Fylde coast cricket review: Blackpool and Fleetwood draw as St Annes lose and Lytham win

Fleetwood’s return after winning the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield last year saw them frustrate Blackpool in a match reduced to 34 overs a side.

Having been asked to bat first, Blackpool’s reduced allocation ended with them on 163-7.

Tomas King (5) fell to Jeremy Davies (1-15) early on but, having reached 53-1, Blackpool lost three wickets for only six runs.

Josh Boyne (14) was run out before Declan Clerkin accounted for Stuart Ashford (0) and Dylan Henshall (0) to leave them 59-4.

Standing firm, however, was Luis Reece, who top-scored with 80 from only 81 balls.

He added 77 with Jake Muncaster (25) before both were out to Clerkin, who finished with 4-30.

Ben Howarth (5) was dismissed by Tiaan van Vuuren (1-54) before Fleetwood’s reply ended with them on 108-7.

Those wickets largely fell in clusters as they slipped from 23-0 to 24-3, then from 48-4 to 57-6.

Matt Grindley saw off Harry McAleer (9) and Clerkin (0), before new arrival Will Vause dismissed van Vuuren (0).

A minor recovery followed before Grindley picked up another three wickets, sending back Atiq-Uz-Zaman (13), Charlie Clark (0) and Nathan Bend (0).

Standing firm, however, was Fleetwood opener Andy Drake who added another 29 with Davies before he was out to Boyne for 14.

Fleetwood skipper Adam Sharrocks helped to defy the Blackpool attack, finishing three not out as Drake’s efforts saw him finish with an undefeated 52.

Grindley led the Blackpool bowling with 5-15, while Vause collected 1-25 and Boyne 1-10 as Blackpool finished with 13 points and Fleetwood three.

St Annes had a losing start to the season as they went down by eight wickets against Leyland at Vernon Road.

Having been asked to bat first, St Annes were in good shape at 134-1 before the last nine wickets were taken for only 46 more runs.

Tom Higson (16) was run out early on before Yohan de Silva and Luke Jardine added 111 for the second wicket.

It was the loss of Jardine (47) which sparked the St Annes collapse as they quickly slumped to 151-8.

Nathan Bolus (3) went next, followed by a hat-trick of ducks from Gurman Bains, Harry Birkman and Nathan Armstrong.

De Silva’s stay ended when he finally fell for 81, followed quickly by James Bradley (2).

Mitch Bolus (10) was ninth to go before Keith Reid (3) was last out, leaving Ryan Birkman 16 not out.

Kerwin Mungroo led the Leyland attack, finishing with 4-49, while Iain Critchley picked up 3-47 and Kurtis Watson 1-34.

The Leyland reply saw them breeze to victory in reaching 182-2 from 47 overs.

De Silva (1-29) ended an 83-run opening partnership with the wicket of Leyland captain James Rounding (29).

Reid (1-29) sent back Jacob Wright after he had made 87, leaving Leyland 130-2, but Zak Willox (57 not out) and Watson (nine not out) completed their satisfactory afternoon.

It was also day one in the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield with Premier Division victories for Thornton Cleveleys and Kirkham and Wesham.

Thornton’s Joshua Sackfield hit eight fours and as many sixes in reaching 120, helping his team to 212-5 from 45 overs against Preston at Illawalla.

The visitors were shot out for 124 in reply as Sackfield picked up 3-30, Anthony Ellison 2-5 and Oliver Kyle 2-10.

Kirkham and Wesham won by 94 runs at Torrisholme after being dismissed for 160 when batting first, Stephen Wright top-scoring with 38 as Jack Heap took 6-20.

Torrisholme never got going in reply and were skittled for 66, Andrew Hogarth the leading performer with the ball in claiming 3-1.

Great Eccleston’s season started with a five-wicket loss to a Lancaster team seeking an immediate return to the NPCL.

In a match reduced to 28 overs each, Great Ecc batted first and totalled 111-7 with skipper Joe McMillan 25 not out.

Lancaster’s reply saw them reach 114-5 with 11 balls remaining, Harvey Fitton making 39 as Alex Rhodes’ 3-35 proved in vain.

Division 1B saw defeat for Wrea Green at BAC/EE Preston, where they were all out for 76 as Imran Zanghar took 6-27.

Their opponents replied with 80-3, Dan Hetherington taking 2-14.

Norcross lost by 27 runs at Hoghton in division two, as they reached 88-9 chasing their hosts’ 115 all out.

The Liverpool Competition staged its second weekend with Lytham making up for their abandonment on day one with a comfortable victory over St Helens Town.

Matt Taaffe’s players enjoyed a 122-run victory, set up by a fine display with the bat after their visitors had opted to field first.

Lytham declared on 245-6 from 50 overs, headlined by a century from opener Richard Staines.

He struck 16 boundaries and two sixes in making 115 before he fell victim to Callum Hewitt (4-66).

Staines added 55 for the first wicket with Myles Child (15) before a stand of 119 with Guy Roberts (48).

Taaffe (23) and Tom Jefferson (27 not out) added further runs before Lytham set to work with the ball, dismissing their opponents for 123.

Richard Openshaw (2-13) helped reduce St Helens Town to 31-4 before skipper David Gaskell and Matthew Bielby added 64.

Gaskell top-scored with 33 as the last six wickets fell for only 28 runs with Taaffe taking 4-17, Jack Saunders 3-39 and Tom Hessey 1-12.