White Coppice 1st XI lost a nailbiter to leaders Leyland IV on Saturday in a game that had everything.
Coppice are the only team to have beaten Leyland this season and looked they’d do the double when they reduced their opponents to 19-4 in pursuit of 152.
However, Leyland showed why they’re top of the league by holding their nerve to secure a three-wicket win.
Leyland play their home matches at Bretherton CC’s ground and decided to bowl first after winning the toss.
Coppice went into the match on the back of three successive wins and made a cautious start against some economical bowling.
Chris Maguire, in his 250th match for White Coppice, and Bobby Wood shared an opening partnership of 29 in 11 overs before the former was caught in the covers for 7.
Wood was dropped three times on his way to 30 but when Coppice collapsed to 59-7, it looked like there was only going to be one winner.
However, Richard Bush, who’d earlier been involved in a run-out with Matthew McGuinn, batted magnificently to hit 66 off 72 balls with 10 fours.
After sharing a 33-run partnership for the 8th wicket with Ibby Akram (22), he then dominated a last wicket partnership of 48 with allrounder Matt Tinsley to guide his team to a challenging 151 all out.
Leyland’s reply got off to a disastrous start with Tinsley ripping out two wickets in the first over to reduce their innings to 4-2.
When Tinsley added his third wicket – his 28th league victim of an impressive season – Leyland were languishing at 19-4.
Opener 16-year-old Ethan Turner, who earlier took 3-8 with the ball, showed great composure in sharing an 86-run partnership for the 5th wicket with Milo Gammon
Crucially, Coppice weren’t able to cling onto the one chance that Turner offered as Leyland recovered to 104-4.
Gammon took a particular liking to Jake Smalley’s bowling but after hitting two sixes and a four he perished in the same over for a 46-ball half century.
When Leyland subsided to 112-7 it looked like Coppice were in the ascendancy but captain Sam Ellis (30 not out) and Turner (45) guided their side to victory, which was sealed with four overthrows.
A special mention to Leyland’s young skipper Sam Ellis. He was excellent in both games and helped defuse a potential flashpoint when one of the spectators repeatedly remonstrated with a Coppice fielder during Leyland’s innings, forcing the umpires to intervene.
· White Coppice 2nd XI slipped to a nine-wicket defeat on Sunday to Hesketh Bank. Last week’s centurion Amaan Ughradar was unavailable as captain Martin Cuerden won the toss and elected to bat first. Hesketh Bank bowled really well and reduced Coppice to 28-9. Only a 10th wicket partnership of 17 between Cuerden and James Speakman took the score to 45. The visitors reached their target in 11 overs for the loss of just one wicket.