover off Parekh. He was out for 14 and Fleetwood were 70-4.
The game was virtually lost in the space of the following few overs when Fleetwood declined dramatically to76-8. Pryor, amazingly coming in at number six, was run out by a superb piece of fielding by Paul Paynter who swooped on a push to mid wicket, turned and threw down the wicket with Pryor a couple of feet from safety. It was the first duck of the New Zealander's League career.
The wily Parekh proved too much for young Emsley and he bowled him for nought, Laird was caught behind by Mann off Shah also for nought and then Newman was bowled by Shah for one. And, with 20 overs remaining defeat was staring Fleetwood in the face. But rain intervened and three overs were lost so Coultas, who was looking very comfortable but rapidly running out of partners, and Hill had 17 overs to survive for safety.
The pair made a valiant effort, with Coultas alternately hitting boundaries or stealing the strike to protect his partner. He succeeded to such an extent that with three overs remaining a draw looked on the cards. And then Akbar produced a fast yorker for Hill and his valiant effort was over for six and Fleetwood were 96-9. Keith Riley joined Coultas, who moved to his half century with a pulled six, and the two of them took the game to the final over.
Coultas had been unable to steal the strike in the penultimate over so it was Akbar bowling to Riley, who had already survived some hostile bowling from the professional. So it was absolutely unbelievable when, from the first ball of the over, Riley pushed forward on the off side and the pair set off for an improbable run. Akbar followed through, picked up, turned and threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end to leave Fleetwood 110 all out and defeated by 85 runs. Coultas was left stranded on 58 from 113 balls with nine fours and one six, Akbar had 3-48, Parekh, in a magnificent spell of bowling, 3-18 and Shah 2-26. But it was not the bowling that finished Fleetwood off, it was a suicidal attempt at a run that did not seem necessary at that stage considering that Riley had already kept Akbar out. If Akbar had produced another of his deadly yorkers to finish the game that would have been fair play to the bowler but to arguably gift the game away was beyond comprehension.
Delighted Preston chairman Dave Wilson said after the game "I am thrilled, this win has been just what we need as a club having come close to winning three or four of our previous games." Meanwhile Fleetwood cricket manager Pat King said ruefully "I've seen it all now!" And so had we all.
Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League Second Division abbreviated scoreboards:
Blackpool 144-7 (Ashton 43), Leyland 149-0 (Allen 73*, Farrington 44*)
Kendal 169-7 (Dowker 64), Lancaster 170-4 (Cunliffe 56*, Ferro 44)
Leyland Motors 91 (Jones 40, Hartley 5-22), Netherfield 93-2
Morecambe 202-5 (Mashiter 66, Demain 52), Chorley 85-3 rain stopped play
Preston 173 (Greenwood 106, Bateson 4-29), Fleetwood 174-3 (Singleton 73)
St Annes 188-9 (Kellett 64*, Hill 51, Davies 5-60), Darwen 133 (Iqbal 5-49)
