Hernon ends big season in style for Boro

MATTHEW Hernon had a day to remember as Littleborough finished their first ever season in the Lancashire League with a hard earned victory against last season’s champions Clitheroe at Hare Hill on Sunday.

Hernon has been Littleborough’s most consistent batsman this season and ended the season with 556 first team runs as he made a career best 79.

Littleborough won the toss and Joe Smith Butler decided to bat on a damp day in a game that was initially reduced to 45 overs per side.

Lancashire’s Stephen Parry was the visitors deputy pro for the day and he and seamer Sam Halstead hardly bowled a bad ball for the first 15 overs as the Littleborough openers had to work hard for every run.

Alex Willis and Hernon had just started to turn the tide and had taken the score to 66 when Willis wasted all his hard and fell to a loose shot when he chipped it to wardle at square leg to give Halstead a deserved breakthrough, Willis made 31. There was another rain break and the home side lost another nine overs.

They returned with the score on 85-2 but now with just 10 overs remaining. Smith Butler fell shortly after and the home side were 95-2.

Travis Townsend then joined Hernon and this is were Hernon started to come into his own with two beautiful straight sixes into the park and passed his 50 for the third time this season.

He eventually fell for 79 caught on the edge to a good catch from Halstead with the score on 122-3. His innings lasted 119 balls and contained 2 sixes and 6 fours.

Townsend and Miskella then added another 34 off just 22 balls before Miskella fell for 12 off the last ball of the innings with the total on 156. Townsend made 21 not out of just 13 balls and with Duckworth Lewis being involved the score was then enhanced to 182 and Clitheroe would have 36 overs to reach their target.

Miskella and Wilman bowled tightly early on and it was Wilman who made the breakthrough courtesy of a sharp catch in the slips by his bowling partner to remove Lang for 10 with the score on 23. Miskella needed just one wicket for 50 first team victims and was unlucky not to get it as his nine overs failed to give him the wicket what he had deserved after a fine season with the ball.

He was replaced by Townsend and Smith Butler replaced Lewis Wilman and it was these two bowlers who turned the screw the more and more they bowled.

Smith Butler removed Simon Perry, Sam Mulligan and Charlie Dewhurst, but the visitors were still in with a shout as long as captain Jack Dewhurst as he looked to time the run chase to perfection.

Townsend removed Tom Lord and as the final over started Clitheroe needed 16 for victory. Dewhurst smashed the first ball for four but Townsend held his nerve to send down the next ball for a dot and then bowled the opposing captain all ends up for an excellent 82 off just 84 balls as the home side got home by 10 runs for a well deserved victory to finish the season with back to back wins.

It’s been a tough learning curve for Littleborough’s young side but if they learn from it then they will come back next season a lot stronger.

The boys from The Boro will start next season in Division 2 of The Lancashire League and there will be one aim and one aim only and that will be to bounce straight back up at the first time asking.

There is plenty of raw ability in this young side which has been plain to see throughout the season.