GOLDEN boy Shawn Flegler fell victim to the cruelest irony imaginable...and if ever a game of cricket turned on the events of a few seconds then this was it.

A shrug of his shoulders, a rueful smile and a barely audible "these things happen" was all the young Queenslander could muster after dipping out to a first ball shocker.

"Perhaps it was always going to happen," groaned Flegler who was unbeaten on 144 in the original clash with Todmorden when rain intervened.

"It was a damn good ball," he reflected. "But I hope that's my flop out of the way for the season."

Flegler has suffered a "golden duck" before, last summer at Church: "It's an experience I could well do without, but cricket's an unpredictable game and a good score doesn't guarantee another next time out."

The departure of the Lowerhouse paid man on Saturday - second wicket down with the total on 36 - gave Todmorden a visible lift.

The sight of him heading head bowed to the pavilion put Todmorden, themselves a Lancashire League surprise packet, in control...a control they refused to release from then on in.

Lowerhouse's meagre 114 would have been significantly less but for the hard-hitting heroics of Matt Hope, one of three brothers in the home ranks. When there was need of life...there was Hope.

The burly middle-order batsman, handed the task of rescuing a grim 49-4, smacked three huge sixes in a gutsy 30.

Otherwise the honours all belonged to Todmorden, professional Daniel Marsh picking up four cheap wickets with his spin and medium pace opener John Barker number the prize scalp of Flegler among his quartet.

If Lowerhouse were to have any chance on an unpredictable wicket which offered the blowers plenty of encouragement then they needed a quick breakthrough. It didn't come.

Todmorden openers Stuart Priestley and Brian Heywood safely negotiated some tight early bowling - do cricketers claim more for leg before these days or is it my imagination? - and by the time Heywood was run out the scoreboard had clicked on to 43.

Marsh, prolific early doors, was out to the sort of shot reserved for midweek cricket - lobbing a Flegler full toss high to mid-on - to give Lowerhouse just a sniff of hope.

But skipper Priestley carried his bat for a fine 72 - his top score of the summer - and Todmorden were home and dry with plenty of overs and seven wickets to spare.

Priestley's 50 included nine fours off 101 balls and he displayed the sort of patience required on a track of inconsistent bounce.

Flegler, disappointed by a home defeat as table-topping rival, believes Lowerhouse haven't yet found their feet despite heading the table in the first few weeks. "To be quite honest we haven't played well as a team in any one game this season. There have been several examples of individuals chipping in with good performances, but I am waiting for us to click as a unit."

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