Match Report
AN INNINGS OF TWO HALVES PROVIDES TOO FEW RUNS
St Annes 162-8
Fleetwood 163-6
Gerry Wolstenholme
The St Annes batting on Saturday at Broadwater was like the curate's egg, "good in parts". But the parts were early on in the innings when Steve Twist and Jimmy Adams were together. Thereafter things fell apart somewhat until Richard Thomas and Dave Taylor added 27 runs for the ninth wicket. This left St Annes closing on a modest 162-8 after 57 overs on a pitch that had provided some assistance to the bowlers with its occasional uneven bounce. Fleetwood in reply lost early wickets but they came good in the end and won by four wickets with just four balls of the final over remaining at 163-6.
John Wright won the toss for Fleetwood and he was immediately repaid by the fall of two St Annes wickets. The out-of-form Danny Hagen fell to a magnificent catch by wicketkeeper James Ellis when he dived and left-handedly held on to an edge from Tom Blundell and he was gone for six at 16-1. And it was 19-2 when Blundell produced a perfect ball to clean bowl Charles Boucher for 11.
Jimmy Adams then played a supporting role to his skipper Steve Twist as the pair of them put on 67 runs for the fourth wicket in 52 minutes before Blundell induced an expansive drive from Adams that missed the ball and he was bowled for 22 made from 58 balls with one boundary. That was 83-3 and Joe Davies and Twist took the total to 101 before two wickets fell in one over for no runs. Twist, 45 from 77 balls with seven fours, was the first to go when Dave Fish produced a ball that lifted and Twist could only steer it into the safe hands of Rob Clark at point. And later in the over Fish bowled Adam Cotton for a duck.
In his next over Fish found another spot on the pitch that caused the ball to rear at Russ Bradley and hit his upper right arm. He immediately dropped the bat and was in obvious pain but he gamely carried on, albeit only for one ball for Fish bowled him with his next delivery when Bradley, one, was obviously still in great discomfort. And that was 103-6.
Davies, who had played an missed repeatedly at a couple of overs from Blundell was, however, still there and with Duncan Whalley as his partner he took the total to 131 before the latter, who had made 22, was dismissed when he skied Fish to mid-wicket where John Wright took the catch. Davies, 18, followed at 135 when he took on Wright, fielding at mid-off and failed to make his ground at the non-striker's end as Wright fielded the ball, dived full length and underarmed it straight at the stumps.
Richard Thomas, nine not out, and Dave Taylor, a little cameo of 14 not out, then showed what perhaps should have been done by putting on 27 runs without alarm so that St Annes closed on a modest 162-8. Fish had taken 4-52 and Blundell 3-34.
St Annes began their defence well enough and both openers were back in the pavilion by the time 14 runs were on the board. John Whalley failed to score as he edged an intended drive off Thomas to Twist at first slip where the catch was taken at the second attempt and Fleetwood were 0-1. Wayne Clarke fared little better as he made five before he received a lifter from Twist and only succeeded in lobbing a catch to Davies at point.
Doug Marillier began well enough and with Michael Clinning as a very steady partner they began to right the innings but a superb piece of cricket broke the stand. Marillier fired off a shot like an exocet missile from the bowling of Taylor and as the ball flashed past Adams at mid-on, the West Indian flung himself to his left and held the ball in one hand. It was a marvellous catch as Adams held on even as he crashed to the turf and, as Taylor later said, "It was a stunning catch, particularly as I thought that it was going to be four more runs against my name!" Marillier had made 16 and St Annes appeared to be on top with Fleetwood 39-3.
Clinning, pulling one big six, and Wright then put on 40 runs quite comfortably although Davies did drop a difficult chance from Wright when he had made 27 at backward point off Michael Baer. However when the total had reached 79 Baer dismissed Clinning, 29, leg before wicket when a ball failed to bounce and trapped the batsman back on his stumps. Rob Clark joined his captain and, on six, he too had a let-off when the usually safe Davies dropped what appeared to be a straightforward catch at backward point, once again Baer being the unlucky bowler. This was to turn out to be the crucial moment of the game.
It was 88-4 at the start of the final 20 overs and 20 more runs had been added when Wright played an airy shot to Baer and was caught at slip by Twist for 37 made from 69 balls with four fours. Adam Sharrocks made only two but he did assist Clark to put on 25 runs for the sixth wicket before Baer had him leg before wicket at 133-6 and the match was still in the balance.
Clark and the safe Ellis soon put paid to any St Annes hopes by some sensible batting and some good running between the wickets. Clark, his early good fortune put well and truly behind him, batted exceedingly well and although it was the final over before the winning runs came, there was never any real hope that St Annes could pull it off around about five overs from the end, even though Baer bowled two maiden overs before his final one from which, fittingly, Clark scored the winning run for his side. He finished with an excellent 47 not out, made from 73 balls with five fours, and Ellis, who supported him for 28 balls, made eight not out to take Fleetwood to victory at 163-6.
Baer was the pick of the bowlers as his 14.2 overs brought him 3-26 while there was a wicket each for Thomas, 1-17, Taylor, 1-15, and Twist, 1-40. But well as the bowlers performed, the damage was done by the batsmen who failed to make sufficient runs to make a decent total to defend.
