SECOND DIVISION
FINE bowling by Matthew Fenney and a composed innings from Ben Maddocks helped Skelmersdale cut the gap on Second Division leaders St Helens Town to just six points with a comfortable eight-wicket defeat of Parkfield Liscard on Saturday.
Fenney took 4-18 as the Wirral side were rolled for only 96 in 39.3 overs and Maddocks then made 48 not out as this target was reached with little fuss in 30.1 overs.
However, Henry Charlton’s excellent unbeaten century set up Liverpool’s 40-run defeat of Wavertree at Sandown Lane, a result which leaves Sam Holliday’s men fourth in the table with five matches played.
Charlton hit eight fours and half a dozen sixes in his 152-ball 107 out of his team’s 168 all out and that proved enough as Richard Ewen’s 3-46 assisted in the dismissal of the home team for 128.
Sutton are now the only MI Dental Liverpool Competition side without a win this season after Tatenda Taibu’s 70 not out helped Hightown St Mary’s to a surprise twowicket victory over Old Xaverians.
Things began well for the visitors as Paul Jones took 5-24 in OX’s 114 not out but HSM took 53 overs to achieve their win and were well short of their target before Taibu added an unbroken 25 for the ninth wicket with Leo McCarthy.
The former Zimabawean Test player hit eight fours in his 119-ball innings.
Kamran Hussain took 3-44 and then made 81 as Caldy beat hosts Alder by two wickets in a fine game.
Scott Aitchison’s 58 was the main contribution to Alder’s 207-9 declared but Hussain added 147 for the third wicket with Chris Edwards before the loss of five wickets for ten runs put the result in doubt.
The effects of Friday and Saturday’s prolonged rain caused the abandonment of both St Helens Town’s game against Sutton and Spring View match against Southport Trinity.
ON a cloudy, rain-threatened Saturday afternoon when four of six ECB Premier League skippers opted to field first, Ormskirk slightly increased their lead over the chasing sides with a three-wicket victory against Leigh at Brook Lane.
Skipper Matt Glayzer is hoping to lead his club to their fourth MI Dental Liverpool Competition title in nine years but he was handicapped by Gavin Griffiths being on Lancashire duty and had to watch as Ross Zelem made 102 in the visitors’ 223-7 declared in 59.3 overs.
However, Jamie Barnes’s 5-67 limited the run-rate and Glayzer was then indebted to Josh Bohannon, whose 84 helped his side to a win they clinched in 45.4 overs despite Mattie McKiernan’s 4-71.
Firwood Bootle are now second in the table after Wallasey’s batsmen found Chris Liptrot and Chris Stenhouse far more than they could cope with on a helpful Wadham Road wicket.
Home skipper Craig Prince’s duties extended to winning the toss and saying, ‘We’ll bowl’ before looking on appreciatively as Stenhouse took 5-35 and Liptrot, 4-32 to dismiss the Wirral side for 69 in 30.3 overs.
David Snellgrove’s 34 made all but sure this target was overhauled in 15.1 overs.
A fine spell of bowling from veteran seamer Graham Bolton saw Formby record their first league of the season when they beat New Brighton by 36 runs at Rake Lane.
Bolton took 6-40 as the home side were winkled out for 190 in 47.2 overs. Earlier, Tym Crawford had made 80 and Elliot Ketteringham, 48 in the visitors’ 226-7 declared with six bowlers sharing seven wickets.
And on a day when three Premier League teams enjoyed their first league success of the season, Birkenhead Park secured their maiden win with a 32-run victory over Rainhill in a bowler-dominated game on the Wirral.
Mohammad Qureshi took 5-51 in 32.3 overs but the home side’s patience in accumulating 133 in 64.3 overs, Adam Liu making 32, was justified in the second innings.
Ravinda Palliyaguruge took 4-48 and Khalid Wahbi, 3-33 as Rainhill were dismissed for 101 in 44.2 overs, although Sam Kershaw impressed spectators by making 44. At Moor Park, John Dotters returned to haunt Northern, the team for whom he once played, with a fine all-round display in Rainford’s five-wicket win.
Dotters took 4-82 as the home side cruised to 202-6 declared in 48.5 overs although Stephen Lucas’s 158-ball 103 was the highlight of the pre-tea cricket.
But Rainford’s batsmen made the most of James Cole’s attack- ing declaration, Dotters making 48 and skipper Paul Farrar whacking 48 not out off 47 balls with four fours and three sixes.
Lytham notched their first topdivision win of the season when they demolished Colwyn Bay by seven wickets at Penrhyn Drive.
Antony Mulligan took 4-60 as Sion Morris’s men made just 115 in 46.3 overs and Dom O’Brien’s 52 ensured this target was overhauled in only 31.2 overs.