‘Steads Cup bid Beeched
STACKSTEADS CC STACKSTEADS CC’s cup final hopes came to an end at New Hall Hey as a captain’s innings from Barnoldswick CC second’s Paul Beech guided his team to a four-wicket victory in the completion of the rain affected cup semi final from last week.
The home side knew that early wickets could give them hope in their quest to defend the 33 runs needed for victory in 15 overs and spinner Owain Tracey provided the boost they needed by trapping David Scothern lbw with the last ball of the fourth over.
Paul Beech was ●● LANCASHIRE LEAGUE CRICKET ROUND-UP SHELDAN KEAY
HASLINGDEN Cricket Club were victorious on Saturday after picking up a 27-run victory against Lowerhouse.
The match at Bentgate looked in doubt when it was troubled by the weather, but after consultation with both teams it was instead reduced to 20 overs per side and went ahead.
Haslingden batted first, with opener Phil Hayes top scoring for the side with 34 before he was dismissed by Patrick Martin.
Alex Coleman also hit an unbeaten 33 further down the order, but the rest of the team struggled to add any contributions, with only Lewis McIntosh (13) managing to reach double figures.
It meant that Haslingden finished their innings on 121-7 after 20 overs, setting their opponents 122 to win.
Martin was the pick of the bowlers for Lowerhouse, finishing with figures of 5-51 from his 10 overs.
Professional Dieter Klein led from the front for Lowerhouse, hitting 39 before he was bowled by Babar Naeem.
Just like Haslingden, the rest of the side struggled though, with eight of the remaining nine batsmen making just 29 runs between them.
Chris Bleazard scored 19, but the poor performance from the rest of the side meant that Lowerhouse ended on 94-8 at the close of play.
Naeem took 5-48 during the innings, while Lewis McIntosh also contributed with 2-39 to help their side win the match by 27 runs.
The victory for Haslingden sees them climb up to joint-fifth in the table, level on points with Colne.
Bacup couldn’t keep up their mini-revival in the league after they were heavily beaten by 158 runs at home to Rishton.
The hosts won the toss at Lanehead and decided to field, and it looked like it may have been a good decision when two Rishton batsmen were dismissed early on.
Mo Patel went for a duck, while Jon Dobson was bowled for nine, with Haseeb Azam taking both wickets.
Professional Shaun von Berg steadied the ship though by hitting an unbeaten 113, while Bradley Boddie did well alongside him by scoring 49 before he was run out.
The rest of the Rishton batsmen didn’t add any major scores, meaning that the team finished on 213-8.
Bacup were extremely poor in their response, with only two batsmen managing to reach double figures.
Opener Adam Highley made 10, while Matthew Ramshead managed to score 13 at the back of the order.
The low scores from all of the team saw Bacup bowled all out for just 55 inside 25 overs, condemning them to a humiliating defeat.
Kelly Mall was the pick of the bowlers for Rishton, taking figures of 6-18, while von Berg picked up where he left off with the bat by taking 4-31.
The defeat for Bacup means they stay bottom of the Lancashire League table with just two wins from their 14 matches.
While Haslingden and Bacup managed to play their matches, it was another disappointing weekend for Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall.
Both sides had their respective games abandoned without a ball being bowled, with Ramsbottom due to face Burnley and Rawtenstall set to play East Lancashire.
Yet another postponement means both sides have had their last four league games end in a no result, with their last completed games coming over a month ago on June 5.
Ramsbottom stay top of the Lancashire League table, with seven wins and seven no results this season, while Rawtenstall are in 12th place, with three wins, five losses and six no results.
It rounded up a frustrating weekend for Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall, as the two teams were also set to go head to head in a Twenty20 game on Friday.
The match was abandoned though, with no toss even attempted at The Worswick Memorial Ground.
It was a similar story for Bacup, who were set to take on Nelson in a Twenty20 game at Seedhill, but that match was also called off due to the weather. ●● Alex Coleman hit an unbeaten 33 for Haslingden in their win at Lowerhouse