BRILLIANT Jonathan Fielding bowled Ramsbottom into the second round of the Worsley Cup as he returned to haunt his old club East Lancashire on Saturday.
The spinner was at his metronomic best as he wheeled his way to 5-27 from his 8.1 overs to take the reigning league champions and last year’s beaten finalists into the second round when they should have gone out.
Fielding, who helped East Lancs to the 2008 Twenty20 title as sub pro, is a class act – but his impact on a good cup tie was all the more impressive given Ramsbottom’s below par total.
Conditions were tough on a lively track at Alexandra Meadows but Ramsbottom’s 165 all out did not seem enough. They wouldn’t have posted that score had it not been for a half century from former East Lancs pro Shanan Stewart, who dug in to make a vital contribution.
Home pro Ockert Erasmus claimed 4-23, while Paul Kelly claimed a quite spectacular catch to send Tom Parton back off the bowling of Phil Turner.
East Lancs, without their holi-daying captain Mark Bolton, were slight favourites as they started their reply and there were few early concerns as Dave Pearson and Mini Bhada made a measured reply.
But they went as the pressure started to build and Mo Bhada, promoted to number three, couldn’t make an impact.
Stand-in skipper John Turner and Erasmus then took centre stage and were going well until Turner was caught by Andy Hakin off a wickedly turning Fielding delivery.
Erasmus was anything but fluent and found it tough to score until he unleashed against Fielding and took 15 off one over, including a six that cleared the scorebox.
But that was too little too late as he finished on 43 not out and ran out of partners and East Lancs were 144 all out with 11 balls of their innings left.
Colne’s defence of the trophy ended as Lowerhouse crushed them by 146 runs at the Horsfield.
Lowerhouse racked up 221 with Chris Bleazard (76) and pro Francois Haasbroek (60) leading the way before Colne’s reply turned to a disaster.
Matt Walker was the hero for the House as he returned the sensational figures of 5-1 from seven overs of medium pace. The 18-year-old bowled six maidens on the spin as he wrecked the Colne innings with only Sam Tillotson (24) making double figures as they recovered from 18-6 to 75 all out.
Skipper Jimmy Bibby made a brilliant 66 as his Rishton side won for the first time this season, beating Bacup comprehensively at Lanehead.
Bibby’s knock helped Rishton up to 193-8 before Bacup were rolled over for 111 thanks to a top bowling display from the league’s bottom side.
Graham Knowles hit 60 as Haslingden posted 236-6 against Burnley before Gary Sudworth claimed three wickets to bowl the visitors out for 125.
And Nelson, looking good after their slow start to the season, moved into the second round thanks to an impressive win over Rawtenstall at Seedhill.
Tom Lord’s men lost seamer Richard Meade to injury but Luke Woodcock claimed 3-17 and Khurram Nazir, Neil Thompson and David Crotty picked up two cheap wickets each as Rawtenstall were bowled out for just 105.
Crotty then hit 32 as Nelson coasted home with 18 overs to spare after seeing off a hostile spell from Rawtenstall sub pro Anwar Ali.
Todmorden were already through to the second round after beating Accrington in the only game to start last weekend.
Colne v Lowerhouse
Lowerhouse innings
JJ Whitehead run out 13
JA Finch LBW Wallbank 0
PTBM Martin LBW Wallbank 8
Haasbroek c Walker b Hunt 60
CJ Bleazard c Jamil b Walker 76
CR Cottam run out 8
FB Bailey c Ellis b Walker 1
J Beneduce c Amjad b Hunt 10
MJ Walker c Whitehead b Amjad 5
J Martin not out 9
M Marquis b Amjad 5
Extras 26
Total (10 wickets) 221. Wallbank 10 1 26 2, Whitehead 10 3 35 0, Amjad 9.2 1 36 2, Lambert 7 0 40 0, Jamil 2 0 22 0, Hunt 8 0 33 2, Walker 3 0 25 2. Colne innings
JS Ellis b Walker 0
L Rimmer b Bailey 0
Amjad b Walker 9
MJ Wilson b Walker 0
N Whitehead b Walker 3
T Jamil c Marquis b Walker 1
S Tillotson c J Martin b Marquis 24
GB Hunt c J Martin b Finch 7
EM Walker LBW Marquis 12
J Lambert b Marquis 3
D Wallbank not out 2
Extras 14
Total (10 wickets) 75. Walker 7 6 1 5, Bailey 7 1 15 1, Finch 4 1 14 1, PTBM Martin 5 0 23 0, Marquis 5.1 0 11 3, Beneduce 2 0 5 0. Lowerhouse won by 146 runs.
Haslingden v Burnley
Haslingden innings
GA Knowles c Wasim b Capstick 60
S Kershaw c Beet b Hayman 8
J Taylor c Beet b Capstick 48
Hayes c Whitehead b Wasim 27
LG Ingham c Wasim b Capstick 13
M Imtiaz not out 20
M Ahmed c Beet b Wasim 1
JJ Marcroft not out 17
Extras 42
Total (6 wickets) 236. Mortimer 6 0 19 0, Hayman 6 1 25 1, Lalor 6 0 14 0, Wasim 10 0 51 2, Capstick 10 0 54 3, Kelly 9 0 38 0, Brunt 3 0 24 0. Burnley innings
A Beet c Marcroft b Neary 4
MQ Ali c Marcroft b Sudworth 43
Wasim b Neary 10
MR Kelly LBW Shah 6
SR Brunt LBW Ahmed 5
A Tate b Ahmed 1
G Whitehead b Sudworth 14
P Mortimer c Ingham b Sudworth 1
C Hayman st Marcroft b Ingham 8
G Lalor b Shah 0
J Capstick not out 2
Extras 31
Total (10 wickets) 125. Neary 7 2 23 2, Ahmed 10 0 37 2, Shah 10 2 22 2, Sudworth 7 1 31 3, Ingham 0.4 0 4 1. Haslingden won by 111 runs.
Bacup v Rishton
Rishton innings
Delport c Warren b Sipocz 4
B Bridson c Smuts b M Thompson 47
L McVarish c Warren b Spencer 5
JT Bibby st McGregor b Smuts 66
J Dobson c Warren b Smuts 4
SJ Hacking c Farragher b Butcher 26
W Roberts c Butcher b Smuts 17
M Lambert b Smuts 2
S Hutchinson not out 1
G Wyse not out 1
Extras 21
Total (8 wickets) 193. Sipocz 9 1 45 1, Warren 10 2 34 0, Spencer 5 1 18 1, M Thompson 7 0 37 1, Smuts 10 3 18 4, Farragher 2 0 16 0, Butcher 7 0 24 1. Bacup innings
JT McGregor c Hutchinson b Lambert 15
AI Taylor b Hutchinson 6
H Butcher c Hacking b Lambert 10
Smuts c Delport b Hutchinson 4
TM Farragher c Roberts b Hutchinson 9
A Highley c Bibby b Sartaj 25
A Spencer c Delport b Wyse 17
M Thompson c McVarish b Lambert 4
S Thompson c Delport b Sartaj 3
J Sipocz c Hacking b Wyse 6
D Warren not out 1
Extras 11
Total (10 wickets) 111. Hutchinson 10 1 35 3, Lambert 10 0 27 3, Delport 7 1 22 0, Wyse 9.3 2 18 2, Sartaj 6 4 9 2. Rishton won by 82 runs.
East Lancashire v Ramsbottom
Ramsbottom innings
KT Webb b Chester 7
T Parton c Kelly b PG Turner 9
Stewart c and b PG Turner 51
J Pilling LBW Erasmus 17
AW Bell c Erasmus b NJ Turner 12
JM Fielding c Egan b NJ Turner 2
RE Read b Erasmus 22
SEJ Read st Egan b Kelly 3
A Hakin b Erasmus 9
J Walmsley st Egan b Erasmus 8
MG Haslam not out 1
Extras 24
Total (10 wickets) 165. Chester 9 0 33 1, PG Turner 10 1 42 2, Erasmus 9 1 23 4, NJ Turner 10 1 39 2, Kelly 10 1 28 1. East Lancashire innings
DJ Pearson c RE Read b Hakin 19
Minhaj Bhada c Parton b Haslam 10
Mohammad Bhada c Bell b Fielding 1
JPA Turner c Hakin b Fielding 28
Erasmus not out 43
A Clague b Fielding 1
PB Kelly b Stewart 8
D Chester b Stewart 1
NJ Turner b Stewart 0
PG Turner st Parton b Fielding 6
M Egan c and b Fielding 1
Extras 26
Total (10 wickets) 144. Haslam 7 1 22 1, SEJ Read 10 1 30 0, Hakin 7 2 18 1, Fielding 8.1 2 27 5, Walmsley 6 0 18 0, Stewart 10 1 18 3. Ramsbottom won by 21 runs.
Nelson v Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall innings
A Payne LBW Meade 4
AJ Clough b Thompson 17
J Rushmore b Thompson 6
Ali LBW Crotty 3
DG Barlow c Crotty b Nazir 27
J Kerrigan b Crotty 4
B Excell c Nazir b Woodcock 2
AE Riley LBW Woodcock 0
RM Shafiq not out 12
PV Hanson c Lord b Nazir 0
D O'Brien c Lord b Woodcock 0
Extras 30
Total (10 wickets) 105
Meade 4 0 11 1, Tahir 7 2 26 0, Thompson 10 6 19 2, Crotty 4 1 12 2, Woodcock 9.3 3 17 3, Lord 6 1 11 0, Nazir 2 1 4 2. Nelson innings
SR Lemon c sub b Rushmore 19
P Dibb b Ali 18
Woodcock st Hanson b Rushmore 10
DA Crotty c Excell b Rushmore 32
SM Lemon not out 7
K Nazir not out 1
Extras 19
Total (4 wickets) 106. Ali 10 2 26 1, Payne 6 2 14 0, Rushmore 10 2 40 3, Shafiq 6 0 22 0. Nelson won by 6 wickets.
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