Fylde coast cricket review: Derby day defeat to Blackpool cuts Fleetwood's advantage

A 15-run loss at Broadwater saw Fleetwood’s advantage over Leyland reduced to 31 points, with their nearest rivals also having a game in hand.

Fleetwood had looked favourites to win at the weekend after dismissing their neighbours for 139 with 14 deliveries remaining.

After being asked to bat first, Blackpool saw openers Rishit Sharma and Dylan Henshall put on 42.

Once Sharma (14) fell to Will Reader (1-30), wickets were taken at regular intervals.

Arran Lewin (1) and Andrew Needham (0) were dismissed by Clerkin, who also accounted for Ben Howarth (14) in taking 3-40.

Henshall and Josh Boyne had added 44 for the fourth wicket, a stand that ended when Henshall was out for 50.

He was sent back by Matt Siddall, who added the scalps of Boyne (27) and Stan Howarth (13) on his way to 3-19 from 15 overs.

Jeremy Davies (1-41) removed Harry Birkman before Matt Grindley (8) and Ali Munir (0) fell to Tomas King (2-6) to end the Blackpool innings.

However, Fleetwood could bat out only 35 overs in reply as they were dismissed for 124.

Andy Drake (4) was out early on but King (30), Joseph Davis (19), Davies (7) and Harry McAleer (24) had helped take them to 103-5.

It was at that point when Blackpool then ran through the middle and lower order.

They picked up the wickets of Adam Sharrocks (2), Charlie Clark (3), Nathan Bend (21), Siddall (3) and Reader (0) for victory.

Harry Birkman ended with 4-38, Grindley 2-24, Lewin 2-25 and Boyne 2-32 as Blackpool left with maximum points,

Both teams are due to play again on Bank Holiday Monday, with Blackpool hosting Euxton and Fleetwood at Longridge.

Also on Saturday, St Annes’ hope of a top-10 finish and a place in division one of the NPCL next year ended with a 10-wicket loss to Longridge.

Having opted to bat first at Vernon Road, St Annes were all out for 166 midway through the 50th over.

They had started well, openers Christopher Wilson and Yohan De Silva adding 48 before they slumped to 60-5.

Wilson (17) was first to go, followed next ball by Lukman Vahaluwala (0), before De Silva (31), Luke Jardine (1) and Nathan Bolus (6) were out.

Tom Bradley and Joe Davies rallied, adding 49 before the former was out for 26, swiftly followed by James Bradley (2).

Davies’ departure for 32 left St Annes 122-8 but the final two wickets were worth 44 runs.

Ryan Birkman (11) was ninth out after a stand of 22 with Joe Hayton (18), who was the last man dismissed with Mitch Bolus 17 not out.

Jake Durnell was Longridge’s star performer with the ball, finishing with 6-52 from 15 overs.

The Longridge reply saw them reach their target inside 38 overs, finishing on 167-0.

Josh Mullin was 54 not out but fellow opener Taariq Chieckty was the star of the show.

He hit 10 fours and three sixes in making 102 not out from only 95 balls.

Defeat meant St Annes, who sit second-bottom, were 54 points behind 10th-placed Settle with only three games – and a maximum of 45 points – left.

St Annes had Bank Holiday Monday off but are back in action on Saturday, when they travel to Leyland.

Lytham CC made it consecutive wins in the Liverpool and District Competition First Division as they saw off Fleetwood Hesketh by 61 runs.

Batting first at Sea Cop, Lytham were all out for 213 after an up-and-down innings.

Openers Ed Fiddler (42) and Matthew Wood (31) put on 76 but, after their dismissals left Lytham 79-2, a number of cheap wickets saw them reduced to 139-7.

Guy Roberts (9), Matt Taaffe (8), Tom Jefferson (0), Henry Roberts (7) and Charlie Nixon (0) were the men to fall but, crucially, Zak Foulkes was still at the crease.

The New Zealand professional added 51 with Richard Openshaw (26) before becoming the ninth man out for 54.

Eoghan Murphy (4) was last to go, leaving Martin Hackett 10 not out as Daniel O’Keefe took 5-39.

Fleetwood Hesketh’s reply saw them collapse from 76-1 to 152 all out.

Taylor Campbell (29) was the first to go, falling to Wood, but the game changed when Lytham skipper Taaffe dismissed his opposite number, Matthew Howard, for 38.

Wood immediately removed Jack Sawbridge (6), followed by Andrew Bate (0), Mohammed Patel (2) and Paul Regan (0), while Taaffe sent back O’Keefe (16).

That left Fleetwood Hesketh 100-7 before Jonny Howard and Daniel Murphy offered some resistance.

They had added 36 when Howard (15) fell to Foulkes before Murphy (22) was out to Taaffe nine runs later.

It was Wood who had the final word, removing John Paul Joy (1) to finish with 6-55 as Taaffe took 3-37 and Foulkes 1-29.

Derby day in the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield Premier Division saw Great Eccleston beat Thornton Cleveleys by four wickets.

TC chose to bat first and finished on 180-9, helped by a 111-run second wicket stand between Joshua Sackfield and Rian Barnard.

That ended when Barnard was out for 37, though it was Sackfield who top-scored with 72.

Phil Booth took 3-31 and Mohamed Nadeem 3-51 for Great Ecc, whose reply saw them reach 183-6 with more than eight overs in hand.

Nisanth Nithian dominated, hitting 10 fours and three-sixes in a 76-ball 86, while Nadeem (36 not out) took Great Ecc over the line.

Division 1A saw Kirkham and Wesham beat BAC/EE Preston by 62 runs at the Woodlands.

Tait Roberts-Hodgson hit 50 in K&W’s 199-6 before BAC/EE Preston were all out for 137 as Justin Banks took 4-26.

Fylde lost by four wickets at Longridge 2, where the hosts made 177-6 in reply to Fylde’s 175-7 during which Will Smith hit 76.