By Gerry Wolstenholme
It was very much a day for the grafters at Blackpool's Stanley Park on Saturday when Kendal were the visitors and in the end the home side proved that they were prepared to work at it more as they triumphed by 12 runs. Batting first and making a modest 112 all out that owed much to hard work by Martin Pickles and Mark Lomas plus a generous helping of extras, they then bowled superbly, with once again professional Marcus Sharp to the fore, to dismiss Kendal for a disappointing 100. Kevin Howarth was the only Kendal batsman to show how it should have been done and he was the only one to reach double figures as he finished with 54 not out.
From the start it was obvious that the track was not one on which easy runs could be garnered and Richard Lamb had occupied the crease for 14 overs when he was bowled by Kevin Howarth for just two runs with the total on 26. Martin Pickles and Stephen Croft then added 27 runs before Pickles, having battled for 81 balls, was bowled by Richard Ellwood for 28, an innings that contained three of Blackpool's seven fours.
Croft went for 10 without addition when the umpire upheld the first of very many shouts for leg before wicket. Adrian 'Shed' Potts was the fortunate bowler. Paul Danson made seven before Kendal's professional Kabir Khan deceived him and it was 73-4. Khan made it two wickets in two balls when he yorked Prash Aga and 10 runs later Chris Barrow, two, edged Northern League debutant Ian Higson through to Alan Fawcett.
Mark Lomas, 23, was seventh out with the total on 101 when he got the faintest touch to a ball from Ellwood for Fawcett to take the catch. New boy Oliver Newby made 12 before he was caught at slip by Kendal captain Dave Fallows and without addition, Marcus Sharp rashly chanced his arm against Ellwood only to find the safe hands of Terry Hunte on the mid-wicket boundary and he was gone for one at 109-9. Three more runs and it was all over as Howarth returned to bowl Martin Hackett for one and that left David Brooks nought not out and Blackpool returning to the pavilion for 112 made in 51.5 of there allotted 57 overs.
The Kendal bowlers all performed well and shared the wickets with Ellwood the most successful with 3-20. Khan took 2-24, Potts 1-13, Howarth 2-16 and Higson 2-24
Last season's game, ironically the last game of the season, ended with totals of 109 to Blackpool and 83 to Kendal. Kendal simply seemed to be following on from where they left off and it looked at one point as though this game would more or less follow a similar pattern. Marcus Sharp had mopped up Kendal last season with 6-35, including two wickets in two balls and three wickets in his final two overs. He continued the progress by bowling Simon Little with the first ball of the Kendal innings and that set the tone for what was to follow.
Terry Hunte came in and looked a little uncomfortable and, as his wont in such circumstances, he decided that he would hit himself out of it. After cracking Sharp for one glorious four, he could not resist another go at the same bowler but this time he holed out to Lamb at extra cover. He was gone for nine and Kendal were 14-2. It quickly became 15-3 when Sharp struck again, this time having another Kendal debutant Martin South caught at slip by Barrow for two, made in 12 overs.
Khan had an escape before he had scored when he edged Sharp to Lomas at slip but he did not have much of a reprieve for, having made just two, he was neatly stumped by Hackett off Brooks. The wicketkeeper had noticed that Khan had a tendency to advance down the track so had come close to the stumps and when the professional lifted his back foot he swiftly removed the bails for umpire Tommy Wilson to raise his finger. A disbelieving Khan stood rooted to the crease before making his slow and weary way back to the pavilion at 21-4.
Captain David Fallows came to the wicket and started circumspectly. He then edged Sharp for a boundary, a shot that was followed by an inside edge to fine leg for two. Perhaps emboldened by this success he was out in the same over playing an absolutely horrendous stroke. His head was in the air as he swung cross-battedly at Sharp, obviously forgetting the Blackpool professional's unerring accuracy. His stumps were duly rearranged, he was out for seven and Kendal were in the doldrums at 32-5
Stephen Cooper made only one before he became Sharp's fifth victim when he was leg before wicket with the total on 40. Meanwhile, Howarth continued to be the only man who looked likely to lead Kendal to victory although, in fairness, he had been dropped twice, by Barrow, head-high in the gully when he had made two, and by Croft at slip when he had made nine. He and Fawcett added 16 runs before Fawcett struck Barrow for four and then drove a ball straight back at the bowler who comfortably held the catch.
The experienced Ellwood joined Howarth who was by now making the most of scoring and it looked as though the former would simply block his way to the close while his partner made the runs. But it was not to be for Ellwood suddenly had a rush of blood and was dismissed in identical fashion to Fawcett and it was 68-8, last man one.
Then came the game's best partnership as Howarth and Potts put on 32 runs with the latter contributing just three. By this time Howarth had passed his half-century and there were just 13 runs needed for victory. But then Sharp returned to the attack, perhaps a couple of overs later than he should have done but the change worked wonders for Blackpool.
He tempted Potts into a rather rash drive and then bent low to take an excellent one-handed return catch that made Kendal 100-9 with new man Higson on strike. And he did not survive the over for, off the final ball, he was trapped in front of his stumps and Kendal, all out 100, had lost by 12 runs. The gallant Howarth was undefeated on 54 made from 95 balls with two sixes and two fours and Marcus Sharp had conceded only seven scoring shots off his 90 balls. His admirable figures were 15-11-16-7 while Barrow had 2-31 and Brooks 1-10.
Kendal's gamble of inserting Blackpool, having won the toss, did not work even though their bowlers had done a good job of restricting the home side to only 112. The batsmen will have to show much more resolve if they are to be more successful as the season advances.
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE DIVISION TWO RESULTS
Results in brief (home team in bold):
Leyland 147-5 (Farrington 43), Darwen 85-8 (Bateson 42)
Leyland six points, Darwen one point.
Fleetwood 176-9 (W Clarke 89*), Netherfield 54 (Sherlock 4-27)
Fleetwood 15 points, Netherfield two points.
Kendal 115-8, Blackpool 87-8 (Simcock 46)
Kendal six points, Blackpool two points.
Chorley 192-9 (Yardley 80, Hotham 52, Afsar 4-32), Leyland Motors 193-3
(Pimblett 88, Totham 46)
Chorley two points, Leyland Motors 12 points.
Preston 156-8 (Greenwood 75, A Mann 61), Morecambe 159-3 (Clough 54, Izatt 43)
Preston one point, Morecambe 12 points.
Lancaster 211-3 (Parkinson 107*, B Phillips 41),St Annes 129-8 (Hill 37)
Lancaster nine points, St Annes one point.
