Fylde coast cricket season under way with wins for St Annes and Fleetwood

Even so, plenty of fixtures did reach a conclusion, including both matches in this summer’s elite local competition, which brought victories for St Annes and Fleetwood over Blackpool and Thornton Cleveleys respectively.

The Northern Premier League and Moore and Smalley Palace Shield have joined forces for a two-month competition to make the most of what remains of the summer.

The first stage sees the teams split into localised groups at four different levels to play round-robin competitions over five Saturdays.

The NPL teams are competing at level one, in which the Fylde coast group sees Blackpool, Fleetwood and St Annes joined by Lytham of the Liverpool Competition and Thornton Cleveleys of the Palace Shield.

The rain meant both group A matches had to be shortened from the intended 40 overs, though St Annes compiled 172-8 in the possible 26 overs and proceeded to beat hosts Blackpool by 82 runs.

Blackpool put the visitors in at Stanley Park but could not stem the run flow and were dismissed for 90 in reply, Curtis Fletcher taking four wicket.

Thornton Cleveleys put up a good fight at Illawalla but lost out to NPL neighbours Fleetwood by seven runs in a 32-over contest.

Fleetwood were put in and were grateful for number six James Gregson’s 33 from 35 balls, including two fours and three sixes as they reached 104-7, Antony Ellison and Oliver Vincent taking two wickets apiece.

Rick Blampied and Jake Apperley both made 17 in reply but Alex Ryder dismissed three of TC’s top four to finish with 3-28 from six overs as the hosts were restricted to 97-7.

Lytham enter the fray on Saturday at home to Thornton Cleveleys, while Fleetwood host Blackpool and it’s St Annes’ turn to sit out in the five-team group.

The Fylde’s highest-ranked inland clubs are contesting group B, in which Garstang and Fulwood and Broughton got the better of Kirkham and Wesham and Great Eccleston respectively.

At level two, South Shore celebrated victory over Lytham 2 in a game of three half-centuries, while Andrew Flintoff’s sons Corey and Rocky played for St Annes 2 in their defeat by the Great Eccleston second string.

RESULTS

Level 1 Group A: Thornton Cleveleys 97-7 (A Ryder 3-28) lost to Fleetwood 104-7 by seven runs (J Gregson 33); Blackpool 90 lost to St Annes 172-8 by 82 runs

Group B: Garstang 115-6 (M Wellings 40) beat Kirkham and Wesham 114-7 (A Hogarth 35, I Walling 3-15) by four wickets, Great Eccleston 119-9 (A Green 30, C Brookes 4-9) lost to Fulwood and Broughton 191-4 (M Smith 65) by 72 runs, Longridge 81-2 beat Preston 79-9 by eight wickets

Group C: Penwortham 111-4 lost to Chorley 129-1 by 18 runs

Group D: Kendal 70 lost to Morecambe 72 by eight wickets.

Level 2 Group A: Lytham 2 174/8 (M Child 50, C Cartmel 38) lost to South Shore 181-6 (D Jardine 56, M Cowell-Makin 52 by seven runs, St Annes 2 120 (L Castellas 40) lost to Great Eccleston 2 143 by 23 runs

Group B: Fulwood and Broughton 2 106-7 lost to Leyland 2 146-8 by 40 runs

Group C: Tarleton 137-7 beat Mawdesley 80-2 by 57 runs

Group D: Morecambe 2 165-9 lost to Kendal 2 182-5 by 17 runs, Netherfield 2 70 lost to Longridge 2 73-2 by eight wickets, Torrisholme 88-0 beat Garstang 2 85-9 by 10 wickets

Level 3 Group A: Blackpool 3 150-8 beat Thornton Cleveleys 2 106 by 44 runs

The twenty20 competition is scheduled to start on the Fylde coast on Wednesday, when Blackpool face Thornton Cleveleys in group A, with Great Eccleston visiting Fulwood and Broughton the following evening. St Annes face Longridge in group B on Friday.