Cricket round-up

Preston were hammered by second-placed Netherfield at West Cliff by nine wickets.

Leyland DAF were beaten at Sandy Lane by third-placed Lancaster by 121 runs, while only the rain stopped St Annes beating Leyland.

The visitors had only three wickets left, and still required 67 runs for victory when time ran out.

At the half-way point of the season neither of the three have registered a victory.

Next Saturday (July 5) looks like another set of difficult fixtures.

Bottom of the table Preston travel to Broadwater to play league leaders Fleetwood.

Leyland DAF travel to Parkside Road to play second-placed Netherfield.

Leyland have a home game at Fox Lane against Kendal who are in eighth position, so obviously they have the easiest of the three fixtures.

Returning to last Saturday, Preston suffered their third defeat of the season when they were comprehensively beaten by nine wickets by Netherfield.

Netherfield captain, Graham Clarke won the toss and put Preston in to bat.

This looked like an excellent decision when Netherfield opening pace-bowlers David Wheatman had Paul Mann caught by Clarke at short-leg in the third over for one, with the score on six. Lee Kearsley was out three overs later, caught by David Otway off Netherfields South African professional Derek Crookes without scoring, leaving Preston seven for two.

In the 7th over, Antony Mann was trapped lbw without playing a shot to Wheatman for two.

In the next over Paul Paynter departed caught at short-leg by Clarke without troubling the scorers.

The eleventh over saw Preston reeling at 10 for 5 when Paul Richardson was lbw to Wheatman for three runs.

Preston captain Graham Standing and Lancaster Royal Grammar schoolboy, 16-year-old Atul Sachdeva, redressed the balance with a 27 runs partnership for the sixth wicket.

The former was caught behind by Simon Dutton off Scott Clement for eleven.

The bowler having just replaced Wheatman in the 21st over.

Clement struck again with his next delivery when Preston professional Manoj Parekh was caught by Clarke at short-leg fending off a rising delivery from Clement without scoring, leaving Preston 37 for 7.

One run later Greg Bamber was bowled by Crookes for nought as Preston were struggling at 38 for 8.

Sachdeva and Jon Richardson only added 2 runs for the ninth wicket before the latter was bowled by Crookes for a duck.

The tail wagged as Sachdeva and Roger Kaye added 11 runs for the last wicket before Sachdeva was caught by Otway at silly mid-off, as Preston were dismissed for a paltry 51.

Ironically, Sachdeva had just taken six runs off Crookes including a boundary.

Netherfield in reply started disastrously when Gareth White was run out for nought without facing a ball.

Clarke hit the ball to mid-off and called for two runs but the 17-year-old couldn't make his ground.

Nevertheless, Clarke and Dutton scored the winning runs for victory in the tenth over. The former who was undefeated with 32 runs hit a six and three fours, while Dutton hit three boundaries in his undefeated 21.

Leyland struggled to take a point in a rain affected draw at Vernon Road against current league champions St Annes.

Leyland's captain and professional Paul Tebay won the toss and put St Annes in to bat in a game where two hours play was lost for rain.

Adrian Darlington and St Annes West Indian professional Eldine Baptiste opened the batting and added 33 runs for the first wicket, before Baptiste was caught by Nic Gore off Steven Pallet for seven.

Darlington and Chris Harrison then plundered the Leyland bowling attack, as they finished with 66 and 56 not out respectively.

Darlington's innings lasted 132 minutes and included five fours off 83 balls, while Harrison's innings lasted only 86 minutes and he hit one six and four fours off 74 deliveries.

Leyland had 23 overs to gain their first victory of the season.

Nevertheless, they got off to a bad start when Gore was caught behind by Duncan Whalley off Baptiste without scoring with the score on seven.

Eleven runs were added for the second wicket before Chris Sim was bowled by Baptiste for eleven.

Lee Heyes departed at the same total of 18 being caught by St Annes captain Brian Tennant off Baptiste without scoring.

Six runs later Brian Parr was trapped playing back to Tennant for one and half the Leyland side were dismissed for 30 when David Tomlinson was caught by Tennant off Baptiste for one.

Paul Tebay and Ian Oakes added 12 runs for the sixth wicket before the latter was lbw to Tennant for one, leaving Leyland 42 for 6. Tebay and Steven Pallet then featured in a 31 runs partnership for the eighth wicket before Pallet became Baptiste's fifth victim, being bowled for twelve.

Tebay and Andrew Walsh stayed together until the Leyland innings ended at 73 for 7.

Tebay was undefeated with 33 and Walsh did not open his account.

Baptiste bowled superbly to take 5 wickets for 30 runs.

Leyland DAF suffered their fourth defeat of the season when Lancaster beat them by 121 runs.

Leyland DAF captain and professional David Makinson won the toss and put Lancaster in to bat.

Leyland opening bowler Duncan Catterall got an early break through when he had Phil Dennison caught by Vinnie Jones for four, leaving Lancaster 13 for one.

Lancaster's South African professional Mark Boucher and David Heywood only added 6 runs before the latter was caught by Stuart Catterall off Sifton Prince for 13.

Boucher and Luke Phillips added 40 runs for the third wicket before Phillips was bowled by Simon Hogan for ten.

Lancaster lost their fourth wicket at 79 when Boucher was run out for 30.

Half the Lancaster side were dismissed for 85 when Ian Parkinson was caught by Duncan Catterall off David Makinson for one.

The sixth wicket fell at 110 when Craig Atkins was caught behind by Charlie Williams off Makinson for 33.

Lancaster captain David Derham and Steve Johnstone added 59 runs for the seventh wicket before the latter was caught by Makinson off Prince for 40.

One run later David Jolleys was caught by Phil Iddon off Prince without scoring.

The last two Lancaster wickets fell for only six runs as they were dismissed for 176.

Derham remained undefeated with 27.

Sifton Prince was the pick of the Leyland DAF bowling attack with 3 for 18 off 10 overs, 5 of which were maidens. Leyland DAF made a disastrous start in reply when they lost opening batsmen Antony Moore, caught by Johnstone off Jolleys without a run on the board.

Stuart Catterall and David Makinson added 26 runs for the second wicket before the latter was caught by Simon Perry off Jolleys for eleven.

DAF lost their third wicket at 26 when Duncan Catterall was bowled by Phil Dennison without troubling the scorers.

Two runs later Alan Richardson was bowled by Dennison for nought.

Leyland DAF were 47 for 5 when Stuart Catterall was caught by Luke Phillips off Jolleys for 26.

DAF then collapsed losing their last five wickets for only 8 runs as their last four batsmen failed to get off the mark.

Teenager Nathan Braithwaite was left undefeated with 8, as Leyland DAF were 55 all out.

Lancaster slow bowler Craig Atkins took 4 for 8 from 8.5 consecutive overs, while David Jolleys took 4 for 23 from 13 overs.

At the half-way point of the season Leyland DAF captain and professional David Makinson said the side's fielding and bowling was very good but their batting was letting the team down.

He continued that from last season's side Dipak Patel had gone to work in America and Steven Knox was working in Scotland as a cricket development officer.

Currently, wicket-keeper and batsman Alan Murray and opening batsman Ben Henderson were sidelined through injuries.

They were presently relying on a youth policy which would take time to mature.

Preston chairman David Wilson thought that the club's fielding and bowling had improved immensely, but the batting needed improving.

On a positive note he was very pleased with 16-year-old Atul Sachdeva's batting and for the rest of the season Preston would be strengthened by the return of Nic Holt.

He also believed that West Indian Paul Paynter would make runs when the harder pitches arrive.

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