Important weekend for Leyland Seconds
Atiq Uz-Zaman has 1,000 runs in his sights
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St Annes are closing in on the title in the Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket League (incorporating Readers Cricket Balls).
Andy Kellett's side lead defending Champions Leyland by 18pts, with each having two games to play. In the event of the sides finishing level on points the one with most wins will be champions; Leyland have 12 wins to St Annes' 15 and so St Annes need 12pts from their last two games to make sure of the title, assuming Leyland can earn two 15-pt wins.
On Saturday St Annes are at home to Kendal, who lost out to Hyde in the Barbados Cockspur ECB National Clun T20 regional final on Sunday; while Leyland are at home to fifth-placed Blackpool. Third placed Chorley are away at fourth-placed Netherfield. Sixth placed Morecambe are at home to Carnforth.
Carnforth pro Gareth Pedder goes close to a slip catch at St Annes |
Barrow pro Pieter Malan plays his final game for the club against Fleetwood at Ernest Pass. The South African batsman, who has scored 1,051 league runs at 65.69 with five centuries will leave a week early to join a training camp in preparation for the new season back home. Darwen play the final home game of their Centenary season when they entertain Preston.
Three other batsmen are chasing the magical 1,000 runs mark; St Annes' opener Atiq Uz-Zaman has hit 974 runs and the Leyland pair of Luis Reece (954) and pro Brett Pelser (967) are also closing in on the target. Reece has set a new Leyland amateur batting record while Pelser needs another ten runs to surpass Gordon Greenidge's pro record set in 1993. Atiq needs 102 to set a new St Annes amateur record, held by Ian Austin with 1,075 runs in 2006.
With St Annes pro Dinuka Hettiarachchi not returning from Sri Lanka for the remaining games the race is on to be top wicket-taker in the league.
Dinuk currently leads the way with 78 wickets but Morecambe pro Anwar Ali has 72 and Preston captain Lukman Vahaluwala has 71. Vahaluwala has already set a new Preston amateur bowling record.
Kendal captain Chris Miller has beaten his own club record with 64 wickets; fellow off-spinner Ben Simm has 58, three short of the 61 he took last year to set a new Lancaster record. Simm will be in action on Sunday when the Colts play their final game of the season against Lancaster at Lune Road.
The Barrow pair of Daryl Wearing and Gary Collins have each taken 40 league wickets; the barrow amateur record is held by team-mate Graham Dawson with 43 last year.
St Annes wicketkeeper Duncan Whalley comfortably leads the dismissals chart with 41 victims, including 11 stumpings.
In Division Two defending champions Leyland lead Chorley by 16pts and Blackpool by 18pts with each side having two games left.
Intriguingly Leyland visit Blackpool on Saturday while Chorley are at home to Netherfield. Chorley's Chris Harty set a new club division two bowling record last Monday, surpassing the 52 wickets taken by Dave Sherrington in 1965.
Chorley Second XI players salute new record holder Chris Harty
(Courtesy Michael Mead)
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Kendal's Donovan Du Plessis beat his own club division two batting record when hitting an unbeaten 95 in the derby at Netherfield on Bank Holiday Monday. Du Plessis has 635 runs, beating the 603 he hit last year.
On Sunday Leyland play Fleetwood in the final of the Readers Division Two Cup. The game will be staged at Broadwater and will have a 1pm start.
The Kendal side which reached the Regional final of the ECB Barbados Cockspur t20
(Courtesy Richard Edmondson) |
Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket League (incorporating Readers Cricket Balls)
Fixtures
Round 24
Saturday 3rd September
12-30pm start
Division One
Barrow v Fleetwood
Darwen v Preston
Leyland v Blackpool
Morecambe v Carnforth
Netherfield v Chorley
St Annes v Kendal
Lancaster free date
Division Two
Blackpool v Leyland
Carnforth v Morecambe
Chorley v Netherfield
Fleetwood v Barrow
Kendal v St Annes
Preston v Darwen
Lancaster free date
Sunday 4th September 2011
Division 1
12-30pm start
Lancaster v Lancashire Colts
Readers Cup Division Two Final
40 overs
1-00pm start
Fleetwood v Leyland
