Match Day 31st May 2004
FREE-SCORING NETHERFIELD MOVE TO THE TOP
By Gerry Wolstenholme
For the moment Morecambe's reign at the top of the Northern Premier League table was short-lived. Defeat by Lancaster on Monday coupled with victory for Netherfield meant that the Cumbrians moved ahead and opened up a seven-point lead. And with Preston losing and Blackpool only making a draw the top two pulled away, albeit slightly, from the chasing pack.
Netherfield became the first side to top 300 this season when they reached a formidable 304-3 at Parkside against archrivals Kendal. Gareth White made his second undefeated century of the season, this time 109 made from 116 balls with 15 fours. Tommy Prime made 86 and Dale Benkenstein 53 as Netherfield set Kendal an almost impossible target. Kendal did reply forcibly and with Ikram Ullah making 70 from only 58 balls with 14 fours and Terry Hunte 65 they were eventually bowled out for 223 to lose by 81 runs. Marc Hadwin had 4-37 and Benkenstein 3-85.
Morecambe came a cropper against Lancaster where Renier Munnik excelled himself even in what is so far turning out to be an exceptional season for him. He made 160 with 10 sixes and 13 fours and with David Heywood making 43 Lancaster closed on 257-6. This was overfacing for Morecambe and with Munnik starring with the ball and taking 4-23 they were bowled out for 128 to lose by 129 runs.
Preston were humbled at West Cliff to give St Annes a much-needed first victory of the season. The visitors batted first and made 182-9 with Jimmy Adams making his top score to date with 49 and Adam Cotton hitting a typically powerful 47 while Manoj Parekh took 5-57 and Raouf Akbar 4-36. Preston however crumbled from 69-4 and Munaf Bavla, 22, Pervez Shah, 11, plus 16 extras were the only double figure contributions as the home side were bowled out for just 89 to lose by 93 runs. Adams had a super all-round day as he took 5-8.
Chorley's recent good form took a knock as they lost by 95 runs to Darwen who batted first and made 221-7. John Cordingley made a top score of 45, Jeff Hacking had another not out with 38 and Gareth Cordingley made 31 while Bill Smith had 4-58 and Stephen John 2-37. Tom Smith continued his good form with the bat with 42 and Michael Critchley made 46 but only Neil Senior, 12, of the rest reached double figures as Chorley were bowled out for 126 courtesy of 5-12 from Neil Cordingley and 3-42 from Andrew Mercer.
The two Leyland sides featured in a high scoring match at Fox Lane where Leyland's 202-7 looked a reasonable total. Zu Patel made 87 and Charlie Williams 55 not out with Iqbal Lilley taking 3-54. But Leyland Motors professional Atif Ashraf was once again in sparkling form and he led the way in the reply with 91 not out and with Faisel Patel making 47 and Tony Totham making 46, Motors won by eight wickets at 203-2.
The only game not to end in a definite result was at Stanley Park where Blackpool and Fleetwood played out a draw. Doug Marillier with 115 and John Whalley with 42 led the way to a total of 244-6 declared after 54.1 overs but then Blackpool dug in after losing early wickets and held out at 178-9 with Tim Barry making 50 and Steve Hill taking 4-49.
Results in brief (home sides in bold):
Fleetwood 244-6 dec (Marillier 115, Whalley 42),
Blackpool 178-9 (Barry 50, Hill 4-45)
Fleetwood 11 points, Blackpool 5 points
Darwen 221-7 (Cordingley J 45, Smith W 4-58),
Chorley 126 (Critchley 46, Smith T 42, Cordingley N 5-12)
Darwen 15 points, Chorley 3 points
Leyland 202-7 (Patel Z 87, Williams 55*),
Leyland Motors 203-2 (Ashraf 91*, Patel F 47, Totham 46)
Leyland 3 points, Leyland Motors 12 points
Lancaster 257-6 (Munnik 160, Heywood D 43), Morecambe 128 (Munnik 4-23)
Lancaster 15 points, Morecambe 2 points
Netherfield 304-3 (White 109*, Prime 85, Benkenstein 53),
Kendal 223 (Ullah 70, Hunte 65, Hadwin 4-37)
Netherfield 15 points, Kendal 4 points
St Annes 182-9 (Adams 49, Cotton, Adam 47, Parekh 5-57, Akbar 4-36),
Preston 89 (Adams 5-8)
St Annes 15 points, Preston 4 points
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division One
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Netherfield |
9 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
19 |
89 |
| Morecambe |
9 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
12 |
82 |
| Preston |
9 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
9 |
79 |
| Blackpool |
8 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
77 |
| Fleetwood |
8 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
21 |
73 |
| Darwen |
8 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
71 |
| Chorley |
8 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
69 |
| St Annes |
9 |
1 |
0 |
1* |
3 |
2 |
2 |
26 |
57 |
| Lancaster |
8 |
1 |
0 |
2* |
2 |
2 |
1 |
26 |
56 |
| Kendal |
8 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
17 |
50 |
| Leyland Motors |
8 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
18 |
42 |
| Barrow |
8 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
23 |
35 |
| Leyland |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
17 |
22 |
* includes 5 point for a tie
In the Second Division the best performance of the day came from Andrew Makinson for Leyland Motors as he took a leaf out of his Dad's book and took an astonishing 7-11 as Leyland were dismissed for 103 in reply to Motors 187 to which S Cartwright contributed a top score of 59 not out.
Faruk Patel took five more wickets for Morecambe as they rolled Lancaster over for just 57 and then knocked the runs off for the loss of two wickets. And Paul Dowker kept up his recent run spree with 44 of Kendal's 185-9 against Netherfield who settled for the draw with 113-7.
Top scorers of the day were Chorley who made 251-8 with P Hurst just missing out on his ton with 94. Ross Demming took 6-55 in Darwen's reply of 160 to which Simon Painter contributed 48.
Scores in brief (home side in bold):
Chorley 251-8 (Hurst 94, Cook 4-48), Darwen 160 (Painter 48, Demming 6-55)
Chorley 15 points Darwen 5 points
Blackpool 160-6 (Caunce 60, Horton 52, Gregson 5-36),
Fleetwood 161-6 (Riches 46)
Blackpool 4 points, Fleetwood 12 points
Kendal 185-9 (Dowker 44), Netherfield 113-7
Kendal 10 points, Netherfield 5 points
Lancaster 57 (Patel 5-26, Cupit 4-25), Morecambe 60-2
Lancaster 0 points, Morecambe 12 points
Leyland Motors 187 (Cartwright 59*, Sibley 46, Edwards 4-54),
Leyland 103 (Makinson 7-11)
Leyland Motors 15 points, Leyland 4 points
Preston 99 (Bartholomew 4-19), St Annes 101-3
Preston 1 point, St Annes 12 points
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division Two
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Chorley |
8 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
95 |
| Morecambe |
9 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
18 |
91 |
| St Annes |
9 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
89 |
| Darwen |
8 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
17 |
69 |
| Fleetwood |
8 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
17 |
62 |
| Barrow |
8 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
29 |
60 |
| Blackpool |
8 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
21 |
55 |
| Netherfield |
9 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
32 |
55 |
| Leyland Motors |
8 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
15 |
48 |
| Leyland |
8 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
27 |
40 |
| Lancaster |
8 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
17 |
38 |
| Preston |
9 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
15 |
36 |
| Kendal |
8 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
21 |
30 |
ACTION REPLAY:
FLEETWOOD JUST FAIL TO PULL IT OFF
Fleetwood 244-6 dec, Blackpool 178-9
By Gerry Wolstenholme
The local derby at Stanley Park was a tense affair with over 400 runs scored and 15 wickets falling but the split was such that the game ended in a draw, albeit an exciting and tense one. Fleetwood won the toss and batted and made hay in glorious conditions and in front of a fair-sized crowd. John Wright called his side in when professional Doug Marillier was dismissed for one of the most easily worked centuries he will ever score and Fleetwood's 244-6 declared looked a formidable target for Blackpool to chase. They lost some early wickets that put them behind the eight ball and in the end they had to settle for a draw with the last pair at the wicket at 178-9.
After a rousing, and Greek mythological team-talk from the professional, Fleetwood opened strongly with John Whalley continuing in his good form of the previous weekend. Michael Dewhurst did not opt for the same cavalier approach but when he had made 11 and the total was 16 he indulged in what appeared to be a little fly swapping and a rising ball was edged high into the air where Justin Kreusch at slip waited what seemed an eternity for the ball to fall into his hands. Chris Taylor was the successful bowler.
Whalley and Clinning then embarked on a productive partnership that brought 58 runs and during which Whalley, on 37, was missed from a skier to extra cover by Karl Marsland and then on 41 he was dropped behind the stumps by Richard Cragg. The misses did not cost Blackpool too many runs for Whalley lives by the sword and he dies by it too as he proved when he struck Paul Danson down the ground to long-off where the safe hands of Tim Barry took the catch. He had made 42 from 53 balls with six fours and when he was out Fleetwood were 84-2. It was very quickly 85-3 as Clinning tried to cut a ball that was to close to him and he only succeeded in chopping it into his stumps and he was gone for 24.
Marillier was quickly into his stride and some flowing shots, particularly on the leg side, saw him and John Wright move the scoreboard along rapidly.The professional had an escape on 30 when he pulled Danson to deep mid-wicket where Steve Metcalf made a valiant effort at a catch but realising that he was falling over the boundary he had to content himself with knocking the ball back into play and at 44 Chris Taylor at deep mid-on allowed a thunderbolt of a drive to rasp through his hands to the boundary. Other than these two escapes Marillier made batting look easy and it was as though he was simply having a net.
The pair had added 87 in 66 minutes when Wright, 24, hooked Kreusch to fine leg only for Metcalf to take the steepling catch and that was 172-4. Rob Clark made another of his cameo appearances and made 11 before Steven Croft trapped him leg before wicket at 209-5 and thereafter Marillier dominated the scoring. Adam Sharrocks made six not out and could have had seven but a run was turned down off the final ball of the 54th over so that Marillier maintained the strike. It did him no good for he drove Croft to long-on where Prash Aga held the catch at which point Fleetwood declared at 244-6. Marillier's 115 came from just 105 balls with one six that sailed into the adjacent Stanley Park and eight fours. Croft was Blackpool's most successful bowler with 2-39.
Blackpool's reply began badly as Marsland, more often seen at number 11, but on this occasion an opening batsman was beaten for pace by Steve Hill who bowled him for nought at 2-1. Steve Mercer, dropped behind the wicket by James Ellis early on, and Croft then took the total to 46 before the former guided Hill to second slip where Clinning took the catch as though it were catching practice. Mercer had made 17.
Croft, who had played a couple of glorious cover drives, then received a leg side delivery from Marillier but instead of crashing it into the Park, he tried to guide in fine and only succeeded in giving Ellis a leg side catch and he was gone for 29 at 50-3. Kreusch and Tim Barry, who was dropped by Clark at point on 18, set about righting the innings and although they were not making speedy headway towards the target they stayed together for some time before Kreusch fell leg before wicket to Dave Fish for 18 at 74-4.
Steve Metcalf, a Fleetwood youngster, then assisted Barry to thwart the Fleetwood attack and the pair advanced warily to 115 before Metcalf, 12, was bowled by an old school pal of his Tom Blundell. Blundell struck again at 137 when he bowled Aga for eight and when Robin Bracewell was leg before wicket to Hill without scoring, Fleetwood's tails were up as victory was on the horizon.
But they reckoned without Blackpool skipper Paul Danson who stayed until the end. He lost Barry immediately after the former Leyland player reached his half-century at 142-7 when he drove Hill to Sharrocks at extra cover. Barry's 50 came from 118 balls and contained one six and two fours. Danson also saw Taylor, five, beautifully caught at short backward square leg from a finely struck shot off Marillier but Cragg came out and with his captain saw off the final seven overs to earn Blackpool a draw.
There was one alarm when, in the penultimate over from Hill, there was a vehement appeal for a catch behind the wicket. It had all the Fleetwood players, except skipper Wright, celebrating but the umpire ruled in favour of the batsman and so it ended with Fleetwood earning 11 points and Blackpool five.
