DREAM ENDING FOR SHARP
Lancaster 81, Blackpool 82-7
By Gerry Wolstenholme
In footballing terms (and the season overlaps that of cricket so much these days that it is (sadly) not unrealistic to mention cricket and football in the same breath) Marcus Sharp had a 'Roy of the Rovers' ending to his career as professional at Blackpool on Saturday. He had already taken 5-15 from 23 accurate overs when he had to go to the wicket with Blackpool teetering on the brink of victory or defeat at 79-7 chasing Lancaster's very modest 82. He was equal to the task and his two not out included the winning run, a hoick over mid wicket for the single that took Blackpool to 82-7 and a three-wicket victory.
He had begun the day by bowling 45 'dot balls' before a single off the 46th spoiled his figures! His accuracy always helps the bowler at the other end and this time it was Oliver Newby who profited when he produced a full length ball to bowl Craig Atkinson for eight. The batsman had scored his eight with two edged fours, one through the slips, one a French cut, in the previous over and when he was out, Lancaster were 17-1 from nearly 14 overs.
When Sharp trapped Danny Hagen leg before wicket for 12 it was 29-2 in the 27th over. Thereafter only 52 further runs were added and most of those came from the bat of the seasoned David Heywood. He was the only Lancaster batsman who seemed to be able to get the tight Blackpool bowling away and he took heavy toll of Stephen Croft whose four overs cost, in terms of the contest, a massive 25 runs.
Brendan Hetherington, with a couple of recent 60s behind him, came in at number four but he could only make three before, frustrated at not being able to get the ball away, he rashly gave Sharp the charge only to find his stumps neatly re-arranged. Luke Phillips made five before he fell leg before wicket to Sharp and Batterbee lasted only a short time before giving Sharp, at slip, a simple catch off Newby. He had gone for nought and Lancaster were 64-5.
The important wicket fell when the total had reached 68 and the younger Heywood had joined David. It was the latter who was dismissed as he was beaten by Sharp and bowled for a fine and fighting 36. Paul Sidebotham, on his First Division debut, then threw down the wicket with Heywood junior scrambling to get back to his crease at the bowler's end and it was 68-7.
Ian Dawson and Ben Simm put on 12 runs before Sharp claimed his fifth wicket of the afternoon when Hackett smartly stumped the advancing batsman for one. Newby then wrapped up the innings by bowling Dawson for 11 and repeating the dose later in the over to dispose of Graham Barnes without addition to the total. Lancaster had limped to 81 all out from 45.5 overs with Sharp's figures of 23-14-15-5 completely encapsulating his time at Stanley Park. Newby played an admirable second fiddle with 4-28.
Blackpool's reply had advanced to 19 before the first wicket went down and when it did it precipitated the all too often clatter of wickets that has dogged the side this season. It was Martin Pickles who was first to go as Barnes bowled him for three. Two runs later and Chris Barrow, surely a better batting prospect in his more accustomed number six or seven spot, fell leg before wicket to Dawson for 12.
Mark Lomas made 10 and then, well forward, was adjudged leg before wicket to Barnes and Blackpool were 36-3. Croft and Richard Lamb then began to rebuild the innings and by some determined play they added 32 runs. Croft then sacrificed himself as the clouds closer in and rain looked imminent when he was stumped by Hetherington off Chris Glover for 23. A break for rain followed and then Lamb too went the same way as Croft as he tried to hit Blackpool to victory. He missed and Hetherington picked up his second stumping off Glover as Lamb departed for 22.
Sidebotham made one before the wily Barnes had him leg before wicket to the fourth appeal of the over and then Newby slipped going for a single to be run out and Blackpool were 79-7. Fittingly Marcus Sharp came to the wicket and with Steve Mercer as his partner (and no Keith Semple to spoil the party!*) he took Blackpool to victory at 82-7. Sharp ended with two not out and Mercer three not out as the rain started to come down once again.
When the game was over Sharp, for the second time on the day, was given a standing ovation by the crowd and by the sporting Lancaster players as he returned to the pavilion for the last time as Blackpool's professional. Later he was presented with a cheque for his benefit and, in a unique honour, he was made an honorary life member of the club. It was due reward for a great professional and a true gentleman. His five seasons at Blackpool provided him with 285 League wickets, including his best haul of 66 in the current season.
Footnotes:
The reference to Keith Semple is a light-hearted one in that in Marcus Sharp's benefit match the beneficiary went to the wicket with less than 20 runs needed for his side's victory. Keith Semple, far from providing the gentle full toss to let the beneficiary off the mark, produced a brute of a ball that moved off the seam and removed Marcus's middle stump! It was, of course, all done in the best possible taste and everyone was quite happy at the amusing outcome! Keith blamed the pitch and Marcus simply said that he should have laid a bat on it!
If it was a secret that Oliver Newby was to return to new Ribblesdale League champions Read for next season, it was soon given a public hearing on Radio Lancashire on Saturday evening's 'Cricket Extra'. The Read captain, interviewed after his side's title win, let everyone know that they would be a stronger side next season with the return on Newby who, he said, had never really been happy at Blackpool. He told listeners that the bowler would be returning to join their celebrations later that evening rather than accompany the Blackpool side on a night out. So Blackpool will be looking for two new opening bowlers for next season with the departure of Sharp and Newby.
The Second Division title race went down to the last round of games and it turned out to be a triumph for Morecambe. Any one of three teams could have won the title but with Fleetwood playing Morecambe it was always going to be one of those two providing there was a result at Broadwater. And there was. Fleetwood were bowled out for 62 with Gates taking 5-28 and although Neil Gregson did his level best with 6-8 to bring Fleetwood back into the game, Morecambe made 63-8 to win by two wickets. They therefore took 12 points and lifted the title by three points from Lancaster whose valiant effort in beating Blackpool was, in the end, all in vain. They had declared at Lune Road at 121-9, and then with Ian Burstow taking 4-24 they bowled Blackpool out for 88 to win by 33 runs. But the 15 points only gave them a deserved runners-up spot. Fleetwood held onto third place.
Second Division results in brief (home team in bold):
Darwen v Kendal - no play match abandoned without a ball bowled
Darwen 4 points, Kendal 4 points
Fleetwood 62 (31.1 overs) (Gates 5-28), Morecambe 63-8 ((30.2 overs) (Gregson 6-8)
Fleetwood 2 points, Morecambe 12 points
Lancaster 121-9 dec (35 overs), Blackpool 88 (21.3 overs) (Burstow 4-24)
Lancaster 15 points, Blackpool 2 points
Netherfield v Chorley - no play match abandoned without a ball bowled
Netherfield 4 points, Chorley 4 points
Preston 114-6 (36 overs)(Dixon 57, Totham 4-31), Leyland Motors 112-7 (40 overs)
Preston 5 points, Leyland Motors 2 points
Leyland 83-9 (48 overs) (Cotton J 7-40), St Annes 86-5 (29.3 overs) (Tennant 4-41)
Leyland 0 points, St Annes 12 points
.
BAY 96.9 NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE
SECOND DIVISION
FINAL TABLE
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Morecambe |
22 |
4 |
9 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
16 |
206 |
| Lancaster |
22 |
4 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
23 |
203 |
| Fleetwood |
22 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
26 |
189 |
| Netherfield |
22 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
18 |
161 |
| St Annes |
22 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
3 |
11 |
142 |
| Chorley |
22 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
2 |
17 |
128 |
| Darwen |
22 |
0 |
6 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
19 |
123 |
| Leyland Motors |
22 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
9 |
3 |
13 |
107 |
| Leyland |
22 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
10 |
3 |
19 |
99 |
| Kendal |
22 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
10 |
3 |
19 |
98 |
| Preston |
22 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
3 |
24 |
95 |
| Blackpool |
22 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
10 |
2 |
30 |
93 |
