Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "lancashire"
Local boy Steven Croft steers Lancashire to victory
Nottinghamshire 338-8 Lancashire 341-7
In his 600th competitive match for Lancashire, Blackpool-born Steven Croft masterminded Lancashire’s dramatic three-wicket victory over Nottinghamshire in the quarter-final of The Royal London Cup at Blackpool’s
Stanley Park last Friday. On the same wicket as the 742 runs were scored in the previous game against Northamptonshire last week, a further 679 runs were added, this time including 63 fours and 16 sixes. Once again, much to the delight of the home crowd, Lancashire pulled off victory as they overtook Nottinghamshire’s 338-6 to win with 341-7 with nine balls remaining.
Keaton Jennings once again won the toss and put Nottinghamshire in to bat on a wicket that once again looked to be in favour of the batsman. Openers Ben Slater and Sol Budinger proved it to be so with a sparkling opening partnership of 98 in 14.3 overs. The only alarm for Notts came when Slater was caught at deep mid-on when on 18 only to discover that Jack Blatherwick had bowled a no=ball.
The pair moved serenely on and looked likely to put on a century opening partnership when Budinger, who had passed 50 in 41 balls with five fours and three huge sixes, tried one big hit too many, fell short and was well caught by Luke Wells on the deep mid-wicket boundary for 56, after adding one further boundary to his tally, George Balderston being the successful bowler.
Lancashire’s bowlers tightened their grip somewhat as Slater and Lyndon James found it more difficult to pierce the field as they put on 62 runs in 13.3 overs. A bowling change brought about the latter’s downfall as Croft’s off-spin induced a return catch and he was gone for 29 and it was 160-2.
Notts’ captain and former Lancashire and England opener Haseeb Hameed was at number three but he survived only seven balls as he made four before he returned a catch to Danny Lamb to make it 167-3 after 31 overs. Then, on his 31st birthday, Slater, having passed his half-century in 62 balls, went to his century from 117 balls with 12 fours but he survived only a further four balls before Lamb took a superb diving catch at deep mid-off from the bowling of Liam Hurt and he was gone for 104 with Notts 239-4. Lamb’s catch was so spectacular that he had to demonstrate it to his admiring team-mates as the batsman departed!
Slater had been helped in a 72-run fourth wicket stand by South African Matthew Montgomery, who was to reach his half-century in 42 balls and who, with Liam Patterson-White, 15 from nine balls with one four and one six, put on 37 for the fifth wicket before the latter holed out to Hurt on the boundary off Balderson; 276-5.
Montgomery was finally dismissed for 78, from 56 balls with eight fours and two sixes, at 311-6 when he tried one reverse sweep too many against Lamb and Wells at backward square leg took a top-edged catch. Hurt bowled Fateh Singh first ball at 312-7, Brett Hutton made a speedy 24 from 13 balls with two fours and one six, before he was caught in the deep off Lamb and South African Dane Paterson finished the innings off with six, six, two off the only three balls he faced from Lamb and with Dane Schadendorf six not out, Notts finished at a respectable, but perhaps 30 or 40 runs short, on 338-8.
Lancashire began their reply speedily and there were 33 runs on the board when Jennings, 23, edged Hutton through to Schadendorf off Paterson after just 4.5 overs. There followed a 52-run partnership in 43 balls between Wells and Josh Bohannon before the former, 47 from 32 balls with six fours and two sixes, was caught in the deep by James off Paterson.
Croft, who had begun watchfully and more sedately than is his usual wont, was joined by Dane Vilas and the pair added 61 runs in 10.3 overs before Vilas’ run-a-ball 29 came to an end when Hameed, who from the final ball of the previous over had dropped Croft from a head-high chance at mid-wicket, held on to a more difficult chance at extra cover off Montgomery from the first ball of the following over to send Vilas back to the pavilion at 180-4.
The Notts’ bowlers tightened their grip and scoring slowed considerably and the required rate rose to more than 10 an over. Trying to force the pace, Balderson was caught by Hutton off the spin of Montgomery for 15 at 205-6 and then Lavelle brought a sense of urgency back with some speedy running between the wickets and some meaty striking, two fours and one six in his 18, was caught by James off Montgomery at 237-6 by which time the rate had been brought down to around eight runs per over.
Croft, with the more than able assistance from Lamb, then took over. The pair raced to a 94-run partnership with Lamb’s 43 containing two (dreaded) ramp shots for four along with two further boundaries and one six when he was caught by Patterson-White off Hutton for an excellent 43. By then, 331-7, Croft had passed a superb century in 95 balls – his first 50 took 61 balls - with eight fours and two sixes and he had reduced the required rate considerably. He then struck successive fours and went on to make 115 not out off 105 balls with 10 fours and two sixes as he took Lancashire home by three wickets with Hurt not required to face a ball.
Footnote: The 22 yards that had realised 1,421 runs in the two Royal London games was used once more on the Saturday after the Nottinghamshire game and Blackpool’s opponents Longridge could not match what had gone before as they were bowled out for 114! Blackpool knocked off the required runs for the loss of just two wickets.
In his 600th competitive match for Lancashire, Blackpool-born Steven Croft masterminded Lancashire’s dramatic three-wicket victory over Nottinghamshire in the quarter-final of The Royal London Cup at Blackpool’s
Stanley Park last Friday. On the same wicket as the 742 runs were scored in the previous game against Northamptonshire last week, a further 679 runs were added, this time including 63 fours and 16 sixes. Once again, much to the delight of the home crowd, Lancashire pulled off victory as they overtook Nottinghamshire’s 338-6 to win with 341-7 with nine balls remaining.
Keaton Jennings once again won the toss and put Nottinghamshire in to bat on a wicket that once again looked to be in favour of the batsman. Openers Ben Slater and Sol Budinger proved it to be so with a sparkling opening partnership of 98 in 14.3 overs. The only alarm for Notts came when Slater was caught at deep mid-on when on 18 only to discover that Jack Blatherwick had bowled a no=ball.
The pair moved serenely on and looked likely to put on a century opening partnership when Budinger, who had passed 50 in 41 balls with five fours and three huge sixes, tried one big hit too many, fell short and was well caught by Luke Wells on the deep mid-wicket boundary for 56, after adding one further boundary to his tally, George Balderston being the successful bowler.
Lancashire’s bowlers tightened their grip somewhat as Slater and Lyndon James found it more difficult to pierce the field as they put on 62 runs in 13.3 overs. A bowling change brought about the latter’s downfall as Croft’s off-spin induced a return catch and he was gone for 29 and it was 160-2.
Notts’ captain and former Lancashire and England opener Haseeb Hameed was at number three but he survived only seven balls as he made four before he returned a catch to Danny Lamb to make it 167-3 after 31 overs. Then, on his 31st birthday, Slater, having passed his half-century in 62 balls, went to his century from 117 balls with 12 fours but he survived only a further four balls before Lamb took a superb diving catch at deep mid-off from the bowling of Liam Hurt and he was gone for 104 with Notts 239-4. Lamb’s catch was so spectacular that he had to demonstrate it to his admiring team-mates as the batsman departed!
Slater had been helped in a 72-run fourth wicket stand by South African Matthew Montgomery, who was to reach his half-century in 42 balls and who, with Liam Patterson-White, 15 from nine balls with one four and one six, put on 37 for the fifth wicket before the latter holed out to Hurt on the boundary off Balderson; 276-5.
Montgomery was finally dismissed for 78, from 56 balls with eight fours and two sixes, at 311-6 when he tried one reverse sweep too many against Lamb and Wells at backward square leg took a top-edged catch. Hurt bowled Fateh Singh first ball at 312-7, Brett Hutton made a speedy 24 from 13 balls with two fours and one six, before he was caught in the deep off Lamb and South African Dane Paterson finished the innings off with six, six, two off the only three balls he faced from Lamb and with Dane Schadendorf six not out, Notts finished at a respectable, but perhaps 30 or 40 runs short, on 338-8.
Lancashire began their reply speedily and there were 33 runs on the board when Jennings, 23, edged Hutton through to Schadendorf off Paterson after just 4.5 overs. There followed a 52-run partnership in 43 balls between Wells and Josh Bohannon before the former, 47 from 32 balls with six fours and two sixes, was caught in the deep by James off Paterson.
Croft, who had begun watchfully and more sedately than is his usual wont, was joined by Dane Vilas and the pair added 61 runs in 10.3 overs before Vilas’ run-a-ball 29 came to an end when Hameed, who from the final ball of the previous over had dropped Croft from a head-high chance at mid-wicket, held on to a more difficult chance at extra cover off Montgomery from the first ball of the following over to send Vilas back to the pavilion at 180-4.
The Notts’ bowlers tightened their grip and scoring slowed considerably and the required rate rose to more than 10 an over. Trying to force the pace, Balderson was caught by Hutton off the spin of Montgomery for 15 at 205-6 and then Lavelle brought a sense of urgency back with some speedy running between the wickets and some meaty striking, two fours and one six in his 18, was caught by James off Montgomery at 237-6 by which time the rate had been brought down to around eight runs per over.
Croft, with the more than able assistance from Lamb, then took over. The pair raced to a 94-run partnership with Lamb’s 43 containing two (dreaded) ramp shots for four along with two further boundaries and one six when he was caught by Patterson-White off Hutton for an excellent 43. By then, 331-7, Croft had passed a superb century in 95 balls – his first 50 took 61 balls - with eight fours and two sixes and he had reduced the required rate considerably. He then struck successive fours and went on to make 115 not out off 105 balls with 10 fours and two sixes as he took Lancashire home by three wickets with Hurt not required to face a ball.
Footnote: The 22 yards that had realised 1,421 runs in the two Royal London games was used once more on the Saturday after the Nottinghamshire game and Blackpool’s opponents Longridge could not match what had gone before as they were bowled out for 114! Blackpool knocked off the required runs for the loss of just two wickets.
“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!
