Attack spins Lytham top

They recorded a comprehensive win at Church Road over second-bottom Colwyn Bay, with only 15 minutes of the contest lost to the rain.

Now the hardest part for Lytham is staying there.

They have a buffer at the top, but the big test of their credentials will be in coming matches against the likes of Bootle, Leigh and Hightown.

Lytham won the toss and inserted the North Wales side, who were shot out for 173.

Teenage off-spinner Ben Saunders bowled superbly in tandem with professional Ben Linde.

The 17-year-old Saunders took four wickets, and Linde grabbed three.

Saunders has already played for the county at age group level, as well as with Lancashire Colts, though he will be absent from the Lytham line-up next weekend because of commitments with the King Edward School side.

Colwyn Bay’s total would have looked very shabby, had it not been for the contribution of Sion Morris, who stuck around to score 75.

Ever-conscious of the fact that the elements could intervene at any time, Lytham’s batsmen set about their task with alacrity.

Colwyn Bay’s Australian professional Jake Haberfield was lively, but the Lytham batsmen dealt with his pace admirably, and he did not succeed in claiming a victim.

Fayaz Ughradar finished with 61 not out, and he was ably backed up by Nick Knight (46) and Jimmy Wisniewski (35)

Reflecting on Lytham’s newly-acquired status as league leaders after this eight-wicket win, skipper Antony Mulligan said: “We have always been confident in our ability, but we didn’t really expect to be in this position, but now that we are we need to carry on the momentum.”

n IN the Northern League, Fleetwood’s match with St Annes was abandoned without a ball being bowled, the same fate befalling Blackpool’s clash with Morecambe.