FOR a club not famed for winning, Lowerhouse are making a pretty good job of trying to set the record straight as they continued their perfect start to the season by knocking local rivals Burnley out of the Switch to Switch Electrical Worsley Cup at Liverpool Road yesterday.
The only Lancashire League club never to have lifted the cup - or claimed the league championship - advanced into the last eight of this year's competition with a sixth straight win achieved on the back of another impressive team effort.
Professional Peter Fulton again played a leading role, but it was far from a one-man show as Burnley fell 29 runs short in their pursuit of a victory target of 168.
"A lot of guys are contributing and the pleasing part is that we are doing well because everybody is chipping in," said Fulton.
Not that the New Zealander isn't hungry for more runs after missing out yesterday when holing out to mid-wicket after he had made 41 off just 43 deliveries with two sixes and four fours.
"I'm quite relieved that didn't cost us, because I should probably have gone on to make a big score and taken us over 200 which would have seen us win quite comfortably," he added.
"It was always going to be a close game with the wicket drying out a little bit and them wanting just over three an over. But we felt if we could get two or three wickets they might struggle."
Lowerhouse skipper Matt Hope rotated his bowlers well, leading by example with 2-21 from his 10 overs, and with another victory in the bag, Fulton is upbeat about Lowerhouse's prospects of sustaining a challenge in the competition.
"It becomes a habit," he said. "Lowerhouse don't have a great record of winning things but if we can get a few wins under our belt hopefully that will give us some confidence."
Ben Law and Danny Pickup put on 31 for the first wicket and then Jonathan Clare came in at number three and hit Fulton off the back foot for four from his first delivery.
However, Hope brought himself on and nipped out Clare to a catch at slip before Andy McLeod missed a full toss to be bowled for a duck after trying for 23 balls to get off the mark. After Steve Brunt went to a smart catch in the deep by Vishal Tripathi the vital wicket of Pickup fell with the score on 103.
Pickup, 18, had played impressively to make 44 with five fours off 113 balls but with their anchor-man gone Burnley began to panic.
Kelly ran himself out and after Kerry Jeremy had hit a six and a four to get Burnley back in the contest, he also had a rush of blood and was run out by wicket-keeper Charlie Cottam.
There was no way back, despite a quick-fire 16 from David Connolly who became the last man out as Fulton and Jez Hope mopped up the Burnley tail.
Lowerhouse had collapsed themselves earlier in the day as they went from 90-1 to 103-5 when opener Finch departed for 44, made off 109 balls with four fours. But with Benbow leading a recovery with a rapid 24, the home side had enough in hand to keep that winning feeling.
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