Kirk edge closer to title as S&B winless
FORMBY’S recruitment of Ajmal Shahzad paid immediate dividends on Saturday when the former Yorkshire and England seamer took 3-22 in his side’s 73-run defeat of New Brighton at Cricket Path.
However, the inclusion of Shahzad and another Test cricketer, Haseeb Hameed, was not the only reason why Ian Cockbain’s team notched the win that eased their relegation anxieties a little.
Sam Oldham’s unbeaten 79 and Ollie Sutton’s 50 oversaw a recovery from 45-5 to 197-7 declared and that total left Shahzad and Gary Keedy to go to work in the second half of the game. Keedy clinched his team’s win by taking 5-16 as New Brighton were bowled out for 124 in 32.3 overs.
But Formby’s win left things at the bottom of the ECB Premier League table looking increasingly bleak for the Southport sides, both of whom lost their matches.
Southport and Birkdale batted 70 overs for 204-8 declared against Ormskirk but the title favourites made light of the challenge, taking just 38.4 overs to knock off the runs and losing six wickets in the process. Gary Knight stroked 68 not out off 59 balls to overcome the efforts of S&B skipper Chris Firth, who took 4-69.
Earlier Chris Brownlow had made 74 and Simon Kerrigan had taken 4-70 from 30 overs for Ormskirk, who now lead the table by 53 points.
A few miles away Ainsdale lost by 73 runs to Rainhill, for whom Tyler McGladdery made 56 in his team’s impressive 236-8 declared. Ainsdale mustered 163 in reply, Darren Tyms making 59 while Akshay Darekar took 4-42 for the visitors and Ryan Williams returned figures of 3-46.
Northern remain second in the top tier of the Liverpool Gin Liverpool Competition after a Tom Sephton masterclass was the highlight of their 74-run victory at Wallasey. Half-centuries by James Cole and Elliott Bradley had seen the visitors make 187-9 declared in 55 overs and Sephton then took 8-53 in Wallasey’s 113 all out.
Firwood Bootle are now third in the table after they demolished Leigh by 134 runs at Beech Walk. The in-form Vishal Tripathi made 98 and Michael Farrell added 79 not out in Bootle’s223-3 declared, to which a home side lacking its county stars responded with 89 all out, Chris Liptrot taking 4-30, including three in five balls, and Will Purser bagging 3-26.
Adam Campion was the man of the match at Church Road, where Colwyn Bay secured the seven-wicket win which hoisted them up to fourth in the table on Saturday. Campion took 4-12 as Lytham were dismissed for 195 in 54.2 overs, Taylor Cornall making 52, and he then made the 20 points secures for the Welsh team with an innings of 64 not out.
Lytham had earlier lost their last five wickets for six runs, the dependable Paul Jenkins picking up 3-55.
How they stand: ECB Premier League: Ormskirk 270 pts, Northern 217, Bootle 213, Colwyn Bay 196, Rainhill 192, New Brighton 192, Leigh 162, Lytham 158, Wallasey 127, Formby 92, Ainsdale 75, Southport and Birkdale 65.