Bacup 88 all out

Church 92 for 4

Five wins in ten days! Not much time off for cricketers these days with practice and 20/20 but the boys earned some chill-out time to relax in the sun by polishing off Bacup early at Lanehead.

Despite the sunshine it was never going to be a high-scoring match on quite a spiteful track at times.

Andrew Bentley, deputising for the holidaying Phil Gilrane as skipper, had no hesitation in inserting the home side and it was largely due to his Trojan efforts, six for 40 off 17.1 overs, that Bacup were bowled out for just 88.

Levi Wolfenden got the early breakthrough, Farragher snapped up by sub pro Wayne Madsen, but the real mortal blow came when Bacup pro Ryan Broad was given out caught at slip.

Levi bowled home captain Killelea and Highley, having survived a run-out when he had almost given himself up, was bowled by Sam Holt.

From 50 for 7 there was the minor irritation of some resistance from Chris Bleasdale and keeper David Hartley but there was quiet satisfaction at tea-time with two points banked and the promise of a maximum haul.

The reply wasn’t quite a formality – if anything Broad and the initially-wayward Andrew Spencer extracted possibly even more irregular lift than Church’s attack had.

With Alec Holt and Ryan North gone, Wayne Madsen never looked quite as commanding as he had against Hasy a week before and he took a particularly painful blow amidships at one point.

When he finally fell to his opposite number, adjudged caught behind though the keeper had tried for a Dave Pilky-type stumping (!), it looked like it might be a nervy crawl to the line, particularly when Hartley succeeded with his "Flying Pig" routine (ask an ex-player) to stun Sagawat Hussain, who had inflicted a nasty facial blow to Peter Fell as he missed a caught-and-bowled.

Adam Greenwood assuaged any doubts however with four sweet boundaries off Warren’s second over to wrap up proceedings before half five.

The roadshow rolls on to next week’s triple-header against Rishton and with a current top-half spot, possible progress in the 20/20 and a Worsley Cup semi at Rammy to look forward to, there was plenty to savour and to anticipate basking in the Bacup sunshine – not a phrase I ever thought I’d find myself writing.