Burscough beaten as Rainford in mix for promotion

AS is customary, the First Division table of the Liverpool Gin Liverpool Competition may not begin to make much sense until the end of August but Rainford are well placed to challenge the leaders, Highfield and Orrell Red Triangle, after they defeated Burscough by 56 runs at Old School Lane.

Although Ben van Niekerk did his best for the home side, taking 5-52 to dismiss Rainford for 135, that total soon seemed substantial when the visiting spinners went to work, John Dotters taking 5-20 and Andy Davies, 4-21, in the Burscough’s 79 all out in 31.3 overs.

But Highfield and Orrell also enjoyed good wins.

Matt Morgan’s unbeaten 60 enabled Orrell to overhaul Hightown St Mary’s 162 all out (in which Guy Edwards had made 50) for the loss of seven wickets and four-wicket returns for both Oliver Jump and Robert Halliwell saw Highfield overcome Prestatyn by 78 runs at Billinge Road.

In that latter game Martyn Jenks’ 59 and John Borrows’ 49 were the main contributions to the home side’s 166 and the Welsh batsmen got barely halfway towards that target.

Sefton Park’s Barbadian signing, Shakeem Clarke, settled into his new club by taking 4-43 in his team’s comfortable sevenwicket victory at Birkenhead Park. Daniel Kelly also took 4-26 in Park’s total of 100 in 38.4 overs, a target which Sefton’s batsmen overhauled for the loss of three wickets in 24 overs, Sean Vandome making 50.

Skelmersdale’s Matthew Fenney enjoyed his visit to Fleetwood Hesketh’s Sea Cop ground, where he took 6-51 in the home team’s 155, to which Neil Rimmer contributed 51. Sarabh Ambre’s not out 52 and Ben Maddocks’ 61 saw this total chased down for the loss of two wickets.