Gazette cricket round-up: Fylde trio still unbeaten in NPL, Blackpool add to Lytham's woes, Palace Shield league and cup action

Fylde clubs occupy three of the top four places in cricket's Northern Premier League, though Garstang clung on for a draw at Stanley Park to deny Blackpool first place as Fleetwood and St Annes recorded emphatic wins.
Paul Willis hits out for Fleetwood against ChorleyPaul Willis hits out for Fleetwood against Chorley
Paul Willis hits out for Fleetwood against Chorley

Fylde clubs occupy three of the top four places in cricket’s Northern Premier League, though Garstang clung on for a draw at Stanley Park to deny Blackpool first place as Fleetwood and St Annes recorded emphatic wins.

Garstang lost the only 100 per cent record in the NPL but forced Blackpool to settle for a winning draw by holding out at 150-9 in response to the hosts’ 181-9.

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Blackpool chose to bat but lost both openers cheaply before number three Josh Boyne hit 67 from 107 balls, including six fours and a six. Boyne led Blackpool’s recovery from 26-4 with a fifth-wicket stand of 93 with Andy Furniss, whose 52 from 69 deliveries featured seven fours and aix.

Ian Walling dismissed Boyne and two more of Blackpool’s top four on his way to 5-31 from 11 overs.

The Garstang reply looked doomed at 62-5 but then a stand of 55 between top scorer Fayaz Ughradar (37) and Mark Winstanley (33) gave them hope. The home bowlers were in the ascendancy as Matt Siddall removed Ughradar on his way to 4-42 from 13 overs and professional Jovaun van Wyngaardt recorded his first NPL five-for (5-56 from 12).

However, Garstang’s final pair held out to preserve top spot by a single point.

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Fleetwood are three points further back in third after dismissing previously unbeaten Chorley for 95 at Broadwaters to wrap up a 98-run victory.

Fleetwood were put in to bat and captain Dean Bell was the mainstay of their 193 all out with his 75 off 103 balls.

Coming in at three, the skipper hit nine fours and was one of three victims for Gaurav Dhar (for 50 off 13). Adam Sharrocks was Fleetwood’s next best with 27.

However, Chorley couldn’t get halfway to their target before being dismissed in 28.2 overs, Fleetwood professional Neels Bergh claimed his best figures of the season with 5-17 from 9.2 overs.

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Sam Bell took 3-38 off 13, while wicketkeeper Dean Bell completed his excellent day with three wickets and a stumping.

A second-wicket stand of 102 between James Ifill and Henry Higson set St Annes on course for a thumping 109-run victory at Leyland.

The visitors set a target of 211 all out at the Stanning Memorial Ground thanks largely to number three Ifill’s 67 from 58 balls (five fours, four sixes) and opener Higson’s 43.

Having been 128-1, St Annes lost three wickets without adding a run but professional Amar Ullah steadied the ship with 48 from 57 balls before being ninth out at 210. Ifill and Ullah both fell to Andrew Jacques, who claimed 6-40 off 12 overs.

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The Leyland reply looked promising at 54-1, with Tom Reece (29) and Umar Waheed (23) putting on 51 for the second wicket, but once they were parted the hosts subsided to 109 all out in 39 overs.

Ullah made it five-fors all round for the Fylde coast’s professionals with his 5-18 from 15 overs,while Muhammad Imran-Sadiq took 4-37 off 12 as Leyland managed just five runs for their final five wickets and the last four men in all failed to score.

The three Fylde coast clubs and Garstang are now the only unbeaten teams in the NPL.

A miserable weekend for Lytham CC saw them knocked out of the ECB National Club Championship by Blackpool 24 hours after a 122-run home drubbing by Ormskirk in the Liverpool Competition.

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Blackpool won the second-round tie by 50 runs at Stanley Park, where the hosts chose to bat and set a target of 187-6 from their 40 overs.

Matt Houston led the way with 71 from 107 balls and shared a third-wicket stand of 67 with Ben Howarth (40).

Lytham’s reply subsided from 125-4 to 137 all out with eight balls remaining despite Thomas Hessey’s 61 from 88 balls at number three.

Jamie Thomson took 4-21 from seven overs for Blackpool, who are at home to Barrow club Furness CC of the North Lancashire and Cumbria League in the group semi-finals in three weeks.

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On Saturday, Lytham had seen Ormskirk pile on 224-3 in the ECB premier league at Church Road.

The hosts quickly regretted putting Ormskirk in as Andrew Baybutt scored 76 and shared in a second-wicket stand of 128 with Joshua Bohannon (74).

Baybutt hit eight fours in his 107-ball innings and Bohannon nine fours and two sixes in a 119-ball stay.

Ormskirk were able to declare after 52 overs, and although the hosts weren’t without hope at 56-2 in reply, they lost wickets regularly to be all out for 102 in 36.2 overs.

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Captain Ben Saunders was Lytham’s top scorer with 29, but after he was sixth out with the total on 98 his side could add only four more.

There were three wickets apiece for Tom Harley (for 13 off eight overs) and Ryan Maddock (for 21 off 8.2) as Ormskirk climbed to fourth.

There was little to choose between these sides in the table before the match but Lytham are now ninth on 33 points.

Blackpool were left to fly the flag for the Fylde coast in the ECB Club Championship after St Annes had no answer to Rainhill’s Tyler McGladdery and were knocked out by

five wickets at Vernon Road.

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Solid contributions from the top order brought two half-century stands as St Annes reached 193-4 before closing on 199-6.

Captain Nathan Armstorng led the way with 42 as Mohamed Nadeem (39) and Henry Higson (30) contributed.

McGladdery took 4-37 from his eight overs but was even more dominant with the ball, hitting 124 from 100 balls as the Liverpool Competition club reached 203-5 with 2.5 overs to spare.

McGladdery hit 12 fours and five sixes, and shared in a third-wicket stand of 141 with Matthew Fletcher (38).

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Muhammad Imran-Sadiq took 3-22 from eight over but it’s Rainhill who will visit their league rivals Ormskirk in the group semis.

All Saturday’s matches in the top two divisions of the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield resulted in home wins except the fixture between Norcross and Rufford, which fell victim to a wet outfield.

Longridge are the only team with a 100 per cent record four games into the premier division season.

South Shore recorded their first win after dismissing New Longton for 79, while Great Eccleston defeated Thornton Cleveleys to leapfrog them for sixth spot.

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Standish lead division 1A but then Fylde coast clubs occupy the rest of the top four, with Fylde still unbeaten after a close encounter with Hoghton.

Third and fourth spots go to Freckleton and Kirkham and Wesham, for whom Stephen Wright scored 132 from 117 balls against BAC-EE Preston.

There were victories on Sundayfor all three Fylde coast clubs involved in the preliminary round of the Meyler Cup.

Premier Division: Croston (246-3) beat Torrisholme (150) by 96 runs, Eccleston (112-7) beat Vernon Carus (111-9) by three wickets, Great Eccleston (162-9, ) beat Thornton Cleveleys (160-9) by one wicket, Kendal (91-1) beat Lancaster (90) by nine wickets, Longridge (133) beat Penwortham (58) by 75 runs, South Shore (83-6, N Bolus 47no, C Hadfield 3-10) beat New Longton (79, N Bolus 4-16, T Davis 3-21) by four wickets.

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Division 1A: Freckleton (128-1, J Goodin 37, E Fiddler 36no, H Fiddler 35no) beat Grimsargh (126-9) by nine wickets, Fylde (149-9, B Anderson 39, P Richardson 4-43) beat Hoghton (138-8, P Hirst 70, A Arbrar 3-37) by 11 runs, Kirkham and Wesham (272-8, S Wright 132, J Thomas 5-81) beat BAC-EE Preston (169, T Wilcock 63, A Wilson 7-44) by 103 runs, Mawdesley (128-4) beat Withnell Fold (126-8) by six wickets, Standish (82-0) beat Tarleton (78) by 10 wickets.

Meyler Cup: Grimsargh (166-8, M Hitchen 77, J Holland 3-22) lost to Freckleton (172-9, F Street 58) by one wicket, Hoghton (143) lost to Kendal (219) by 76 runs, Mawdesley (96) lost to Thornton Cleveleys (159-4) by 63 runs, South Shore (158-7, A Mehmood 36) beat Lancaster (127-9, C Swarbrick 47) by 31 runs, Withnell Fold (212-8) lost to New Longton (229-6) by 17 runs