THE pre-match gloss focused on whether Colne's Australian professional Ben Johnson could become the first to the magical 1,000-run mark this season.

But in the end, this game had a truly Matt finish..for it was Church's Aussie import Matthew Mott, who had the last laugh after coming in at number four to hit the winning run off his very first ball!

Mott also finished with three wickets for 28 as a much-changed Colne side were bowled out for a total of just 62.

The Church reply comfortably reached its target for the loss of only two wickets.

Much of the damage, however, was done by Mott's bowling partner, Mark Aspin, who claimed four victims for 29, after bowling throughout the visitors' innings.

But the really memorable part of this match, played on a slow wicket in autumn-like weather, was when 14-year-old Craig Fergusson took the field alongside his 40-year-old stalwart dad Ken.

A pupil at St Wilfrid's CE High School, Blackburn, the youngster was a surprise choice to open the Church batting, and he certainly let nobody down, least of all his elated father.

For the young left-hander included three fine fours in his unbeaten 17. But Ken was not to be easily outdone. He chipped in to make it a real family day - his four overs with the ball included three maidens and two wickets for a miserly three runs!

Young gun Johnson - he's only 22 himself - sportingly accepted the result in positive fashion. Although he had already amassed an amazing 906 runs this summer, he was only able to add a further two.

It must be said he did look a long way down the wicket when trapped lbw to Mott, but he insisted later that the four enforced changes his side had made, had not necessarily weakened the team.

The result, however, certainly left him both disappointed and puzzled.

"In our last seven innings we have topped 200 runs each time," he said.

"But losing like that, you get the same amount of points as if you had lost on the last ball, so we must just look forward to next week now," he added.

It's around 65 years since a father and son pairing took the field for Church's 1st XI, and skipper Phil Sykes' decision to blood the debutant, proved spot on.

The Church side also boasted 15-year-old Thomas O'Neil in only his second appearance!

Sykes said: "It was a good start for Craig, but we are just pleased to get five points.

"He will have many, many more matches. It's great experience and he's definitely a player for the future. I think Graham Lloyd was just 14 when he made his debut for Accrington!"

Captain Sykes, top scorer for the home side with 26, included two fours and a six in his innings before being bowled by Jeff Ellis, who also claimed wicketkeeper Alec Holt for 16.

The main resistance in the Colne innings had come in the shape of a spirited knock of 18 from opener Darryl Halstead which included three of his side's six boundaries.

Colne captain Gary Hunt was somewhat controversially caught off his pads at slip by Nick Westwell for a duck, and the only other player to reach double figures was Andy Leah, bowled by Fergusson senior for 13.

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