Stags too strong for young rivals
NORDEN picked up a maximum 12 points from their win over a youthful Haslingden side at Stag Park on Sunday.
Stags batted first and 13 of the first 14 runs on the board came from extras.
Josh Tolley and Harvey Fitton didn’t look troubled, but with the total on 46 Tolley hit a Neels Bergh delivery straight to Graham Knowles at mid-off.
Fitton and Dan Buckley then pushed the score up to 95 before Buckley fell, and this led to a mini collapse.
Joe Humphreys was leg before for two, Jake Sandham was caught off a skier for six, and Fitton went for 35, a knock which included two big sixes.
That made it 126 for five, but the ship was steadied by Greg Butterworth and Steve Pimm who gave Stags the edge again.
They put on 55 before Pimm was run out going for a second which was never on.
Lee Crabtree put snow on the ball which was taken on the drop, Greg Butterworth was needlessly run out after scoring 39, and Ross Collin was caught off a wild swipe outside off.
Haslingden were left with a winning target of 222, and to be honest they never looked like getting anywhere near.
First to go was Knowles whose high hook was taken by Dan Buckley who made a lot of ground to reach the catching point.
Buckley then took a catch while falling backwards off balance, and Haslingden were 33 for two. At one stage, with very light rain falling, Haslingden were up on the Duckworth/Lewis method, but they gradually fell behind the asking rate.
Hunsley faced 64 deliveries for his 13, and Bergh, who had made a good start, went into his shell.
Both found it hard going against the bowling of Malik and Butterworth. Hunsley was eventually caught behind by Lee Crabtree, off Malik, Joe Sipocz had the stumps rattled by Malik, and Bergh lost patience, charged a Butterworth delivery, missed, and was stumped.
Cameron boosted the total with an unbeaten 26, but the innings crumbled.
Malik was on a hat-trick at one stage and went on to claim figures of five for 31.
It was left to Joe Humphreys to wrap it up.
He took a wicket with his first delivery, saw his second ball smacked for four, then hit the stumps again with his third – Haslingden all out 150. Norden J Tolley c Knowles b Bergh ................... 26 H Fitton c Lord b Bergh .......................... 35 D Buckley c Groom b Horrocks .......... 29 J Humphreys lbw Lord .............................. 2 J Sandham c Bergh b Horrocks ............. 6 G Butterworth run out ........................... 39 S Pimm run out .......................................... 24 L Crabtree c Sipocz b Cameron ............. 1 R Collin c Groom b Lord ............................ 0 H Malik not out .......................................... 13 C Humphreys not out ................................ 8 Extras .............................................................. 38 Total (for 9 wkts) ...................................... 221 Bowling: Sipocz 9-0-33-0; Hunsley 4-024-0; Lord 8-0-37-2; Bergh 15-0-49-2; Horrocks 7-0-34-2; Cameron 7-0-36-1. HASLINGDEN G Knowles c D Buckley b Sandham . 10 L Adlum c D Buckley b C Humphreys ...18 N Bergh st Crabtree b Butterworth ... 54 S Hunsley c Crabtree b Malik ................ 13 J Sipocz b Malik ............................................. 5 O Cameron not out .................................. 26 J Shannon b Malik ....................................... 6 N Thornton b Malik ..................................... 0 O Lord lbw Malik .......................................... 0 T Horrocks b J Humphreys ...................... 1 M Groom b J Humphreys ......................... 4 Extras .............................................................. 13 Total .............................................................. 150 Bowling: Sandham 10-1-45-1; C Humphreys 10-3-31-1; Malik 13-1-31-5; Butterworth 13-1-36-1; J Humphreys 0.3-0-4-2.