Fylde coast cricket review: Semi-final defeat for St Annes

The visitors chose to bat in Sunday’s semi at Vernon Road and piled on 245-9 as wicketkeeper Matthew Crowther top-scored with 70 from 67 balls (11 boundaries), putting on 58 for the third wicket with Mark Walling.

Joseph Pearson then took over with 55 from 48 deliveries (seven boundaries), Michael Walling having got Garstang off on the right foot with 33 in an opening stand of 50 with Luke Smith. Keith Reid was the pick of the bowlers with 3-32 from six overs.

The run-chase was always an uphill struggle for St Annes from 15-3, Danny Gilbert taking all those wickets to return 3-15 from six overs.

The hosts rallied from 59-5 as Alec McGloughlin scored 44 from 37 balls and put on 66 for the sixth wicket with Luke Jardine (37) but St Annes were all out for 179 with 3.2 overs remaining, Joel Anthony Derham taking 3-33 from 7.4 overs.

St Annes had proved no match for leaders Chorley in the previous day’s Northern Premier League contest and managed only 33-9 in reply to the visitors’ 154-8.

Put into bat at Vernon Road, Chorley were soon in trouble at 22-3 but Roshen Silva steadied the ship with 66 (six fours), sharing in stands of 53 for the fourth wicket with Zayn Widiwala (28) and 61 for the sixth with Edwin Moulton, who went on to make 31 not out.

The St Annes reply was soon in disarray as only Nathan Bolus reached double figures, his 12 matching the total added by all his teammates with the bat.

The hosts were reduced to 19-8 as Moulton took 6-9 from 10 overs in a 121-run victory which leaves Chorley 15 points clear at the top with four to play.

St Annes, who remain 10th, host Longridge on Saturday and then visit Fleetwood on Monday.

Blackpool preserved their outside chance of a top-four finish with a seven-wicket defeat of Penrith at Stanley Park.

Having asked their visitors to bat first, Blackpool saw Penrith reach 45-3 before seven wickets fell for 23 runs as they were all out for 68.

Matt Grindley (3-17) had reduced Penrith to 26-3 before the dismissal of Greg Cameron (14) began their collapse.

He fell to Steven Mercer, who picked up 3-20, while Shivam Chaudhary also collected three wickets in claiming 3-10.

In reply, Blackpool sped to 69-3 inside 11 overs as Chaudhary top scored with 20 from only 16 balls.

Blackpool earned 15 points and stayed fifth, 25 points behind fourth-placed Longridge, ahead of Saturday’s home game with Netherfield and next Monday’s trip to Fulwood and Broughton.

Eccleston came close to their first Northern Premier League win of the season in a thriller at Fleetwood on Saturday.

The match of 46 overs a side was drawn at Broadwater, where the Chorley visitors closed on 139-7 in pursuit of Fleetwood’s 143-9.

Fleetwood started positively after being put in as opener Andy Drake scored 55 and shared a second-wicket stand of 57 with Rudi Second (27).

From 101-1, the hosts tumbled to 108-7 as Thomas Foster took 5-38 from 12 overs.

Martyn James Brierley then led the bottom club’s reply with 40 but was removed by Rizwan Patel (4-34 from 10 overs) as Eccleston closed five short of their victory target.

This was only Eccleston’s second draw of the season and brought seven points, with sixth-placed Fleetwood collecting eight.

Fleetwood visit second-placed Kendal on Saturday before a Bank Holiday derby at home to St Annes next Monday.

Lytham’s hope of a top-four position in the Liverpool Competition First Division was boosted by a narrow win at Liverpool.

After asking their hosts to bat first, Lytham reduced them to 35-4 before dismissing them for 120.

Jared Clein (39 not out) led the Liverpool batting as Avinash Yadav and Matthew Wood worked their way through the home line-up.

Wood took 4-57 but Yadav again led the way with figures of 6-42.

Lytham looked well set in reply as they reached 92-3, only to lose quick wickets in reaching 115-8.

Last man Joe Ashton was able to keep Richard Staines company as he guided Lytham to victory with 62 not out.

They face another high-flyer on Saturday with a trip to second-placed Birkenhead Park.

Thornton Cleveleys are sixth in the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield after a 31-run victory at Torrisholme.

The visitors chose to bat in Lancaster and reached 132-6 in 33 overs as Oliver Kyle made 61 and Joshua Sackfield 31.

Saeed Bariwala then tried to hold the hosts’ reply together with 33 but Torrisholme were all out for 111 in 30.4 overs as Jake Apperley took a season’s-best 4-59.

Victory lifts Thornton Cleveleys into the top half of the Premier Division ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Penwortham, while Torrisholme remain in the bottom two.

The news wasn’t so good for Great Eccleston and Kirkham and Wesham, both of whom were beaten.

Great Ecc lost against bottom club Morecambe, who chased down their 190-9 with two wickets in hand.

Alexander Rhodes (44) and Nisanth Nithian (39) top-scored after Morecambe had elected to field first.

The strugglers then reached 192-8 with 29 balls in hand thanks to an unbroken stand of 60 between Alex Briggs (49 not out) and Michael Bland (24 not out).

Great Ecc host K&W on Saturday with the visitors only one point clear of the drop zone after an eight-wicket loss to Preston.

Jack Mansfield made 50 in K&W’s 165-8 before Preston responded with 167-2, Navazish Ali hitting 93.