One long yawn

At the close of 46 overs they had made a paltry 96-6 as the game petered out into a draw.

Leyland won the toss and though so as to ensure against defeat, put Blackpool in to bat.

Robin Bracewell and Stephen Croft had put on 20 runs for the first wicket when Croft, four, was leg before wicket to Stephen Pallett.

Then Bracewell and Martin Pickles put on 53 for the second wicket before Pickles made a rash dash down the wicket to off-spinner Swan and was stumped by a distance by former Blackpool wicketkeeper Martin Hackett for 23.

Ten more runs were added before Bracewell tried to sweep Swan but only succeeded in nudging the ball on to his stumps and he was out for 48, made from 112 balls with two fours.

Chris Cornall, three, was the next to go when he edged Neil Kenyon through to Hackett with the total on 103 and at 110 Gavin Armstrong, 15, fell leg before wicket to the persevering Kenyon. Skipper Rudra Singh made a quick 14 before a ball from Kenyon stopped on him and he only managed to loop a catch to Rimmer at mid-wicket.

Paul Danson sparkled for a short time but then Kenyon took his fourth wicket when he trapped the batsman, who had gone down the track, leg before wicket for 13 and it was 148-7.

That quickly became 148-8 as Jabbir Namajee was dismissed first ball, caught by Rimmer at extra cover to give Kenyon a return of 5-33.

Marcus Sharp, in a rich vein of form with the bat at the moment, made 23 not out and Kevin Hoggarth, with the aid of four wild overthrows from mark Pallett, made 10 not out as Blackpool closed on a respectable 166-8.

In reply, Leyland showed no spirit for the fight and, apart from a few lusty blows from professional Neil Rimmer, defended throughout their innings.

Opener Swan looked out of his depth in that exalted position and it was no surprise when, on five, he edged Singh through to Hoggarth and then Ian McDonnell four, held his bat out to Singh to give Cornall some comfortable slip catching practice; Leyland were then 15-2.

A stand of 38 followed as Rimmer, 44 from 81 balls, with eight fours, and Kenyon, 14, showed the most enterprising batting of the innings.

But then Singh struck again as he forced an edge from Kenyon which Bracewell gratefully gobbled up at slip.

Adrian Walsh did not last long as Sharp returned to knock down his stumps when he had made only one and then when Rimmer was beaten by Singh to edge through to Hoggarth, all Leyland could continue to do was block the game out.

Mark Pallett was Singh's fifth wicket, in a return of 5-49, when he edged a high catch into the safe pair of hands of Bracewell at slip.

Gatrell, three not out, and Haydock eight not out, had no alternative but to follow up the upper order in defending and playing out time as Leyland closed on a very poor 95-6.

The five points Blackpool earned dropped them to sixth place in the Division One table, while Leyland slumped to bottom spot - a position well justified on the day's play.

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