Match Day 5th May 2003 PRESTON WIN AND LEAD TABLE By Gerry Wolstenholme A Northern Premier League table with Preston at the top is a rare sight in recent times but it is certainly a most welcome one. With their second win in four games they lead the early season table by two points from Morecambe who had the misfortune of two no result games over the Bank Holiday weekend. Preston last won the League title in 1983. Preston entertained a much changed Blackpool side and batting first they made 175-9. Veteran David Cresswell, a late call-up to the Blackpool side, showed that he had lost none of his guile in what has turned out to be a part-time retirement by returning splendid figures of 7-56. Steven Croft took one of the other wickets while Manoj Parekh was out in that unusual manner 'obstructed the field'. He kicked the ball away while going for a run and could well have been run out had the ball continued on its way so the umpire had no alternative but to uphold the Blackpool appeal. Blackpool's reply stuttered all along and only Chris Barrow, 32, and Paul Danson, 31, made much of an impression although Cresswell, at number 11, helped the score to a little respectability with 18 not out in a last wicket stand with Danson that added 31. However, Blackpool's final 121 all out meant defeat by 54 runs. A much delayed start at Broadwater saw Leyland put in to bat and make 114-6 in their 33 overs with Luxman Vahaluwala top scoring with a hard-hit 70. Lloyd Ferreira replied in kind for Fleetwood with 76, having been dropped before scoring, and Fleetwood cruised home by eight wickets at 116-2. Tom Smith continued his good form for Chorley when he made 71 with nine fours and two sixes but only Stephen John of the rest reached 10 in their 163-8 against St Annes. The visitors saved the day thanks to professional Geoff Love's gritty 44 not out with Adrian Darlington's 17 being the next best contribution. They ended on 114-7 to secure the draw. And in the only other game that was played Leyland Motors defeated luckless Lancaster by 84 runs. Motors made an impressive 194-9 to which Asif Ashraf contributed exactly 100 and in which Graham Barnes took 5-58. Although Rennier Munnik also continued his good form with the bat, making 67, Richard Rounding's 5-11 and Sefton Prince's 4-25 (it must have been a day for the veterans!) left Lancaster at 110 all out. Six of the Lancaster batsmen, including the first three in the order, failed to score. The Netherfield versus Darwen and Morecambe versus Kendal games never got underway so all four teams took four points. Scores in brief (home team in bold): Chorley 163-8 (Tom Smith 71), St Annes 114-7 (Love 44*) Chorley 9 points, St Annes 4 points Leyland 114-6 (Vahaluwala 70), Fleetwood 116-2 (Ferreira 76) Leyland 0 points, Fleetwood 12 points Leyland Motors 194-9 (Ashraf 100, Barnes 5-58), Lancaster 110 (Munnik 67, Rounding 5-11, Prince 4-25) Leyland Motors 15 points, Lancaster 4 points Morecambe v Kendal - no play - match abandoned both sides 4 points Netherfield v Darwen - no play - match abandoned both sides 4 points Preston 175-9 (Cresswell 7-56), Blackpool 121 (Akbar 4-64) Preston 15 points, Blackpool 4 points NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE Division One Club P W15 W12 D4 D1 L NR4 BP Pts Preston 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 3 34 Morecambe 4 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 32 Chorley 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 9 29 Netherfield 4 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 26 Leyland Motors 4 1 0 0 0 2 1 6 25 Darwen 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 24 St Annes 4 0 1 0 1 0 2 3 24 Blaclpool 4 0 0 1 0 1 2 9 21 Fleetwood 4 0 1 0 1 1 1 3 20 Lancaster 4 0 0 0 1 1 2 8 17 Kendal 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 14 Leyland 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 10 A GAME OF TWO PROFESSIONALS Leyland 114-6, Fleetwood 116-2 By Gerry Wolstenholme It was very much a game of two professional at a damp Broadwater on Monday as Luckman Vahaluwala made a valiant 70 for visitors Leyland and Lloyd Ferreira made an impressive 76 in Fleetwood's reply, albeit with a little early luck. The net result was that Leyland totalled 114-8 in their reduced allocation of 33 overs and Fleetwood replied with 116-2, winning by eight wickets with 13 balls remaining of their 30 overs. The exceedingly damp outfield meant that a start was not possible before four o'clock and even then there was some doubt among some of the players that it was fit to play. Skipper Brian Tennant opened for Leyland but he made only one before being bowled by David Fish with the total on five. Ian Farrington failed to score and when Fish bowled him it was 7-2. It became 14-3 when Aiden Walsh was smartly stumped down the leg side by James Ellis of Steve Hill for five and then a near disastrous 17-4 when Zabu Patel was caught at square leg by Andy Sharrocks for eight. Mark Swann made only six before he was bowled by Fish for six and Leyland were struggling at 25-5. Professional Luxman Vahaluwala however was undaunted and he bravely took the fight to Fleetwood and with the obdurate Alex Gill as an ideal foil he took his side past the 100 mark. He struck four sixes and four fours on his way to 70 made from only 65 balls. He lived dangerously with many shots in the air but those within the field of play always falling wide of fielders. He was out when he drove Hill to long off where Michael Dewhurst comfortably held the catch. Gill went on to make a sterling 16 not out and with Paul Haydock on three, the Leyland innings closed on 114-6. Fish, 3-48, and Hill, 3-63, bowled unchanged throughout. The Fleetwood reply got off to a disastrous start as, after two maiden overs, John Wright played on to Steve Pallett in the third over without a run on the board. It could have been much worse for professional Lloyd Ferreira drove Pallett straight to the usually safe hands of Tennant at mid-off but the Leyland skipper dropped the catch and Ferreira scampered a grateful single. With Dewhurst playing the same role as Gill had done for Leyland the second wicket pair prospered and put on 106 runs before the professional was dismissed. He had struck two sixes, one straight drive off Pallett finishing up in a neighbouring living room as it crashed through a patio window, and six fours in his 75-ball innings of 76. He fell leg before wicket to the persevering Pallett but by then the job was very nearly done. Captain Michael Clinning joined Dewhurst and it was he who struck the winning boundary, a drive through long-off, that took Fleetwood to an eight-wicket victory at 116-8. Dewhurst batted admirably and finished with 30 not out while Pallett was the most successful bowler with 2-54. Division Two scores in brief (home team in bold): Blackpool 69-8, Preston 118-5 Blackpool 3 points, Preston 7 points Netherfield 86-7 (Davies 4-19), Darwen 88-2 Netherfield 0 points, Darwen 12 points Kendal 92 (Lee 5-25), Morecambe 97-4 Kendal 1 point, Morecambe 12 points Lancaster 130 (Heywood C 75, Makinson A 4-21), Leyland Motors 131-8 (Speak 4-26) Lancaster 3 points, Leyland Motors 12 points Fleetwood 68, Leyland 69-5 Fleetwood 2 points, Leyland 12 points St Annes 146, Chorley 106 (Booth 5-41) St Annes 15 points, Chorley 4 points NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE Division Two Club P W15 W12 D4 D1 L NR4 BP Pts Darwen 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 43 Fleetwood 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 33 Leyland Motors 4 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 32 St Annes 4 1 0 0 0 1 2 7 30 Leyland 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 28 Morecambe 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 4 24 Chorley 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 4 24 Blaclpool 4 0 1 0 1 0 2 2 23 Preston 4 0 0 1 0 1 2 6 18 Lancaster 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 9 17 Kendal 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 12 Netherfield 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 6 10

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