By Michael Latham
Barrow pro
Pasan Wanasinghe captures the vital wicket of Ross
McMillan |
Leyland saw their 28-point lead at the top of
the Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket League
(incorporating Readers Cricket Balls) cut to 17 points with
four games left to play after Barrow kept up the pressure in
the title chase.
Season long leaders Leyland had the worst of a
draw at defending champions St Annes and picked up only four
points while Barrow earned a maximum 15-point haul from their
victory over Kendal at Shap Road.
The two sides meet at Fox
Lane on Bank Holday Monday in a game that will have a vital
say on the destination of the championship.
Darwen and Blackpool both earned maximum points
after defeating Lancashire Colts and Preston
respectively.
Leyland have played 21 games and have 234
points and lead Barrow (21-217), St Annes (21-196) and Darwen
(221-186) with Blackpool (21-172) in fifth.
Atiq Uz-Zaman emerged from a lean spell to hit a
superb 121 for St Annes as the home side raced to 261 for 7.
Atiq shared an opening stand of 73 in 25 overs with skipper
Andy Kellett and then cut loose in the second half of the
innings, receiving good support from Duncan Whalley (49) and
pro Dinuka Hettiarachchi (28). Atiq has now scored 866 league
runs and leads Barrow's Jon Miles (784) in the race for the
Castle Award.
Leyland lost their first four wickets for 39
with Hettiarachchi going on to take three for 51 from 24 overs
and reach 80 league wickets for the season. Opening bowler Ben
Dowling captured three for 69 but Leyland pro Brett Pelser
steered his side to a draw with an unbeaten 50 with good
support from Andrew Makinson (37) and James Rounding (21 not
out).
Barrow looked in difficulty early on at Kendal,
relying on a fine 59 from 86 balls from Cumberland county
opener Miles as they slumped to 118 for 7.
Chris Miller reached the 50-wicket mark for the
season when he had Barrow pro Pasan Wanasinghe leg before
while Sedbergh Schoolboy Ollie Field took three for 16 from
six productive overs. But Iain Kermode batted superbly to hit
an unbeaten 55 with three sixes and four fours and nursed the
tail to 206 for 9.
Barrow's
Iain Kermode hits out against Kendal captain/pro Ross
McMillan |
Miller has now taken 51 league wickets, one
short of equalling the club record for an amateur and leads
Lancaster's Ben Simm (48) and Darwen's Kamran Anwar (48) in
the Castle Award bowling table.
Wanasinghe went on to take four for 48 including
the prize wicket of Kendal pro Ross McMillan bowled first ball
for 0 and has now taken 66 league wickets.
Graham
Dawson clean bowls Mark Williams to win the game for
Barrow |
Terry Hunte provided the main resistance with a
typically classy 70 off 111 balls before he was caught behind
off Wanasinghe. Skipper Daryl Wearing took three for 27, left
arm spinner Gary Collins two for 27 and Graham Dawson ended
Kendal's hopes of a draw by clean-bowling Mark Williams with
13 balls remaining as Kendal were dismissed for 136.
Pasan Wanasinghe leads
Barrow off the field after their win over
Kendal |
Darwen warmed up for the Readers Cup Final by
continuing their recent fine run, defeating Lancashire Colts
at Birch Hall. Two innings of contrasting styles helped Darwen
recover from 23 for 3 to reach 189 for 9, skipper John
Cordingley grafting through 100 balls for 44 and talented
teenager Kamran Anwar hitting an unbeaten 50 at a run-a-ball.
Chris Hartley took four for 46 for the Colts and Daniel
Edwards three for 50.
Anwar then completed a fine all-round game by
taking four for 37 as the Colts, captained by Lancashire
Director of Cricket Mike Watkinson were bowled out for 134.
Chris Wade supported Anwar with three for 15, Ryan Tyson
top-scoring with 31.
Darwen's cup final opponents Morecambe also
enjoyed the taste of victory after skipper Tommy Clough hit an
unbeaten 18 off only six balls to steer his side home by three
wickets with seven balls in hand. The match was reduced to one
of 43 overs per side after Chorley's team arrived late due to
long motorway delays on the M6.
The visitors posted a competitive 156 for 7 with
Jack Bentham making 34, Will Moulton 32 and pro Gaurav Dhar
30. Ikram Ullah hit 32 and Phil Dennison 38 as Morecambe
reached 106 for 2 in reply before leg-spinner Dhar (four for
66) induced a collapse, clean bowling three of his victims
until Clough came in to play a true captain's cameo role.
Blackpool emerged victorious from a tense,
low-scoring game at West Cliff despite only hitting two
boundaries in their tortuous innings of 112 for 9 on a
slow-paced pitch. Michael Moore top-scored with 21 off 56
balls and was one of only four Blackpool batsmen to reach
double figures. Preston pro Bilal Asad took three for 18 off
16 overs.
Preston looked well placed as they reached 58
for 2 before Blackpool's Sri Lankan pro Nimesh Perera emerged
as the match-winner. The leg-spinner returned exceptional
figures of seven for 20 off 10 overs in his most productive
spell of the summer as Preston lost their last eight wickets
for 36 runs, Adam Parker last man out bowled by Perera for a
defiant 39.
Fleetwood's in-form pro Matt Frith hit an
undefeated 85 off 144 balls in his side's challenging 217 for
3 at Broadwater, wicketkeeper Dean Bell making 61 off 98
balls. Lancaster closed out for a draw on 160 for 6 despite
Sam Bell and Frith each taking two wickets.
Carnforth pro Gareth Pedder took seven wickets
in 22 balls but still finished on the losing side against
Netherfield at Lodge Quarry. In a remarkable collapse the
visitors lost their last eight wickets for 14 runs after
coasting to 201 for 2, Pedder finishing with seven for 26.
Alex Atkinson top-scored with 82 off 83 balls
including three fours and five sixes with Ben Haddrick (48),
pro Nick Kruger (37) and John Huck (25) all helping their side
get off to a flying start. But Stuart Nixon and Ryan Wilson
then tore into Carnforth's fragile batting line-up weakened by
the unavailability of opener Ryan Nelson. Nixon took five 13
and Wilson five for 44 as Carnforth rolled over for just 63 in
23.2 overs.
FIRST DIVISION SCORES
CARNFORTH v NETHERFIELD
Netherfield (15pts) defeated Carnforth (3pts)
by 152 runs
Netherfield 215 (A Atkinson 82, B Haddrick 48, G
Pedder 7 for 26) Carnforth 63 (S Nixon 5 for 13, R Wilson 5
for 44)
DARWEN v LANCASHIRE COLTS
Darwen (15pts) defeated Lancashire Colts
(3pts) by 55 runs
Darwen 189 for 9 (K Anwar 50no, J Cordingley
44, C Hartley 4 for 46) Lancashire Colts 134 (K Anwar 4 for
37)
FLEETWOOD v LANCASTER
Fleetwood (8pts) winning draw; Lancaster
(3pts)
Fleetwood 217 for 3 (M Frith 85no, D Bell 61)
Lancaster 160 for 6
KENDAL v BARROW
Barrow (15pts) defeated Kendal (3pts) by 70
runs
Barrow 206 for 9 (J Miles 59, I Kermode 55no)
Kendal 136 (T Hunte 70, P Wanasinghe 4 for 48)
MORECAMBE v CHORLEY
Morecambe (12pts) defeated Chorley (3pts) by 3
wickets
Chorley 156 for 7 Morecambe 157 for 7 (G Dhar
4 for 66)
PRESTON v BLACKPOOL
Blackpool (15pts) defeated Preston (3pts) by
18 runs
Blackpool 112 for 9 Preston 94 (N Perera 7 for
20)
ST ANNES v LEYLAND
St Annes (8pts) winning draw; Leyland
(4pts)
St Annes 261 for 7 (Atiq Uz-Zaman 121, D Whalley
49) Leyland 152 for 6 (B Pelser 50no)
FURNESS BUILDING SOCIETY
( INCORPORATIN READERS CRICKET
BALLS )
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division One
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Leyland |
21 |
5 |
11 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
17 |
234 |
| Barrow |
21 |
6 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
18 |
217 |
| St Annes |
21 |
3 |
10 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
15 |
196 |
| Darwen |
21 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
39 |
186 |
| Blackpool |
21 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
19 |
172 |
| Morecambe |
21 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
3 |
33 |
149 |
| Lancaster |
21 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
5 |
33 |
142 |
| Netherfield |
21 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
5 |
26 |
129 |
| Kendal |
22 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
9 |
4 |
53 |
129 |
| Preston |
22 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
8 |
4 |
33 |
118 |
| Fleetwood |
21 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
12 |
2 |
49 |
104 |
| Carnforth |
21 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
13 |
2 |
43 |
99 |
| Chorley |
21 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
13 |
2 |
40 |
90 |
| Lancashire Colts |
11 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
21 |
72 |
Match Report By Michael Moore
Preston v Blackpool
Danno`s Boys travelled to Westcliffe today
looking to emulate their success of last weekend when they
crushed title contenders St. Annes at Stanley Park. But
crushing anybody in the playing conditions available at the
once proud Preston`s ground is rarely on the cards these
days.
As a groundsman myself, I am always reluctant to
criticise other grounds but Preston have some serious problems
to overcome if they are to bring their ground up to Premier
League status. The outfield was no better than a harvested
field and the pitch itself was way below par for this standard
of cricket.
I sincerely hope that Preston can find the
resources to bring their ground back to the standard it used
to be in my playing time, or even close to that. Good luck
with that ,guys.
Winning the toss , Blackpool skipper Paul Danson
toook the brave and positive decision to bat first , going for
the maximum 15 points available. And somehow it worked!
On a slow and unpredictable wicket , the
visitors got off to a snail`s pace start reaching only 7
before the first wicket fell in the 7th over, john Mounsey
falling victim to the miserly Bilal Asad bowled for 6. The
tempo continued in similar fashion for most of the Blackpool
innings with boundaries being as scarce as rocking horse
manure as shots which would under normal circumstances have
gone for 4 were merely achieving one or at best two runs.Alex
Smith battled long and hard for 16 off 57 balls before being
adjudged caught behind off the bowling of Hussain, whilst pro
Perera (14 off 41) and Bash Moore(21 off 56) made significant
contributions.
The lower order added some priceless runs as
Gleeson (10off 32),Sissons (5 not out off 20) and debutant
Craig Brown (5 not out off 20) dragged the visitors to 112 for
9 from their 50 overs.A total which the home side should have
had no real problem with.
And for most of the second half it appeared that
the home team were going to reach their target
comfortably.Patel (14), Harrison (15), Parker (39), and pro
Bilal Asad (15)gave Preston a solid start against some tight
seam bowling from Gleeson (2 for 51 in 18) and Furniss (0 for
19 in 8).
But it was the introduction of the Blackpool
professional Nimesh Perera which turned the game completely on
its head. In an inspired spell of leg spin bowling he took 7
wickets for only 20 runs in just 7 overs , as Preston subsided
from 64 for 3 to 94 all out in the space of 13 overs, almost
doubling the total of wickets for the Blackpool pro for the
season. Amazing!
Obviously the "champagne moment " was when
Perera bowled Parker , last man out , to claim the victory but
this was almost eclipsed earlier in the day when opening
batsman John Mounsey, first to arrive at the ground,
discovered that he had forgotten to put his kit in the car
before leaving home! The round trip cost Max about an hour in
time and several ££s in fines!!
Keeper Rob Sissons had another fine game behind
the timbers under very difficult circumstances, his highlight
being the stumping of Chandi off Perera for Blackpool`s 9th
wicket.
Well done Fellers . 15 very valuable points. See
you at nets......Mick
SECOND DIVISION
In Division Two leaders Leyland won again,
defeating St Annes by six wickets at Fox Lane in a low-scoring
game. The redoubtable Steven Pallett returned the remarkable
analysis of five for 8 off 20 overs (with 14 maidens) as St
Annes were dismissed for 75, Liam Hurt taking three for
13.
Ian Farrington then hit 38 off 73 balls and
Daniel Hall hit 25 as he chases the club Second XI record of
793 runs held by Steven's Pallett's father John. Hall has made
690 with a potential four innings still to come.
Blackpool's Ross Parker edged closer to 50
wickets for the season, taking four for 41 in his side's
emphatic win over Preston at Stanley Park. Parker has now
taken 46 wickets while skipper Kevin Reid reached the 40-mark
with a spell of three for 41.
Preston were bowled out for
92 after Blackpool posted 205 for 6, Craig Outram hitting
55.
Chorley's Stu Naden was unavailable for his
side's home game with Morecambe and so missed out on the
chance to hit the 11 runs he needs to set a new club Second XI
batting record. Skipper Ian Mawdsley took centre stage making
98 with 11 fours and three sixes before he was run out.
Morecambe were dismissed for 103 and went down to defeat by 92
runs, Mawdsley completing a fine captain's display with three
for five.
Leyland (played 20-216pts) lead Blackpool
(20-198) by 18 points with four games remaining. Chorley are
third (20-184) after they overtook Darwen (20-173) who had no
game.
Kendal had the better of a draw at Ernest Pass,
as Barrow closed 14 runs short of victory on 139 for 8 despite
a fine unbeaten 76 from skipper Phil Renney.
Darren Nightingale opened with 44 for the
visitors as Ian Allington took four for 26 but club chairman
Ray Mowat sustained a broken finger attempting a catch off his
own bowling and, having announced his retirement at the end of
the season, may have bowed out in unfortunate circumstances
after fine service to the club.
Off-spinner Mowat
represented Cumberland back in 1982.
Marcus Hill took six for 25 and Josh Stafford
weighed in with four for 31 as Netherfield beat Carnforth by
22 runs at Parkside Road. The home side had struggled to 120
as Lee Barnes took five for 40 and Jordan Relph four for 67
but Carnforth were dismissed for 98 in reply.
Fleetwood defeated Lancaster, last season's
champions, by 33 runs at Broadwater. Neil Jackson made 41 in
his side's 136, Tom Whitehouse taking four for 38 and Wayne
Clarke then took three for 30 as Lancaster were dismissed for
103 despite an unbeaten 30 from Billy Swarbrick.
SECOND DIVISION SCORES
BARROW v KENDAL
Kendal (7pts) winning draw; Barrow (4pts)
Kendal 152 for 9 (D Nightingale 44, I
Allington 4 for 26) Barrow 139 for 8 (P Renney 76no)
BLACKPOOL v PRESTON
Blackpool (15pts) defeated Preston (1pt) by
113 runs
Blackpool 205 for 6 (C Outram 55) Preston 92
(R Parker 4 for 41)
CHORLEY v MORECAMBE
Chorley (15pts) defeated Morecambe (1pt) by 92
runs
Chorley 195 for 5 (I Mawdsley 98) Morecambe
103
LANCASTER v FLEETWOOD
Fleetwood (15pts) defeated Lancaster (3pts) by
33 runs
Fleetwood 136 (N Jackson 41, T Whitehouse 4
for 38) Lancaster 103
LEYLAND v ST ANNES
Leyland (12pts) defeated St Annes (0pts) by 6
wickets
St Annes 75 (S Pallett 5 for 8) Leyland 76 for
4
NETHERFIELD v CARNFORTH
Netherfield (15pts) defeated Carnforth (3pts)
by 22 runs
Netherfield 120 (L Barnes 5 for 40, J Relph 4
for 67) Carnforth 98 (M Hill 6 for 25, J Stafford 4 for
31)
Darwen no game
Sunday 22nd August
League
Division Two
Result
Barrow v St Annes
Barrow 8pts, Winning Draw, St Annes 4pts
Barrow 146, St Annes 130 - 9 (L Wilks 47, G
Kermode 5-40)
FURNESS BUILDING SOCIETY
( INCORPORATING READERS
CRICKET BALLS)
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division Two
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
l |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Leyland |
20 |
5 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
21 |
216 |
| Blackpool |
20 |
6 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
12 |
198 |
| Chorley |
20 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
32 |
184 |
| Darwen |
20 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
23 |
173 |
| Morecambe |
20 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
3 |
15 |
143 |
| Preston |
21 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
5 |
28 |
142 |
| St Annes |
20 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
34 |
138 |
| Lancaster |
20 |
2 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
4 |
14 |
132 |
| Barrow |
20 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
4 |
34 |
126 |
| Netherfield |
20 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
3 |
24 |
123 |
| Fleetwood |
20 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
10 |
2 |
34 |
122 |
| Kendal |
21 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
11 |
4 |
32 |
85 |
| Carnforth |
20 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
17 |
2 |
38 |
50 |
