White Coppice 1st XI remain second in Division Five after a hard-fought three-wicket against Walton-le-Dale 2nd XI.
Walton-le-Dale included former Coppice players Luke Pilkington and Mick Brown.
Jack Smalley won the toss and invited Walton-le-Dale to bat first.
Pilkington hit a lovely cover drive for four before being the first to go when Matt Tinsley had him smartly caught at mid-off by Richard Bush.
Debutant Anto Kuriakose thought he had his first 1st XI wicket when he rattled Michael Berry’s stumps – only for the Zinger bails to light up but drop back into their grooves.
The ball hitting the bails actually made a clicking sound, prompting a few light-hearted mentions of the so-called ‘Clicky Ponting’ scandal that has been gripping club cricket.
However, Kuriakose didn’t have to wait long for a wicket as he bowled Berry for the second time – and the dismissed batsman sportingly shook the bowler’s hand and said ‘you should have had me twice!’
Walton-le-Dale struggled to get any momentum into their innings and lost a flurry of wickets when chief burglar Ryan Adderley snapped up 4-9 in eight overs.
Nathan Shepard and Tom Sandells took a wicket apiece and only two sixes from No 11 Shah Younas took the innings beyond 100 as they closed in 109-9.
White Coppice’s reply started with Chris Maguire pulling the first ball of the innings for four but both openers were soon dismissed as they slipped to 19-2.
Ryan Adderley (33 not out) and Richard Bush (30) rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 47.
Bush looked particularly fluent and hit six fours over the parched outfield in his fluent 38-ball knock before the elegant left-hander pulled a short ball to square leg.
Nathan Shepard (17) and Adderley took the score to 88-3 before Coppice lost four wickets for 12 runs to slip to 100-7.
Anis Haider and Ant Dark were both dismissed for 0 in the same over before Visakh P Visakh was bowled for 7.
However, the nerves were settled by captain Smalley, whose nine not out saw his team over the line.
His innings may have only lasted five balls but it everything – including a deft flick for four that nobody else saw and him falling to the ground with an apparent hamstring strain before cutting the winning boundary.
White Coppice 2nd XI slipped to a 17-run defeat to Burscough 2nd XI.
The day started off with Coppice being unable to access the scorebox as Ryan Adderley had taken the keys with him, leading to Matt Dewhurst having to clamber in through the window like a cat burglar.
There was minute’s silence before the game for former Burscough player, Jack Elder, who lost his battle with cancer aged just 21.
He’d come up through Burscough’s junior set-up before playing in the 2nd XI and the Sunday development team.
The visitors brought a wreath and signed cap with them and it was a stark reminder that cricket is just a game.
When the play did start, Burscough got off to a flyer, with the first wicket falling in the 14th over with the score on 68
Ian Aldred got the wicket and deserved far more than 1-37 from his 10 overs, having key man Philip Bradley-Jones ‘caught’ on the boundary but the fielder was adjudged to have stepped on the line.
At drinks Burscough were 98-1, and eyeing up a big score but Coppice had other ideas.
Ibby Akram (3-29) and Mike Houghton (4-35) bowled all 20 overs in tandem.
Bradley-Jones was the first to go for an excellent 60, and this triggered a big collapse with five wickets falling in four overs and Burscough lost seven wickets for 30 runs.
This meant Burscough posted a first innings score of 162, which was a great fightback from Coppice when 200+ was on the cards at one point.
Coppice’s reply didn’t get off to the best start with both openers falling for single figures with the score 24-2.
Having put on a match-winning partnership last week. Russ Millhouse and James Hurst carried on in the same vein, putting on 44 for the 4th wicket before Hurst fell to a sharp slip catch for 13.
As with the Burscough innings, the drinks break changed things. Coppice were 74-3 off 20, with the rate in hand and wickets in the bank, Houghton fell first ball post drinks to a ball that did not get up,
Coppice then collapsed to 107-8, including Millhouse who top scored with 47.
Ian Aldred then took matters into his own hands, with Martin Cuerden holding the other end up, the two put on 30 for the 9th wicket, with Aldred dominating the scoring.
Aldred took a particular liking to the spin, taking 19 off those two overs, including a couple of crisp reverse sweeps, which took everyone by surprise.
However, it proved too much for Aldred to do alone, with Coppice falling 17 short in an excellent advert for Division 8 cricket.
The two evenly matched sides have played out two really close games this season.
Given everything the club has been through over the last few weeks it was perhaps fitting that Burscough won on this occasion, and our thoughts are with them and Jack Elder’s friends and family.
White Coppice’s Sunday XI played Ben’s Brewery and were asked to bat first.
Captain Tom Dulson opened with his best score of the season of 32 at a run-a-ball.
Matt Phillipson his a quick-fire 21, including two sixes, before playing on a low one.
Hisham Changi continued his good form with 33 off 34 before retiring.
Syed Bukhari batted in typical manner, scoring 35 off 20 balls before retiring.
John Townson’s first game back after injury saw him score 30 not out off 46 balls before retiring.
Marcus Baretto joined Townson but immediately took a short ball to the helmet from fellow third teamer Vince Evans, who was playing for Ben’s.
Despite the knock to the head, Baretto scored 14, his second best score of the season as Coppice closed their innings on 212-7.
In reply, Coppice opened the bowling with Bukhari and Chris Dale, bowling tightly with the former nipping out both openers.
Ben Knights went for 17 off his first over before switching to leg spin and taking a good wicket and bowling tightly.
Bowling rotated through the team with eight of the nine taking wickets with Oliver Mawdsley unlucky not to get one with a tight spell of four overs.
The game finished with a neat piece of fielding by Changi with a direct hit at the non-striker’s end as Ben’s Brewery finished on 189-9 from their 40 overs.
Special mentions to Joe Hayden for a good catch at long on for his first Coppice catch with James Hurst showing one of the most flamboyant umpire performances ever seen at Coppice.