Cricket: Norden continue recent good run

The heatwave came to an abrupt end at Stag Park on Saturday, but Norden’s recent good run went on in the JW Lees Lancashire League.

Two heavy rain showers and a sprinkling of hailstones threatened a positive result, but any surface water quickly soaked into the bone-dry ground and a result became possible thanks to those two chaps Duckworth and Lewis.

Visitors East Lancashire were given a good start by Joe Bolton and Harry Caton. They pushed the score along without risk, but with 64 on the board Caton was bowled by a delivery from Hashum Malik which looked to go through low.

Captain Malik stuck with an all pace attack for a time, and he struck again with the total on 77 when Josh Tolley, making  a rare appearance as wicket-keeper, took a catch to dismiss Paul Turner.

The first break for rain resulted in the remainder of the innings being reduced from 26 to 16 overs, and wickets started to tumble, some as the result of batsmen trying to hit out, others to good bowling.

Opener Bolton was on 53, and the total on 110, when he found the hands of Ross Collin at mid-off, and two runs later Tolley took a flying catch to dismiss John Turner, although the batsman didn’t exactly agree that bat had connected with ball.

Norden turned to spin from the Shawfield end and Greg Butterworth had success in his first over when Shahrukh Khan tried to sweep to leg and was trapped leg before.

It then became a bit of a procession as the overs ran down.

The returned Sandham picked up three wickets, two of them bowled, and one of them the visiting professional Ed Read, before Butterworth took two in two balls – one bowled one from a return catch – to end the innings on 149.

With a strong possibility of more rain, Norden went out to bat with the aim of knocking off the runs quickly.

They had a new target of 166 in 40 overs, and after 12 overs they had 113 on the board for the loss of Malik, at 59, who had bludgeoned 36 in quick time.

Tolley managed to reach 50 before the rain came again, and this time it looked like the end, but the pitch stood up to it all well and when the teams went out again Norden had another new target of 130 in 20 overs which meant they actually needed another 17 off eight.

Tolley took his score to 61, his only half chance offered coming off the matchwinning delivery which saw the ball just clear slips and go for four.

Harvey Fitton was a little more cautious than the openers, at least in the early part of his knock, but he then played some delightful shots to finish unbeaten on 23.

East Lancashire

• JF Bolton c R Collin b Sandham 53
• H Caton b Malik 17
• PM Turner c Tolley b D Buckley 1
• JP Turner c Tolley b Malik 19
• S Khan lbw Butterworth 8
• E Read b Sandham 17
• J Westhead c Malik b Sandham 5
• D Lord b Sandham 0
• A Mohammed not out 1
• N Boyle b Butterworth 1
• M Livesey c and b Butterworth 0
• Extras 27
• Total 149
• Bowling: Sandham 11-0-52-4; Malik 15-3-40-2; D Buckley 8-0-28-1; Butterworth 4-0-16-3.

Norden

• H Malik b Read 36
• J Tolley not out 61
• H Fitton not out 23
• Extras 10
• Total (for 1 wkt) 130
• Bowling: Read 5-1-33-1; Livesey 3-0-32-0; Khan 3-0-37-0; Bolton 2.1-0-14-0; Mohammed 1-0-10-0