By Michael Latham
Nick
Kruger hit 208 for Netherfield (photo courtesy Wallace
Thompson) |
Leyland went seven up on a scorching day earning
their seventh win from as many games and stayed top of the
Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket League
(incorporating Readers Cricket Balls). David Makinson's side
are 15 points clear of reigning champions St Annes after both
sides recorded victories batting second.
But Netherfield's Australian professional Nick
Kruger stole the individual highlights as he equalled the
Northern League record by hitting a blistering 208 for
Netherfield against Preston at Parkside Road. Netherfield's
total of 353 for 5 declared was a new record total for the
league but Preston hung on for a draw.
Fleetwood's Matt Clark escapes David
Makinson's run out attempt at Fox
Lane |
Leyland captain David Makinson bowled with his
usual skill to take five for 30 off 17 overs as Fleetwood were
dismissed for 146 at Fox Lane. Fleetwood captain and pro
Matthew Frith and Mark Emsley had opened with 51 but the game
turned after Frith was caught behind by Matthew Watkinson off
Leyland pro Brett Pelser. Makinson's miserly spin then tied
down the visiting batsmen and vice captain Peter Cummings also
bowled superbly to take three for 37. Mike Clinning (33) and
Adam Stanhope (32) battled hard but Leyland substitute fielder
Daniel Hall, deputising for the injured Tayyab Afsar, made two
fine catches in the outfield and ran out Stanhope.
Leyland's
close field piles on the pressure against
Fleetwood |
Leyland opener Chris Parkinson continued his
fine form by hitting 75 off 59 balls (12 fours) in the home
side's reply but Fleetwood fought hard in the field, Frith
taking three for 38 and Adam Breakell a further two wickets.
But Pelser stood firm and saw his side over the finishing line
at a quarter to six with an unbeaten 32 and he has now scored
238 runs without being dismissed in the last three games.
St Annes meanwhile, with captain Andy Kellett
back after a broken finger romped to an eight wicket win at
Lodge Quarry, overhauling Carnforth's 183 with 17.2 overs in
hand. Former Carnforth batsman Atiq Uz-Zaman was left stranded
on 97 not out at the close after John Denwood bowled a no-ball
to him with the scores level.
Though Atiq hit a boundary it
was confirmed that the game was over as soon as the no-ball
was called. Atiq had batted brilliantly facing 102 balls and
hitting 19 fours and one six. Charles Boucher (35) and Stephen
Twist (46 not out) played supporting roles.
Earlier Phil Bovis opening the innings made a
fine 88 off 119 balls for Carnforth with ten fours and three
sixes. The former Kent Premier League batsman joined Carnforth
this year after several productive seasons in the Westmorland
League and has adapted admirably. St Annes pro Dinuk
Hettiarachchi wheeled his way through 25 overs and took six
for 50 as Carnforth were dismissed off the last ball of their
innings.
The fireworks came at Parkside Road where the
26-year-old Kruger made 208 off 109 balls with 23 fours and
ten sixes. When he was dismissed, caught in the deep by David
Fisher off Sajid Patel he had equalled the league record set
by Darwen pro Atif Ashraf, who made 208 not out against Barrow
in 2007. Netherfield also surpassed the previous league record
total which they set by scoring 319 for 2 declared against
Fleetwood in 2005.
Sydney born Kruger, the opening batsman for
Queensland, put on 96 for the first wicket in 11.3 overs with
Craig Walmsley (45) and 179 for the fourth wicket in only 19.5
overs with John Huck (59 not out) before being dismissed with
score on 322. He reached his first hundred off 57 balls and
his second off only 52, hitting sixes on both
occasions.
Netherfield Marc Hadwin called a halt with 4.4
overs unused but despite having 54 overs to face Preston
gallantly fought out a draw, closing on 212 for 8.
Professional Bilal Asad, back for a fifth season at West Cliff
after missing the start of the campaign made 51 and skipper
Adam Parker 43. Ben Harrison battled through 73 balls for a
rearguard 29 to leave the home side frustrated. Kruger
completed a busy day by bowling 16 overs in the searing heat
and taking three for 48.
On another day the Barrow openers Jonathan Miles
and Greg Platten would have earned the headlines, the pair
leading their side's victory charge at Woodhill Lane with an
undefeated opening stand of 214. Miles finished 94 not out (18
fours) while former Cockermouth batsman Platten made his
maiden Northern League century and was 115 not out (19 fours
and two sixes) as Barrow won with 17 overs to spare.
Morecambe pro Mandla Mashimbyi had earlier made
95 off 106 balls with ten fours and five sixes, receiving good
support from Chris Williams in a fourth wicket stand of 113 as
Morecambe recovered from 22 for 3. Graham Dawson, pro Pasan
Wanasinghe and club chairman Ray Mowat each took three wickets
for Barrow.
Blackpool continued their fine recent form,
defeating Kendal by 31 runs at Stanley Park to record their
fourth successive win. After the mass exodus to Wembley to
watch Blackpool FC's play-off triumph the cricket club
continued the feel-good factor in the town by dismissing the
visitors for 160.
Richard Gleeson (five for 51) and Steve
Mercer (five for 46) combined to do the damage with Kendal pro
and captain Ross McMillan leading the resistance with 43.
Blackpool's Sri Lankan pro Nimesh Perera had top-scored with
58 off 126 balls in his side's 191 for 7, McMillan toiling his
way through 22 overs to return four for 88.
Two of the day's five hundreds were scored at
Birch Hall as rival professionals Roy Silva and Mohammad Zaman
Khan took centre stage. Silva, the Sri Lankan who helped
Accrington to back-to-back Lancashire League titles in 2008
and 2009 hit a superb 103 off 82 balls with eight fours and
four sixes for Lancaster. Skipper Michael Stevens made 48 off
108 balls but Neil Cordingley (five for 47) bowled tirelessly
to help restrict the visitors to 212 for 8.
Darwen were 65 for 4 in reply, Ben Simm taking
three wickets on his way to four for 72. But Mohammad Zaman
Khan stood firm and steered his side home with 13 balls to
spare hitting an unbeaten 106 off 86 balls with 11 fours and
five sixes. Brothers Neil Cordingley and captain John played
vital supporting roles in stands of 55 and 87 respectively.
Darwen
skipper John Cordingley congratulates pro MZ Khan on his
match-winning innings |
Lancashire Colts earned their second win in four
games as they defeated Chorley at Windsor Park by 101 runs.
Liam Watkinson, son of Lancashire Director of Cricket Mike
top-scored with 76 off 106 balls and opener Lewis Jackson made
54 off 96 balls in the Colts total of 214 for 9. Billy Smith
was Chorley's most successful bowler with four for 81.
Ryan
Tyson earned the prize wicket of Chorley pro JJ Smuts for 13
as he took three for 13 and Tom Bailey then took over,
returning five for 18 off seven overs as Chorley subsided to
113 all out.
FIRST DIVISION SCORES
BLACKPOOL v KENDAL
Blackpool (15pts) defeated Kendal (4pts) by 31
runs
Blackpool 191 for 7 (N Perera 58, R McMillan 4
for 88), Kendal 160 (R McMillan 43, R Gleeson 5 for 51, S
Mercer 5 for 46)
CARNFORTH v ST ANNES
St Annes (12pts) defeated Carnforth (3pts) by
8 wickets
Carnforth 183 (P Bovis 88, D Hettiarachchi 6
for 50), St Annes 184 for 2 (Atiq Uz-Zaman 97no, S Twist
46no)
CHORLEY v LANCASHIRE COLTS
Lancashire Colts (15 pts) defeated Chorley
(3pts) by 101 runs
Lancashire Colts 214 for 9 (L Watkinson 76, L
Jackson 54, B Smith 4 for 81), Chorley 113 (T Bailey 5 for
18)
DARWEN v LANCASTER
Darwen (12pts) defeated Lancaster (4pts) by 5
wickets
Lancaster 212 for 8 (R Silva 103, M Stevens 48,
N Cordingley 5 for 47), Darwen 214 for 6 (Mohammad Zaman Khan
106no)
LEYLAND v FLEETWOOD
Leyland (12pts) defeated Fleetwood (2pts) by 5
wickets
Fleetwood 146 (D Makinson 5 for 30), Leyland
147 for 5 (C Parkinson 75)
MORECAMBE v BARROW
Barrow (12pts) defeated Morecambe (3pts) by 10
wickets
Morecambe 212 for 9 (M Mashimbyi 95), Barrow
214 for 0 (G Platten 115no, J Miles 94no)
NETHERFIELD v PRESTON
Netherfield (9pts) winning draw; Preston
(5pts)
Netherfield 353 for 5dec (N Kruger 208, J Huck
59no, C Walmsley 45), Preston 212 for 8 (Bilal Asad 51, A
Parker 43)
FURNESS BUILDING SOCIETY
( INCORPORATIN READERS CRICKET
BALLS )
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division One
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Leyland |
7 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
90 |
| St Annes |
7 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
75 |
| Blackpool |
7 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
60 |
| Morecambe |
6 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
13 |
56 |
| Darwen |
7 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
20 |
52 |
| Kendal |
7 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
19 |
47 |
| Barrow |
6 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
45 |
| Lancaster |
7 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
18 |
42 |
| Chorley |
7 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
14 |
40 |
| Preston |
7 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
16 |
38 |
| Netherfield |
6 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
16 |
37 |
| Lancashire Colts |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
9 |
36 |
| Fleetwood |
7 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
13 |
33 |
| Carnforth |
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
20 |
25 |
REPORT BY R MOORE
Blackpool v Kendal
Dannos Boys continued their fine run of form on
the hottest day of the year at Stanley Park against rivals
Kendal who started the day just one position behind them in
5th place. With Blackpool Town almost empty due to the
migration south of football fans to watch The Seasiders gain
promotion to the Premiership, it simply remained for their
cricketing counterparts to make the day a double success
They did just that in an enthralling encounter
which went right down to the wire as paceman Richard Gleeson
celebrated his return to form with his first 5 wicket haul of
the season. Steve Mercer back from histrip to Las Vegas also
picked up 5 as Danno`s Boys moved up to 3rd in the league
table.
Batting first , openers Mounsey(24) and
Darlington(10) got the home side off to a decent start of 38
for the 1st wicket. However as has happened all too frequently
this season 2 more wickets fell immediately leaving Blackpool
on the back foot at 40 for 3.with visitng pro Ross McMillan
claiming all 3.
Once again left hander Michael Moore(23) strode
to the wicket to join home pro Nimesh Perera(58) with his team
in something of a pickle. But their partnership of 56 followed
by a stand of 51 between skipper Danson (23) and his pro
revived Blackpool`s innings with some sensible batting. Some
good hitting down the order from all rounders Andy Hogarth(20
not out ) and Steve Mercer (11 not out) gave Danno`s Boys a
total of some respectability at 191 for 7 in the 50 overs.
Kendal openers Phillips(21) and Ashburner((32)
progressed steadily until RickY G claimed the first of his
five removing Phillips, caught Mercer for 14 (63 for 2) &
when Gleeson removed Ashburner for 32 in his second spell the
game was evenly balanced with Kendal on 94 for 3 with 21 overs
remaining.
Pro McMillan and Kevin Howarth then put 46 on
for the 4th wicket by which time the Cumbrian boys seemed to
be in control of the game. But 2 brilliant stumpings by ex
Bolton Wanderers footballer Rob Sissons both off the wily
Steve Mercer turned the game around for Danno`s Boys
With the Kendal pro still at the crease the game
might still have gone either way but when Gleeson had McMillan
caught by pro Perera it became a bridge too far for them and
it was just a matter of whether or not the Blackpool bowlers
could prevent their opponents from hanging on for a draw.
In an enthralling finish the combination of
aggression from Gleeson and the accuracy of the experienced
Mercer took Blackpool home as Rob Sissons rounded off an
excellent performance behind the sticks catching Darren
Braithwaite down the leg side off Fiery Ricky G....Kendal 160
all out with just 2 balls to spare. A tremendous win by
Blackpool who now take 3rd slot above Morecambe with just St.
Annes and Leyland above. Well done Fellers .
Next week`s
game at Vernon Road should be a cracker with both sides in top
form and just one win separating the two teams.
DIVISION TWO
Just three games were played in Division Two as
leaders Darwen extended their advantage at the top to 18
points over the inactive Leyland after a nine wickets win at
defending champions Lancaster. Chris Wade took five for 37 as
Lancaster were dismissed for 58 at Lune Road.
Preston moved up to third after collecting
maximum points after defeating Netherfield by 101 runs at West
Cliff. Javaid Hussain hit an undefeated 57 in Preston's 203
for 8 and Yasin Patel took four for 14 as the visitors were
dismissed for 102.
Michael Fisher hit an unbeaten 65 as
Morecambe recovered from 100 for 5 to reach 171 for 6 at
Ernest Pass and club chairman Nick Milner then took four for
13 as Barrow were all out for 102.
SECOND DIVISION SCORES
BARROW v MORECAMBE
Morecambe (15pts) defeated Barrow (1pt) by 69
runs
Morecambe 171 for 6 (M Fisher 65no), Barrow
102 (N Milner 4 for 13)
LANCASTER v DARWEN
Darwen (12pts) defeated Lancaster (0pts) by 9
wickets
Lancaster 58 (C Wade 5 for 37), Darwen 61 for
1
PRESTON v NETHERFIELD
Preston (15pts) defeated Netherfield (2pts) by
101 runs
Preston 203 for 8 (J Hussain 57no, Z Patel
46), Netherfield 102 (Y Patel 4 for 14)
Postponed (new dates to be
advised):
Fleetwood v Leyland;
Kendal v
Blackpool;
St Annes v Carnforth;
Chorley 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 |
7 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
79 |
| Leyland |
5 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
61 |
| Preston |
7 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
12 |
59 |
| Chorley |
6 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
18 |
52 |
| Lancaster |
7 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
48 |
| St Annes |
5 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
48 |
| Blackpool |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
47 |
| Morecambe |
6 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
43 |
| Fleetwood |
5 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
11 |
39 |
| Kendal |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
15 |
35 |
| Netherfield |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
10 |
25 |
| Barrow |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
9 |
21 |
| Carnforth |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
