Fylde coast cricket: Blackpool face must-win final group game but St Annes' dreams are dashed

The Preston side, dismissed for just 24 by Chorley in their first match in Gold Group B, restricted Blackpool to 80-9 and then required just 22.3 overs to reach their goal.

Blackpool, who chose to bat in high spirits after beating Netherfield in their first match of the second stage, were soon in trouble as they stumbled from 25-1 to 27-4 and at 51-6 all hope of a decent total was lost.

The former Lancashire and England spinner Simon Kerrigan took 4-12 and Jon Fenton 3-6, both off eight overs, as Josh Boyne top-scored for Blackpool with 16.

The dismissal of Dom Jackson with just two on the board gave the visitors early hope but Fulwood lost only one more wicket as Mark Smith carried his bat for 34 off 63 balls and Matthew Smith was also unbeaten on 30 from 32.

Chorley have won both their games and Blackpool must win there on Saturday to have any hope of reaching the final four.

Blackpool are in T20 quarter-final action today at Garstang, who ended St Annes’ hopes in the Saturday competition.

After winning all four games in the initial Fylde group, St Annes have suffered back-to-back defeats in the second stage and cannot progress to the semi-finals.

St Annes chose to bat against Garstang at Vernon Road and were all out for 91 in 33.3 overs, though wicketkeeper Richard Staines provided resistance at number six with 30.

However, only two of his team-mates reach doubled figures as Ian Walling dismissed all of the top four, and the five who followed Staines to the crease could add only 10.

Garstang then reached their target in 21.3 overs, captain Mark Walling scoring an unbeaten 29 in his side's 94-3.

Garstang and Morecambe will progress from Gold A to face the Gold B qualifiers in the semi-finals. St Annes are also in T20 quarter-final action today at home to Netherfield.

The all-Fylde coast clash in the Silver competition went the way of Fleetwood, winning a thriller against Great Eccleston by one wicket.

Ecc were put in at Broadwater and set a competitive target of 143-7 as Joe McMillan made 31 batting five. The hosts reached their target with an over and a wicket to spare after opener Joseph Davis fired 55, then Alex Ryder propelled Fleetwood to victory with 30.

Great Eccleston remain above Fleetwood in second place in the A group and should stay in the top two if they can become the only team in the group to defeat Lancaster. Fleetwood must beat Eccleston next Saturday to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals.

The qualifiers from silver B are already known after Longridge and Kendal advanced to a maximum eight points with victories over Euxton and Lytham respectively.

Lytham returned from Cumbria with a 77-run defeat after Kendal racked up 171-5.

Lytham put their hosts in only to see Ben Phillips score 55 from 65 balls with five boundaries and put on 87 for the fifth wicket with Oliver Tyson (33 not out). Matt Taaffe caught three of Kendal’s top four but his side were soon in trouble in reply at 15-3. Edward Fiddler was Lytham’s top scorer with 21 from 70 balls but Toby Tyson took 3-13 off eight overs and the visitors could only reach 94-6.

Thornton Cleveleys top the bronze group with six points after two rounds, even though Saturday’s game against Penwortham was among the day’s numerous abandonments.

At level two, there was a second successive defeat for South Shore in Gold A, this time against Leyland 2, though qualification is still possible with victory at Mawdesley.

Captain Keith Moore’s 72 could not spare for Fylde from defeat at Rufford, though they can still qualify in Silver A with victory over Kendal 2.

OTHER RESULTS:

Level 1 Gold A: Leyland 91 lost to Morecambe 92-9 by one wicket.

Gold B: Netherfield 103 lost to Chorley 104-5 by five wickets.

Silver A: Eccleston 118 lost to Lancaster 119-4 by six wickets.

Silver B: Longridge 71-3 beat Euxton 70 by seven wickets

Bronze: Preston beat Kirkham and Wesham (no details)

Level 2 Gold A: South Shore 57 (M Birchall 4-11) lost to Leyland 2 58-5 (D Knight 3-8) by five wickets, Mawdesley 180-6 beat Torrisholme 178-4 by four wickets.

Silver A: Rufford 254-8 (F Dennis 64) beat Fylde 191 (K Moore 72 J Lyth 3-17, C Brookfield 3-33)by 63 runs

Bronze A: Garstang 2 98-2 beat Great Eccleston 2 97 by eight wickets,

Bronze B Lytham 2 89 lost to Netherfield 2 90-2 by eight wickets.

Level 3 Gold B: Blackpool 3 97 beat Euxton 2 67 (M Middlehurst 4-2, J Thomson 4-13) by 30 runs

Silver A: Charnock St James 42 lost to Thornton Cleveleys 2 135-6 by 93 runs

Bronze A: Wrea Green 62-0 (B Hall 28no) beat Preston 2 59 (S Laycock 4-10, J Jones 3-8, C Laycock 3-25) by 10 wickets

Level 4 Gold A: Darwen 3 137-9 (C Cordingley 42, D Aswar 3-30, A Pratt 3-38) lost to Wrea Green 2 140-8 (D Todd 37) by two wickets

Gold B: Kirkham and Wesham 2 195-5 (D Tucker 64, T Roberts-Hodgson 38) beat Hoghton 2 46 (R Tucker 3-8, T Vijay 3-15) by 149 runs

Silver A: Fylde 2 124-2 (D McKenzie 35) beat Charnock St James 2 121 (S Ball 48, T Slade 3-21, D McKenzie 3-22) by eight wickets