Fylde coast cricket review: Big wins for Blackpool and Fleetwood; Twenty20 gets under way; Palace Shield results

Blackpool Cricket Club’s first win of the season was achieved in style but unbeaten Fleetwood continue to lead the way among the Fylde coast’s Northern League clubs. Two centurions helped Blackpool to a 126-run victory after choosing to bat at previously unbeaten Garstang and compiling 242-6.
Lytham's Jack Saunders collects the ball against Wallasey  Picture: ROB LOCKLytham's Jack Saunders collects the ball against Wallasey  Picture: ROB LOCK
Lytham's Jack Saunders collects the ball against Wallasey Picture: ROB LOCK

New signings Sam Dutton and Lahiru Madushanka came together at 51-3 and put on 180 for the fourth wicket, both reaching 110.

Opener Dutton scored 13 fours and a six, while Sri Lankan professional Madushanka followed his debut half-century by hitting 80 runs in boundaries from 11 fours and six sixes. Ian Walling tried to stem the run flow with 3-51 from 14 overs.

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The Garstang reply lasted just 29.3 overs and it was thanks to late resistance from number nine Danny Gilbert (34) that they reached 116 after the top five compiled only 18 between them. Matt Grindley took 4-44 from his 13 overs and Madushanka 3-37 from 10 as Blackpool rise to fourth in the table.

Fleetwood are the closest challengers to early pace-setters Netherfield, just a point behind after two wins and a tie. They were comfortable six-wicket winners at Barrow despite Toby Mowat leading the hosts to 196-7 with his 81 off 118 balls (nine boundaries).

After being put in at Ernest Pass, Mowat put on 59 for the opening wicket with Justin Pringle and shared 82 for the fourth with Daryl Wearing as Alex Ryder claimed 3-28 from eight overs.

Keegan Armstrong then steered Fleetwood to victory with unbeaten 72 from 113 balls (nine fours) in a total of 197-4. An unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 105 between number three Armstrong and Adam Sharrocks (41 not out) secured victory in 39.2 overs.

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St Annes are still without a win after their 139-run defeat at Kendal, for whom Wes Marshall was in inspired form.

The opener made 109 from 100 balls, 64 in boundaries (seven fours, six sixes) as his side were put in at Shap Road and piled on 225-8.

Marshall shared in stands of 79 for both the third and fourth wickets before falling to Mohamed Nadeem, who finished with 5-55 from 13 overs. But St Annes could only crawl to 86 in reply, Tom Smithies the top scorer with 18 as four wickets apiece for Matthew Park and the outstanding Marshall ended the match in 34.1 overs.

The Northern League’s Readers T20 competition got under way yesterday as Fleetwood staged the opening group matches featuring the three Fylde coast clubs.

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Blackpool completed their excellent weekend with a seven-wicket victory over the hosts, who made amends with a 38-run win over St Annes.

Fleetwood chose to bat in both games, their 125-6 against Blackpool owing much a fourth-wicket stand of 57 between top-scorer Adam Sharrocks (37 from 29 balls) and wicketkeeper Keegan Armstrong (27 from 31).

Blackpool closed out victory in 16.2 overs at 129-3 as Ciaran Johnson batted throughout for 41 from 45 balls, sharing a third-wicket stand of 62 with top scorer Craig Brown, whose 43 came off just 21 balls and featured eight boundaries.

Fleetwood set St Annes a target of 131-9, though after pro Neels Bergh (34) and opener Rana Singh (31) provided a bright start the innings did fall away as Amar Ullah’s four overs yielded 4-17.

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But St Annes poor start to the season continued as Declan Clerkin took 3-9 from 15 deliveries and the visitors were dismissed for 93 in 17.3 overs (Tim Smithies 21).

Captain Ben Saunders’ first appearance of the season after injury could not improve Lytham’s fortunes in the Liverpool Competition as they lost by 14 runs to Wallasey.

Lytham will have fancied their chances after restricting the Wirral visitors declared at 165-8 from 55 overs, Sumit Ruikar making 58.

But Lytham fell short at 151 from 50.5 overs at Church Road after the top four all got in but none could go on to a meaningful score, Saunders the pick with 29.

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A slump from 108-4 to 109-8 proved fatal as Ruikar bowled unchanged and took 5-25 from 24.5 overs, Harry Meehan returning 3-6 from seven. Defeat leaves Lytham second-bottom of the ECB premier league, having lost both completed games.

Moore and Smalley Palace Shield Premier Division: Fylde 141 (U Abrar 47, I, Bradley 3-26) beat Eccleston 127 (S Bromley 50, A Ellison 5-55, A Churchill 3-35) by 14 runs, Great Eccleston 170-7 (W Thistlethwaite 44, S Marsh 4-41) beat Croston 165 (I Dickinson 47, P Whittle 4-35, S Procter 3-34) by three runs, Lancaster 159-5 beat Penwortham 158 by five wickets, Morecambe 153-2 beat New Longton 149 by eight wickets, Preston 170-3 (I Jethva 51, S Patel 44) beat South Shore 166 (A Mahmood 4-34) by seven wickets, Standish 147-8 beat Vernon Carus 146 by two wickets.

Division 1A: Mawdesley 77-1 beat Hoghton 74 by nine wickets, Norcross 49 (G Tirrell 8-24) lost to Thornton Cleveleys 159-8 (R Jenkinson 42, S Perkins 5-47) by 110 runs, Torrisholme 52 (J Hogarth 5-16, B Rawcliffe 3-11) lost to Kirkham and Wesham 54-2 (S Wright 32no) by eight wickets, Withnell Fold 165-7 beat Whittle and Clayton-le-Wood 130 by 35 runs.