Match Report
LIKE A STROLL IN THE PARK!
Leyland 211-6
St Annes 212-1
Gerry Wolstenholme
St Annes so comfortably disposed of Leyland in their Northern Premier League game at Vernon Road on Saturday that it seemed as though it were merely a stroll in the park for the St Annes batsmen, or perhaps more appropriately, a leisurely net! They were chasing Leyland's total of 211-6 that was something like 50 or 60 runs short on a pitch that gave little assistance to bowler and was very friendly to batsman. They lost an early wicket but that was the end of the alarms as Charles Boucher and Jimmy Adams simply took unmerciful toll of some woeful Leyland bowling, assisted by some less than brilliant field placing and by the middle of the 28th over, the game was won by nine wickets at 212-1.
The wicket that was lost was that of Danny Hagen who must have been most annoyed with himself for getting out. He had already been missed by Leyland professional Atiq in the gully off Steve Pallett when he had made two. He took a single from the dropped catch but in the next over he repeated the loose stroke only for Atiq to atone for his earlier miss and pouch the catch and he was gone for three at 16-1.
Even by that time Charles Boucher had looked in excellent touch but when Jimmy Adams joined him he looked even better, if that was possible. He initially took the lead in the partnership and Adams was more than happy for him to do so as he too looked supremely confident after last week's century. The pair dominated the Leyland attack to such a degree that the fielding became ragged and the positioning even worse. There were runs aplenty and all the bowling came alike to the two batsmen who produced every shot in the book. There were splendid cover drives, powerful pulls, entertaining sweeps, that Leyland continually allowed to go to the boundary without plugging the gap, and some superb straight driving, particularly from Adams.
That is not to say that Boucher was left behind in the class stakes as he too looked like a batsman who had only last season broken a club record, albeit in the Second Division. Leyland captain Alex Mercer did not know where to turn but wherever he did the result was the same as runs were scored all around the field. He bowled himself for five moderate overs that went for 50 runs, six overs from Zub Patel cost 37 three and a half from James Wright were worth 39, three from Martin Kelly cost 28 and even the usually tidy Steve Pallett went for 28 runs in five overs, in the circumstances, a good effort. The only wicket came to Vohra Shirag who dismissed Hagen and whose five overs cost 32 runs.
Despite the strength, of lack of it, of the bowling, the runs still had to be scored and as Adam Cotton said later "It may not have been the strongest attack we have faced but after all we have the runs on the board and have won, what more could we do?" What more indeed as at the close the untroubled Boucher had made a splendid 112 not out in 107 minutes from just 96 balls with 16 fours while Adams, just as untroubled and looking every inch a Test player with his delightfully languid approach, had made 85 not in 107 minutes from just 58 balls with 12 fours, struck to all parts of the ground.
This display followed a Leyland effort that had seen them reach over 200 for the second time in three games, having previously been dismissed for under three figures on three occasions. But their 211-6, while a commendable effort, was never going to be enough on this track and with the modest attack that they seem to have at present. The started fairly soundly but lost Mercer at 19 when Richard Thomas trapped him leg before wicket for 13. However that was the end of St Annes' success for over two hours as professional Moin-ul-Atiq and Zub Patel fashioned a partnership of 133 runs. Atiq was particularly strong on the leg side and was fed some bowling that allowed him to prosper with the sweep shot while Patel played more orthodox cricket. They had taken the total to 152 when Adam Cotton lured Patel down the track for Duncan Whalley to make the stumping and he was gone for a fine 58 made from 116 balls with eight fours.
Pallett came and went in a flash as Adams induced him to return a nice simple catch before he had scored and that was 155-3. The dependable Charlie Williams helped Atiq add 38 runs for the fourth wicket before Steve Twist bowled him for seven and that was 193-4. By then Atiq had reached his first NPL century, albeit missed from a difficult chance to Twist at mid-wicket when 60, but thereafter he disdained the strike and took singles when he should have monopolised the strike. Twist bowled Andrew Jolley for one and Shaun Dunk made four not out before the professional was dismissed to the final ball of the innings. And it was a sad dismissal in a way for, rather than going for the big finish and being bowled, Adams bowled him as he attempted a little dab that would have brought him a single down to third man. He only succeeded in playing the ball onto his stumps and he was out for 122 made from 156 balls with 14 fours in 197 minutes. So Leyland closed on 211-6 with Twist taking 2-21, Adams 2-90, Adam Cotton, the one vital partnership-breaking wicket for 15, and Thomas 1-32 from 18 supremely tight overs.
It was 12 points deservedly won and a victory that brings heart for a climb up the table as the second half of the season approaches.
