St Annes and Fleetwood players and Officials observe a minute's silence in respect of umpire Derek Pike who died last week
The Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League game between St Annes and Fleetwood at Vernon Road on Saturday looked to be evenly balanced when Fleetwood were 70-3 chasing the St Annes' total of 210-6. But then a clatter of wickets while the score advanced to 77 saw the resistance broken and the home side eventually won the match by 88 runs as Fleetwood managed only 122 all out.
Winning the toss and batting, St Annes lost an early wicket when Gareth Evans was bowled by Stephen Hill who produced an impressive opening spell. But that was the limit of St Annes' success for a further 107 minutes as Adrian Darlington and professional Dave Callaghan fashioned a partnership of 113 runs. Darlington too the early initiative while Callaghan played more of a watching role. But then the professional too began to score all round the wicket and runs flowed thick and fast. A big score looked on the horizon until Fleetwood, whose bowlers had not performed at all badly, had Callaghan caught behind by Keith Riley off Alex Laird for 54 made from 106 balls with nine fours.
Skipper Russ Bradley made only five before being bowled sweeping at Jeremy Newman who had been introduced into the attack. That was 138-3 and then Darlington and Adam Cotton put on 39 runs as Fleetwood slowed down the run rate despite one or two lapses in the field. Darlington who had lifted a couple of shots just out of fielders' reach was next to go for an excellent 88 made from 146 balls and with 10 boundaries. He too was bowled by Newman who pegged back the opening batsman's off stump.
Cotton had made 23 when he struck a mighty blow at Newman only for Craig Pryor to make a superb catch running round the boundary in the direction of long on. Sean Bickerdike made eight before being bowled by Laird and Joe Davies, 13 not out, and Neil Bradley, two not out, then saw St Annes to the final total of 210-6 from 59 overs, one over being lost at the start due to some almost insignificant drizzle. Newman was the pick of the bowlers with 3-34 from 12 overs, Laird had 2-78 and Hill, who had to retire early from the attack due to a touch of tennis elbow, had 1-15 from 10 overs.
Fleetwood's reply got underway with runs from the bat of captain John Wright and he and Bobby Denning had added 33 before the latter was bowled by Callaghan for eight. Clinning was trapped back on his stumps next ball to fall leg before wicket first ball and Fleetwood's innings had stumbled at 33-2.
Callaghan did not complete a hat-trick with the first ball of his following over but a bowling change at the other end saw Dave Taylor take a wicket with his first ball when he had Wright edging behind to smart young wicketkeeper James Ellis for 22. Robin Bracewell and Craig Pryor then set about rebuilding the innings and the pair had advanced the total to 70 when Bracewell was adjudged leg before wicket to Dave Taylor for 12.
That was 70-4 and it was very quickly 77-7 as Taylor knocked back Coultas' off stump for fourth ball duck and Callaghan removed Latus leg before wicket for nought and bowled Laird who similarly failed to trouble the scorers. Jeremy Newman resisted for some time before Dave Taylor wrapped up the innings by taking the final three wickets.
But as he did so Pryor stood firm and defiant, his driving straight and through mid-on and mid-off being particularly impressive. But two of his partners went when Newman was caught at slip by Callaghan for one, 102-8, and Keith Riley, batting up the order at number 10, was caught at mid off by Zac Taylor for one, 104-9.
Pryor moved to a well-deserved 50 and beyond but was then undone by a ball from Dave Taylor. It leapt at him off a good length and he was only able to fend it to Callaghan at slip who competed a good day with his second catch to add to his 54 runs and three wickets for 36. Pryor made 62 from 97 balls with 10 sweetly struck fours.
Dave Taylor completed also completed a good day with his first six-wicket haul in senior cricket, finishing with 6-43 from 13.3 testing overs. Fleetwood finished at 122 all out to lose by 88 runs with 12.3 of the final 20 overs remaining. One Fleetwood player who remarked at the interval "We will either win this in a canter or lose by 100 runs" was very close in his prediction!
Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League Second Division results:
Blackpool 129-9 (Haddrick 7-36), Netherfield 90-8 (Armstrong 4-19)
Chorley 186-6 (Richardson 73), Kendal 144-7 (Dowker 76)
Darwen 283-4 (Painter 95), Leyland Motors 150
St Annes 171 (Bateson 5-44), Fleetwood 172-5 (Clark 56, Buschini 50*)
Lancaster 213-4 (Cadman 90, Phillips 78), Preston 176 (Glover 8-49)
Leyland 132-4 (Allen 53, Gardiner 49), Morecambe 136-1 (Izzat 51)
