Norden's title quest continues with victory at Clifton

Norden continued their quest for the Lake Garage Central Lancashire League title by defeating Clifton at Manchester Road on Sunday.

But they didn’t make it easy for themselves before reaching their 126 target with seven wickets down.

Steve Pimm hit a valuable unbeaten 19 to steer the Stags over the line.

Clifton’s innings never got going in the face of some good bowling, and their 125 score would have been much less had Norden not missed four possible catching chances.

As it happened eight of the 10 wickets fell to catches, most of them in the slips or behind the wicket.

Ainscough was first to go when he was taken by Nick Brierley after snicking a delivery from Simon North whose impressive 14 overs contained seven maidens and resulted in him finishing with two for 24.

Chris Lord was then run out after setting off to leave himself with no chance of regaining his ground.

Deputy professional Gareth Cross looked in form, but with 13 to his name Williams took a catch behind the stumps to give Hashum Malik the wicket he deserved for a tight early spell with the ball.

Ben Chapman and Ian Morris then featured in a reasonable stand which took the total up to 70, but Chapman then became another slips victim, and two runs later Evans gave a simple return catch to Daniel Salpietro.

It was 72 for five, and wickets continued to tumble.

Morris was caught by Brierley for 25, Dorsey was caught behind by Williams, and Lord (A) went leg before to Salpietro.

Greg Jennings was caught behind for four, but Steve Cheetham and Liam Dorsey held out and threatened to deny Norden a chance of maximum points before Cheetham, on22, went to a return catch by Ollie Makin two balls in to the 50th over.

Salpietro and Simon Harman staved off the pace threat from Cheetham as Norden started their reply, but with 66 on the board, and with 44 to his name, Salpietro was given out leg before to Cross.

Harman went the same way three runs later, and Hashum Malik was caught behind without addition.

With clouds rolling in Norden needed some quick runs to reach the rate required in case the CLL version of Duckworth-Lewis had to kick in.

But runs were not easy to comeby.

North and Brierley made it 92 for three before the former was caught behind, and Ollie Makin was quickly clean bowled by Cheetham who had returned to the attack before leaving the field with what looked to be a shoulder injury.

Ben Chapman took Cheetham’s place in the attack and bowled Brierley for 14, before bowling Harvey Fitton for two.

By the time Fitton was out Norden needed another seven. Four of them came from Matthew Williams, and Pimm did the rest in what was probably his most vital knock of the season.

Clifton

C Lord run out 6
J Ainscough c Brierley b North 6
G Cross c Williams b Malik 13
B Chapman c Brierley b North 19
I Morris c Brierley b Makin 25
J Evans c and b Salpietro 0
S Dorsey c Williams b Salpietro 6
A Lord lbw Salpietro 0
S Cheetham c and b Makin 22
G Jennings c Williams b Makin 4
L Dorsey not out 14

Extras 10

Total 125

Bowling: Malik 10-4-39-1; North 14-7-24-2; Salpietro 15-2-43-3; Makin 10.2-2-19-3.

Norden

S Harman lbw Cross 23
D Salpietro lbw Cross 44
H Malik c Evans b Chapman 1
S North c Evans b Cheetham 17
N Brierley b Chapman 14
O Makin b Cheetham 0
S Pimm not out 19
H Fitton b Chapman 2
M Williams not out 4

Extras 3

Total (for 7 wkts) 127

Bowling: Cheetham 11.3-2-33-2; Jennings 6-0-23-0; Cross 11.1-0-38-2; Chapman 7.3-3-30-3.