Match Report
ST ANNES BOW OUT IN REGIONAL FINAL
Westhoughton 246-7,
St Annes 227
Gerry Wolstenholme
St Annes bowed out of the ECB National Knock-Out competition in the regional final in front of a good crowd at Vernon Road on Sunday. Winning the toss, they asked Westhoughton to bat and they made an impressive 246-7 from their 45 overs. In reply St Annes lost early wickets and, despite a spirited recovery, eventually finished at 227 all out to lose by 19 runs.
It began reasonably well for the home side as Steve Parker was caught by Neil Bradley off Roger Banks for nine in the fourth over and it was 14-1. That became 24-2 when Steve Twist bowled Adam Coates for seven in the seventh over. St Annes' success ended there for a time as Ian Pilkington, benefiting by being dropped off a return catch to Adrian Darlington when in the 20s, and Alan Gaskell put on 76 runs in19 overs.
Their partnership ended when the big-hitting Gaskell, 31, was superbly run out by a direct throw from Twist at deep mid-on. Rick Parker made 12 before Michael Baer bowled him at 137-4 in the 32nd over and when Banks bowled Mark Atherton for nine at 164-5 in the 37th over, St Annes looked likely to restrict Westhoughton to fewer than 200.
However, it was not to be as Pilkington continued on the rampage and his new partner Mike Crookson showed belligerent intent. They plundered 63 runs in six overs before they fell to successive balls. Pilkington, 91 from 100 balls with nine fours and two sixes, changed his mind on a possible single but he was too late to beat Banks' direct hit throw. The first ball of the following over and Crookson, 39 with three fours and two sixes, was dragged forward by Baer and neatly stumped by Duncan Whalley and it was 227-7.
Arun Pindoria, three not out, and Maharack Patel, 15 not out, then scampered 19 further runs to take Westhoughton to the comfort of 246-7. Wicket-takers were Twist with 1-45, Banks 2-52 and Baer 2-47.
The St Annes reply began in disastrous fashion as Darlington was run out without scoring in the first over with only one wide on the board. He played the ball to a deep gully and was called for a run. He hesitated sufficiently for a poor throw to the bowler's end to finally defeat his desperate attempt to make his ground. Matters got worse as Gareth Evans, five, was bowled by Rick Parker at 12-2 in the fourth over. And then it was 24-3 in the seventh when Whalley edged Rick Parker through to wicketkeeper Atherton who took the catch.
Twist and Russ Bradley then set about re-building the innings and a fine job they did as they added 94 runs in 16 overs before the latter was caught behind off Patel for a fine 49 with six fours and one six. That was 118-4 and it was 146-5 when Twist's fine effort ended. He went for a drive against Crookson and only succeeded in returning a catch to the bowler who gleefully held it and Twist had gone for 70 made from 74 balls with eight sparkling fours.
Sean Bickerdike, 12, followed at 149 when he was caught in the gully by Coates off Patel but then David Bartholomew and Neil Bradley put on 30 runs in five overs to keep St Annes in with a chance of victory. Having just straight driven Gaskell for six, Bartholomew, 20, then tried to repeat the shot and was bowled. Twenty more runs were gathered in before Pindoria bowled Neil Bradley, who made an enterprising 23, and it was 199-8.
Even then St Annes did not give up and Banks and David Booth took the total to 212 before the former was bowled by Pindoria for 15, Baer and Booth then added a further 15 runs before Booth was bowled by Rick Parker for six, which left Baer 11 not out and St Annes defeated by 19 runs. It was a noble effort by the St Annes side but the loss of those three early wickets even
