Leyland CC win to close gap to just one point!

Leyland stole a march on their title rivals in the Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket League incorporating Readers Cricket Balls.

On a rain-hit afternoon, the defending Champions defeated Preston by five wickets at Fox Lane to move within one point of St Annes at the top.
St Annes' scheduled game at Morecambe was called off in mid-morning after torrential rain overnight. Andy Kellett's side then suffered the agony of seeing Leyland make a 2pm start against Preston and edge towards a valuable win.

Chorley's title hopes took a severe battering when they were defeated by nine wickets at Stanley Park, Cumberland County fast bowler Richard Gleeson taking 7/24 as the visitors were bowled out for 63.

St Annes (played 16-152pts) lead Leyland (16-151) by just one point at the top with Netherfield third (16-131) and Chorley in fourth place (14-128).

In the only other Division One game played Barrow earned a nine wickets win at Carnforth.

The games at Darwen and Netherfield were abandoned.

Luis Reece and Peter Cummings laid the foundation for Leyland's victory when play got underway an hour late at Fox Lane in a match reduced to 42 overs.
Reece took the first three wickets to fall, claiming caught-and-bowled to dismiss Sajid Patel and Paul Paynter and clean bowling Preston captain Lukman Vahaluwala.
Vahaluwala had hit his first ball, from pro Brett Pelser over mid-wicket for six and reached 28 off 34 balls until Reece uprooted his off stump.
Preston subsided to 64 for 8 despite Ben Harrison battling through 68 balls for 14; but Yasin Patel and Charlie Williams gave them hope with an unbroken ninth wicket stand of 38, Patel finishing unbeaten on 31. Preston closed on 102/8, Cummings claiming 4/20 off eleven overs and Reece 3/23 off ten overs.
Reece batted freely to make 36 off 35 balls until he was caught by Paul Painter off Andrew Starkie.
Starkie and Vahaluwala bowled well in tandem to leave Leyland struggling on 77/5. Starkie claimed 3/30 with Vahaluwala and pro Saeed Bariwala each taking one wicket.
Andrew Makinson eased Leyland's nerves with a hard-hit unbeaten 23 off 16 balls including two sixes and two fours to take his side home in partnership with David Fisher.
Harrison sustained a badly dislocated thumb catching Pelser off Starkie and was taken to hospital.

At Stanley Park Chorley were dismissed for 63 in 25.2 overs as paceman Gleeson, backed by some superb fielding took 7/24 off 13 overs.
Alex Smith took four catches to take the plaudits from a hugely impressive display of out-cricket by Paul Danson's side.
Threatening rain clouds, which caused an interruption after seven overs of Blackpool's reply, eventually cleared.
John Mounsey (34 not out) and Andy Furniss (24 not out) saw Blackpool home after the early loss of Alex Smith.
South African Pieter Malan continued his prolific batting displays as Barrow won by nine wickets at Lodge Quarry.

In a match reduced to 40 overs Carnforth set a testing target of 215 after Darren Moore (75) and pro Gareth Pedder (99no) shared a fifth wicket stand of 141.
Moore faced 94 balls and hit six fours and four sixes; Pedder was agonisingly one short of a well deserved century after facing just 77 balls and hitting eleven fours and three sixes. Carnforth reached 214/5.
Daryl Wearing took 3/92 for Barrow and then was promoted to makeshift opener, contributing 32 in a stand of 58 with Malan.
Malan and Liam Livingstone then saw Barrow home in an unbroken stand of 157.
Malan hit an unbeaten 107 off 118 balls with 13 fours and two sixes.
He has now made 869 league runs at an average of 86.90 with four league hundreds and has Callum Ferguson's all-time record of 1,381 runs in his sights.
Livingstone, aged 17, followed up his match-winning 97 not out against Morecambe with an undefeated 70 off 56 balls including eight fours and two sixes.