Fylde coast cricket review: Fleetwood secure division two title as Lytham’s long wait for a win ends
Northern Premier Cricket League teams were back in action on Bank Holiday Monday.
Fleetwood CC wrapped up the division two title in the Northern Premier Cricket League on Bank Holiday Monday - though they were forced to work hard for it.
A 19th win from as many completed games was secured as they defeated second-bottom Carnforth by 11 runs at Broadwater.
Asked to bat first, they were all out for 114 with Tom Parkinson claiming 7-27 in 14 overs.
In reply, Carnforth had reached 45-2 before losing six wickets for 21 runs.
Matt Siddall claimed 5-12 but it was Dan Salpietro who took the title-winning wicket by dismissing Ryan Nelson (40) with Carnforth 103 all out.
Lytham CC took a step nearer to survival with a three-wicket win against Preston, their first victory since June 20.
Preston batted first at West Cliff and made 105-9 from 36 overs as Mini Bhada took 5-20 from 11 overs.
Lytham’s reply started desperately as the top three all fell without scoring, leaving them 2-3 and then 37-4.
Stewart Davison and Archie Banks-Smith rallied, adding 57 in taking Lytham to within 12 runs of victory.
Although the dismissal of Davison (43) saw three wickets fall for eight runs, Banks-Smith (37 not out) was there at the close.
Bottom club Great Eccleston defeated Thornton Cleveleys by 40 runs in another rain-affected match.
Mohammed Fazil (58 not out) top-scored in Great Ecc’s 227-5 from 33 overs before TC, set a revised total of 231, were all out for 190.
Josh Rolinson (65) and Richard Jenkinson (28) shared a fifth-wicket stand of 89 after TC had been reduced to 32-4.
In division one, Blackpool’s outside hope of winning the title ended with a four-wicket loss at Garstang.
Blackpool had to win and hope bottom club Settle could shock Netherfield, but a five-wicket win for the Cumbrians gave them the trophy for 2026.
Put in at the Riverside, Blackpool managed 173-9 from 45 overs: a score underpinned by Andrew Needham (62) with support from Josh Boyne (30) and Ben Howarth (25).
Chasing a revised 175 in 45 overs, Garstang reached 178-6 with 10 balls left despite Boyne taking 4-31.
St Annes had an abandoned home game against Longridge, in which no play was possible.