By Michael Latham
Morecambe
celebarte their last ball win at
Darwen |
Leyland continued their sensational start to the
Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket League
(incorporating Readers Cricket Balls) as they defeated local
rivals Chorley in a thrilling derby at Fox Lane to record
their fifth successive win.
On a day of dramatic action there was a last
ball win for Morecambe over Darwen, a superb run chase by St
Annes to defeat Barrow, a victory by Lancaster at Preston with
two balls to spare and a tense finish at Stanley Park where
Blackpool defeated Lancashire Colts in the last over.
Carnforth held out for a draw against Kendal with their last
pair together while Fleetwood recovered from a recent
disappointing spell to have the best of a high-scoring draw at
Netherfield.
Leyland's South Afriacn professional Brett
Pelser was the hero of his side's tense win over Chorley,
masterminding the run chase with an impressive undefeated 85
including four sixes and eight fours. Leyland were wobbling at
70 for 6 chasing 146 to win after Kieran McCullagh again
bowled impressively to take four wickets but Pelser found the
ideal partner in the experienced Peter Cummings who was
undefeated on 35 at the close.
Chorley's modest total was bolstered by a
defiant undefeated 54 from Michael Critchley, back after a
broken thumb but their own top South African pro JJ Smuts was
one of Andrew Makinson's victims in a spell of three for 29
that had the visitors struggling. Father David weighed in with
two for 29 and Chorley, despite a fighting 23 from Ian Oakes
and a fine bowling spell from Smuts (two for 47 off 20 overs)
rued the absence of key men Jack Catterall, James Reynard and
Billy Smith. Leyland (66pts) lead reigning champions St Annes
by 15 points after Atiq Uz-Zaman inspired a successful run
chase for the second time in five days.
After his undefeated 135 accounted for Darwen on
May Day Atiq hit 99 off 98 balls before being caught behind
off Graham Dawson as St Annes chased down Barrow's 234 for 5
at Vernon Road to win by five wickets. Stephen Twist was 62
not out at the close and Charles Boucher hit 35 in an opening
stand of 89.
Opener Greg Platten, Barrow's winter
acquisition from Cockermouth hit 76 off 137 balls and received
good support from pro Pasan Wanasinghe (45), Chris D'Leny (25)
and Darren Clark who blasted an undefeated 37 off 21
balls.
Morecambe and Kendal are joint third with 41
points.
Morecambe enjoyed a dramatic last ball win at Birch
Hall as Kamran Anwar was brilliantly caught by Chris Williams
at backward square leg off Richard Cupit to leave Tommy
Clough's men winners by 14 runs.
Morecambe
pro Mandla Mashimbyi hits Kamran Anwar for
six |
Cupit and Williams both joined Morecambe from
Westmorland League clubs during the winter and made
significant contributions. Ex-Silverdale all rounder Williams
hit his first Northern League half century, making 53 off 83
balls as Morecambe reached 198 for 5. Opener Mark Woodhead
bolstered the innings with 40 in 39 overs and popular pro
Mandla Mashimbyi supplied the fireworks with 61 off 39 balls
including five sixes, all off Kamran Anwar. Teenager Anwar was
Darwen's most impressive bowler, taking four for 74 and had
the consolation of bowling Mashimbyi with a slower ball,
acknowledged by a friendly handshake from the South African.
Lewis Edge
makes a fine catch to dismiss Darwen pro Mohammad Zaman
Khan off Ricahrd Cupit |
Darwen looked the likelier winners as they
reached 137 for 4 with ten overs left but they lost three
wickets with the score at 150 including Neil Cordingley, leg
before to Cupit for a fluent 50 off 72 balls. Medium pacer
Cupit, a former Morecambe junior who had been playing for
Heysham, was the key man taking four for 57 off 19 overs and
with Mashimbyi and skipper Clough weighing in with two wickets
apiece and 'keeper Lewis Edge accounting for pro Mohammad
Zaman Khan with a stunning catch off Cupit Darwen lost their
last six wickets for 34 runs.
Neil
Cordingley it 50 in vain for
Darwen |
Kendal were frustrated by the defiance of
Carnforth pro Gareth Pedder who hit an undefeated 62 off 64
balls including six fours and five sixes to salvage a draw at
Lodge Quarry. Pedder and Adam Hornby (51 off 70 balls,
including six fours and two sixes) added 90 in a fighting
eighth wicket stand and last man Bradley Hoyle survived nine
balls as Carnforth finished 205 for 9. Earlier Ryan Nelson
opened with 43 off 111 balls.
Kendal skipper Ross McMillan
continued his superb start to the season by making 60 off 68
balls and then taking four for 47. McMillan shared a third
wicket stand of 93 with Terry Hunte (51) and declared his
side's innings after 47 overs on 227 for 7 to allow an extra
three overs in what proved to be a thwarted victory
pursuit.
Fleetwood's Australian professional and captain
Matthew Frith was the day's top-scorer with a magnificent 142
off 136 balls including 20 fours and two sixes at Parkside
Road. With Mark Emsley (39) and Adam Sharrocks (35) lending
valuable support the visitors posted an imposing 264 for 8
despite the efforts of opening bowler Ryan Wilson (four for
82).
Sydney First-Grade opening bowler Ryan Smith pinned
Netherfield's Australian pro Nick Kruger leg before for 15 and
despite good contributions from Craig Walmsley (40), Chris
Parry (40), John Huck (48) and Ben Barrow (39) the home side
closed well short on 223 for 7 with Smith and Frith each
taking three wickets.
Lancaster confirmed their improvement after
finishing with the wooden spoon last year by defeating last
season's runners-up Preston by four wickets with two balls to
spare at West Cliff. Preston had made 179 for 8 with skipper
Adam Parker (52 off 94 balls) and Lukman Vahaluwala (47 off 77
balls) the major contributions. Skipper Michael Stevens
bolstered his side's reply with 47 off 128 balls, opening with
a stand of 65 with Jamie Heywood (32). Tim Barry, who had
earlier taken three for 29, made 26 and pro Roy Silva 27 off
only 15 balls with the experienced Brendan Hetherington
undefeated on 27 at the close. Preston's deputy professional
Atamad Ul Haq took four for 68.
The finish at Stanley Park was equally tense
with Blackpool wicketkeeper Rob Sissons running out Lancashire
Colts skipper Jason Swift off the fourth ball of the last over
to give his side victory by five runs. But the Colts side
fielded only ten men and the circumstances surrounding that
will be subject to a league enquiry. Blackpool had made 178
for 9, opener Alex Smith top-scoring with 50 off 103 balls,
Michael Moore making 40 in the middle order and skipper Paul
Danson 36 as the Colts opening bowler Dan Hawke returned four
for 30. Tom Steel (39) and Ashley Gowers (40) were the main
contributors in the Colts side's chase as Steven Mercer took
three for 44 off 18 overs.
FIRST DIVISION SCORES
BLACKPOOL v LANCASHIRE COLTS
Blackpool (15pts) defeated Lancashire Colts
(5pts) by 5 runs
Blackpool 178 for 9 (A Smith 50, M Moore 40, D
Hawke 4 for 30), Lancashire Colts 173 (A Gowers 40)
CARNFORTH v KENDAL
Kendal (10pts) winning draw; Carnforth
(4pts)
Kendal 227 for 7 dec (R McMillan 60, T Hunte
51), Carnforth 205 for 9 (G Pedder 62no, A Hornby 51, R Nelson
43, R McMillan 4 for 47)
DARWEN v MORECAMBE
Morecambe (15pts) defeated Darwen (4pts) by 14
runs
Morecambe 198 for 5 (M Mashimbyi 61, C Williams
53, M Woodhead 40, K Anwar 4 for 74), Darwen 184 (N Cordingley
50, R Cupit 4 for 57)
LEYLAND v CHORLEY
Leyland (12pts) defeated Chorley (2pts) by 4
wickets
Chorley 145 for 9 (M Critchley 54no), Leyland
148 for 6 (B Pelser 85no, K McCullagh 4 for 53)
NETHERFIELD v FLEETWOOD
Fleetwood (9pts) winning draw; Netherfield
(6pts)
Fleetwood 264 for 8 (M Frith 142, R Wilson 4
for 82), Netherfield 223 for 7 (J Hick 48, C Parry 40, C
Walmsley 40)
PRESTON v LANCASTER
Lancaster (12pts) defeated Preston (3pts) by 4
wickets
Preston 179 for 8 (A Parker 52, L Vahaluwala
47), Lancaster 180 for 6 (M Stevens 47, A Ul Haq 4 for 68)
ST ANNES v BARROW
St Annes (12pts) defeated Barrow (4pts) by 5
wickets
Barrow 234 for 5 (G Platten 76, P Wanasinghe
45), St Annes 237 for 5 (Atiq Uz-Zaman 99, S Twist 62no)
FURNESS BUILDING SOCIETY
( INCORPORATIN READERS CRICKET
BALLS )
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division One
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Leyland |
5 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
| St Annes |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
51 |
| Morecambe |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
41 |
| Kendal |
5 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
13 |
41 |
| Chorley |
5 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
11 |
37 |
| Lancaster |
5 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
35 |
| Blackpool |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
33 |
| Barrow |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
32 |
| Darwen |
5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
14 |
30 |
| Netherfield |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
28 |
| Fleetwood |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
26 |
| Lancashire Colts |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
9 |
21 |
| Preston |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
18 |
| Carnforth |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
12 |
17 |
SECOND DIVISION
Darwen set pace in Division Two
Darwen earned their fourth win in five games in
Division Two after opener Mark Moore hit 74 to lead his side
to a six wickets win at Morecambe. Nathan Jackson had taken
seven for 32 as the home side were dismissed for 130 despite a
fighting 46 from Ryan Pearson.
Leyland's Australian guest player Daniel Hall
hit 104 but his side had to be content with a winning draw in
the derby against Chorley. Hall made a classy 104 in his
side's 240 for 7 with Steven Pallett weighing in with 53 not
out and Stephen Cartwright 43. Stu Naden (46) and Mark
Richardson (73) opened with 89 for Chorley who forced a draw
on 191 for 9 despite leg-spinner Tayyab Afsar's spell of six
for 54 off 20 overs.
Reigning champions Lancaster edged home by one
wicket at Lune Road over Preston, club coach Damian Gudgeon
making a superb undefeated 87 as the home side successfully
chased a modest 144 victory target despite Usman Alam taking
four for 44. Preston skipper Mosh Patel made 44.
Mark Phillips took four wickets as Carnforth
were dismissed for 82 at Shap Road and subsided to a heavy
defeat by 141 runs. Donovan Du Plessis hit 87 and skipper Alan
Dugdale 55 in Kendal's 223 for 4 declared.
Fleetwood successfully chased down Netherfield's
179 to win by four wickets at Broadwater. Stephen Metcalf
(51), Mark Wilkinson (42) and Andy Singleton (37 not out) were
the major contributors.
SECOND DIVISION SCORES
CHORLEY v LEYLAND
Leyland (10pts) winning draw; Chorley
(5pts)
Leyland 240 for 7 (D Hall 104, S Pallett 53no, T
Afsar 43), Chorley 191 for 9 (M Richardson 73, S Naden 46, T
Afsar 6 for 54)
FLEETWOOD v NETHERFIELD
Fleetwood (12pts) defeated Netherfield (3pts)
by 4 wickets
Netherfield 179, Fleetwood 182 for 6 (S
Metcalf 51, M Wilkinson 42)
KENDAL v CARNFORTH
Kendal (15pts) defeated Carnforth (0pts) by
141 runs
Kendal 223 for 4 dec (D Du Plessis 87, A
Dugdale 55), Carnforth 82 (P Cantley 44no, M Phillips 4 for
15)
LANCASTER v PRESTON
Lancaster (12pts) defeated Preston (4pts) by
one wicket
Preston 143 (M Patel 44), Lancaster 144 for 9
(D Gudgeon 87no, U Alam 4 for 44)
MORECAMBE v DARWEN
Darwen (12pts) defeated Morecambe (0pts) by 6
wickets
Morecambe 130 (N Jackson 7 for 32), Darwen 134
for 4 (M Moore 74)
Blackpool, Barrow, St Annes no game
FURNESS BUILDING SOCIETY
( INCORPORATING READERS
CRICKET BALLS)
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division Two
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Darwen |
5 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
60 |
| Leyland |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
49 |
| Lancaster |
5 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
48 |
| Chorley |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
47 |
| Preston |
5 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
10 |
38 |
| St Annes |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
36 |
| Blackpool |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
35 |
| Kendal |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
11 |
31 |
| Fleetwood |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
30 |
| Netherfield |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
8 |
23 |
| Morecambe |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
16 |
| Barrow |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
15 |
| Carnforth |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
REPORT BY MICHAEL FISHER
*Morecambe 130 all out v Darwen 134 - 4
Morecambe 2nds turned in another below par
performance against league leaders Darwen at Woodhill Lane,
choosing to bat first with a make shift batting line up,
devoid of any top order batsmen.
Openers Fisher & Maartens both showed why
they are better suited not to open giving their wickets away
cheaply; Milner looked threatening before falling for 23. The
introduction of spin accounted for Graeme Cassidy and Oliver
Austin in the same over.
The Morecambe innings highlight
was a stand of 70 between new boy Ryan Pearson and Sean
Graves, the former continuing to impress in his first season
batting well for 46 before becoming Nathan Jackson 5th wicket.
Graves also fell to Jackson for a responsible 33. Morecambe's
inning subsided quickly to a total of 130 all out, well short
of what was a competitive score. Nathan Jackson returned
career best figures of 7 -32.
Darwen's reply was very solid with both Moore
and Nathan Jackson putting away the loose ball on a very fast
outfield; none of the Morecambe bowlers could get a wicket
although Maartens, Graeme Cassidy and Milner all beat the
bat.
In the end it was frustration which gave Morecambe
their breakthrough.Graves had Nathan Jackson well caught by
young Jamie Cassidy attempting an over ambitious shot after
having become becalmed on 23. Moore nearly saw the visitors
home with a well crafted 74 falling just short of the victory
target giving Pearson his first Northern League wicket.
Sam
McKee returning from the extended football season bowled well
on his return capturing 2-9 off 6 overs, however at this point
the result wasn't in doubt Munns and skipper Gary Jackson saw
Darwen over the line with 16 overs to spare
