Cricketing suicide

Wickets were gratuitously thrown away like confetti as the team subsided from a most promising 104-3 to a miserable 129 all out; the final seven wickets going down for just 25 runs in less than 12 overs.

Chorley paced their reply to perfection and despite some determined fast bowling from professional Marcus Sharp scored 133-5 with 11 overs of the final 20 remaining.

In Arctic conditions with dull grey skies and a bitingly cold gale force wind, Blackpool had only a leg bye on the board when Chris Cornall played on to Australian pace-bowling professional Josh Marquet.

Armstrong, 10, did not dally long as he fell for a Chorley sucker-punch when driving spinner Rex Purnell to Heaton at deep mid-off where the Chorley fielder took a splendid overhead catch.

That made the score 41-2 and it was quickly 42-3 as Paul Danson played an irresponsible shot and was caught at mid-on by Fazackerley off Purnell without scoring.

Marquet, bowling decidedly quick, was pulled with the shot of the day for a huge six over mid-wicket by Bracewell and together with skipper Rudra Singh he began to re-build the Blackpool innings.

The pair added 61 in even time before Singh played a ghastly shot to a wide ball from Eccleshare, who had earlier been withdrawn from the attack and was caught at short third man for 26.

Two more wickets then went down without addition to the score.

Bracewell, 58 from 129 balls with two sixes and seven fours, failed to survive the umpteenth appeal against him and was leg before wicket to Gibson and Bartholomew sadly followed his captain's lead to be caught by Fazackerley off Eccleshare without troubling the scorers.

That was 104-6.

Matters did not improve as Eccleshare, with a splendid second spell of 6-2-9-4, bowled Croft for two and likewise disposed of Brookes for three.

Gibson had Namajee caught by Heaton for four and then bowled Cresswell for one leaving Sharp 15 not out which included a powerful straight driven six.

Blackpool at 129 all out had committed cricketing suicide and bowled out in 46 overs were ruing their unused four overs as Chorley then had 52 overs to score the necessary runs.

The Chorley reply began almost as disastrously as Blackpool's had done with Sharp trapping Bannister leg before wicket for nought with the total only six.

Fazackerley and Horridge then took the score to 35 with some sensible batting before Singh with his first ball, a wide long hop, broke the partnership.

Fazackerley, having been well contained by Sharp and Cresswell, saw his opportunity for easy runs but could only force the ball to the waiting Armstrong at gully and he was gone for 20.

Horridge, a dogged 13, followed to the first ball of Singh's next over as he turned a ball to Croft at backward square leg and Chorley were wobbling at 40-3.

Any hope of a Blackpool come-back however was quickly abated by Senior and Heaton who proceeded to add 61 in 46 minutes.

Heaton played two classical cover drives while Senior was the more belligerent partner.

They had taken Chorley to the brink of victory at 101-3 when both were out in the space of two balls.

Marcus Sharp, who had bowled throughout with pace and determination, was the bowler.

First he had Senior, 45 from 41 balls with two sixes and four fours, caught by Singh at mid-on and, as the batsmen had crossed, then trapped Heaton, 15, leg before wicket with his next ball to finish with 3-47 from his 18 overs.

Critchley survived the hat-trick ball and was there with 12 not out at the end as he and Purnell, 19 not out, steadily garnered the final runs for an easy Chorley victory, set up by the Blackpool batsmen giving their wickets away far too cheaply.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.