Fylde coast cricket round-up: Northern League, Lytham, Palace Shield

Blackpool, St Annes and Fleetwood all claimed victories in the Northern Premier League.
St Annes Atiq Uz-ZamanSt Annes Atiq Uz-Zaman
St Annes Atiq Uz-Zaman

Bottom side Lancaster proved no match for Blackpool at Stanley Park, where the home side’s 52-run victory was a welcome boost after losing four of their previous five first division games..

After choosing to bat first, Blackpool set a target of 176-8. Guest professional Chris Williams again made a winning contribution with an unbeaten 88 from 108 balls, including 10 fours.

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Matt Houston was the only other Blackpool player to reach double figures as Kasun Madusanka took 3-49 from 15 overs.

Blackpool have lost Josh Boyne for the season with a broken finger but weren’t to be denied as Andy Furniss stepped up with a season’s best 6-36 from 13 overs as the visitors were dismissed for 124 in 42 overs.

Fleetwood made light work of their eight-wicket victory over Barrow at Ernest Pass.

The hosts were put into bat and removed for 133 in 48 overs, Fleetwood professional Neels Bergh taking 6-28 from 14 overs, the South African’s best figures yet and his fifth five-for of the campaign.

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Matthew Taylor held the Barrow innings together with 51 but only one of his team-mates scored more than seven.

Captain Dean Bell then didn’t hang around as he sealed Fleetwood’s victory in just 21 overs, scoring an unbeaten 109 out of his side’s 136-2. It was the wicketkeeper’s first-ever league century.

St Annes were the most convincing winners of all, demolishing Kendal by 10 wickets at Vernon Road.

The Cumbrians were put in and sent packing for just 62 in 37.5 overs, with nine players dismissed for 10 or fewer.

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Like the other Fylde coast clubs, St Annes’ bowler of the day returned his best figures of the season.

In this case it was Matt Grindley, removing all the top five on his way to with 6-24 from 17 overs. The league’s leading wicket-taker needs just one more for 50 league victims, while Indian guest professional Ravi Teja chipped in with 3-15 from 12.5 overs.

It took St Annes just 14.4 overs to seal victory without losing a wicket, Atiq Uz-Zaman leading the way with a run-a-ball 41.

It means there’s no change in the league table, with St Annes still tied with second-placed Chorley, Blackpool in fourth and Fleetwood sixth.

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Lytham couldn’t follow the example of their Fylde coast neighbours, dismissed for just 82 in reply to hosts Rainhill’s 206-8 declared in the Liverpool Competition.

Openers David Atkinson and TylderMcGladdery put on 57 but it was number four Samuel Kershaw who led the St Helens side past 200 with an unbeaten 65 from 106 balls. Lytham captain Danny Edwards claimed a season’s best 6-57 from 19 overs.

The Lytham reply began promisingly enough to reach 39-1 but the visitors could manage only 43 more before being all out in 37.7 overs.

Anthony Mulligan, back after injury, offered most resistance with 33 but eighth-placed Lytham had no answer to Akshay Arun Darekar, who took 7-25 from 18.3 overs in his side’s 124-run win.

Moore and Smalley Palace Shield

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Premier division: Croston (112-7, M Nadeem 3-38) lost to Great Eccleston (113-6, M Nadeem 40, L Childs 3-60) by four wickets, Freckleton (114 J Fiddler 31, G Tirrell 5-20, J Beech 3-37 ) lost to Thornton Cleveleys (117-3) by seven wickets, Garstang (125-4, Mark Walling 45) beat Penwortham (124-9, G Jennings 5-16, C Oosthuysen 3-41) by six wickets, Longridge (69-1) beat Eccleston (68) by nine wickets, Rufford (98) lost to Torrisholme (247) by 149 runs, Vernon Carus (193-6) beat Fulwood & Broughton (168) by 25 runs

Division One: Fulwood & Broughton 2 (151-6) beat Longridge 2 (149) by four wickets, Fylde (107-2, M Moore 46no) beat Hoghton (106, S Rizvi 45, D McKenzie 5-9) by eight wickets, New Longton (233-7) beat Garstang 2 (140) by 93 runs, Norcross (263-5, S Bovington 96, J Relph 58, R Blampied 40no) beat White Coppice (138, C Maguire 50, J Relph 5-45) by 125 runs, Whittingham & Goosnargh (167) lost to Vernon Carus 2 (171-5) by five wickets, Withnell Fold (115, G Lomax 30, M Cowburn 4-18, H Pazeer 3-18, M Hall 3-43) lost to South Shore (119-2, L Jardine 61no) by eight wickets.

Division Two: Grimsargh (173-8, S Davis 39) lost to Kirkham and Wesham (194-6, J Hogarth 95no) by 21 runs, Walton-le-Dale (203-9, J Ainscough 71, G Brooks 3-32, J Tidmarsh 3-44, M Wood 3-45) beat Wrea Green (80, J Tidmarsh 35no, E Brown 4-16, M Morris 3-24 ) by 123 runs