Cricket: Greenmount woe

On Saturday they couldn't come up with the goods in the Bolton League when chasing Egerton's modest 147 and their performance in the Thwaites Lancashire Cricket Board knockout the following day would be better kept under wraps.

At Egerton the village side came up against a one-man whirlwind in the shape of former Pakistan Test man Aamir Sohail for he swept the ball around with effortless ease on his way to an impressive 80, the only success story as Saeed Anwar took 6 for 76 and Mark Stewart 4 for 69.

At 46 for 6 Greenmount looked down and out but Andy Bowker had other ideas and when he found an ally in Mark Stewart they took the score from 59 to 108 and a shock win was on the cards.

But when Bowker was trapped leg before for 52 there wasn't enough left in the tail and they were all out for 124, that man Sohail finishing with 7 for 51.

Ribblesdale League leaders Read were fiercely competitive hosts on Sunday and their attack fairly ripped through the Greenmount batting order.

Six of the first seven batsmen failed to reach double figures and only some late resolve and 24 extras averted an embarrassing crash.

But 97 all out was easy meat for the home side for whom skipper Nick Marsh (18 not out) and Michael Whalley (63 not out) steered them to a ten-wicket win.

READ v

GREENMOUNT

GREENMOUNT

S. Anwar lbw Newby...1

N. Franklin c Marsh b Bennett...2

M. Fallon c Little v Newby...6

A. Bowker c O'Connor b Newby...1

N. Earing run out...1

D. Kay run out...15

B. Horrocks b Eastham...9

N. Kay c Marsh b Eastham...15

G. Chadwick b Mahmood...12

M. Stewart c O'Connor b Raza...11

S. Leach not out...0

Extras...24

--

Total 97

--

38.1 overs

O, Newby 9-1-23-3. A. Bennett 9-3-17-1. Raza 6.1-3-9-1. A. Mahmood 7-1-23-1. W. Eastham 7-4-11-2.

READ

N. Marsh not out...18

M. Whalley not out...63

Extras 21...

--

Total (for 0) 102

--

20.3 overs

M. Stewart 6-3-8-0. B. Horrocks 6-1-17-0. Anwar 3-0-26-0. S. Leach 4-0-36-0. M. Fallon 1.3-1-6-0.