Church bolster
LANCASHIRE LEAGUE CRICKET ROUND-UP JIM WILKINSON & SHELDAN KEAY
CHURCH strengthened their grip on a top half Lancashire League spot and, importantly, a place in the top division next season, when the revamp and re-shuffle of England’s most steadfastly traditional league begins to take proper shape, with a ruthless victory at the Worswick Memorial Ground where beleaguered Rawtenstall can only currently dream about such luxuries.
Rawtenstall were immediately up against it with openers Imran Abid and Tab Aziz back in the tent courtesy of Church pro Johnny Rikert, with just four on the board.
Dan Southworth and Keegan Petersen took the score to 21 without further loss but that was as good as it got for the home side and from then on it was almost painful to watch as the seamers at last found some help from conditions after a couple of arid months.
From the moment Petersen chose one of the safest pairs of hands in the outfield and holed out to Philip Gilrane to become Church skipper Levi Wolfenden’s first victim, it was a procession of inadequate technique for a Rawtenstall top order which can only put it down as a learning experience.
The six amateurs in the top seven all have a senior 50 to their name but you have to learn to dig in and hang around when the ball is moving about and far too many on this occasion chose the easier option and gave it up to airy drives which were always going to miss or find the edge.
For the purist, only Sam Tucker’s impeccable display behind the stumps offered any true cricket excellence.
At a potentially humiliating 34 for seven, Rikert (4) and Wolfenden (3) shared the wickets but they encountered some resistance from Blake Pickup, the only man to make double figures or display any stickability, who made a breezy 24.
Slow left armer Josh Dentith, recruited from Ramsbottom, once again showed his value by wrapping up the innings with the final three wickets at a cost of just eight in less than four overs.
If Rawtenstall’s 75 looked woefully inadequate, Sam Holt’s T20style assault on the home attack from the off diminished it still further.
The in-form opener smashed 38 off 20 deliveries with seven fours, two of them remarkably flatbatted past the luckless and shell-shocked openers.
So much had he dominated that the score was just 47 when he departed to a nick to diminutive young wicketkeeper Hallows.
Josh Scully, at a slightly less frantic pace, took the opportunity to add to his burgeoning reputation as a most reliable opener to kill the game off without partner Rikert needing to add more than a couple, Church home by nine wickets in just less than 12 overs.
ENFIELD clammed bragging rights against local rivals GREAT HARWOOD are managing to pick up a seven wicket victory at Cliffe Park.
Enfield decided to field first after winning the toss, and it proved to be a wise decision as they prevented their opponents from hitting any significant scores.
Nazakat Hussain top scored with only 22, with six of the other batsmen failing to even reach double figures as Great Harwood were bowled all out for 114.
Enfield eased to their target, thanks to efforts from Greg Jones (36), Lewis Wright (34) and Adam Bracewell (32), who helped their side end on 117-3 after just 23 overs, earning the win and con- demning their rivals to defeat.
ACCRINGTON were victorious at Thorneyholme Road after earning a 36 run win against Nelson.
Accrington were put into bat first after Nelson won the toss, but found themselves 11- 2 at one