By Michael Latham
Blackpool's Alex Smith hits a single to reach
his maiden Northern League
hundred |
Division One leaders Leyland ended the first
half of the Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket
League (incorporating Readers Cricket Balls) season with a 23
points lead over Barrow after earning their eleventh win in 13
games after a dramatic low-scoring encounter at Birch Hall
against Darwen.
Skipper David Makinson led from the front,
taking seven for 30 including the prize wicket of Darwen's
in-form professional Mohammad Zaman Khan as Leyland
successfully defended their total of 127.
With Makinson weaving his spin magic
sixth-placed Darwen were bowled out for 97, Luis Reece and
leg-spinner Tayyab Afsar supporting their captain
impressively.
Leyland pro Brett Pelser battled his way to
42 off 72 balls and Andrew Makinson, son of the skipper,
played another hugely important innings, continuing his fine
recent form with 51 off 86 balls. The pair accounted for all
but 34 runs of the Leyland score as fast developing seamer
Chris Wade returned his best Darwen analysis of five for 43 to
support pro Khan's spell of four for 27.
Leyland (played 13-154 pts) lead Darwen (13-131)
with defending champions St Annes (12-127) in third.
Barrow earned maximum points from a low scoring
game against Preston at West Cliff as pro Pasan Wanasinghe
continued his fine bowling form.
The experienced Sri Lankan
took 6 for 45 including the vital wicket of Preston pro Bilal
Asad for 48 as last season's runners-up were dismissed for 135
chasing Barrow's 161. Barrow skipper Daryl Wearing returned
three for 51 to support Wanasinghe's efforts.
Darren Clark
anchored Barrow's innings with a responsible knock of 67 off
108 balls after Cumberland county opening pair Greg Platten
and Jon Miles and Wanasinghe all fell cheaply. Clark received
good support from Liam Livingstone (31) and Chris D'Leny (24)
to thwart the talented Lukman Vahaluwala who took six for
38.
St Annes avenged two cup defeats inside the last
week at the hands of Fleetwood with a battling four wickets
win at Broadwater. St Annes' Sri Lankan spin ace Dinuka
Hettiarachchi returned five for 56 as Fleetwood were dismissed
for 146. Professional and captain Matt Frith made a return
from a dislocated shoulder earlier than expected to make 50
off 70 balls opening the innings but when he was seventh man
out at 96 Tom Wilson and Lee Jones combined in a defiant ninth
wicket stand of 31. Teenaged opening bowler Matthew Grindley
confirmed his promise with three for 37.
Sam Bell took three wickets for Fleetwood
including that of 2008 and 2009 Castle Batting Award winner
Atiq Uz-Zaman for 23 but St Annes got home for the loss of six
wickets with four batsmen passing 20 but none reaching 30.
Wicketkeeper Duncan Whalley's unbeaten 17 was crucial in a
tense finish.
Blackpool (13-116) held on to fourth place
despite losing at home to fifth-placed Morecambe (12-111).
Hallam University student Alex Smith confirmed his rich
potential with a fluent century, his first in division one as
Blackpool reached 210 for 4 on a hot day at Stanley Park.
Morecambe's Chris Williams tests out
Blackpool's Alex Smith in the opening
stages |
The Blackpool born opener hit an unbeaten 121
off 149 balls including 15 fours, reaching his century with a
single off Andrew Armstrong in the 47th over. Michael Moore
(46) partnered Smith in a fourth-wicket stand of 102 as
Morecambe battled hard in the field.
Morecambe
CC 2010 vintage line up for the
camera |
Ikram Ullah, a century-maker for Cumberland in
midweek, then spearheaded Morecambe's reply with a fluent 56
off 70 balls with wicketkeeper Lewis Edge batting fluently to
make 35. The consistent Chris Williams (45 not out) then
combined with pro Mandla Mashimbyi (62 not out) to take the
game away from the home side in a match-winning unbeaten stand
of 98 as the visitors romped home with 11.5 overs in hand.
Mashimbyi hit six fours and three sixes and faced only 50
balls.
Chorley's South African pro JJ Smuts hit his
second century in a fortnight but still finished on the losing
side in a high-scoring game at Windsor Park. Smuts hit 135 off
127 balls with 16 fours and three sixes, sharing a second
wicket stand of 121 with James Reynard (52) as Chorley amassed
251 for 7 against Netherfield.
The visitors were handicapped when opening
bowler Ryan Wilson sustained a hamstring injury after bowling
only eight balls but Nathan Chambers soldiered away to take
three for 58 and Australian pro Nick Kruger took four for 75,
and had the satisfaction of bowling Smuts.
Kruger was
bowled by Kieran McCullagh for 8 as Netherfield struggled to
84 for 4 in reply until Ben Haddrick and Oliver Hill combined
in a crucial stand of 108. Hill made 51 off 50 balls with ten
fours and one six while Haddrick went on to record a superb
119 off 120 balls including eight fours and no less than 11
sixes. Chris Parry, back from a broken finger, combined with
skipper Marc Hadwin to see Netherfield to a welcome win with
an undefeated eighth wicket stand of 30 as Billy Smith took
three wickets for Chorley.
Lancaster moved up to seventh with victory over
Carnforth at Lune Road. Carnforth pro Gareth Pedder (42 off 41
balls) and Adam Hornby (47 off 48 balls) were the major
contributors as Carnforth reached 187 for 8, pro Roy Silva and
Ben Simm each taking three wickets.
After Lancaster
struggled to 71 for 4 Carnforth looked the likelier winners
but David Heywood held firm and Andrew Fletcher, promoted from
the Second XI after a century last week, emerged as the
match-winner. Fletcher made 65 off 98 balls and Heywood (40
not out off 115 balls) was there at the close as Lancaster got
home by four wickets.
FIRST DIVISION SCORES
BLACKPOOL v MORECAMBE
Morecambe (12pts) defeated Blackpool (3pts) by
7 wickets
Blackpool 210 for 4 (A Smith 121no, M Moore 46),
Morecambe 212 for 3 (M Mashimbyi 62no, I Ullah 56, C Williams
45no)
CHORLEY v NETHERFIELD
Netherfield (12pts) defeated Chorley (5pts) by
3 wickets
Chorley 251 for 7 (JJ Smuts 135, J Reynard 52, N
Kruger 4 for 75), Netherfield 254 for 7 (B Haddrick 119, O
Hill 51)
DARWEN v LEYLAND
Leyland (15pts) defeated Darwen (3pts) by 30
runs
Leyland 127 (A Makinson 51, B Pelser 42, C Wade
5 for 43, MZ Khan 4 for 27), Darwen 97 (D Makinson 7 for
30)
FLEETWOOD v ST ANNES
St Annes (12pts) defeated Fleetwood (2pts) by
4 wickets
Fleetwood 146 (M Frith 50, D Hettiarachchi 5
for 56), St Annes 148 for 6
LANCASTER v CARNFORTH
Lancaster (12pts) defeated Carnforth (4pts) by
4 wickets
Carnforth 187 for 8 (A Hornby 47, G Pedder
42), Lancaster 190 for 6 (A Fletcher 65, D Heywood 40no)
PRESTON v BARROW
Barrow (15pts) defeated Preston (3pts) by 26
runs
Barrow 161 (D Clark 67, L Vahaluwala 6 for 38),
Preston 135 (Bilal Asad 48, P Wanasinghe 6 for 45)
Kendal no game (play Lancashire Colts,
Sunday)
Sunday 27th June
Division One
KENDAL v LANCASHIRE COLTS
Kendal (12pts) defeated Lancashire Colts
(5pts) by 3 wickets
Lancashire Colts 195 (L Watkinson 69, C Miller 5
for 84), Kendal 198 for 7 (R McMillan 71, K Howarth 52)
FURNESS BUILDING SOCIETY
( INCORPORATIN READERS CRICKET
BALLS )
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Division One
| Club |
P |
W15 |
W12 |
D4 |
D1 |
L |
NR4 |
BP |
Pts |
| Leyland |
13 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
154 |
| Barrow |
13 |
3 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
13 |
131 |
| St Annes |
12 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
127 |
| Blackpool |
13 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
12 |
116 |
| Morecambe |
12 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
16 |
111 |
| Darwen |
12 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
27 |
91 |
| Lancaster |
13 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
23 |
87 |
| Netherfield |
12 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
17 |
81 |
| Kendal |
13 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
33 |
77 |
| Chorley |
13 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
26 |
71 |
| Lancashire Colts |
8 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
18 |
53 |
| Fleetwood |
13 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
1 |
28 |
52 |
| Preston |
13 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
24 |
51 |
| Carnforth |
12 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
1 |
26 |
46 |
Match Report By Michael Moore
Smith ton in vain as Blackpool fall to mighty
Morecambe
On a blisteringly hot day @ Stanley Park,
Blackpool welcomed close rivals Morecambe as their opponents
for the day with both sides looking for an all important
championship boosting win
With the toss going in his favour, home skipper
Danson decided to bat,hoping to post a large score and let his
guests wilt in the almost tropical heat. But Morecambe were
happy to be bowling first and opening bowlers Williams &
pro Mashimbyi were impressive , bowling with good discipline
in the batsman friendly conditions.
All the Morecambe bowlers were tidy and the home
boys had to work hard for their runs, a fact which makes
teenager Alex Smith`s maiden Division 1 century a bit
special.His 121 not out was littered with boundary fours as he
exuded a distinct air of confidence. He really is maturing as
an opening bat this season and his array of shots off both
front and back foot should send out warning signals to all
Northern League bowlers.
He found a capable ally in no5 batsman Michael
Moore, who despite struggling early in his innings to get the
scoreboard moving, managed to inject some late impetus in his
innings of 46 with 2 towering 6s off left arm spinner Andy
Armstrong. Smith and Moore added 102 for the 4th wicket as
Danno`s Boys eventually managed 210 for 4 in their 50 overs, a
total which was probably 40 or 50 short of par on the day.
In reply the Blackpool bowlers failed to emulate
the visitors` accuracy in line and length as Morecambe set off
at a searing pace, Ikram Ullah in particular enjoying the
wayward bowling as he raced to his half century. He was
eventually undone by the spin of pro Perera but by then
Morecambe were well on their way in the chasedown.South
African pro Mashimbyi also struck a fine speedy half century
to finish 62 not out ( inc 3 x 6s) and with team mate Williams
finishing on a fine 45 not out the pair saw them ease past the
Seasiders` middling total with 7 wickets and 11.5 overs to
spare
Danno`s Boys will need the boost of a good win
tomorrow when they entertain Northern CC in round 3 of the
National Knockout.
Put today behind you ,Fellers. Pick yourselves
up and do the business tomorrow. We are still in 4th place in
the league
On a lighter note , the impressive Rob Sissons
sold all of today`s programmes well before 2.30pm. Great
effort Rob, enjoy your holiday.
See you down the
ground......Mick
DIVISION TWO
In Division Two Stu Naden stole the headlines as
leaders Chorley (12-122) scored 283 for 5 to overcome
Netherfield at Parkside Road.
Chorley's
Stu Naden was a Division Two record-breaker with his
magnificent innings at
Netherfield |
Teenager Naden hit a magnificent 192 off 166
balls, including 25 fours and two sixes, to set a new league
and club record batting performance. Naden surpassed Chorley's
Arthur Diamond's 182 in a second team game in 1992 with the
highest individual score in Northern League Division Two
cricket. The 17-year-old was recently awarded Chorley's Player
of the Month award for April/May sponsored by the White Hart,
Chorley and must surely now be in contention for the June
award.
Only Darwen's Atif Ashraf (208no in 2007) and
Netherfield's Nick Kruger (208 in 2010) have hit higher scores
in the league, their performances being in Division One games.
Coincidentally, two weeks ago JJ Smuts broke the Chorley
club's division one record with an unbeaten 177 at
Carnforth.
Leyland (11-115) were frustrated by third-placed
Darwen (12-108) in a drawn game at Fox Lane as Australian
guest player Daniel Hall continued his rich vein of form with
71.
Blackpool (11-104) lost at sixth-placed
Morecambe as Graeme Cassidy and Nick Milner each took five
wickets while Lancaster edged a high-scoring thriller at Lodge
Quarry thanks to Hasnain Rajkowala's 89. Earlier Neil Dugdale
hit 73 for Carnforth and Ryan Gallagher, batting at no10, an
unbeaten 39 off 13 balls including four sixes as Phil Sparrow
took six wickets.
Christian Nicholson took five for 33 to hasten
Preston's demise at Ernest Pass after Guy Heffernan's 89 off
69 balls had led Barrow to 280 for 6 with Rhys Studt (66 not
out) and Tom Penny (51) also in the runs.
Russ Bradley continued his rich vein of form
with 70 for St Annes but Fleetwood edged the Fylde coast derby
by one wicket at Vernon Road, Wayne Clarke making 53 and the
last pair of Adam Breakell and Neil Gregson safely negotiating
the last seven runs.
SECOND DIVISION SCORES
BARROW v PRESTON
Barrow (15pts) defeated Preston (1pt) by 148
runs
Barrow 280 for 6 (G Heffernan 89, R Studt 66no,
T Penny 51), Preston 132 (A Rutledge 52, C Nicholson 5 for
33)
CARNFORTH v LANCASTER
Lancaster (12pts) defeated Carnforth (4pts) by
5 wickets
Carnforth 244 for 9 (N Dugdale 73, P Sparrow 6
for 103), Lancaster 247 for 5 (H Rajkowala 89, W Mossop
53)
LEYLAND v DARWEN
Leyland (10pts) winning draw; Darwen
(4pts)
Leyland 225 for 8 (D Hall 71, W Royle 45),
Darwen 147 for 9 (S Cartwright 5 for 46)
MORECAMBE v BLACKPOOL
Morecambe (15pts) defeated Blackpool (2pts) by
71 runs
Morecambe 186 for 8 (N Milner 52no, G Maje 40),
Blackpool 115 (G Cassidy 5 for 52, N Milner 5 for 33)
NETHERFIELD v CHORLEY
Chorley (12pts) defeated Netherfield (4pts) by
5 wickets
Netherfield 282 for 7 (G Baker 89, D Davidson
64), Chorley 283 for 5 (S Naden 192)
ST ANNES v FLEETWOOD
Fleetwood (12pts) defeated St Annes (5pts) by
1 wicket
St Annes 176 for 9 (R Bradley 70), Fleetwood 179
for 9 (W Clarke 53, T Partington 40, J Todd 4 for 31, R Thomas
4 for 46)
Kendal 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 |
| Chorley |
12 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
18 |
122 |
| Leyland |
11 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
18 |
115 |
| Darwen |
12 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
20 |
108 |
| Blackpool |
11 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
11 |
104 |
| Lancaster |
12 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
9 |
91 |
| Morecambe |
12 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
14 |
88 |
| St Annes |
10 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
20 |
83 |
| Preston |
12 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
19 |
83 |
| Barrow |
11 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
17 |
73 |
| Fleetwood |
11 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
17 |
73 |
| Netherfield |
12 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
1 |
19 |
68 |
| Kendal |
11 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
22 |
47 |
| Carnforth |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
1 |
16 |
20 |
Match Report By Michael Fisher
Morecambe 2nds 186-8 v Blackpool 115
Morecambe returned to winning ways at Woodhill
Lane on Saturday, winning the toss and batting the depleted
home side started well with Gulam Maje taking the attack to
the Blackpool bowlers. Izzat provided stout resistance in
support of Maje. The introduction of Bird saw Maje (40) well
caught by Northern League legend Adrian Darlington of the
young leg spinner.
Fisher arrived and showed his aggressive
intentions from the outset striking a number of boundaries. He
fell for 30 bowled by the ever eager Clark, Plackett followed
quickly bringing Morecambe chairman Milner to the wicket.
Izzat finally gave up resistance for an extremely patient 25.
Milner and Ahmed (10) and then Cassidy helped build a
defend-able. Wickets fell towards the end of the innings as
the Morecambe youngsters tried to support Milner. He passed 50
just as the innings closed on 186-8. Parker and Owen being the
pick of the visitors bowling with 3 wickets apiece.
Morecambe defence couldn't got off to a better
start Graeme Cassidy trapping Darlington LBW 3rd ball for 0.
Outram launched a few lusty blows before Cassidy claimed his
second victim. Play was halted by Controversy with Fisher
complaining about being blinded by the mirrored stickers off
Kiruparans bat catching the glare off the sun. He fell to
first ball after being forced to change his bat . Cassidy and
Milner chipped after away at the weakened Blackpool batting
line up. Both bowled with great control giving nothing away as
the batmen perished cheaply. Owen and Clark provided some
resistance but the innings was rapped up with 16 overs to
spare, Cassidy bowling unchanged in the heat taking a well
deserved 5-52 and Milner proving an excellence foil finishing
with 5-33
