FLEETWOOD FAIL TO PULL IT OFF
Fleetwood 192, Blackpool 138-9
By Gerry Wolstenholme
For the second time this season Fleetwood had Blackpool tottering on the edge of defeat but once again they failed to take the final wicket and had to settle for a draw. Batting first they made 192 thanks to a fine century from professional Gulam Bodi who was to return home the following day. Blackpool's reply never looked like challenging the Fleetwood total and they eventually batted out for a draw at 138-9. The only redeeming feature for Blackpool was that it would have been particularly harsh had Marcus Sharp been on the losing side after taking nine of the Fleetwood wickets.
John Wright, struggling to get a big score of late, made nine before he flapped Sharp to Barrow in the gully and it was 14-1. It could have been much worse for Bodi, on six, hit Brooks head-high straight to mid off where newcomer Keith Bullen appeared to be relaxing as the ball flew through his hands on the way to the boundary. It was to prove a costly miss as Bodi added a further 115 runs that dominated the Fleetwood innings.
Michael Dewhurst was next to go when he pushed tentatively forward to Sharp for Mark Lomas to snaffle the resultant slip catch. That was 45-2 and it was soon 55-3 as Michael Clinning, on eight, lofted a catch to Steve Mercer. Paul Hague failed to score being leg before wicket to Sharp at 57 before Bodi and Rob Clarke added some respectability to the total with a partnership of 54.
Bodi was the main runscorer but Clarke made a fighting 20 before he broke the run of Sharp wickets when he gave Bullen his first senior wicket when caught by Mercer. Mark Emsley once again failed to score as he, typically, pushed his pad forward to Sharp to find himself leg before wicket and that was 115-6. Alex Laird made four but did keep Bodi company while the total rose to 135. Sharp then struck again and Richard Lamb snapped up the catch. Lee Jones made eight before presenting Mercer with his third catch of the afternoon and giving Sharp his seventh wicket.
Sharp's eighth came immediately as Steve Hill was trapped in front of his stumps and then Bodi attacked the bowling to make the most of the final few overs. He hit one huge six and 13 fours from 144 balls but in attempting to repeat the six-hit, he only holed out to a juggling Mark Griffiths on the boundary. Dave Fish was left two not out, Fleetwood were dismissed for 192 and Marcus Sharp had taken 9-65 from 25.3 overs. It was the best return of his senior career.
When Blackpool are faced with totals such as 192 these days, the likelihood of them reaching their target is slim, particularly if Mark Lomas fails. He did make 28 but it was not enough to put his side in any sort of contention. But before he was third out, the makeshift openers, Chris Barrow and Paul Danson had both returned to the pavilion. Danson, eight, was first to go playing an absolutely abysmal shot to Hill and Jones behind the stumps took the catch. Barrow was caught by Clarke off Hill for 35 and Blackpool were 48-2.
The third wicket, that of Lomas, was the significant one and it went down in somewhat spectacular fashion. Bodi, who is not renown for his bowling, turned one probably nine inches and Lomas, padding up to a ball that he thought was going harmlessly wide of his off stump, lost the said digit and had to make his way back to the pavilion. In fairness to Bodi it was a ball very similar to that of Shane Warne that took Mike Gatting in the Old Trafford test some years ago - high praise indeed.
Thereafter it was just a matter of whether Blackpool could survive. Steve Mercer made one before he was caught by Hague off Clinning who bowled an excellent spell of 18 overs to return 4-33. Richard Lamb made 19 before he too went exactly the same way as Mercer and Blackpool had lost half the side for 96. Bullen completed a miserable day when he was caught at slip by Bodi off Clinning for a duck, Marsland was bowled by Bodi for one and when Griffiths was caught by Clarke off Clinning for five, Blackpool were 102-8, having lost six wickets for 14 runs.
Sharp and Martin Hackett, two great espousers of lost causes, then dug in and defied everything Fleetwood had to throw at them. So much so that Clinning had to bring back Hill to break the partnership. The fast bowler had Hackett, nine, edging through to Jones and Blackpool were 122-9 with plenty of overs remaining. However Sharp, 13 not out, and Brookes, two not out, defied the Fleetwood attack to achieve the draw at 134-9. Hill had 3-30 and Bodi, who was kept on to the end, 2-29.
Second Division results in brief (home team in bold):
Fleetwood 172 (47 overs)(Buschini 72), Blackpool 140-6 (49 overs) (played 1 September)
Fleetwood 6 points, Blackpool 4 points
Chorley 192-5 (50 overs) (Yardley 99*), Darwen 136-9 (45 overs) (Grant 51, Catterall D 4-37)
Chorley 8 points, Darwen 1 point
Kendal 61 (37.2 overs) (Hartley 4-25), Netherfield 66-1 (17 overs)
Kendal 0 points, Netherfield 12 points
Leyland 177 (48.3 overs)(Cartwright 5-80, Sibley 4-57), Leyland Motors 181-4 (44.3 overs)(Sibley 43*)
Leyland 1 point, Leyland Motors 12 points
Morecambe 154 (49.4 overs) (Izatt 62, Dennison 4-54), Lancaster 133 (40 overs) (Dennison 55, Lee 4-20, Quinn 4-43)
Morecambe 15 points, Lancaster 3 points
Preston 116 (50 overs), St Annes 117-4 (44 overs)
Preston 0 points, St Annes 12 points
BAY 96.9 NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
DIVISION TWO
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Morecambe |
20 |
4 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
16 |
182 |
| Lancaster |
20 |
3 |
7 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
23 |
176 |
| Fleetwood |
20 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
24 |
172 |
| Netherfield |
20 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
17 |
156 |
| St Annes |
20 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
11 |
130 |
| Darwen |
20 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
16 |
112 |
| Chorley |
20 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
1 |
17 |
109 |
| Leyland Motors |
20 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
8 |
3 |
10 |
103 |
| Leyland |
20 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
3 |
19 |
99 |
| Preston |
20 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
3 |
21 |
88 |
| Blackpool |
20 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
9 |
2 |
26 |
87 |
| Kendal |
20 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
10 |
2 |
19 |
82 |
