Match Day 4th August 2007
3D SPORTS NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE
IT'S TIGHT AT THE TOP -
ST ANNES PUT THE PRESSURE ON NETHERFIELD
Gerry Wolstenholme
On a day when rain once again played havoc with the fixtures, St Annes stole a march on their nearest rivals by getting a 15-point win against last-placed Blackpool at a cold and sometimes drizzly Vernon Road. Leaders Netherfield picked up just four points as they suffered their fourth abandonment of the season. Third and fourth placed Morecambe and Darwen were due to play each other but rain set in when Darwen had made just 23-0. It was Darwen's sixth washout of the season.
St Annes made the most of having a full game after being put in to bat. They made 265-5 before declaring with Adrian Darlington top scoring with 71, substitute professional Mansoor Ahmed making 67 and Gareth Evans 59. Blackpool had only youngster Alex Smith, 37, and Charles Boucher, 31, making much of an impression as they were dismissed for 164 to lose by 101 runs. Michael Baer took 4-35 for St Annes.
Preston were the day's other winners, beating hapless Kendal by 47 runs at West Cliff. Preston made 151 with Rehman Shah making 68 not out, Lukman Vahaluwala making 42 with the only other double scorer being Javaid Hussain with 14 and Graeme Aldridge returning a fine 8-69 from an unchanged 23 overs as Chris Miller took the other two wickets at a cost 40 runs. His effort was in vain as Vahaluwala replied with 7-32 for Preston as Kendal were dismissed for just 104 with Tony Yasin making 37 and Dean Bell 20 and Terry Hunte 12.
Another game to run its course was at Fox Lane where Leyland made 232-4 thanks to 83 from Ameer Khan, 62 from Peter Cummings, 41 from Chris Parkinson and 23 from Andrew Makinson as Michael Walling took 3-56 for Lancaster who replied with 163-7, holding on for a draw. Michael Stevens scored 66, Montcin Hodge 41 and Tim Barry 22 for Lancaster as Khan took 3-75 and David Makinson 3-36.
It was abandoned at Barrow where Chorley received 12 overs and made 23-3 as Pasan Wanasinghe took 2-6 before the rain caused the game to be abandoned.
Another abandonment was at Netherfield where Carnforth had Lyndell Richardson run out for two before rain caused the game to end with the visitors on 14-1.
First Division scores in brief (home sides in bold):
Chorley 23-3 v Barrow - match abandoned, both sides four points
Leyland 232-4 (Khan 83, Cummings 62, Parkinson 41), Lancaster 163-7 (Stevens 66, Hodge 41)
Leyland 9 points, Lancaster 3 points
Darwen 23-0 v Morecambe - match abandoned, both sides four points
Carnforth 14-1 v Netherfield - match abandoned, both sides four points
Preston 151 (Shah 68* Vahaluwala 42, Aldridge 8-69), Kendal 104 (Vahaluwala 7-32)
Preston 15 points, Kendal 3 points
St Annes 265-5 dec (Darlington 71, Ahmed 67, Evans 59), Blackpool 164 (Baer 4-35)
St Annes 15 points, Blackpool 3 points
3D SPORTS NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division One
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Netherfield |
17 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
15 |
142 |
| St Annes |
16 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
37 |
136 |
| Morecambe |
17 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
25 |
134 |
| Darwen |
17 |
0 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
20 |
126 |
| Kendal |
17 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
2 |
17 |
119 |
| Leyland |
17 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
3 |
21 |
115 |
| Preston |
16 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
31 |
111 |
| Barrow |
17 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
30 |
108 |
| Lancaster |
16 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
27 |
103 |
| Fleetwood |
16 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
16 |
100 |
| CARNFORTH |
17 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
33* |
95 |
| Chorley |
16 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
5 |
23 |
87 |
| BLACKPOOL |
17 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
9 |
2 |
37* |
76 |
Teams in BLOCK CAPITALS have had points deducted,
* 2 points deducted for slow over rate from the Bonus Points Column
In a rain affected programme in the Second Division there were no winners but 449 runs were scored at Stanley Park where Michael Penney scored 64 not out for Blackpool and Neil Bradley replied with 61 for St Annes. And there were half centuries for Steve Mercer, 59, for Blackpool and 56 for Aiden Cotton for St Annes in the drawn game. Blackpool's Chris Taylor was the best of the two side's bowlers with 4-47. There were four-wicket hauls too at Birch Hall, for Darwen's Christian Davies, 4-31, and for Morecambe's veteran Peter Stephens, 4-48. Once again the game was drawn.
Second Division scores in brief (home sides in bold):
Blackpool 237-4 (Penney 64*, Mercer 59), St Annes 212-7 (Bradley, N 61, Aiden Cotton 56, Taylor, C 4-47)
Blackpool 9 points, St Annes 4 points
Netherfield 18-1 v Carnforth - match abandoned, both sides four points
Barrow 207-7 (Cartmell 50, Glasgow 50), Chorley 171-9
Barrow 10 points, Chorley 5 points
Morecambe 138 (Akrigg 54, Smith 42, Davies 4-31), Darwen 125-7 (Mulla 52, Stephens 4-48)
Morecambe 6 points, Darwen 4 points
Kendal v Preston - match abandoned, both sides four points
Leyland 50-0 v Lancaster - match abandoned, both sides four points
3D SPORTS NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division Two
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Netherfield |
17 |
2 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
10 |
156 |
| Lancaster |
16 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
155 |
| Morecambe |
17 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
27 |
149 |
| Chorley |
16 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
29 |
125 |
| Darwen |
17 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
24 |
124 |
| St Annes |
16 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
27 |
121 |
| Blackpool |
17 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
3 |
32 |
119 |
| Barrow |
17 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
29 |
109 |
| Leyland |
17 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
4 |
26 |
102 |
| Kendal |
17 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
4 |
17 |
87 |
| Preston |
16 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
20 |
87 |
| Carnforth |
17 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
3 |
34 |
82 |
| Fleetwood |
16 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
3 |
17 |
75 |
MATCH ACTION
ST ANNES' MARCH TOWARDS THE TOP CONTINUES
St Annes 265-5 dec, Blackpool 164
By Gerry Wolstenholme
St Annes' march towards the top of the 3D Northern Premier League table continued with a comprehensive 101-run victory over bottom-placed Blackpool, who won the toss and put St Annes in to bat. Grateful St Annes went on to make 265-5 before declaring after 43.2 overs and then bowled Blackpool out for 164 in 44.3 overs to take 15 points to Blackpool's two bonus points.
Adrian Darlington and Gareth Evans made a solid start for St Annes but both were given a life, Evans when he was 18 when a leaping James Smith behind the wicket tried desperately to take a top edge off Luis Reece, the ball going for four and ending Smith's tenure behind the stumps, and Darlington when on 44 when a diving Adam Parker at cover could not hold on to a fierce drive. Darlington got a second reprieve when on 64 he pulled a short ball straight to Richard Gleeson at mid-wicket only for the fielder to drop the chance.
The opening pair went on to put together a stand of 150 before a mix-up in calling led to Darlington being run out when Paul Danson's throw to substitute wicketkeeper Luis Reece beat the batsman's attempt to get back to his crease. He had gone for a fine 71 made from 91 balls with eight fours. And as often happens in such instances the other partner went within two runs. At 152 Evans drove Tom Reece, who had spent some time behind the stumps when James Smith first left the field, straight to Charles Boucher at long-on. He had made 59 from 97 balls with eight fours.
It then looked as though momentum was shifting as Blackpool took two further wickets, Ian Austin caught and bowled by Tom Reece for nine and Steven Twist caught by Alex Smith at deep square leg for 15, the wickets falling at 166 and 191. But that was more or less the end of Blackpool's success as Mansoor Ahmed and Adam Cotton put on a rapid 74 runs.
Ahmed began slowly, getting accustomed to the pitch and the bowling in his first Northern Premier League game, but once he had got the pace he set about the bowling with gusto. Tom Reece was one to suffer more than most as Ahmed struck him for three beautifully placed fours through extra cover and added one through mid-wicket in the over for good measure. He also crashed three huge sixes as he raced to 67 in just 41 balls with seven fours to go with his sixes before he holed out to Luke Melville off Gleeson. Meanwhile Adam Cotton, not often outscored and dropped by a diving Melville at long on when on four, made a swift 24 to enable St Annes to declare at 265-5. Tom Reece had 2-46, Gleeson 1-30 and Melville 1-39 for Blackpool.
The Blackpool reply began with some streaky fours off the edge before Luis Reece, 14, edged Ben Dowling, who had already been the unlucky bowler, to Twist at second slip when the total was 19. Justin Kreusch, six, did not last long before he edged Dowling to Duncan Whalley at 31 and Parker succumbed first ball as he too fell to the same Whalley/Downing combination.
Meanwhile young Alex Smith was looking very secure at the other end and he and Boucher put on the best stand of the innings as they added 43 runs for the fourth wicket. Most of them came from Boucher who was simply standing and delivering, all his first 28 runs coming in boundaries, many off the edge behind the wicket. He raced to 31 before he tried to cut Michael Baer and Whalley held his third catch with the total on 74-4.
Two wickets then fell with the total on 106. Tom Reece made 12 before he lost patience and skied Ahmed to Russ Bradley at short extra cover and Alex Smith, after 73 balls and seven fours, played across the line and was leg before wicket to Baer. Skipper Paul Danson could not stop the rot and made only eight before he had a rush of blood, charged Ahmed but only succeeded in skying a catch to Dowling at mid-off and that was 116-7. It was 123-8 when Gleeson prodded forward to be caught by Cotton at short leg for three and 138-9 when Dave Newton, already missed off a stumping chance to Ahmed when on one, repeated his effort only for Whalley to make amends with a smart stumping when the batsman had made 11.
Then came a good last wicket partnership by Melville, who managed a seven with a three and four overthrows, and James Smith, batting courageously with his damaged finger. Dowling was brought back but he bowled wide of the stumps far too often to trouble the batsmen and it was Baer who ended the innings when he had Melville, a gallant 23, brilliantly caught by a diving Evans at mid-on. Blackpool were all out for 164 to lose by 101 runs with Baer taking 4-35, Ahmed 3-50 and Dowling 3-56.
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