Match Day 31st May 2008 3D SPORTS NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD PARTNERSHIP FOR NETHERFIELD By Michael Latham Netherfield captain Chris Parry and Australian professional Callum Ferguson re-wrote the club record books at Parkside Road but the home side had to settle for a winning draw against 3D Sports Northern Premier League leaders Leyland. Parry and Ferguson formed an unbroken second partnership of 279 - a club record for any wicket as Netherfield totalled 279 for 1. Chris Parry and Callum Ferguson set a new Netherfield record at Parkside Parry 128 not out with three sixes and 14 fours and Ferguson 137 not out with 3 sixes and 10 fours provided a batting masterpiece after opener Craig Walmsley fell without scoring in the first over. Parry's declaration left his side with two extra overs but an opening partnership of 85 between Karl Cross 45 and Chris Parkinson 49 and Andrew Makinson's fine 54 not out frustrated the home side's victory hopes despite leg-spinner Marc Hadwin's return of 4 for 44 as the visitors closed on 189 for 7. Leyland remain unbeaten and stay on top. Netherfield professional Callum Ferguson hits his opposite number Ameer Khan to the boundary Chris Parry hits one of his 17 boundaries Netherfield captain Chris Parry celebrates his hundred But second-placed Kendal were frustrated by third-placed Morecambe at Woodhill Lane, taking nine points from a winning draw after the home side finished 158 for 7 chasing Kendal's imposing 256 for 7. Kevin Howarth continued his outstanding form with 113 (14x4, 1x6), sharing a second wicket partnership of 138 with Tery Hunte (63) that provided the cornerstone of Kendal's total. Morecambe hung on for a draw largely thanks to skipper Mark Lomas's half-century and opener Phil Dennison's 48 despite Ross McMillan and Ben Simm each taking three wickets. Cumberland county bowler Graham Dawson returned an NPL best of 6 for 54 as Barrow defeated reigning champions St Annes at the Ernest Pass Memorial Ground. Dawson, who joined Barrow from Millom this season, was the key figure as St Annes were dismissed for 175 despite captain Duncan Whalley's valiant 61. Earlier Jon Miles 67 and Ian Allington 48 had posted 115 for Barrow's first wicket partnership and despite professional Mansoor Ahmed returning 6 for 78 the home side reached a match-winning 214 for 9. Chorley were frustrated by the last Lancaster pair of captain David Heywood and Liam Moffat at Windsor Park and had to settle for a winning draw, which moved them up to fourth. Josh Tolley continued his outstanding form with 76, his fourth successive half century, in Chorley's 187 for 9 while South African professional Friedel de Wet took 4 for 61 in Lancaster's reply of 163 for 9, Jamie Heywood top-scoring with 48. Blackpool secured a thrilling two-wicket win at Darwen after Sri Lankan professional Sajeewa Weerakon bolstered their reply with 49 and skipper Paul Danson 27 not out and Richard Gleeson 25 not out engaged in a match-winning, unbroken ninth wicket partnership to see the visitors home. Home professional Atif Ashraf's 52 and John Cordingley's 54 not out had provided the mainstays of Darwen's 196 for 8. As a result, Blackpool are now third. In the basement battle at Broadwater an outstanding performance by Preston professional Bilal Asad secured a 22-run victory for his side. Bilal Asad hit 55 in Preston's modest total of 151, Lukman Vahaluwala adding valuable support with 38. The dynamic duo then bowled Preston to victory with four wickets apiece despite resistance from Mark Emsley's 45. RESULTS FIRST DIVISION Barrow v St Annes Barrow (15pts) defeated St Annes (5pts) by 39 runs Barrow 214 for 9 (J Miles 67, I Allinson 48, Mansoor Ahmed 6 for 78), St Annes 175 (D Whalley 61, G Dawson 6 for 54) Chorley v Lancaster Chorley (10pts) winning draw; Lancaster (6pts) Chorley 187 for 9 (J Tolley 76, N Eastham 41, M Walling 4 for 65), Lancaster 163 for 9 (J Heywood 48, F de Wet 4 for 61) Darwen v Blackpool Blackpool (12pts) defeated Darwen (5pts) by 2 wickets Darwen 196 for 8 (J Cordingley 54 not out, Atif Ashraf 52), Blackpool 198 for 8 (S Weerakon 49) Fleetwood v Preston Preston (15pts) defeated Fleetwood (3pts) by 22 runs Preston 151 (Bilal Asad 55), Fleetwood 127 (M Emsley 45, Bilal Asad 4 for 39, L Vahaluwala 4 for 29) Morecambe v Kendal Kendal (9pts) winning draw; Morecambe (4pts) Kendal 256 for 7 (K Howarth 113, T Hunte 63), Morecambe 158 for 7 (M Lomas 50, P Dennison 48) Netherfield v Leyland Netherfield (9pts) winning draw; Leyland (5pts) Netherfield 279 for 1 (C Ferguson 137 not out, C Parry 128 not out), Leyland 189 for 7 (A Makinson 54 not out, C Parkinson 49, K Cross 44, M Hadwin 4 for 44) 3D SPORTS NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE Division One Club P W15 W12 D4 D1 L NR4 BP Pts Leyland 8 3 2 2 1 0 0 12 90 Kendal 8 2 2 3 0 1 0 15 81 Blackpool 8 1 4 0 1 2 0 9 73 CHORLEY 9 0 4 2 0 3 0 15* 71 Lancaster 9 1 1 2 3 2 0 30 68 Morecambe 8 1 3 0 4 0 0 12 67 St Annes 8 1 2 2 0 3 0 18 65 Carnforth 8 2 1 1 1 3 0 14 61 Netherfield 8 1 1 2 2 2 0 19 56 Barrow 9 1 1 1 2 4 0 20 53 Darwen 8 0 2 0 1 5 0 16 41 Preston 8 1 0 1 0 6 0 16 35 Fleetwood 9 0 0 1 1 7 0 16 21 * 2 Points deducted for slow over rate SECOND DIVISION Blackpool v Darwen Blackpool (8pts) winning draw; Darwen (5pts) Blackpool 175 for 9 (J Hogarth 61, C Davies 4 for 59), Darwen 154 for 7 (G Ainslie 40 not out) Kendal v Morecambe Morecambe (9pts) winning draw; Kendal (5pts) Morecambe 220 for 9 (B Akrigg 61, M Phillips 4 for 59), Kendal 144 for 7 (A Thompson 54, G Cassidy 5 for 41) Lancaster v Chorley Chorley (12pts) defeated Lancaster (0pts) by 9 wickets Lancaster 76 (S Sweeney 6 for 18), Chorley 77 for 1 (A Peacock 50 not out) Leyland v Netherfield Leyland (15pts) defeated Netherfield (1pt) by 27 runs Leyland 166 for 6 (T Coxhead 72 not out), Netherfield 139 (N Chambers 61) Preston v Fleetwood Preston (12pts) defeated Fleetwood (1pt) by 6 wickets Fleetwood 96 (A Starkie 5 for 18), Preston 97 for 4 (M Jefferies 40 not out) St Annes v Barrow Match Tied- St Annes 10 pts, Barrow 11 pts Barrow 208 for 7 (T Bamber 85 not out, N Lauderdale 68), St Annes 208 (D Watson 56, A Kellett 54) 3D SPORTS NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE Division Two Club P W15 W12 D4 D1 L NR4 BP Pts Chorley 9 4 3 0 2 0 0 10 108 Blackpool 8 4 1 2 0 1 0 11 91 Barrow 9 1 2 4** 0 2 0 23 79 Morecambe 8 1 3 1 0 3 0 17 72 St Annes 8 1 1 3** 2 1 0 26 68 Lancaster 9 0 4 0 2 3 0 12 62 Darwen 8 0 3 1 1 2 1 14 59 Netherfield 8 2 1 1 0 3 1 8 58 Leyland 8 2 0 1 0 5 0 17 51 Preston 8 2 1 0 0 5 0 8 50 Kendal 8 1 0 1 2 3 1 15 40 Fleetwood 9 0 1 0 1 6 1 13 30 Carnforth 8 0 1 0 2 5 0 12 26 ** Tied Match 5 pionts each Michael Latham's Featured Matches of the day Match 1 - Part 1 Netherfield v Leyland PARRY AND FERGUSON SET A NEW RECORD AT PARKSIDE The sun-drenched spectators at Parkside Road saw a piece of cricketing history in the making on Saturday as Chris Parry and Callum Ferguson re-wrote the Netherfield record books. Their unbroken second wicket partnership of 279 against Leyland was the highest for any wicket in club history. Chris Parry and Callum Ferguson congratulate one another The pair came together in the first over after Craig Walmsley fell to a fourth ball duck. Walmsley's dismissal seemed to reward the visitors for inviting Parry's men to bat, or so it seemed at the time. But skipper Parry and Australian professional Ferguson took the initiative straight away. Their left-hand/ right-hand combination worked superbly as Parry and Ferguson cleverly rotated the strike and kept the scoreboard ticking over. Callum Ferguson square drives Leyalnd captain David Makinson Chris Parry drives Leyland professional Ameer Khan By the time Parry unselfishly declared Netherfield had reached 279 for 1 after 48 overs with the skipper 128 not out, his second Northern League century and Ferguson unbeaten on 137. Parry faced 137 balls and hit 17 boundaries, including three sixes. Ferguson faced 143 balls and hit three sixes and ten fours. The batsmen return to the pavilion after their innings The previous Netherfield partnership record was 259 set between the opening pair of Walmsley and South African professional Pierre De Bruyn against Fleetwood at Parkside Road in 2005. On that occasion Netherfield made 319 for 2, Walmsley making a career best 171 and de Bruyn 112 not out but Fleetwood salvaged a draw, closing on 214 for 5. Again Netherfield were unable to force a win on a superb Parkside Road batting wicket, leaders Leyland closing on 189 for 7. "I was a bit nervous early on as Leyland put us into bat and we lost that early wicket, "reflected Parry afterwards. "But Callum started batting really well straight away and that released the pressure as we got the scoreboard ticking over. "I was quite pleased with my season last year and have been practicing hard this year. When I took over the captaincy from Scott (Clement) I began with two ducks but that's the way things go some times. I knew that if I kept practicing hard my luck would change. We had a difficult start to the season with players missing but since we've got our full side things have been going pretty good for us." Ferguson, aged 23, is in his second stint as an English professional having previously played for Gateshead Fell in the north-east. The South Australian, who has scored two first-class hundreds, is enjoying his time at Netherfield. "The guys in the team and the club are good and I have been looked after really well," he said. "It's a nice ground and hopefully in the second half of the season the wickets will really dry out and we'll get some really firm batting tracks. "Chris is great to bat with and we had a good understanding out there.The combination of left hand and right hand works well and can be off-putting for bowlers. "It was just a pity we weren't able to go and claim the full 15 points." Michael Latham's Featured Matches of the day Match 1 - Part 2 Netherfield v Leyland PARRY AND FERGUSON RE - WRITE THE RECORD BOOKS Chris Parry and Callum Ferguson re-wrote the Netherfield record books with a stunning, unbroken second wicket partnership of 279 against Leyland at Parkside Road. The pair came together in the first over after Craig Walmsley fell to a fourth ball duck, cutting an Andrew Makinson long hop outside the off stump down the throat of third man James Rounding, who took a fine catch. Walmsley's dismissal seemed to reward the visitors for inviting Parry's men to bat, or so it seemed at the time. Taking the initiative straight away, the pair soon re-established control for their side as the 3D Sports Northern Premier League leaders bowling attack- normally their strong suit was put to the sword. The left-hand/ right-hand combination worked superbly as Parry and Ferguson cleverly rotated the strike and kept the scoreboard ticking over. Parry, last season's leading amateur run-maker took over the captaincy from Scott Clement earlier in the season after Netherfield slumped to 51 all out and a crushing defeat at Darwen. He began his reign with successive ducks but has now re-discovered last season's form and looks a highly accomplished batsman. Parry has now hit 318 runs at an average of 53 and is on target to surpass last year's tally of 724. Netherfield captain Chris Parry leg glances on his way to his century Ferguson, who joined the club as professional at the start of the season, showed the experience of 36 first-class matches for South Australia. The stylish, slightly built 23-year-old right-handed batsman looked a superb prospect as he reached his first Northern League hundred after previously passing the 50-mark on three occasions. A big hit by Callum Ferguson on his way to his century By the time Parry unselfishly declared Netherfield had reached 279 for 1 after 48 overs with the skipper 128 not out, his second Northern League century and Ferguson unbeaten on 137. Parry faced 137 balls and hit 17 boundaries, including three sixes. Ferguson faced 143 balls and hit three sixes and ten fours. The previous Netherfield partnership record was 259 set between the opening pair of Walmsley and South African professional Pierre De Bruyn against Fleetwood at Parkside Road in 2005. Of the Leyland bowlers only Steve Pallett, who bowled 10 overs for 44 and captain David Makinson, who deserved better than figures of 0 for 90 from 18 overs, came out of the barrage with any real credit. Professional Ameer Khan's 14 overs cost 84 runs. Such was the dominance of bat over ball on a largely sunny and warm Kendal afternoon that there were relatively few chances of breaking the partnership, though in all fairness Leyland's out-cricket held up well. Ferguson survived a confident LBW shout by Makinson just before he reached his 50 while Parry appeared to survive a sharp chance behind the wicket off the same bowler later in the innings. Ferguson was first to his 50, reached out of 96 in the 17th over and Parry followed suit with a four through mid on in the 24th over out of 129. Ferguson moved relentlessly on to his hundred, out of 209 in the 40th over before Parry reached three figures in the 44th over out of 234. The club record partnership record was reached in style in the 46th over when Parry swept Makinson for a six. Parry's declaration left Netherfield with 52 overs to bowl out the league leaders and inflict their first defeat of the season. But openers Karl Cross and Chris Parkinson, who had posted a century stand against St Annes in the previous match, again began confidently. They took the score to 85 in the 21st over before Parkinson fell just one run short of a deserved 50, bowled by leg-spinner Marc Hadwin. Hadwin then struck a decisive blow two balls later, snatching a caught-and-bowled to dismiss Ameer Khan for a duck. Peter Cummings was then caught behind by Tommy Prime from a Ferguson off-cutter and at drinks Leyland had reached 102 for 3 after 26 overs. Any last hopes of a victory chase were ended when Cross got a leading edge to Hadwin and was caught by Ferguson to leave his side 102 for 4. Netherfield sensed their victory chance with Hadwin bowling an impressive spell from the Parkside Road end and Clement re-called into the attack from the Castle End. Marc Hadwin bowled superbly to take 4 wickets But Andrew Makinson defied the home attack with a mature innings, defending stoutly and never afraid to punish the loose ball. Leyland continued to lose wickets while Makinson held firm, Tom Reece falling LBW to Hadwin, and Ian Farrington and Rounding both caught behind by Prime off Clement. But the father and son combination of Andrew and David Makinson safely negotiated the last eight overs and see Leyland through to stumps. Andrew Makinson cover drove Clement for four to bring up his well-deserved 50 in the 50th over and see Leyland to their third batting point. Andrew Makinson finished 54 not out from 94 balls and Hadwin collected 4 for 44 from 16 overs. Andrew Makinson hit a fine unbeaten half century for Leyland Michael Latham's Featured Matches of the day Match 2 Darwen v Blackpool A FINE WIN FOR DANSON'S MEN Blackpool CC coach Mick Moore has kindly sent this report of his side's win at Darwen last Saturday In a keenly fought contest between two evenly matched sides, once more Blackpool took the honours, although any one of four results was possible right up to almost the last ball of the match. Having noted that results at Birch Hall have been going the way of the side batting second so far this season, skipper Paul Danson's decision to insert Darwen on winning the toss was understandable. The home side got off to a steady start at about four runs per over on a track that offered something to both bat and ball. It can be tricky bowling at Darwen, when not used to the slope on the ground and both Gleeson and Reece had problems with their run-up and line. Indeed Rick managed a total of nine no-balls in two spells, much to his annoyance. However, Reece had the first success of the day when he claimed the wicket of stalwart Gary Jackson, caught low down at slip by Danson with the score on 45. This seemed to settle the bowlers down and although Darwen continued to score at roughly four per over they stuck to their task and never allowed the opposition to pull away from them. Luis Reece opens the Batting and Bowling for Blackpool This is reflected in the bowler's figures. Rick came back well in his second spell to finish with 2 for 52 off 14, including the timely wicket of professional Atif Ashraf for 52. Luis's 11 overs produced 2 for 45; "Steady Eddy" Andy Hogarth chipped in with 1 for 26 in 7, with Blackpool's popular professional Sajeewah Weerakoon claiming three useful wickets for 57 in a tidy 18 over spell. Darwen pro Atif Ashraf hit 52 against Blackpool Blackpool's fielding was again up to the mark, testament to the benefits of the hard work put in at practice under the watchful eye of fielding coach Michael Moore. Another good performance behind the stumps under difficult conditions by vice-captain James Smith and a score of 196 for 8 seemed about par for the course. Blackpool's response was a genuine team effort, as portrayed by the scorecard, with no one batsman topping 50, but good contributions all the way down the list. Many captains claim that their team can bat well down the order, but none can do so with more conviction than skipper Danson. James Smith, who recently batted at 3 (scoring 20 - Ed!), was the only man not to bat to-day, due in at no.11 And not a word of complaint, further evidence if any were needed of the terrific team spirit engendered in this side. It looked as if Adrian Darlington might be about to shake off his batting demons as hegot stuck in to the Darwen attack, striking three classic "Darlo" boundaries. Unfortunately he was bowled on 14 when attempting to pull a ball which was barely short enough. Adie was furious with such a shot on a wicket which he himself said was not one for pulling on. Adrain Darlington opened the innings for Blackpool Although wickets kept falling on a regular basis, the visitors kept chipping away at their target; Luis Reece 27, Steve Mercer 20, the professional (a well crafted 49, littered with boundaries including one enormous straight six) all kept Blackpool in with a chance of victory. Only the hapless "Bash" & Andy "Jordan" Hogarth failed to trouble the scorers. Yet when Hogs was out leaving on 153 for 8, it looked as if Danno would have to settle for a draw. None of it!! Sticking with the confident, positive approach, which is currently running through all the sides in the club, Captain Marvel called upon Richard Gleeson to fill the Number 10 spot. Rick's confident stride to the middle gave a clue as to what might happen next. Under the guiding hand of skipper Danno these 2 edged ever closer to the target until Rick decided to cut loose, striking 5 magnificent boundaries, one cover drive for four qualifying for the champagne moment of the day. This 9th wicket pairing of Danson (27 not out) and Gleeson (25 not out) saw Blackpool home with an unbeaten stand of 45 to finish on 198 for 8 with 3 balls to spare. Skipper Paul Danson steered his side home A magnificent team effort from a side growing in confidence and stature with each additional success. Michael Latham's Featured 2nd Division Matches of the day Match 1 St Annes v Barrow DRAMATIC TIE AT ST ANNES St Annes was the scene of a dramatic tied game St Annes 2nd XI captain Andy Kellett has kindly sent in the following report of his side's dramatic tied game against Barrow on Saturday Barrow captain Ray Mowat won the toss and decided to bat first on an excellent looking batting wicket with a short fast boundary as well. St Annes made a good start removing the Barrow opening batter Jonathan McMenemy in the 2nd over, a good catch by 14-year-old Nathan Bolus off the bowling of the ever improving Luke O'Dea. However, Barrow's other opening batter Neil Lauderdale looked in fine form following on from his magnificent 141 the week before against Carnforth. O'Dea took two more wickets but Lauderdale was continuing to score freely. Aiden Cotton then came on to bowl just after drinks and took the important wicket of Lauderdale for a well made 68. St Annes then looked in a good position to restrict Barrow to around 175 but Tod Bamber, batting at number six, came in and made an impressive 85 not out to take Barrow to a good score of 208 for 7 in their 50 overs. Luke O'Dea and Aiden Cotton both took 3 wickets each for St Annes. In reply, St Annes made a good start before dangerman Sean Bickerdike was removed for 25. Ray Mowat then came on and bowled a fine first spell of off spin but St Annes's Andy Kellett and Paul Wilks took the score to 115 for 1. At this stage St Annes looked in a good position to win but then lost six wickets for the addition of 40 runs and slipped to 155 for 7 and Barrow became firm favourites. Paul Wilks scored his highest Northern League score of 41 and 'born again' batsman Dave Watson, who has been in fine form this season was still there and looked like St Annes's last hope. Watson batted magnificently, cleverly hogging the bowling as well as hitting the boundaries that St Annes needed. St Annes needed nine to win with one over left with 8 wickets down with Watson facing the first delivery on 49 not out. Watson hit Mowat for a straight six from the first ball of the last over and suddenly St Annes were favourites again. Watson went to his first and very well deserved fifty of the season. However, the next two balls weny down as dots in the scorebook and off the fourth ball Watson was run out going for a second run. Two balls then remained and St Annes still required two more runs to win. Luke O'Dea scrambled a run of fifth ball and the scores were then level with one ball remaining and Bolus on strike. The 'unusual' rule of their only being a Tie if the team batting second are all-out meant that it was in St Annes interest if they couldn't hit the winning run that they should lose their last wicket. St Annes balcony frantically tried to relay this message to Bolus and O'Dea. Bolus missed the ball, the Barrow wicket keeper Rob Lightfoot tried to stump Bolus but he was not out, however the quick thinking O'Dea and Bolus still tried to run a bye, Lightfoot threw the ball to the other end and Bolus was run out. A tie was the final result, a fair result in a magnificent game. Michael Latham's Featured 2nd Division Matches of the day Match 2 Blackpool v Darwen BLACKPOOL HAVE TO SETTLE FOR A WINNING DRAW Blackpool 2nd XI captain Andy Griffiths has kindly provided this report of his side's home game against Darwen: Blackpool entertained Darwen on a warm sunny day at Stanley Park, and on the back of two 15-point wins, having won the toss again, captain Andy Griffiths elected to bat. However, with the wicket proving to be slow and more effective to bowlers who take the pace off the ball, it was soon clear an imposing total would not be possible and that some grit and determination was required in order to ensure a competitive total. Darwen's fielding was enthusiastic and aggressive throughout the innings, and their bowlers showed discipline to bowl good line and lengths. Nicky Wall was again first to go, this time bowled for 9 to an inauspicious shot across the line. This brought last week's centurion, Jamie Hogarth to the crease to join Dave Newton, but their partnership was broken when Newton, on 30, was undone by a Bonner leg-cutter which pitched middle and took off stump. When Hogarth and Bracewell had progressed to 75 after 23 overs, it was a good platform from which to build the innings and post a total in the region of 200. However, the 24th over was to prove a disaster for the home side, with Bracewell (12) playing a disappointing shot to be caught by deep mid-off, and Michael Penney being adjudged LBW for a first ball duck. Worse was to come as Prash Aga confused himself for Linford Christie and was run out for one going for a second to the young lad who had already proved he had a dynamite arm. At drinks, it was clear a re-building job was required, and with Jamie Hogarth carrying on his good form, ably supported by Michael Taylor, the score progressed from 76 to 117 when a double disaster struck, Taylor 13 being caught at mid-off going over the top, and the Captain falling LBW for a 5-ball duck (his third on the trot). At 117 for7 we were in deep trouble, but some excellent batting from the lower order and Jamie, who was fortunate to be dropped in the 40's moved the score past the one batting bonus point. Luke Melville made a fine 17 before being caught and bowled by Bonner, and then Booth took up the mantle with Jamie, who was 9 out in the last over for an excellent 61, made in searing heat. Jamie, who was never as comfortable as the previous week, showed good maturity and the willingness to fight for his wicket and his team in batting 44 overs in the sweltering conditions - an excellent knock Jamie - well done! Boothy, reliable as ever down the order, finished on 19 not out, and at 175-9 in the 50 overs we felt we had enough to put pressure on and go for the win. Jamie, fresh from a cold shower, was asked to open the bowling with Armstrong, but the conditions had certainly sapped some of the usual spark from his bowling, and his one over was well down on the pace we have come to expect. After a chat with his skipper, Jamie put in four overs at a greater pace before retiring to the outfield for a well deserved rest. The bowling in the first few overs was poor to say the least, and the fielders were quiet, affected I think by the number of no balls that were being bowled. Of the first 40 runs scored by Darwen, more than half were extras, and all of the extra balls bowled left us 15 minutes behind the over rate. When the bowlers did settle down, Army started to look like his usual self, and after 2 poor first overs of his own Luke started to bowl a good line and length. Both were rewarded as the visitor's good start was pegged back. With 2 wickets a piece, courtesy of catches by Bracey (good low take at first slip), Penney, and Jamie (including a stunning catch of the season contender diving low to the left at third slip), our tails were up as Darwen slumped to 46 for 4. However, the turning point of the game revolved around another no ball, which on this occasion would have seen Brown, the Darwen number 6 depart for a duck. It was not to be and from what would have been 50 for5 we came across a defiant partnership as Darwen captain Graham Ainslie and his junior partner batted with caution. With the no balls costing us a wicket and meaning that we were 15 minutes behind the required over rate, our attentions were forced to bowling overs quickly (as opposed to concentrating on taking wickets and taking our time). Boothy was pivotal to this, but it forced Mike Taylor, in his first appearance of the season, and Jamie who came back for a mid-innings spell to trot back to their bowling mark and bowl off reduced run ups for a period. As we caught up with the over rate, Jamie was then asked to come off his full run up, and first ball managed to trap Brown LBW for 29. As so often happens, one wicket brings two, and Jamie bowled one too good for Anderson to take his middle stump. With Ainslie finding a partner in Jones who was keen to go for the win, we knew we might get a chance sooner or later, but sadly it came too late (48th over) for us to have a realistic chance of winning, but the 7th wicket (Army's third) provided us with an invaluable eight points in a winning draw, as Darwen closed 21 runs short on 154 for 7, Ainslie unbeaten on 40. The bowling figures Army 3-30 off 14, Jamie 2-44 off 12, Luke 2-18 off 6, Tayls 0-28 off 6, Boothy 0-30 off 12.

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