White Coppice 2nd XI were the only team to beat the weather in a rain-hit weekend – and they took full advantage.
Both the 1st XI’s game against Leyland 4th XI on Saturday and the 3rd XI’s clash with Ormskirk Occasionals on Sunday were abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Martin Cuerden’s 2nd XI side had to wait around because of the weather before beating New Longton 3rd XI by eight wickets in a reduced-overs game.
A brief window when the rain stopped around 1pm allowed the toss to take place, and Martin Cuerden continued his good form with the coin, electing to bowl first given the inclement forecast.
However, that was as far as things got for a couple of hours as the rain set in. With weather radars being checked constantly, the call of ‘It’ll stop in another 20 minutes’ became a regular catchphrase in the Coppice dressing room.
Eventually, at around 3.15pm, the rain stopped and a 26-over game was agreed.
New Longton’s openers started steadily but without pushing the run rate, with Ibby Akram making the breakthrough after nine overs to leave the hosts 25-1.
Adam Mannan then took centre stage, claiming a remarkable five wickets in just seven deliveries.
His fifth over went: dot, wicket, dot, wicket, dot, before he claimed the crucial wicket of captain Matthew Clegg with the final ball, courtesy of an excellent Russ Millhouse catch.
Clegg, who hit 39 off just 32 balls in the reverse fixture, could have caused some damage with the short straight boundaries.
Mannan started his sixth over by trapping the returning Lee McClure lbw with the first ball before a sharp Mike Houghton catch close in earned him a hat-trick – the first for the 2nd XI since it was reformed last year.
Mannan finished with the remarkable figures of 5-9 from his allotted seven overs and is now the second-highest wicket-taker in the division.
Scott Tite lived a charmed life on his way to three before Houghton dismissed him to continue his excellent season with the ball. He has now taken 22 wickets at an average of just 8.73.
After several near misses, chief burglar-in-chief Cuerden finally got his reward by bowling Andrew Bennett for 28, who had anchored the innings, before knocking the stump out of the ground with the very next ball.
Cuerden could not make it the second hat-trick of the day, though, inducing a play-and-miss with the hat-trick ball.
It was left to another sharp piece of fielding from Millhouse to wrap up the innings with a direct-hit run-out, leaving Coppice chasing 62.
There were six ducks in New Longton’s innings and only one double-figure score.
Jeff Smith and Bobby Wood opened for Coppice, hitting a boundary each in the first two overs before both were bowled by Clegg.
That brought Millhouse and James Hurst to the crease. Millhouse took 11 off the fourth over, including the only six of the game, to put Coppice on 24 after just four overs and already more than a third of the way to their target.
The pair batted steadily without much cause for concern as the scoreboard ticked along. Millhouse accelerated the scoring as the target drew closer, finishing with a season’s-best 33 not out from 31 balls.
He was well supported by Hurst’s unbeaten 13 from 27 balls, including arguably the shot of the day – a straight drive for four.
The pair shared an unbroken partnership of 38 to see Coppice home. Other results went Coppice’s way, leaving them level on points with second-placed Blackpool, who have a game in hand.
* The 1st XI remain second in Division Five after their clash with rivals Leyland fell victim to the weather.
Special mention goes to Anto Kuriakose, who had been set to make his 1st XI debut and brought in a tray of Ferrero Rocher for his team-mates. Anis Haider was looking particularly menacing in the changing room but didn’t get a chance to take the eight wicket haul that he’d promised!