Fylde cricket round-up: St Annes move into ECB National Championship quarter-finals

The outfield was deemed too wet for any play in Sunday’s tie at the Liverpool Competition club’s Crosby ground.

St Annes won the bowl-out 3-1 as Mitch Bolus hit twice and Alec McGloughlin also struck the stumps against his former club.

Nathan Armstrong’s side will visit Yorkshire club Richmondshire in the last eight on Sunday.

The rain ruined the Northern Premier Cricket League programme on Saturday but St Annes beat the downpours and Penrith.

In the league’s only completed game, St Annes recorded a 53-run victory in Cumbria having scored 213-9 from their 50 overs.

St Annes were put in and Yohan De Silva led the way with 83 at the top of the order.

The Sri Lankan professional has almost reached 1,200 runs for the season and has topped last season’s tally already, averaging close to 57.

Samuel Hall dismissed him en route to 4-53 from 10 overs, while Harsha Vithana returned a highly economical 3-22 from 15.

The second-best score of 23 was shared between McGloughin and number nine Ryan Birkman

McGloughlin then enjoyed season’s-best figures of 5-23 from 11 overs as the hosts were dismissed for 160 with 11 balls remaining.

Bolus chipped in with 3-39 from 10 overs, including the wicket of captain Greg Cameron who was Penrith’s top scorer with 37.

On a day none of their rivals could claim more than five points, St Annes’ maximum haul of 15 lifted them above Fulwood and Broughton into eighth place.

St Annes face Cumbrian opposition again on Saturday, when they host leaders Kendal.

Fleetwood’s game at Longridge was one of five to be abandoned, as was Blackpool’s trip to Kendal.

It leaves Blackpool fourth in the table and Fleetwood still in sixth ahead of Saturday’s home games against Garstang and Netherfield respectively.

Thornton Cleveleys’ game at home to Mawdesley didn’t get off the ground either, one of four abandonments in the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield premier division.

TC, who visit fourth-placed Carnforth on Saturday, remain in sixth place, while Mawdesley stay second.

Kirkham and Wesham lost by five wickets at Lancaster in one of two games to go the distance in the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield top flight.

K&W were asked to bat and made a positive start through Theo Cunliffe (42) but only 27 overs were bowled as they reached 108-5.

Irfan Qayyum removed the top scorer on his way to 3-13 from six overs.

Set a revised target of 94 from 16 overs, the hosts reached that figure with an over to spare and five wickets intact as Noor Elahi finished unbeaten on 32.

Justin Banks took 3-17 from five overs but his side had to settle for four points.

They stay seventh ahead of Saturday’s home encounter with Vernon Carus, while 12 points lift Lancaster to third.

Lytham's match at bottom club Ainsdale was cancelled on Saturday, when only one game in the Liverpool Competition First Division was completed.

They remain in fifth spot and host second-placed Spring View on Saturday.