WRIGHT CENTURY SPURS ON FLEETWOOD
Fleetwood 195-8 Blackpool 175-9
By Gerry Wolstenholme
An exciting Northern Premier League game at Stanley Park on Saturday swung one way and then the other but in the end neither Fleetwood or Blackpool could force a win to achieve maximum points and they had to settle for an honourable draw.
Fleetwood won the toss, batted and made a respectable 195-8 with John Wright playing one of the best innings by an amateur for many a long year in making the bulk of the runs, 129 of them. Blackpool's reply was one that went through various phases, at one time looking likely to win the game, then possibly losing it and finally having to settle for the draw with Fleetwood fielders crowding the last batsmen as they closed at 175-8.
The Fleetwood start was a dream one as Wright and his partner Michael Dewhurst looked in little trouble against the Blackpool opening attack of Marcus Sharp and Stephen Croft. The former dropped short a couple of times and Wright punished him with powerful fours to the short extra cover boundary. And it was Wright who dominated the opening partnership of 130 made in 121 minutes as he played shots all round the ground and raced past his half century while Dewhurst kept him more passive company at the other end.
When he had made 30, Dewhurst had a rush of blood and charged down the track to off spinner Paul Danson to be stumped by Martin Hackett. Wright then cruised past his century but there was no-one to keep him company for any length of time once Dewhurst had gone. Blackpool, who looked likely to concede over 200 at one stage came right back into the game and whittled out seven more batsmen.
Fleetwood professional Ghulam Bodi did not look in good form and it was hardly any surprise when he fell leg before wicket to Sharp without scoring to make Fleetwood 132-2. Skipper Michael Clinning, six, having been missed by Hackett from his first ball, followed a wide ball from Sharp and Mark Lomas snapped up the catch at slip and that was 147-3.
Rob Clark made six before he was leg before wicket to Sharp at 157-4 and then Danny Thomas was comprehensively bowled by Croft for one at 162-5. Young Steve Whiteside provided the stability for Wright while 23 runs were added before he fell to Sharp who bowled him for nine. Then Blackpool took the wicket they were desperately striving for when Wright drove fiercely at Croft only for the bowler to take an excellent low return catch. He was gone for a sparkling 129 made from 149 balls with two sixes and 10 fours. Ironically there was only one other boundary in the innings and that went to Dewhurst who found the boundary with an edge off Croft.
The final wicket fell when Martin Pickles threw down the stumps with Hague, two, well short of making his ground. That left Zac Taylor five not out as the innings closed at 195-8 with Sharp's 3-60 the best bowling return although Croft, with 2-31, was hostile in both his spells.
Blackpool's reply began sedately with Pickles looking for runs and Chris Simcock happy to provide the foil. They had put on 21 when Pickles, 10, got the faintest of edges to Hague, who opened with a good spell of seam bowling, and was caught behind by Keith Riley. Another wicket could quickly have gone for Simcock escaped a sharp chance to Clinning at slip off Fish when he had made nine.
Simcock and Croft then took the total to 55 before the latter was adjudged leg before wicket to Dave Fish for a fine 23. Croft left the wicket slowly as he obviously felt the decision was a little harsh. Skipper Mark Lomas joined Simcock and he took the game to Fleetwood after a tentative start to his innings during which he survived three successive leg before wicket appeals. He looked for runs while Simcock continued to keep the other end intact. Zac Taylor was tried but he made no impression while Bodi at the other end bowled too many loose balls for much success.
Lomas rapidly began to overhaul Simcock and Blackpool were 92-2 at the start of the final 20 overs, having at that point received 35 overs. When Lomas was dismissed he had passed the opener with 47 from 65 balls with four fours and one six that took one of the ridge tiles off the pavilion roof! His dismissal came when Fish returned to the attack and had him trapped in front of his stumps and it was 129-3. Twenty runs later and Simcock was out for a hard working, if sometimes painstaking, 42 made from 119 balls. He edged Bodi through to Riley and that brought in Danson to partner Chris Barrow.
They both looked for runs with Barrow in particular in belligerent mood and he was missed off a swirling skier to Wright at extra cover but it was not to prove too costly for when he had made 19 he fell to a slip catch by Clinning off Bodi. That was 162-5 and the pendulum began to swing a little Fleetwood's way when it became164-6 as Danson, 11, fell leg before wicket to Fish.
Sharp perished in the chase for victory as he was caught in the deep by Thomas off Bodi for two and when Fish bowled Karl Marsland for nought and Blackpool were 171-8, Fleetwood brought the field in to try to take the final two wickets. They managed one of them as David Brooks, nought, became the fourth batsman to be leg before wicket to Fish at 175-9.
And then, despite most fielders being within touching distance of the batsmen, Hackett and Steve Mercer, who finished on 10 not out, kept out Bodi and Fish for the final two overs to earn Blackpool the draw at 175-9. Fish took the bowling honours with his second successive five-wicket haul, this time 5-60. But it was John Wright's fine 129 that will remain in the memory for a long time to come.
Division Two Results in brief (home team in bold):
Chorley 74 (51.4 overs) (Davies 4-28), Darwen 75-1 (20.3 overs)
Chorley 0 points, Darwen 12 points
Blackpool 117-7 (45 overs) (Griffiths 51*), Fleetwood 119-2 (15.3 overs) (Blundell 49, Emsley 40*)
Blackpool 0 points, Fleetwood 12 points
Lancaster v Morecambe - no play, match abandoned
Lancaster 4 points, Morecambe 4 points
Leyland Motors 145-4 (40 overs) (Cartwright 46, Totham 44*), Leyland 100-8 (39
overs) (Namajee 47)
Leyland Motors 6 points, Leyland 1 point
Netherfield v Kendal - no play, match abandoned
Netherfield 4 points, Kendal 4 points
Preston 64 (26 overs) (Ahmed 41, Booth 5-11), St Annes 65-4 (22 overs)
Preston 0 points, St Annes 12 points
Note: Last week's Morecambe versus Chorley game was wrongly reported as 'No play'. It did in fact result in a win for Morecambe who scored 131-9 and then bowled Chorley out for 111. The table has been amended accordingly.
.BAY 96.9 NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
DIVISION TWO
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Netherfield |
9 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
83 |
| Morecambe |
9 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
81 |
| Lancaster |
9 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
11 |
81 |
| Fleetwood |
9 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
13 |
76 |
| Darwen |
9 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
51 |
| Leyland |
9 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
50 |
| Preston |
9 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
48 |
| St Annes |
9 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
47 |
| Kendal |
9 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
44 |
| Chorley |
9 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
4 |
35 |
| Leyland Motors |
9 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
29 |
| Blackpool |
9 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
6 |
27 |
