Fylde coast cricket: Fleetwood and Garstang must wait to celebrate

Fleetwood must wait at least another wait to clinch the the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield title and promotion after falling to only their second league defeat of the season at Morecambe.

Garstang can effectively seal their first Northern Premier League title tomorrow but Saturday's seven-wicket win over Leyland wasn't quite enough to get them over the line because second-placed Blackpool also picked up maximum points, beating Longridge by six wickets.

The day after Steven Croft's One-Day Cup heroics for Lancashire at Stanley Park, Longridge found batting there much trickier and were dismissed for 114 in 45.1 overs. Matt Grindley took 4-47 and Steven Mercer 3-26, both from 15 overs. Wicketkeeper Tom Turner was the visitors' top scorer with 29,

Blackpool then lost Tomas King before a run was scored and two more cheap wickets left them at 37-3 only for an unbroken stand of 78 between Josh Boyne and Dylan Henshaw to each the hosts to victory at 115-3 in just 25.2 overs.

Number three Boyne finished unbeaten on 54 from 87 balls with 10 boundaries and Henshaw 35 not out from 37 (eight fours).

It means the champions trail Garstang by 41 points with 45 still on the table going into Monday’s holiday games, when Garstang visit Longridge.

Blackpool are in derby action today at St Annes, who maintained their top-four spot with a nine-wicket win at relegation-threatened Lancaster.

The second-bottom hosts were all out for 66 in 25.1 over and an even more humiliating total looked likely at 28-7.

None of the top seven scored more than eight as Mitch Bolus took 6-40 from 13 overs and Lukman Vahaluwale 4-20 from 12.1, both bowling unchanged.

St Annes then eased to victory in just 12.2 overs as professional Yohan De Silva scored 28 not out in their 69-1.

There was victory on the road too for neighbours Lytham by a six-wicket margin at Ainsdale in the Liverpool Competition First Division.

The Liverpool club wer asked to bat and could only reach 134 in 48.3 overs.

Having recovered from 29-3 to 111-4, the innings fell away as Richaerd Openshaw took 4-30 from 12.3 overs and Tom Jefferson 3-25 from 16.

Muhammad Irfan led the way with 51 (nine fours) and put on 57 for the fourth wicket with wicketkeeper Luke Smith (21).

Lytham sealed victory in 35.3 overs at 135-4, their innings given a solid foundation by Richard Staines' 44 from 58 balls with eight boundaries.

The visitors then wobbled from 59-1 to 60-4 but needn't have worried as an unbroken stand of 74 between captain Matt Taaffe and Toby Lester, who both finished unbeaten on 37, saw them home.

Lytham still have work to do in their remaining three games to ensure a return to the premier league. The leaders are 12 points ahead of Colwyn Bay and 21 clear of third-placed Rainford.

Fleetwood would perhaps hear the champagne corks popping after dismissing Morecambe for 113 in 36 overs but the visitors were then dismissed for a sobering 57 in 26.3.

Morecambe openers Lewis Smith and Luke Pearson both scored 27 but the innings quickly subsided from 59-2 as Declan Clerkin took 5-26 from 15 overs and Joshua Heaney 3-16 off 12.

But the Fleetwood reply got off to a horror start as their top four managed just a single between them and from 4-4 it was downhill all the way.

Stefan Dixon took 4-21 from 13 overs and Shane Burton 3-19 off 10.3 as Fleetwood fell to a 56-run defeat. Zac Corcoran was alone in reaching double figures and he only just did so with 11.

Great Eccleston are still very much in the promotion race after a 52-run win at Penwortham in the premier division.

Ecc chose to bat and piled on 274-5 as number three Alexander Rhodes scored 103 fom 96 balls with 18 boundaries and shared a third-wicket stand of 148 with Mohamed Nadeem, who was lost man out for 93 from 84 balls (13 boundaries). Ryan Roberts took 3-61 from 14 overs.

Penwortham gave chase valiantly but lost momentum as 150-2 becamse 163-7.

Ian Walmsley Jnr led the pursuit with 80 from 62 balls, 64 of those runs in boundaries.

But his exit started the slide, despite a late 31 from captain Ashley Billington. Nadeem completed his fine day's work with 5-57 from 12 overs.

Fleetwood lead Eccleston by 31 points with 36 still there for the taking, with Great Eccleston two points further back in third.

There were home defeats for Kirkham and Wesham and Thornton Cleveleys against Euxton and Preston respectively.

Euxton set a target of 255-8 after Ben Houghton scored 64 and Dave McCabe 62 not out, paving the way for Kirkham's 86-run defeat. McCabe put on 87 for the sixth wicket with Jack Shovelton (38), while home captain Antony Wilson's 14 overs yielded 3-58.

K&W were then all out 169 in 38.2 as opener Tait Roberts-Hodgson top-scored with a run-a-ball 38. Louis Sweeney took 4-30 from six overs and Kirkham aren't quite clear of relegation danger yet with their 21-point cushion.

Thornton Cleveleys lost a closer contest thanks to Jake Holmes' century in their 201-6. The opener was out for exactly 100 (from 121 balls with 13 fours) and shared 78 for the second wicket with Jake Apperley (30).

Preston then put on 62 for their first wicket but Thornton had hopes at 118-5 only for Imran Jethva's unbeaten 45 to seal victory at 202-6 in 38.1 overs.

Opener Navazish Ali top-scored 46 and Thornton skipper Dan Howard took 3-58 from 12 overs.

Fylde lost by 32 runs at BAC/EE Preston in division 1A despite Theo Slade's 4-39 from 12 overs. The visitors were out for 122 chasing 154-9.

Wrea Green fell 21 runs short away to St Annes 2 in division two.

Dan Hetherington took 3-25 from 15 overs as the hosts reached 199-7, with 44 from Gurman Bains.

But the best bowling of the day was Keith Reid's 4-24 from 15 as Wrea Green were all out for 178 with two overs remaining, opener Jack Ward their top scorer with 47.

It means St Annes move two points above Wrea to replace them in second place.

Norcross had a 10-wicket walkover against Whittingham and Goosnargh.