Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "cricket"
“Thunderbolts and Lightning very, very frightening”!
When Freddie Mercury sung the line “Thunderbolts and Lightning very, very frightening” when performing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, I don’t suppose he ever thought it would be associated with a cricket match! But it was most apt last Wednesday when Blackpool Cricket Club superbly hosted and administered a double-header for the two Lancashire teams, the ladies’ Lancashire Thunder and the Men’s Lancashire Lightning. Their opponents Northern Diamonds and Worcestershire Rapids respectively were both put to the sword, the former comprehensively, the latter in a tense final over.
Hollie Armitage won the toss and decided that Diamonds would bat and the first over produced two fours to Lauren Winfield-Hill. Little did Diamonds know but that was to be their most productive over their second most productive over of the game, the 11 runs from the sixth over being the only one to surpass it. And by then Diamonds had lost four wickets.
The wickets had begun to fall regularly and so they continued as Fi Morris, 2-16, Tara Norris, 2-19, and Mahika Gaur, 2-29, worked their way through the batting order while Olivia Bell’s off-spin, 3-9, helped finish the innings of with Liberty Heap’s throw to Dattani wrapping things up with a run out. Thus Diamonds posted a very modest 96 all out in 18.4 overs on a track that looked like it was full of runs.
Fourteen runs from the first over from Heap, 12, and Dattani, 20, set Thunder well on their way and with Morris making 42 not out from 34 balls with five fours, Diamonds could not stem the flow of runs. And it was all over after 15 overs as Lightning won by seven wickets at 97-3. Not only that, the victory ensured that Thunder would be competing in the play-off game against Southern Vipers at Worcester on 10 June.
As for the men, Lancashire Lightning fought a much tighter battle against Worcestershire Rapid after Liam Livingstone had won the toss and decided that Lightning would field first. And Worcestershire lived up to their name with a rapid start, skipper Brett D’Oliveira taking three fours from the second over. But the introduction of Colin de Grandomme into the attack put a stop to the merriment as he dismissed both openers.
Thereafter the spin of Tom Hartley and Luke Wells put the brakes on somewhat and when Daryl Mitchell was brought into the attack, he not only stemmed the flow of runs but took three wickets in the process to finish with a parsimonious 3-9. And with Adam Finch run out from the final ball of the innings, Rapids finished at 177-9 with Mitchell Santner’s 57 from 33 balls with four fours and four sixes, being the best effort, followed by Adam Hose’s 42 from 29 balls with two fours and three sixes. As for the fielding, on his home ground Steven Croft took three catches, including a superb overhead catch at long-off to dismiss Oliver Cox.
In reply, Lightning lost two early wickets, Phil Salt for five and Luke Wells for three but Joss Buttler was in dominant form and it was a surprise, as well as a disappointment to the healthy-sized crowd, when he edged the speedy Dillon Pennington to wicketkeeper Cox after he had made a sparkling 58 from 42 balls with five fours and three sixes.
It was also a disappointment when Croft was run out for 40 with four fours and two sixes after a mix-up with Mitchell but Livingstone entered and struck a 12-ball 23 to keep his side on track for victory. And with three balls remaining Mitchell, 33 not out from 14 balls, struck a mighty six over long-off to win the game for Lightning by four wickets at 181-6.
And that completed a thoroughly entertaining and successful day all round with the Lancashire men, returning to Stanley Park on 10 July for a four-day Division One LV=Insurance County Championship game … don’t miss it!
Hollie Armitage won the toss and decided that Diamonds would bat and the first over produced two fours to Lauren Winfield-Hill. Little did Diamonds know but that was to be their most productive over their second most productive over of the game, the 11 runs from the sixth over being the only one to surpass it. And by then Diamonds had lost four wickets.
The wickets had begun to fall regularly and so they continued as Fi Morris, 2-16, Tara Norris, 2-19, and Mahika Gaur, 2-29, worked their way through the batting order while Olivia Bell’s off-spin, 3-9, helped finish the innings of with Liberty Heap’s throw to Dattani wrapping things up with a run out. Thus Diamonds posted a very modest 96 all out in 18.4 overs on a track that looked like it was full of runs.
Fourteen runs from the first over from Heap, 12, and Dattani, 20, set Thunder well on their way and with Morris making 42 not out from 34 balls with five fours, Diamonds could not stem the flow of runs. And it was all over after 15 overs as Lightning won by seven wickets at 97-3. Not only that, the victory ensured that Thunder would be competing in the play-off game against Southern Vipers at Worcester on 10 June.
As for the men, Lancashire Lightning fought a much tighter battle against Worcestershire Rapid after Liam Livingstone had won the toss and decided that Lightning would field first. And Worcestershire lived up to their name with a rapid start, skipper Brett D’Oliveira taking three fours from the second over. But the introduction of Colin de Grandomme into the attack put a stop to the merriment as he dismissed both openers.
Thereafter the spin of Tom Hartley and Luke Wells put the brakes on somewhat and when Daryl Mitchell was brought into the attack, he not only stemmed the flow of runs but took three wickets in the process to finish with a parsimonious 3-9. And with Adam Finch run out from the final ball of the innings, Rapids finished at 177-9 with Mitchell Santner’s 57 from 33 balls with four fours and four sixes, being the best effort, followed by Adam Hose’s 42 from 29 balls with two fours and three sixes. As for the fielding, on his home ground Steven Croft took three catches, including a superb overhead catch at long-off to dismiss Oliver Cox.
In reply, Lightning lost two early wickets, Phil Salt for five and Luke Wells for three but Joss Buttler was in dominant form and it was a surprise, as well as a disappointment to the healthy-sized crowd, when he edged the speedy Dillon Pennington to wicketkeeper Cox after he had made a sparkling 58 from 42 balls with five fours and three sixes.
It was also a disappointment when Croft was run out for 40 with four fours and two sixes after a mix-up with Mitchell but Livingstone entered and struck a 12-ball 23 to keep his side on track for victory. And with three balls remaining Mitchell, 33 not out from 14 balls, struck a mighty six over long-off to win the game for Lightning by four wickets at 181-6.
And that completed a thoroughly entertaining and successful day all round with the Lancashire men, returning to Stanley Park on 10 July for a four-day Division One LV=Insurance County Championship game … don’t miss it!
Durham CCC Preview
A Warm (and hopefully Dry) Welcome to Durham
Gerry Wolstenholme
Durham pay their second visit to Blackpool for a County Championship game later this week, 17 to 20 May, since becoming a first-class county in 1992. We welcome their officials, players and supporters and look forward to some fine weather to witness a game that pits fifth-placed Durham, 61 points, against bottom-placed Lancashire, 61 points.
Durham, newly promoted from Division Two this season, defeated Worcestershire by 185 runs at Chester-le-Street for their one victory with three games drawn and one abandoned. Their leading runscorer is South African David Bedingham with 490 runs, including two centuries, 144 and 138, while Callum Parkinson leads the bowlers with 13 wickets at an average of 46.69. Colin Ackermann, 112, and Matthew Potts, a magnificent 149 not out as nightwatchman, have also made centuries.
Meanwhile Lancashire have struggled somewhat after, like Durham, having their first game abandoned. Since then they have drawn one and lost three. Keaton Jennings leads the way with the bat with 343 runs at42.87 with a best of 172 while the only other centurion is up and coming wicketkeeper Matthew Hurst, who made 104 in the defeat by Nottinghamshire. Nathan Lyon leads the bowlers with 112 wickets at 26.91 each with George Balderston, 11, and Will Williams, 10, hot on his heels.
As for the history between the two clubs, Durham first appeared in Blackpool in August 1908 in a Minor Counties North match when, in a low scoring contest, the visitors won by 27 runs. The north east county returned for Minor County matches in 1922 and 1928. In the first of these games Lancashire Second XI won by nine wickets with Joe Massey, later to play for Blackpool for a number of years, scored 60 while Harry Tyldesley in the first Durham innings took 5-28 and Albert Rhodes took 7-40 in the second innings.
In 1928 it was a much closer contest with Lancashire coming out the winners by just one run and this after being bowled out for 72 in the first innings and being obliged to follow-on! Second time around Len Horridge made 63 and future England Test wicketkeeper Bill Farrimond made 70 from an all-out total of 231 Set 111 to win Durham were dismissed for 109 thanks to 5-33 from Frank Rushton.
It was 75 years later before Durham returned to Blackpool in 2003 for a Second XI Championship game and once again it was a close fought game. Paul Horton’s 70 helped Lancashire to 285 all out to which Durham replied with 220, Gary Keedy taking 5-33. Only Australian Steven Crook, 31, made much headway in the second innings as Lancashire were dismissed for 101, setting Durham a target of 167. But the Lancashire attack, Crook, 4-48, Oliver Newby, 1-40, Keedy 3-32 and Gary Yates, 2-35, restricted Durham to 159 to suffer defeat by seven runs.
Then came Durham’s first-class debut at Blackpool in 2007 when the scheduled four-day game ended in two days. Durham won the toss, decided to bat and were dismissed for 166 thanks to Glenn Chapple’s magnificent 7-53; only Australian Michael Di Venuto with 78 made any significant contribution. At the close of day one, Lancashire were not much better placed at 137-8 but the following morning Luke Sutton, 66 not out, and Sajid Mahmood, 41, continued their ninth wicket partnership to put on 69 and take Lancashire to 183 all out. Otis Gibson, 8-68 was the destroyer with the second best bowling figures for a visiting bowler at Blackpool [Tommy Mitchell’s 8-33 for Derbyshire in 1933 being the only figures to better that return].
Durham’s second innings followed the same pattern as the first and only Dale Benkenstein, Lancashire’s current coach, with 77 enabled them to reach 185. The wickets were shared between Mahmood 4-51, Chapple 3-33 and Blackpool’s Steven Croft 3-40. But Lancashire run chase began badly, 7-2 became 44-3 before Stuart Law 82 not out and VVS Laxman, 55 not out, took their side to victory by seven wickets at 169-3 with two days to spare.
Finally, in 2011, Durham Second XI visited to play two T20 games on 31 May. Durham won the first by four wickets; Lancashire 123 all out, Jordan Clark, now with Surrey, top scoring with 33, Durham 126-6, winning off the final ball of their 20 overs. The second game was even more disastrous for Lancashire who were dismissed for 82 in 18.3 overs, Clark once more top scoring, this time with a more modest 26 and Ben Raine taking 3-8. Durham, thanks to 48 off 47 balls by future England opener Mark Stoneman made short work of their target, scoring 86-3 off 14.3 overs.
And so we come up to date with the prospect of an intriguing contest ahead of us. Let us hope for fine weather, a large crowd and some good cricket; ‘Play up! Play up! and play the game!’ as Henry Newbolt wrote in 1892!
Gerry Wolstenholme
Durham pay their second visit to Blackpool for a County Championship game later this week, 17 to 20 May, since becoming a first-class county in 1992. We welcome their officials, players and supporters and look forward to some fine weather to witness a game that pits fifth-placed Durham, 61 points, against bottom-placed Lancashire, 61 points.
Durham, newly promoted from Division Two this season, defeated Worcestershire by 185 runs at Chester-le-Street for their one victory with three games drawn and one abandoned. Their leading runscorer is South African David Bedingham with 490 runs, including two centuries, 144 and 138, while Callum Parkinson leads the bowlers with 13 wickets at an average of 46.69. Colin Ackermann, 112, and Matthew Potts, a magnificent 149 not out as nightwatchman, have also made centuries.
Meanwhile Lancashire have struggled somewhat after, like Durham, having their first game abandoned. Since then they have drawn one and lost three. Keaton Jennings leads the way with the bat with 343 runs at42.87 with a best of 172 while the only other centurion is up and coming wicketkeeper Matthew Hurst, who made 104 in the defeat by Nottinghamshire. Nathan Lyon leads the bowlers with 112 wickets at 26.91 each with George Balderston, 11, and Will Williams, 10, hot on his heels.
As for the history between the two clubs, Durham first appeared in Blackpool in August 1908 in a Minor Counties North match when, in a low scoring contest, the visitors won by 27 runs. The north east county returned for Minor County matches in 1922 and 1928. In the first of these games Lancashire Second XI won by nine wickets with Joe Massey, later to play for Blackpool for a number of years, scored 60 while Harry Tyldesley in the first Durham innings took 5-28 and Albert Rhodes took 7-40 in the second innings.
In 1928 it was a much closer contest with Lancashire coming out the winners by just one run and this after being bowled out for 72 in the first innings and being obliged to follow-on! Second time around Len Horridge made 63 and future England Test wicketkeeper Bill Farrimond made 70 from an all-out total of 231 Set 111 to win Durham were dismissed for 109 thanks to 5-33 from Frank Rushton.
It was 75 years later before Durham returned to Blackpool in 2003 for a Second XI Championship game and once again it was a close fought game. Paul Horton’s 70 helped Lancashire to 285 all out to which Durham replied with 220, Gary Keedy taking 5-33. Only Australian Steven Crook, 31, made much headway in the second innings as Lancashire were dismissed for 101, setting Durham a target of 167. But the Lancashire attack, Crook, 4-48, Oliver Newby, 1-40, Keedy 3-32 and Gary Yates, 2-35, restricted Durham to 159 to suffer defeat by seven runs.
Then came Durham’s first-class debut at Blackpool in 2007 when the scheduled four-day game ended in two days. Durham won the toss, decided to bat and were dismissed for 166 thanks to Glenn Chapple’s magnificent 7-53; only Australian Michael Di Venuto with 78 made any significant contribution. At the close of day one, Lancashire were not much better placed at 137-8 but the following morning Luke Sutton, 66 not out, and Sajid Mahmood, 41, continued their ninth wicket partnership to put on 69 and take Lancashire to 183 all out. Otis Gibson, 8-68 was the destroyer with the second best bowling figures for a visiting bowler at Blackpool [Tommy Mitchell’s 8-33 for Derbyshire in 1933 being the only figures to better that return].
Durham’s second innings followed the same pattern as the first and only Dale Benkenstein, Lancashire’s current coach, with 77 enabled them to reach 185. The wickets were shared between Mahmood 4-51, Chapple 3-33 and Blackpool’s Steven Croft 3-40. But Lancashire run chase began badly, 7-2 became 44-3 before Stuart Law 82 not out and VVS Laxman, 55 not out, took their side to victory by seven wickets at 169-3 with two days to spare.
Finally, in 2011, Durham Second XI visited to play two T20 games on 31 May. Durham won the first by four wickets; Lancashire 123 all out, Jordan Clark, now with Surrey, top scoring with 33, Durham 126-6, winning off the final ball of their 20 overs. The second game was even more disastrous for Lancashire who were dismissed for 82 in 18.3 overs, Clark once more top scoring, this time with a more modest 26 and Ben Raine taking 3-8. Durham, thanks to 48 off 47 balls by future England opener Mark Stoneman made short work of their target, scoring 86-3 off 14.3 overs.
And so we come up to date with the prospect of an intriguing contest ahead of us. Let us hope for fine weather, a large crowd and some good cricket; ‘Play up! Play up! and play the game!’ as Henry Newbolt wrote in 1892!
Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Kanhai first appeared before the Blackpool cricketing public in September 1957 when he played for the West Indian tourists in a drawn match at Stanley Park. He returned four years later, by then an established Test star with, at that time, 28 Tests and five centuries to his credit, for the 1961 Northern League season having signed for Blackpool as their professional.
It was February 1961 when he agreed to join the Blackpool club after three seasons as professional for Aberdeenshire CC, who were most disappointed to lose him. Financial constraints was the reason he was not re-signed and the Aberdeenshire chairman commented, ’Aberdeen’s loss is now the Blackpool club’s gain.’
At Blackpool Kanhai became the third successive Test player to become professional at Stanley Park, following in the footsteps of Pankaj Roy of India and Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan. And he proved to be a great success as in his first season he plundered 919 runs at an average of 65.64.
He scored three centuries, the highest 153 not out against Lancaster, as Blackpool finished in joint second position in the League with Fleetwood, behind champions Leyland. Blackpool also won the League’s Slater Cup with Kanhai being undefeated in the three games played, scoring 86, 74 and 58.
He surpassed his 1961 record in the 1962 season when he led Blackpool to the League title with 1,165 runs at 83.21, including six centuries, with a top score of 156 against Lancaster, and three half-centuries. It was at that time only the sixth occasion that a batsman had passed 1,000 runs in a Northern League cricket season. Incidentally the other five occasions also involved Blackpool professionals, the legendary Bill Alley, four times, and Hanif Mohammad.
Blackpool did not complete the double, however, as they were defeated in the Slater Cup final by Darwen with Kanhai scoring 52 of the all out total of 98; he also scored 60 and 81 in his other two innings in the Cup run.
He was unavailable for the 1963 season, when another West Indian, Cammie Smith, was signed as Blackpool professional but Kanhai’s two seasons with the club saw him score 2,084 League runs at an average of 74.42. He was a very occasional bowler and when he took 2-13 off five overs against Morecambe in June 1961, having just completed an 87-minute century in the Blackpool innings, the local press reported, ‘Blackpool’s most successful bowler was … that’s right, Kanhai.’
By then living on the Fylde Coast, he did return to Northern League cricket 19 years later when he became professional at St Annes in 1981. And he continued his run scoring exploits with 945 runs at 78.75 with two centuries and eight half-centuries to top the League’s averages as well as being the leading runscorer. He returned to St Annes for one further season in 1982 when he created a new club record, which still stands, of 1,085 runs at 60.27 with three centuries and eight half-centuries.
His two seasons at St Annes, therefore, saw him score 2,030 runs at 67.67 bringing his total Northern League runs over a four-season span to a phenomenal 4,114 runs at an average of 70.93.
Rohan Kanhai was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in May 2009 and, still resident on the Fylde Coast, he is nowadays an avid golfer.
It was February 1961 when he agreed to join the Blackpool club after three seasons as professional for Aberdeenshire CC, who were most disappointed to lose him. Financial constraints was the reason he was not re-signed and the Aberdeenshire chairman commented, ’Aberdeen’s loss is now the Blackpool club’s gain.’
At Blackpool Kanhai became the third successive Test player to become professional at Stanley Park, following in the footsteps of Pankaj Roy of India and Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan. And he proved to be a great success as in his first season he plundered 919 runs at an average of 65.64.
He scored three centuries, the highest 153 not out against Lancaster, as Blackpool finished in joint second position in the League with Fleetwood, behind champions Leyland. Blackpool also won the League’s Slater Cup with Kanhai being undefeated in the three games played, scoring 86, 74 and 58.
He surpassed his 1961 record in the 1962 season when he led Blackpool to the League title with 1,165 runs at 83.21, including six centuries, with a top score of 156 against Lancaster, and three half-centuries. It was at that time only the sixth occasion that a batsman had passed 1,000 runs in a Northern League cricket season. Incidentally the other five occasions also involved Blackpool professionals, the legendary Bill Alley, four times, and Hanif Mohammad.
Blackpool did not complete the double, however, as they were defeated in the Slater Cup final by Darwen with Kanhai scoring 52 of the all out total of 98; he also scored 60 and 81 in his other two innings in the Cup run.
He was unavailable for the 1963 season, when another West Indian, Cammie Smith, was signed as Blackpool professional but Kanhai’s two seasons with the club saw him score 2,084 League runs at an average of 74.42. He was a very occasional bowler and when he took 2-13 off five overs against Morecambe in June 1961, having just completed an 87-minute century in the Blackpool innings, the local press reported, ‘Blackpool’s most successful bowler was … that’s right, Kanhai.’
By then living on the Fylde Coast, he did return to Northern League cricket 19 years later when he became professional at St Annes in 1981. And he continued his run scoring exploits with 945 runs at 78.75 with two centuries and eight half-centuries to top the League’s averages as well as being the leading runscorer. He returned to St Annes for one further season in 1982 when he created a new club record, which still stands, of 1,085 runs at 60.27 with three centuries and eight half-centuries.
His two seasons at St Annes, therefore, saw him score 2,030 runs at 67.67 bringing his total Northern League runs over a four-season span to a phenomenal 4,114 runs at an average of 70.93.
Rohan Kanhai was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in May 2009 and, still resident on the Fylde Coast, he is nowadays an avid golfer.
County Championship Cricket
Kent’s fifth Championship visit to Stanley Park
Next Sunday, 22 June, Kent visit Stanley Park to play Lancashire in a Rothesay County Championship Division 2 clash that sees both sides struggling at the wrong end of the table. Kent are bottom with two wins and 65 points from their seven matches while winless Lancashire have 66 points gathered from their two defeats and five drawn matches. It is, therefore, an important game for both counties who are desperate to get away from the wrong end of the table.
Kent opening batsman Ben Compton is their leading scorer having hit three centuries in his 688 runs, average 52.92, while Tawanda Muyeye has a creditable 437 with one century and three half-centuries averages 33.61. Australian Grant Stewart, also with one century and two half-centuries, has 439 runs at an average of 43.90 while captain Daniel Bell-Drummond has a double century to his name in his 392 runs.
Zimbabwean Nathan Gilchrist leads the bowling with 23 wickets at 26.34 runs apiece with a best of 7-100 while Stewart has 15 wickets at 26.93, Kashif Ali 11 at 50.72 and Joey Evison is the only other bowler with double figures, 10 at 29.00.
Australian Marcus Harris with 825 runs at an average of 63.46 with three centuries and three half centuries puts him over 300 runs ahead of his nearest challengers, Keaton Jennings, 513 runs at an average of 36.64 with one century and two half-centuries and Luke Wells, 504 at 38.76. Only Josh Bohannon, 391 runs at 30.07, of the other batsmen has a century to his name.
Of the bowlers, George Balderstone, 19 wickets at 32.97, leads the way while the two Toms, Bailey, 15 at 40.20, and Hartley, 14 at 41.28, are close behind.
The history of the Blackpool games against Kent began in 1961 when a rain-interrupted match was drawn. Batting first Lancashire opened with a 77-run partnership between Bob Barber, 24 and Geoff Pullar, 57, but then wickets fell regularly until they reached 202-9. There followed a 52-run partnership for the last wicket between Ken Higgs, 27, and Colin Hilton, 22 not out, his career-best score to that time. Their final total of 254, in which Kent’s Yorkshire-born leg spinner David Baker took 5-87, was still 122 too many for Kent who, after an opening partnership of 54 to which Peter Richardson contributed the innings’ top score of 34, were dismissed for 132. Roy Collins took his 50th wicket of the season and finished with 5-39 while Brian Statham took his 1500th first-class wicket and Hilton reached 150 wickets for his career.
Rain interfered with the remainder of the match so Lancashire declared on 199-3, Brian Booth, 88 not out, and Ken Grieves, 57, putting on 119 for the third wicket. There was insufficient time left for a result so Kent batted out time at 167-3 with Lancashire using seven bowlers. Bob Wilson, 46, top scored for Kent while 37-year-old Arthur Phebey, played the last of his 320 games for the county.
Three years later Kent were at Stanley Park once more in August 1964 and once again the match was drawn. There was a crowd of 3,000 on the opening day when Kent won the toss and put Lancashire in to bat on a pitch about which the Liverpool Daily Post reported, ‘There was an air of uncertainty about the green pitch’.
And so it proved as Duncan Worsley took 65 minutes over his 10 runs and only Bob Entwistle, 25, and Peter Marner, a top score of 37, provided some bright moments with a fourth-wicket stand of 50 made in 25 minutes. Geoff Clayton was his usual sheet-anchor self, taking two hours and 10 minutes over his 36 and along the way ‘aroused some critical comment from the crowd’! And with Alan Dixon taking 5-63 and young reserve wicketkeeper, 17-year-old Alan Knott playing only his fourth Championship game, taking five catches, Lancashire were dismissed for a painful 169 made in four hours and five minutes. Kent made inroads into the Lancashire total in the final 95 minutes, and with opener Mike Denness making 53 they closed on 115-3.
Day two saw the all (subsequently) international Lancashire attack of Statham, 4-75, Ken Higgs, 3-67 Ken Shuttleworth, 1-45, and Sonny Ramadhin, 1-24, bowl Kent out for 212, a lead of 43 runs. David Nicholls top scored with 81 but Kent’s last five wickets fell for 41 runs.
Lancashire’s second innings owed a lot to Worsley who batted over four hours and made his maiden first-class century for Lancashire, 104, with his only serious support coming from Grieves who made 72. Otherwise, Kent whittled their way through the Lancashire batting order to dismiss them for 285, leaving Kent to score 243 for victory.
Time was against them but, after losing Brian Luckhurst early again, they made every effort early in their innings. But with Higgs bowling an unbroken and economic 90-minute spell and Ramadhin’s 20 overs costing just 39 runs, with three wickets, Kent had to settle for the draw at 193-6 with Wilson holding the innings together with 75 not out.
Two years later when a 65-over restriction in the first innings of games was introduced in an attempt to make the matches more dynamic and appealing to spectators, Kent returned to Stanley Park. And even with a moderate total of 251-8 in the statuary 65-overs Kent won the game by an innings and 30 runs! And a legendary England bowler finished with 6-9 in the first innings!
Lancashire batted first and made a paltry 62 all out in 40.1 overs with four players making double figures but none of them reaching 20! Worsley made 14, Harry Pilling and Keith Goodwin (career average 5.78) both made 13, and Shuttleworth made 11. Derek Underwood was the destructive bowler with figures of 10.1-7-9-6!
Kent had a lead of 22 when they lost their first wicket and with their first four making a combined 188, Luckhurst 40, Denness 45, Wilson 47 and Colin Cowdrey 56, they continued to reach their 251-8, a lead of 189. Jimmy Cumbes was the most successful bowler taking a then career-best 4-42.
Following on, Barry Wood in only his seventh game for Lancashire made 31 and was only outscored by Worsley with 76 not out. Notwithstanding, a total of 159 spelt an innings defeat with Underwood taking 4-59 to give him match figures of 10-68 to become the first visiting player to return a 10-wicket haul in 47 Championship games at the ground. His record stood for 31 years, overtaken by Graeme Welsh of Warwickshire’s 11-140 in 1997.
And Kent’s last visit to Blackpool was 22 years ago in 2003 when a game of 1211 runs ended in a draw with Lancashire just behind in the scoring, albeit in two innings to Kent’s one, 602 to 609!
In the first three days of the match only 13 wickets fell in 267 overs for 949 runs and Kent with a ground record 602-6 declared had the better of that equation. Ed Smith, 203, just failed by two runs to break the visitors’ record individual score on the ground (Peter Kirsten 204 not out for Derbyshire in 1981), Matt Walker made 150, Mark Ealham 95 and Geraint Jones 66 not out.
On the final day Lancashire were bowled out in their first innings for 365 with the last five wickets going down for 35 runs, quite contrary to what had preceded it! With the best part of a day remaining Kent hopes were high and when three wickets were down for 12 runs, prospects for their victory were high. However, it was not to be as Carl Hooper held the innings together with a 290-minute 128 not out, helped by 40 from Chris Schofield’s 85-minute 40 and rearguard action by Glenn Chapple and Warren Hegg who held out for 47 and 88 minutes respectively for nine and 16 not out. So with Lancashire 244-6 from 84 overs the game was drawn. And Hooper became the third player in the history of the game to score a century against all 18 counties.
But for the moment the focus is most definitely on the fight to get away from the foot of the Division 2 table and perhaps from then on, to fight for a promotion place! Well we can hope, can’t we? Don’t miss it, 22 to 25 June at Stanley Park.
Next Sunday, 22 June, Kent visit Stanley Park to play Lancashire in a Rothesay County Championship Division 2 clash that sees both sides struggling at the wrong end of the table. Kent are bottom with two wins and 65 points from their seven matches while winless Lancashire have 66 points gathered from their two defeats and five drawn matches. It is, therefore, an important game for both counties who are desperate to get away from the wrong end of the table.
Kent opening batsman Ben Compton is their leading scorer having hit three centuries in his 688 runs, average 52.92, while Tawanda Muyeye has a creditable 437 with one century and three half-centuries averages 33.61. Australian Grant Stewart, also with one century and two half-centuries, has 439 runs at an average of 43.90 while captain Daniel Bell-Drummond has a double century to his name in his 392 runs.
Zimbabwean Nathan Gilchrist leads the bowling with 23 wickets at 26.34 runs apiece with a best of 7-100 while Stewart has 15 wickets at 26.93, Kashif Ali 11 at 50.72 and Joey Evison is the only other bowler with double figures, 10 at 29.00.
Australian Marcus Harris with 825 runs at an average of 63.46 with three centuries and three half centuries puts him over 300 runs ahead of his nearest challengers, Keaton Jennings, 513 runs at an average of 36.64 with one century and two half-centuries and Luke Wells, 504 at 38.76. Only Josh Bohannon, 391 runs at 30.07, of the other batsmen has a century to his name.
Of the bowlers, George Balderstone, 19 wickets at 32.97, leads the way while the two Toms, Bailey, 15 at 40.20, and Hartley, 14 at 41.28, are close behind.
The history of the Blackpool games against Kent began in 1961 when a rain-interrupted match was drawn. Batting first Lancashire opened with a 77-run partnership between Bob Barber, 24 and Geoff Pullar, 57, but then wickets fell regularly until they reached 202-9. There followed a 52-run partnership for the last wicket between Ken Higgs, 27, and Colin Hilton, 22 not out, his career-best score to that time. Their final total of 254, in which Kent’s Yorkshire-born leg spinner David Baker took 5-87, was still 122 too many for Kent who, after an opening partnership of 54 to which Peter Richardson contributed the innings’ top score of 34, were dismissed for 132. Roy Collins took his 50th wicket of the season and finished with 5-39 while Brian Statham took his 1500th first-class wicket and Hilton reached 150 wickets for his career.
Rain interfered with the remainder of the match so Lancashire declared on 199-3, Brian Booth, 88 not out, and Ken Grieves, 57, putting on 119 for the third wicket. There was insufficient time left for a result so Kent batted out time at 167-3 with Lancashire using seven bowlers. Bob Wilson, 46, top scored for Kent while 37-year-old Arthur Phebey, played the last of his 320 games for the county.
Three years later Kent were at Stanley Park once more in August 1964 and once again the match was drawn. There was a crowd of 3,000 on the opening day when Kent won the toss and put Lancashire in to bat on a pitch about which the Liverpool Daily Post reported, ‘There was an air of uncertainty about the green pitch’.
And so it proved as Duncan Worsley took 65 minutes over his 10 runs and only Bob Entwistle, 25, and Peter Marner, a top score of 37, provided some bright moments with a fourth-wicket stand of 50 made in 25 minutes. Geoff Clayton was his usual sheet-anchor self, taking two hours and 10 minutes over his 36 and along the way ‘aroused some critical comment from the crowd’! And with Alan Dixon taking 5-63 and young reserve wicketkeeper, 17-year-old Alan Knott playing only his fourth Championship game, taking five catches, Lancashire were dismissed for a painful 169 made in four hours and five minutes. Kent made inroads into the Lancashire total in the final 95 minutes, and with opener Mike Denness making 53 they closed on 115-3.
Day two saw the all (subsequently) international Lancashire attack of Statham, 4-75, Ken Higgs, 3-67 Ken Shuttleworth, 1-45, and Sonny Ramadhin, 1-24, bowl Kent out for 212, a lead of 43 runs. David Nicholls top scored with 81 but Kent’s last five wickets fell for 41 runs.
Lancashire’s second innings owed a lot to Worsley who batted over four hours and made his maiden first-class century for Lancashire, 104, with his only serious support coming from Grieves who made 72. Otherwise, Kent whittled their way through the Lancashire batting order to dismiss them for 285, leaving Kent to score 243 for victory.
Time was against them but, after losing Brian Luckhurst early again, they made every effort early in their innings. But with Higgs bowling an unbroken and economic 90-minute spell and Ramadhin’s 20 overs costing just 39 runs, with three wickets, Kent had to settle for the draw at 193-6 with Wilson holding the innings together with 75 not out.
Two years later when a 65-over restriction in the first innings of games was introduced in an attempt to make the matches more dynamic and appealing to spectators, Kent returned to Stanley Park. And even with a moderate total of 251-8 in the statuary 65-overs Kent won the game by an innings and 30 runs! And a legendary England bowler finished with 6-9 in the first innings!
Lancashire batted first and made a paltry 62 all out in 40.1 overs with four players making double figures but none of them reaching 20! Worsley made 14, Harry Pilling and Keith Goodwin (career average 5.78) both made 13, and Shuttleworth made 11. Derek Underwood was the destructive bowler with figures of 10.1-7-9-6!
Kent had a lead of 22 when they lost their first wicket and with their first four making a combined 188, Luckhurst 40, Denness 45, Wilson 47 and Colin Cowdrey 56, they continued to reach their 251-8, a lead of 189. Jimmy Cumbes was the most successful bowler taking a then career-best 4-42.
Following on, Barry Wood in only his seventh game for Lancashire made 31 and was only outscored by Worsley with 76 not out. Notwithstanding, a total of 159 spelt an innings defeat with Underwood taking 4-59 to give him match figures of 10-68 to become the first visiting player to return a 10-wicket haul in 47 Championship games at the ground. His record stood for 31 years, overtaken by Graeme Welsh of Warwickshire’s 11-140 in 1997.
And Kent’s last visit to Blackpool was 22 years ago in 2003 when a game of 1211 runs ended in a draw with Lancashire just behind in the scoring, albeit in two innings to Kent’s one, 602 to 609!
In the first three days of the match only 13 wickets fell in 267 overs for 949 runs and Kent with a ground record 602-6 declared had the better of that equation. Ed Smith, 203, just failed by two runs to break the visitors’ record individual score on the ground (Peter Kirsten 204 not out for Derbyshire in 1981), Matt Walker made 150, Mark Ealham 95 and Geraint Jones 66 not out.
On the final day Lancashire were bowled out in their first innings for 365 with the last five wickets going down for 35 runs, quite contrary to what had preceded it! With the best part of a day remaining Kent hopes were high and when three wickets were down for 12 runs, prospects for their victory were high. However, it was not to be as Carl Hooper held the innings together with a 290-minute 128 not out, helped by 40 from Chris Schofield’s 85-minute 40 and rearguard action by Glenn Chapple and Warren Hegg who held out for 47 and 88 minutes respectively for nine and 16 not out. So with Lancashire 244-6 from 84 overs the game was drawn. And Hooper became the third player in the history of the game to score a century against all 18 counties.
But for the moment the focus is most definitely on the fight to get away from the foot of the Division 2 table and perhaps from then on, to fight for a promotion place! Well we can hope, can’t we? Don’t miss it, 22 to 25 June at Stanley Park.
Women's Vitality Blast
Somerset Women at Stanley Park
The final round of the league stage of the Women’s Vitality Blast comes to Stanley Park tomorrow, Friday 18 July with a 2.30pm start. And it features two teams with contrasting fortunes as Lancashire entertain Somerset.
While Lancashire have everything to play for with a victory ensuring a place in Finals Day on 27 July, Somerset will be playing for pride in trying to obtain their second win of a disappointing campaign. Both sides have played 13 games, Lancashire having won seven and lost six while Somerset have just one victory to their name with 10 defeats and two games with no result.
Lancashire began with a defeat to The Blaze despite a fine 59 by Katie Mack but they bounced back in game two by defeating Durham Women by 18 runs with captain Ellie Threlkeld, 48, playing the significant innings of the match. Two defeats and two victories followed in the next four games before another two further defeats set Lancashire back somewhat. But three successive victories restored their hopes. And after an unexpected defeat by Durham Women at old Trafford, despite a fine 74 by Emma Lamb and Alana King’s 3-24, Mahika Gaur’s three wickets in eight balls at Chelmsford at the start of the Essex innings paved the way for a four-wicket victory with Eve Jones top scoring with 59. And so we come to the Somerset game in fourth place, four points ahead of Durham and with a better net run rate.
Meanwhile Somerset were going through a terrible patch with an abandoned fourth game leaving them with three defeats. And those losses continued with five in succession before a little relief came with a home four-wicket victory over Essex Women to which Fran Wilson contributed 41. But two further losses followed and with their final game being abandoned they have just the solitary victory to offset their 10 defeats.
For Lancashire Emma Lamb has the most runs, 336 in her eight games at the exceptional average of 133.33 with four half-centuries while Ailsa Lister has 264 runs, again at a most impressive average of 154.38. with Eve Jones, 203 also passing the 200-mark; in addition four others have more than 100 runs to their names, Ellie Threlkeld, 150, Seren Smale, 140, Tilly Kesterven, 126, and Fi Morris, 122.
In the bowling, Alana King and Tara Norris both have 15 wickets with Kate Cross and Sophie Morris have nine each. To show the strength and variety of the attack, seven other bowlers have also taken wickets.
Somerset’s batting has been led by Amanda Jane Wellington, 250 runs, Fran Wilson, 234 runs, and Bex Odgers, 218 runs, but to demonstrate the paucity of runs, only two other players have passed a total of 100. As for the bowling, Mollie Robbins leads the way with 13 wickets while all-rounder Wellington has 10. Off-spinner Charlie Dean’s 4-9 was their most impressive return of the season.
So, do come along to Stanley Park to see this final game of the league stage to see whether Lancashire will seal their place in final’s day, or Somerset will end their season on a high. It will undoubtedly be an interesting and entertaining day!
The final round of the league stage of the Women’s Vitality Blast comes to Stanley Park tomorrow, Friday 18 July with a 2.30pm start. And it features two teams with contrasting fortunes as Lancashire entertain Somerset.
While Lancashire have everything to play for with a victory ensuring a place in Finals Day on 27 July, Somerset will be playing for pride in trying to obtain their second win of a disappointing campaign. Both sides have played 13 games, Lancashire having won seven and lost six while Somerset have just one victory to their name with 10 defeats and two games with no result.
Lancashire began with a defeat to The Blaze despite a fine 59 by Katie Mack but they bounced back in game two by defeating Durham Women by 18 runs with captain Ellie Threlkeld, 48, playing the significant innings of the match. Two defeats and two victories followed in the next four games before another two further defeats set Lancashire back somewhat. But three successive victories restored their hopes. And after an unexpected defeat by Durham Women at old Trafford, despite a fine 74 by Emma Lamb and Alana King’s 3-24, Mahika Gaur’s three wickets in eight balls at Chelmsford at the start of the Essex innings paved the way for a four-wicket victory with Eve Jones top scoring with 59. And so we come to the Somerset game in fourth place, four points ahead of Durham and with a better net run rate.
Meanwhile Somerset were going through a terrible patch with an abandoned fourth game leaving them with three defeats. And those losses continued with five in succession before a little relief came with a home four-wicket victory over Essex Women to which Fran Wilson contributed 41. But two further losses followed and with their final game being abandoned they have just the solitary victory to offset their 10 defeats.
For Lancashire Emma Lamb has the most runs, 336 in her eight games at the exceptional average of 133.33 with four half-centuries while Ailsa Lister has 264 runs, again at a most impressive average of 154.38. with Eve Jones, 203 also passing the 200-mark; in addition four others have more than 100 runs to their names, Ellie Threlkeld, 150, Seren Smale, 140, Tilly Kesterven, 126, and Fi Morris, 122.
In the bowling, Alana King and Tara Norris both have 15 wickets with Kate Cross and Sophie Morris have nine each. To show the strength and variety of the attack, seven other bowlers have also taken wickets.
Somerset’s batting has been led by Amanda Jane Wellington, 250 runs, Fran Wilson, 234 runs, and Bex Odgers, 218 runs, but to demonstrate the paucity of runs, only two other players have passed a total of 100. As for the bowling, Mollie Robbins leads the way with 13 wickets while all-rounder Wellington has 10. Off-spinner Charlie Dean’s 4-9 was their most impressive return of the season.
So, do come along to Stanley Park to see this final game of the league stage to see whether Lancashire will seal their place in final’s day, or Somerset will end their season on a high. It will undoubtedly be an interesting and entertaining day!
