Jekyll and Hyde performance

Once Lancaster had won the toss and elected to bat, the Blackpool bowlers placed a stranglehold on the batsmen and runs were difficult to acquire.

Only 101 came in the first 40 overs but then Blackpool somehow lost the initiative, the fielding was poor, catches went down and Lancaster eased themselves to the relative safety of 168-6.

But such a score on a pitch well suited to batting presented no problem for the Blackpool batsmen who knocked off the required runs to win by five wickets with 5.1 of the final 20 overs remaining.

On a gloriously sunny day Lancaster made a mockery of their decision to bat first and crawled along at just over one run an over.

Wickets were lost into the bargain.

Dennison saw his middle stump sent cartwheeling by a ball from Singh when he had made eight, professional Raj Hans, nought, edged Sharp to slip where Bracewell stopped to take a fine catch and Taylor was caught behind by Newell for seven.

And that was 53-3. David Heywood, who survived a confident appeal for a catch behind the wicket when he had made 36, and Brian Phillips then embarked on a 48-run partnership before Phillips, 31, was caught by Bartholomew off Singh.

Parkinson failed to score, bowled by Singh, and then Heywood and David Derham took advantage of the generous Blackpool fielding to score 62 in just 35 minutes.

The only scare was then Singh appealed for a leg before decision against Derham only for the umpire to turn him down so he beseeched loudly to the heavens but still with no success!

Derham, having also survived a skier to Newell, was eventually caught at mid-wicket by Cornall for a fast and furious 39 and the innings closed at 168-6 with Hetherington not out nought and Heywood not out 78, made from 145 balls with eight fours.

Rudra Singh was the most successful bowler with 4-64.

In-form Robin Bracewell started Blackpool's reply with a bang and he powered his way to 25 of the first 37 when he was caught by Parkinson at mid-on of Jordan.

Pat Newell struck 10 before he holed out to Heywood at extra cover off Hans and Blackpool were 56-2.

Martin Pickles and Chris Cornall then made the Lancaster bowling look very ordinary as they put on 81 in 54 minutes before both fell at 137.

Cornall, 40 from only 51 balls with one glorious six and five fours, was caught by Phillips off Derham and Pickles, 56 from 87 balls with eight delightfully placed fours, was snapped up at slip by Dennison off Jolleys.

Gavin Armstrong came in and made a quick-fire 10, but, one ball after agreeing with his partner skipper Singh to play each ball on its merits, he was bowled by Derham when essaying what seemed to be a reverse sweep.

Paul Danson had time to score two before Singh, 19 not out, struck the winning runs which took his team to their fifth win of the season and saw them move up seventh place in the table - nicely poised for a late assault on the title.

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