LANCASTER squeezed a victory to win the Vaux Bitter Cup against league Champions St Annes on Sunday.

Lancaster were put in to bat and reached 150-9 off their 40 allotted overs. Former Cambridge University player Gavin Moffat top scored with 32.

Sean Bickerdike was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 26 and captain Brian Tennant finished with 3 for 33.

St Annes made a disastrous start in reply, losing Adrian Darlington for 5 with the score on 9, while 8 runs later Mark Hawthornthwaite was lbw to Howarth for 2.

Worse was to follow then Baptiste was stumped for eleven and Sean Bickerdike was bowled by Howarth for nought, leaving St Annes 27-4. St Annes finished seven runs short of victory. Lancaster's opening bowler Kevin Howarth bowled magnificently to take 3 for 12 off his 8 overs.

However St Annes became the new Vaux Northern Cricket League champions after rain stopped the game between last year's winners Morecambe and Chorley on Monday.

Rain was also the winner at Vernon Rd where Morecambe were the visitors. In a game interrupted by the weather on three separate occasions, St Annes captain Brian Tennant put Morecambe in to bat.

Graham Fisher and David Gudgeon put on 17 runs for the first wicket in 37 minutes before the latter was bowled by Baptiste for four. Nevertheless, two overs had been lost for rain. Only 14 more runs were added before Fisher was caught behind by John Isles off Baptiste for six.

Simon Lord followed one run later, bowled by Baptiste for nought as Morecambe were 32 for 3. Baptiste struck again in the eighth over when he trapped Phil Moffat lbw for three. This left Morecambe reeling at 34 for 4, while at this stage Baptiste had taken four wickets for nine minutes.

When rain eventually brought a premature end to the match, Pope was 74 not out. Eldine Baptiste was the pick of the bowlers with the impressive analysis of 12 overs, 5 maidens, 19 runs and 4 wickets. There were no results in any of the three Vaux Northern Cricket League divisions through rain.

Leyland DAF were saved by the rain from defeat at Lancaster. Batting first, DAF were dismissed for 97, with Lancaster's David Jolleys taking 5 for 14. Lancaster were 36 without loss, with David Heywood 26 not out and Phil Dennison 3 not out when the match was finally abandoned.

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