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Match Day 28th June 2003

FIVE RESULTS, ONE DRAW AS IT GETS TOUGH AT THE TOP

By Gerry Wolstenholme

Only one game did not end in a definite result in the last round of Northern Premier League games and that was at Lancaster where visitors Blackpool could not get near the Lancaster total of 191 all out. To this David Heywood contributed 79 while Luke Phillips scored 53 and the veteran David Higham finished with 6-50. Blackpool's modest reply of 141-7 owed much to the inform Steven Croft who top scored with 48 as Graham Barnes continued his recent wicket taking exploits with 5-36.

All the other games finished decisively, which, with wins for the two leaders, meant Darwen and Morecambe are still separated by just three points. Preston's win against Leyland Motors took them back into the top three and they sit nine points behind the leaders. St Annes, with a win over Leyland, moved into the top four for the first time this season.

Leaders Darwen made short work of the inconsistent Kendal side, bowling them out for just 104 with Terry Hunte's 35 being the best score and Andrew Mercer taking 4-37. Gareth Cordingley had 3-7 and Jeff Hacking 3-31. In knocking off the runs to reach 105-5 and a five-wicket victory, most of the Darwen batsmen reached the teens with Keith Semple's 19 being the best.

Morecambe meanwhile defeated Fleetwood at Broadwater as the home side batted first and made just 163 with Zac Taylor showing that he is as adept at batting as he is at bowling with a fine 67. Peter Stephens finished with an impressive 7-48. Morecambe's reply stuttered at first but Phil Thornton played a captain's innings and was still there with 57 not out when the win came by three wickets at 164-7. Steve Hill took his first senior five-wicket haul with 5-45.

Preston were the day's top scorers as they put the Leyland Motors bowling to the sword and made 230-6. Pervez Shah made a top score of 78 while Ian McDonnell made 57. Manoj Parekh then made full use of the track to take 6-38 as Motors were bowled out for 127 to lose by 103 runs. Raouf Akbar took 238, including the vital wicket of Asif Ashraf who he bowled for just seven.

Ryan Wilson proved to be Chorley's nemesis as he took 6-21 in their all out total of 109 to which Jack Catterall contributed a top score of 29 and Stephen John made 24. Netherfield, untroubled, knocked them off for the loss of two wickets to win by eight wickets at 111-2 with Gareth White 36 not out and Pieter Strydom making 29.

At St Annes it was a much closer contest as Leyland posted a useful 197-9 with professional Luxman Vahalawala making 46 and the experienced Charlie Williams making 34 not out. The consistent Geoff Love took another six wickets, this time for 41 runs. Steve Twist made 57 in the St Annes reply but it needed a late flurry from Russ Bradley, 39 not out, and the veteran David Bartholomew, 23 not out, to clinch the victory by four wickets at 200-6.

Scores in brief (home side in bold):

Kendal 104 (Mercer 5-45), Darwen 105-5

Kendal two points, Darwen 12 points

Fleetwood 163 (Taylor 67, Stephens 7-48), Morecambe 164-7 (Thornton 57*, Hill 5-45)

Fleetwood 5 points, Morecambe 12 points

Lancaster 191 (Heywood 79, Phillips 53, Higham 6-50), Blackpool 141-7 (Croft 48, Barnes 5-36)

Lancaster 10 points, Blackpool 6 points

Chorley 109 (Wilson 6-21), Netherfield 111-2

Chorley 0 points, Netherfield 12 points

Preston 230-6 (Shah 78, McDonnell 57), Leyland Motors 127 (Parekh 6-38)

Preston 15 points, Leyland Motors 2 points

Leyland 197-9 (Vahalawala 46, Love 6-41), St Annes 200-6 (Twist 57)

Leyland 5 points, St Annes 12 points

NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

DIVISION ONE

Club P W15 W12 D4 D1 L NR4 BP Pts
Darwen 12 2 4 1 0 2 3 13 107
Morecambe 12 1 6 0 1 2 2 8 104
Preston 12 3 2 1 0 4 2 17 98
St Annes 12 1 2 3 2 1 3 29 94
Kendal 12 3 0 1 2 3 3 28 91
Chorley 12 1 2 3 0 3 3 25 88
Netherfield 12 1 3 1 2 2 3 17 86
Lancaster 12 0 2 2 4 2 2 36 80
Fleetwood 12 0 4 0 2 5 1 24 78
Leyland Motors 12 2 0 1 2 6 1 29 69
Leyland 12 2 0 1 0 6 3 17 63
Blackpool 12 0 1 2 1 6 2 31 60

ACTION REPLAY:

FLEETWOOD GIFT WRAP THE POINTS

By Gerry Wolstenholme

At Broadwater on Saturday, Fleetwood as good as gift-wrapped the 12 points for Morecambe as early as the 10th over of the first innings by which time three Fleetwood batsmen had perished for 22 runs. The final all out total of 163 owed much to Zac Taylor and Andy Singleton's resistance but once they had gone the innings was almost all over. Morecambe struggled in reply but skipper Phil Thornton grittily batted it out and, with his usual assortment of powerful drives, was there at the end to see his side home by three wickets at 164-7.

Fleetwood's early innings was as close to a disaster as one is likely to see on a cricket field. John Wright failed to move his feet to one that left him from Faruk Patel and he was caught behind for five. Professional Lloyd Ferreira played two fine shots for four and three and then neatly shouldered arms to Peter Stephens but the ball moved late and knocked back his off stump and that was 12-2. Michael Dewhurst, who had already survived a run out opportunity, then gave slip catching practice to Bryson Little as he fended a ball from Patel straight into the fielder' hands and that was 22-3.

Skipper Michael Clinning made 12 but Stephens then dragged him forward and Lewis Edge completed the stumping at 51-4. That was soon a symmetrical 55-5 as John Whalley, having driven the previous ball to the boundary, fenced at one from Stephens and Dennison, who had earlier dropped Clinning, took the catch. It was time for rearguard action and fortunately for Fleetwood, and the spectators who were in fear of another early finish, Zac Taylor and Andy Singleton, missed by Thornton at mid-on early on, came to the rescue.

They put on 70 runs for the sixth wicket before Powar, who had used every variety in his repertoire, had Singleton stumped by Edge for a fighting 28. Taylor found a good partner in James Ellis, who was fortuitously missed from a simple chance to Patel at gully, and they advanced the total to 152 before Taylor's fine effort came to an end. He lofted Stephens, who had returned after a short break, to Powar at mid-off and he was gone for 67 made from 110 balls with 10 fours.

From 152-7 the inning declined to 163 all out as Stephens proved too much for the tail and bowled the three remaining batsmen. Paul Hague and Steve Hill each fell for nought and Tom Blundell for two. This left Ellis on 19 not out and Fleetwood all out for 163. Stephens finished with an excellent 7-48.

When Morecambe replied, their prolific opening batsmen both failed. Mark Woodhead was caught at slip by Dewhurst off Hill in the first over after just four byes were on the board and then Dennison was caught at slip by Clinning off Blundell for nine and it was 28-2. That became 64-5 as Hill had Gareth Peddar leg before wicket for four and then caught and bowled Powar with a splendid low, tumbling catch. Hague chipped in by having Little leg before wicket for 14 and Morecambe were in a degree of trouble at 64-5.

But while Thornton is at the crease, even if he does on occasion start uncertainly, the side is always in with a chance of victory. And so it proved as he and Tommy Clough rebuilt the innings and took the total to 112 before the latter was well caught by Singleton at backward point for 18. And although Edge was comprehensively bowled by Hill for two at 116, there were no more alarms for Morecambe as Thornton, 57 not out with six fours and one six, and Andy Mashiter, masquerading as a number nine batsman, 23 not out including four boundaries, saw their side home by three wickets at 164-7.

Steve Hill's 5-45 was his first senior five-wicket haul but he lacked effective support at the other end in the absence of his usual partner Dave Fish. And Fleetwood's 163 was probably 50 runs too few on a track that was not perfect but was more batsman friendly than bowler friendly.

Division Two scores in brief(Home side in bold):

Lancaster 233-9 (Heywood C 48, Yadav 46), Blackpool 140-9 (Griffiths 51)

Lancaster 11 points, Blackpool 6 points

Chorley 212-6 (Dixon 59, Catterall D 42, Goldstein 4-32), Netherfield 205 (Welbourne 88, Stewart 56, Catterall D 4-47)

Chorley 15 points, Netherfield 5 points

Kendal 96, Darwen 100-1

Kendal 0 points, Darwen 12 points

Leyland 60 (Patel 5-8), St Annes 62-5

Leyland 2 points, St Annes 12 points

Preston 150-9 (Cottam 5-56), Leyland Motors 151-6 (Totham 51, Wright 4-30)

Preston 3 points, Leyland Motors 12 points

Fleetwood 182-6 (Clark 65), Morecambe 154-9 (Makinson 45, Gregson 4-26)

Fleetwood 11 points, Morecambe 4 points

NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

DIVISIONTWO
Club P W15 W12 D4 D1 L NR4 BP Pts
Darwen 12 2 7 1 1 0 1 7 130
Leyland Motors 12 2 6 0 1 1 2 5 116
St Annes 12 1 4 3 0 2 2 26 109
Chorley 12 1 5 0 2 2 2 15 100
Morecambe 12 0 5 2 2 1 2 16 94
Fleetwood 11 2 2 1 1 4 1 18 81
Preston 12 2 0 3 1 4 2 28 79
Netherfield 12 2 1 1 0 7 1 23 73
Lancaster 12 1 1 1 0 7 2 27 66
Blackpool 11 0 2 0 4 3 2 24 60
Leyland 12 0 2 0 0 9 1 18 46
Kendal 12 0 0 1 1 8 2 32 45

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