St Annes let got of Bannister

ST ANNES' four-game winning streak came to an end at Vernon Road on Saturday when Neil Bannister led a Chorley rearguard action that thwarted the St Annes bowling and earned a draw against the runaway League leaders. St Annes were put in to bat and made 242-6 from their 52 overs and Chorley, after the horror of losing professional Tom Smith to the first ball of the innings, fought hard to reply with a creditable 174-4.

St Annes got off to a smart start courtesy of some quick scoring by Gareth Evans who had 21 of the opening partnership of 32 when his partner Adrian Darlington, nine, received a ball that appeared to stop on him and he only succeeded in returning a catch to bowler Tom Smith. Evans, dropped by Nigel Heaton at slip when he had made one, then lost a lot of the strike as Ian Austin did most of the scoring although he did survive a vehement appeal for a catch behind the wicket early in his innings.

Indeed Evans had only advanced to 29 from the total of 70 when he advanced down the track and tried to drive Ian Mawdsley down the ground only to loft a gentle catch to Chris Roe at mid-off.

Shane Harwood had made only 18 when Bannister bowled him at 115-3. Heaton missed another chance, albeit not an easy one, when Austin, on 58, skied to mid-off from the bowling of Billy Smith and next ball the batsman had another let off when Roe at deep mid-on dropped a straightforward chance.

Steven Twist made 20 before Heaton, on the long-off boundary, made it third time lucky as he caught Twist off Billy Smith and that was 160-4. Austin had a third escape on 73 when he drove Billy Smith back dangerously close to the leaping bowler's hands. He finally succumbed in unfortunate fashion when he had made 98 from 125 balls and with 11 fours. He was at the non-striker's end when Adam Cotton drove a ball straight back down the wicket and Tom Smith got finger tips to it to divert it into the stumps with Austin out of his ground. St Annes were then 199-5.

Cotton made 31 before a direct hit from Bannister ran him out at 226-6 and with Joe Davies 18 not out and Russ Bradley five not out, St Annes closed on 242-6.

The Chorley reply began in disastrous fashion when Harwood's first ball trapped Tom Smith in front of his wicket and found him leg before. The experienced pair of Bannister and Heaton then set about blunting the fiery pace of Harwood and although they did not look likely to win the game, they seemed in little trouble as Austin rotated his bowlers in an attempt to break the partnership.

It was the drinks interval that cost Chorley their next wicket as Harwood returned to the attack. He bowled Heaton for a hard fought 24 at 79-2 and then very quickly accounted in similar fashion for Paul Greenwood, four, and Michael Critchley, leg before wicket for nought, both wickets falling at 101. But by then Bannister was well set and determined not to see his side lose and he found a more than able ally in Neil Senior and the pair saw out the game with Chorley scoring 174-4. Bannister made a deserved century, 101 not out from 161 balls with three sixes, two hooked in one over from Twist, and 14 fours while Senior made 21. Harwood's four wickets came at slightly more cost than usual, his 17 overs costing 45 runs.