Boro miss Burl
LITTLEBOROUGH bowed out of the Lancashire Cup in the second round at Lytham Cricket and Sports Club as they came up short against an unspectacular but workmanlike Lytham side.
Their cause was not helped as they went into the game without their injured professional Ryan Burl as the rules of the competition do not allow deputy pros and in the end it was probably the difference between the two sides as Lytham’s pro Guptill-Bunce was the only person in the entire match to post a half century as he top scored with 78.
Clinton Perren won the toss and chose to bowl on a green Lytham wicket. Hessey stroked Ryan Miskella’s first ball of the match for four but then Miskella and Lewis Wilman bowled excellently in tandem and completely tied the opening pair. Their accuracy was rewarded when Miskella removed both openers courtesy of two smart catches in the slips by Joe Barnes as they reached 24-2 off 10 overs.
They were replaced by another pair of young seamers, Joe Kershaw and Harry Bentley and the pair continued to take wickets.
Kershaw bowled an excellent spell of seven overs for just 16 and was rewarded when he bowled Ben Saunders for 7.
Bentley found himself on a hat-trick courtesy of two more sharp slip catches by Barnes but was guilty of bowling one bad ball each over which frustrated captain Perren.
This left the home side on 81-5 after 26 overs but the home pro was still at the crease. He found a willing ally in Lester as he made 21 before being run out.
The spinners came into the attack but couldn’t deliver the control that Perren needed at this crucial stage in the match and the loss of Burl didnt help matters.
He brought Wilman back and his earlier tight opening spell was rewarded when he removed Guptill Bunce, caught behind, for an excellent 78 which included six fours and two sixes although he did have a couple of lives after he had scored 50.
The innings was ended when Paddy Jones bowled Saunders and the visitors were set a target of 163 which was achievable but could have been 30 less with a more controlled bowling display.
The run chase did not get off to a good start as Saunders bowled opener Tom Pye for a duck and the visitors found themselves 1-1.
Miskella joined his captain at the crease but the pair found runs hard to come by as the change bowlers for Lytham hardly put a foot wrong as the gome side looked to tighten the screw.
They had taken the score to 43 before Miskella played on to Maddock and Perren then fell exactly the same way five runs later.
Gary Nash then decided to walk across his stumps and was out lbw for 2 to leg spinner’s Edwards first ball.
The visitors found themselves in a spot of bother at 59-4 but there were still plenty of overs left.
Matthew Hernon and Barnes came together as the pair set about rebuilding the innings.
Both were watchful at first but ran well together and punished anything loose.
They had taken the score to 101 in a solid partnership of 42 as the visitors needed just 62 to win off a dozen overs but then double disaster struck just when the pair were looking to accelerate. First, Barnes played on for 19 and then Hernon fell to a good one handed catch in the covers for the visitors top score of 25.
The score was now 105-6 as the home side sensed victory and they were not disappointed as the visitors sadly collapsed very quickly, losing their last four wickets for the addition of just four runs.
The loss of pro Burl was a major factor but the visitors had enough quality to beat Lytham and will be looking to bounce back in this weekend’s double header and they will be doing so with deputy pro’s as the Zimbabwean is away for five weeks on international duty.