Blackpool 55 all out Morecambe 58-2
A COMBINATION of abysmal batting and superb Morecambe bowling turned a potentially closely fought Northern Premier League contest into a very one-sided rout.
With the two teams in the top three of the table, the fixture at Stanley Park last Saturday looked a mouth-watering one. But Morecambe turned the game into a short afternoon of acute embarrassment for the home side.
Blackpool skipper Mark Lomas won the toss and elected to bat on a green and dampish track. The batsmen struggled throughout and the innings lasted 39.3 overs in which time only 55 runs were made for the loss of all 10 wickets. Morecambe's reply lasted 23 overs and three balls less, but their 58 runs for the loss of two wickets gave them a comprehensive eight-wicket victory.
Nine runs were on the board before Blackpool's first wicket was lost when Chris Simcock moved away from his stumps and belatedly jabbed the bat down on a ball from Peter Stephens that shot back on to his wicket. He had made three and he was followed to the pavilion by fellow opener Martin Pickles who fell leg-before-wicket to Stephens when he had made seven. That was 16-2 and it was soon 23-3 when Morecambe took the decisive wicket of the innings. Lomas had not looked particularly at ease during his short time at the crease and when he tried to turn Farouk Patel on the on-side, he only succeeded in getting a leading edge and returning a simple catch to the bowler. He made just one.
Richard Lamb was the next to go after he had made 10 when he cut Stephens into Gulam Maje's hands at gully and that was 25-4.
Paul Danson had failed to get off the mark when he was drawn down the track by the enticing spin of professional Ramesh Powar. Wicketkeeper Damien Gudgeon took the ball off a pad to complete a smart stumping. That was 30-5 and there followed the largest partnership of the innings as Barrow, 12, and Steve Mercer, four, put on 12. The latter then became the second victim of the Gudgeon/Powar partnership as the wicketkeeper reacted very smartly to take an edge and remove the bails while the batsman was out of his ground.
Barrow went at 48-7 when the irrepressible Stephens bowled him and then, as if the side were not in enough of a predicament, Blackpool gifted Morecambe an eighth wicket. Oliver Newby played a shot to backward point and was called for a run by Marcus Sharp. However, Maje's direct throw ran out the professional when he was still a yard short of his ground. That was 52-8 and it was 55-9 when Stephens bowled Karl Marsland for nought.
The end came at the same total as Newby, eight, drove a return catch to Powar who finished with 3-13 from 10.3 overs, seven of which were maidens.
Stephens, who before the start declared that he rarely took a haul of wickets at Stanley Park, finished with 5-27 while Patel had 1-10. Conscious of rain clouds gathering, Morecambe set about their reply with gusto. Mark Woodhead and Phil Dennison went for the bowling from the start. They had put on 23 when the in-form Woodhead, 12, failed to beat a direct throw from Simcock while heading for the non-striker's end.
Andy Bird made only four before he flashed at Sharp and was caught by Lomas at slip with the total on 36, but that was the end of Blackpool's success.
Powar came in and blitzed his way to 16 from 18 balls with three fours while Dennison made 26 not out, unusually including seven threes in his total with his final six scoring shots all registering that number. And so at 4.45pm Morecambe had reached 58-2 to record an eight-wicket victory and send the spectators home for an early tea.
Blackpool's poor batting display was only equalled by an inept display in the field with much mis-fielding and two relatively simple chances going down.
ST ANNES had no trouble scoring runs as they hit 203 for 3 at home against Leyland Motors. Professional Geoff Love top scored with 97 as he shared a third wicket partnership of 191 with Stephen Twist who was unbeaten on 86.
Unfortunately the heavens opened with Leyland Motors on 28 for 2 and the match was abandoned.
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