Reports, reaction & round-up: April 26-27

Game of the weekend

Firwood Bootle returned to the top flight with a bang, chasing 237 to earn a four-wicket win at Birkenhead Park.

Shaneil Patel’s side didn’t have things their own way, looking lost for a while with the ball and having to sacrifice a few wickets to the capricious gods of the Last Hour.

But a fine opening stand of 146 between Steve Rimmer and Ryan Westwell proved to be the decisive contribution.

They had a few helping hands – namely the buttery ones belonging to the three Park fielders who shelled catches in the first six overs of the innings. 

Skipper Alex Harris – the guilty man himself on one occasion – couldn’t have asked for a better cautionary tale for his side. By the time they created three more openings, the scoreboard read 172 and the momentum was all Bootle’s.

Rimmer set the tone with a crisp cover drive off Chris Stenhouse’s third ball, as the seamer returned to his old stomping ground against one of his former clubs, and continued in similar vein.

He more than any other batter managed to consistently find the boundary despite a sluggish outfield, and was brutal with anything wide.

Westwell was just as effective but more through the leg-side as Stenhouse, Pakistani spinner Safi Abdullah and Harris struggled to find the right line.

David Nevin trapped Westwell just after passing 50 and castled Ali Andrady just into the last hour – in between, Rimmer had succumbed to scoreboard pressure, attempting a ramp-scoop off Safi on 94 when orthodox shots had served him so well.

Stenhouse returned to remove Ali and Sagar Trivedi, and Safi had Kriek held at long off to set a few hares running in Bootle’s minds – but their cameos had done just about enough, and 17-year-old Jaden Rose slashed Stenhouse over slip to end the contest.

Patel admitted to some relief after the late flurry of wickets, but in truth his side never lost control of the chase. 

He said: “It was a good game on a good pitch and it’s nice to get going with a win. 

“The openers batted really well. There were a few nerves at the end and it was a relief to get over the line – but the openers had set it up really well, so there wasn’t a lot for the middle and lower orders to do. 

“We’ll take it game by game and we’re always learning and trying to improve our game. 

“It was good to chase down a big score like that, I was very happy with it.”

Love Lane Liverpool Competition results

The game was the first in the Comp’s top flight to be umpired by a woman, Kirsty Blackham. And some of the batters looked in the mood to smash some glass ceilings themselves, with 14 sixes (and a fair few uppish fours) across the two innings. 

After Patel won the toss, the visiting bowlers dominated the first hour, with Trivedi extracting some serious bounce from one end and Kieran New running through his variations from the other. 

But Patel recognised the difference between last season, in Division One, and this – such a hostile, accurate spell a year ago might have left the opposition six down; here, it was just three. 

Andrew Clarke and Harris laboured the point with a stand of 103 in 127 balls. Both started in watchful mood, Harris breaking character only to smack New for successive sixes, but accelerated after drinks. 

Rose pinned Harris but took some tap from Clarke and, with Safi finding the rope, Patel turned to off-spinners Josh Andrady and Kriek in an attempt to subdue the left-handers.

Clarke looked destined for his first century for Park, and his first in the Comp since 2021 for Northern, but feathered Kriek to Kris Ali on 98 – two Bootle debutants combining.

Safi kept swinging for the fences and powered Park past the fifth bonus point with an unbeaten 64 – Harris, in his first league game as skipper, pulled the plug on 236.

Afterwards, he stood by his declaration and said the game was won and lost with those early drops.

“At half-way we were happy, we’d batted really well,” he said. 

“But we were poor in the field early on, dropped a few catches and that set the tone, really. 

“They batted well and we just couldn’t find a way through – it was too little too late in the end. 

“I was proud of the way the lads stuck at it and didn’t let their heads drop, but the fielding cost us early on, myself included. 

“We’re normally really good in the field, maybe it was a lack of concentration early on. 

“We just have to learn from it and make sure the next few chances stick. If we’d taken a couple of early wickets, it could have been a very different game.”

ECB Premier Division

The other promoted club, Colwyn Bay, also won away after a big run chase – the Welshmen overcoming Formby with just one wicket to spare.

Chasing 251 after a declaration set up by half-centuries from Ian Cockbain, Lucas Kennedy and Jack Carney on club debut, Bay still needed 103 when their seventh wicket fell. 

But Matt Russell countered with a punchy 58 from 53 balls, and last pair Charlie Collins and Dulanjana Mendis got them over the line.

Rainhill came close to upsetting Northern, before Tom Sephton took centre stage. The spinner claimed 6/82, including a hat-trick, to run through the visitors’ lower order – after Ryan Brown’s half-century, they slumped from 138/4 to 159/9.

Sephton then removed Khalid Usman to seal the nine-run win. Earlier, Stephen Lucas’s 64 had been the only double figure score in the hosts’ top six.

Things were much less fraught for champions Ormskirk, who cantered to a 134-run win over Rainford. In contrast to many of last season’s games at Brook Lane, the hosts piled up a huge score – 267/3 thanks to unbeaten centuries from former Lancashire man George Lavelle and skipper Gary Knight, in a stand of 190. 

The visitors started strongly and Jason Login made 60, but Jamie Barnes’ 6/36 and four wickets from England international Tom Hartley wrapped up the win.

Leigh defended 141 to earn a 12-run win over Wallasey, for whom Australian spinner Ejaaz Alavi took 6/28 on debut. Mattie McKiernan and Adam Shallcross took four wickets each as the hosts wilted from 55/1 to 129 all out.

Wigan were frustrated by Newton-le-Willows, whose lower order hung on for a draw. Indian batter Shubham Khajuria’s 71 led the hosts’ 232 but after Ben Walkden’s 75, Newton closed on 183/7.

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Division One

Orrell Red Triangle just got over the line to ensure New Brighton started life in the second tier with a two-wicket defeat.

Skipper Andy Baybutt top scored with 47 for Orrell and his lower order had enough in the tank after Damitha Silva’s unbeaten 67 set a target of 164.

Southport & Birkdale fared better on their first outing since relegation, Bobby Wincer’s 6/50 earning a 39-run win at Highfield. Bellis Shukla had top-scored with 56 for the Sandgrounders.

Liverpool dominated their clash with promoted Hightown St Marys, who slumped from 30/0 to 92 all out. New skipper Jared Clein led the chase with an unbeaten 46.

Sutton earned a big win in their first game at this level, Andy Cowley’s 6/45 the key to their nine-wicket win over Old Xaverians. 

Wicketkeeper James Stirling made an unbeaten 67 in Sefton Park’s six-wicket win at Maghull, for whom Macauley Lawrenson made 72.

Spring View saw off Lytham thanks to four wickets each from Marc Birch and James Critchley, after Supun Samarathunga top-scored with 54.

Division Two

Prescot & Odyssey returned to the Comp with a three-wicket win at Southport Trinity, set up by Ali Zubairi’s 5/30. Jake Sunderland’s four wickets made a game of it, but the newly promoted side had enough to get over the line.

St Helens Town and Whitefield were both within touching distance of the win in their game – Town 11 runs away, the visitors one wicket shy. Cronje Van Greunen’s 6/56 on debut for the Roby side was the leading contribution.

Wavertree edged a thriller against Parkfield Liscard, an unbeaten 77 from Luke Carus-McDonald carrying them over the line by one wicket. 

Harry Beddard made 87 in Caldy’s 202 against Norley Hall, who fell well short thanks to Sadeep Saputantrige’s 5/24.

Ainsdale’s Daniel Fitzpatrick set up his side’s win at Northop Hall with 90, after which Dilanka Auwardt took 5/79 to secure the win, with Ben Slater making a defiant 72 before being last out.

Fleetwood Hesketh’s 180, with 50 from Nathan Condon, was enough for a 93-run win at Prestatyn, for whom skipper Adam Tidswell took 5/77.

SUNDAY

ECB National Club Championship

Formby, on the wrong side of a thriller on Saturday, made amends with a one-run win at Fleetwood in Group 6. 

The Northern League champions ran through the visitors for just 89, but 17-year-old spinner Archie Davies rose to the occasion and took 5/23, including the last wicket in the nick of time.

Wallasey will visit Cricket Path in the next round for an all-Comp tie after captain Greg Beaver made 62 to see off Hadfield St Andrew’s.

Along with 2024 beaten finalists Northern, who had a bye, they will be the only league representatives in the group. Northern will host Longridge after the Northern League side beat Highfield despite 51 from Jamie Darbyshire.

Birkenhead Park succumbed for 77 against Horwich RMI to end their campaign, while Firwood Bootle couldn’t get close to Westhoughton’s 285/6.

Wigan benefited from Penrith’s concession in Group 5. They will next face Leyland, whose 231/6 was too much for Orrell Red Triangle.

Ormskirk, against Flowery Fields, and Leigh, against Blackpool, enter the competition at the next stage.

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/b2Tfx7I