Match Day 10th August 2002
NETHERFIELD CLOSE THE GAP
By Gerry Wolstenholme
A combination of defeat for Morecambe, the vagaries of the weather and a Netherfield victory put the Cumbrian side a little closer to the top two after Saturday's round of games. But is it too late for them to catch the leading pair?
On Saturday they entertained Leyland and, batting first, made 215-7 before declaring. Pieter Strydom top scored with 98. Leyland did their best to hold out for a draw with Pieter Kootzen making 45 but after 54 overs they were bowled out for 145 to lose by 70 runs.
Netherfield's 15 points were even more valuable when it was later learned that Blackpool had defeated Morecambe on a rain-sodden ground at Woodhill Lane. It was so wet that the boundaries on the car park side of the ground had to be taken in a good deal so as to make the puddles outside the playing area!
Blackpool were without Marcus Sharp who had recently undergone a scan on a troublesome shoulder but his replacement Charles Dagnall took on his mantle very well and returned 5-40. Phil Thornton top scored for Morecambe with 40 but no-one could get the better of some good Blackpool bowling so the home side's 53 overs produced a total of 153-9.
The Blackpool reply stumbled but gradually crept up towards the target but with Peter Stephens taking 4-59 and Ramesh Powar 4-60 they were in a little trouble at 149-9. However Powar contrived to bowl a widish ball that eluded Damian Gudgeon and went for four byes. This levelled the scores and a further single gave Blackpool a one-wicket victory and the 12 points. Morecambe took just three points.
No other game ended in a definite result, indeed two of them, Chorley versus Lancaster and Fleetwood versus Kendal never even got started. And at Preston it was a damp squib as visitors Darwen batted and had faced 36.5 overs when the rains returned to end proceedings for the day. Gareth Cordingley had profited to the tune of 49 in Darwen's meaningless total of 156-8 and Manoj Parekh had taken 4-73.
St Annes visited Leyland Motors and, all credit to the groundstaff or the drying propensities of the Motors' ground, play was possible. Stephen Twist made 44 as St Annes batted first and totalled 167-6. Motors in reply made 152-7 as Geoff Love edged his way towards 50 League wickets with 4-44.
So with five games to play Darwen remain in the driving seat and it will take a dramatic series of results to deprive them of their second title in four years. But it is possible for any of the top three to take the ultimate prize.
Results in brief (home team in bold):
Chorley v Lancaster - no play match abandoned
Chorley 4 points, Lancaster 4 points
Fleetwood v Kendal - no play match abandoned
Fleetwood 4 points, Kendal 4 points
St Annes 167-6 (Twist 44), Leyland Motors 152-7 (Love 4-44) - no overs provided
St Annes 6 points, Leyland Motors 3 points
Morecambe 153-9 (53 overs) (Thornton 40, Dagnall 5-40), Blackpool 154-9
(Stephens 4-59, Powar 4-62)
Morecambe 3 points, Blackpool 12 points
Netherfield 215-7 dec (54.5 overs) (Strydom 98), Leyland 145 (54 overs) (Kootzen 50)
Netherfield 15 points, Leyland 1 point
Darwen 156-8 (36.3 overs) (Cordingley G 49, Parekh 4-73) v Preston -
rain stopped play, match abandoned
Darwen 4 points, Preston 4 points
BAY 96.9 NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
DIVISION ONE
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Darwen |
17 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
13 |
176 |
| Morecambe |
17 |
2 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
155 |
| Netherfield |
17 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
19 |
141 |
| Kendal |
17 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
14 |
130 |
| Blackpool |
17 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
16 |
115 |
| Chorley |
17 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
12 |
104* |
| Fleetwood |
17 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
3 |
23 |
99 |
| Preston |
17 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
4 |
13 |
78 |
| Lancaster |
17 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
31 |
78 |
| St Annes |
17 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
27 |
76 |
| Leyland |
17 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
3 |
21 |
73 |
| Leyland Motors |
17 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
2 |
22 |
70 |
* 5 Points deducted
In the Second Division things are hotting up in similar fashion to the First Division. With leaders Lancaster not being able to force a win over Chorley, who had lost nine wickets when time was called, and with Morecambe not playing, Fleetwood were able to catch up with a 15-point victory.
They made only 110 thanks mainly to Colin Sherlock's 71 not out but then, with Sherlock starring with the ball with 6-50, they bowled bottom placed Kendal out for just 105. The five-run victory gave them the 15 points.
No other games ended in definite results and poor old Netherfield suffered their fifth no result of the season while Preston had to settle for their fourth!
Second Division results in brief (home team in bold):
Blackpool v Morecambe - no play match abandoned
Blackpool 4 points, Morecambe 4 points
Darwen v Preston - no play match abandoned
Darwen 4 points, Preston 4 points
Fleetwood 110 (32 overs) (Sherlock 71*, Brown 5-26, Parkin 4-50),
Kendal 105 (42 overs) (Brown 43, Sherlock 6-50)
Fleetwood 15 points, Kendal 3 points
Lancaster 140-9 (44 overs), Chorley 75-9 (42 overs) (Dennison 4-32)
Lancaster 6 points, Chorley 3 points
Leyland v Netherfield - no play match abandoned
Leyland 4 points, Netherfield 4 points
St Annes v Leyland Motors - no play match abandoned
St Annes 4 points, Leyland Motors 4 points
BAY 96.9 NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
DIVISION TWO
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Lancaster |
17 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
17 |
154 |
| Morecambe |
17 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
16 |
143 |
| Fleetwood |
17 |
2 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
22 |
136 |
| Netherfield |
17 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
17 |
125 |
| St Annes |
17 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
8 |
115 |
| Chorley |
17 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
12 |
100 |
| Leyland |
18 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
3 |
17 |
97 |
| Darwen |
17 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
11 |
90 |
| Leyland Motors |
17 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
3 |
8 |
87 |
| Preston |
17 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
3 |
18 |
85 |
| Blackpool |
18 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
8 |
2 |
21 |
82 |
| Kendal |
17 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
9 |
2 |
18 |
68 |
