Round-up from Thornham’s first double header

Date published: 11 May 2010


The first double header of the Lancashire County League saw two defeats for the First Eleven and a mixed weekend for the Seconds. On Saturday, a very strong Woodhouse 1st Eleven, unbeaten so far this season travelled to Thornham. The Woodhouses team sported some new faces and showed that they had too much firepower for the Thornham side.

Thornham batted first and made a bright start, Matt Harrop and Andrew Micklethwaite going well. However, when Harrop was dismissed Thornham were dealt another blow when Number 3 John Willman was forced to retire hurt. A few players got going, Alec McClure and Tom Grey making 29 and 23 respectively but nobody posted a big score. Thornham were finally dismissed for 126 after 35 overs. Thornham broke Woodhouses’ opening partnership early when Iqbal bowled their skipper Mike Cassidy. However James Clarke and new number three Tolly took the game away from Thornham and they won comfortably within 25 overs.

On Sunday the First Eleven visited Stand and, after another poor start, recovered to finish on 164. The highlight of the Thornham innings was a fantastic 79 from captain Steve Grey, who has made a good start to the season with the bat. Stand, who were also unbeaten before the game, reached the total with the loss of one wicket, Sri Lankan Amila Weththasinghe finishing with a rapid 54 not out and Dave Taylor making 64.
The Second Eleven’s weekend began with a trip to Woodhouses and they came away with a point but without a win as Woodhouses won by nine wickets.

After a sluggish start, Thornham reached 161 for 9 after their 50 overs. Chris Heywood continued his good start to the season with 36 and Amjad Hussain, last week’s hero with the ball, top scored with 39. Dave Yates also chipped in with a speedy 17 not out at the end. Although Darren Grant bowled former Thornham player Phil Sutcliffe, a powerful 103 not out from youngster Nick Doyle ensured the home side took the win.

They recovered on Sunday to record a massive win against Stand at Thornham. Batting first in cold and windy conditions Thornham amassed 286 for 7 from their 50 overs. Matthew Mansfield made a solid 25 before being harshly judged LBW. That set the stage for a 129 partnership between Mo Tayyab (97) and Abdul Qadoos (68) that ensured Thornham took control of the game. Though they lost quick wickets at the end of the innings a quick 30 from Darren Grant helped set an imposing total. Stand were never going to get near as opening bowlers Grant (pictured) and Qadoos tore through the Stand batting line-up with figures of 5-33 and 4-23 respectively.

Arron Wild completed the rout after a little resistance from the final pair. Thornham’s excellent bowling was backed up with some good ground fielding and catching, including a stunning one-handed catch from Ash Sabir.

Tickets have gone on sale for Thornham’s annual Race Night, to be held on 11 June in the Clubhouse. Tickets cost £5, which includes 8 free 50p tote bets. Anyone interested in buying a ticket, or sponsoring a horse, jockey or race can get in touch with the club by e-mailing enquiries@thornhamcricket.co.uk  or by visiting the club website: www.thornhamcricket.co.uk 

Teams for this weekend: 1st team, Home vs D.S.L. Saturday 15th meet at ground 11.45am - S Grey, A McClure, T Grey, M Hampson, M Harrop, Z Iqbal, A Micklethwaite, M Micklethwaite, M Sagar, J Willman, D Yates.

2nd team, Away vs D.S.L. Saturday 15th meet at grounf 11.45am - I Heywood, J Burke, C Heywood, A Hussain, M Mansfield, P McMahon, A Qadoos, A Sabir, T Smith, M Tayyab, G Walsh.

3rd team, Home vs Roe Green Sunday 16th, meet at ground 1pm - J Carnegie, J Asghar, M Bashir, L Grey, A Clarkson, B Mohammed, D Scott, T Shaw, M Ul Hasan, T Walsh, A Wild.

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