Griffiths grabs match by scruff of the neck
ORMSKIRK’S third successive victory took the Brook Lane side to the top of the ECB Premier League on Saturday evening as the MI Dental Liverpool Competition’s élite geared up for a titanic battle this summer.
But the chances of Matt Glayzer’s men ending the day top of the pile seemed slim when they collapsed to 23-5 and 44-6 at Lytham before pace bowler Gavin Griffiths and Nick Caunce salvaged the innings with knocks of 31 and 28 not out to hoist the total to 121 all out
Toby Lester took 4-18 for Dom O’Brien’s side and the Lancashire leftarm seamer also made 26 in his side’s reply but he was powerless to prevent that man Griffiths grabbing 4-28 or Scott Lees bagging 4-15 as the misfiring Church Road side were dismissed for 103 in 43 overs.
However, the leading seven clubs in the 12-team league are now covered by just 18 points with Northern moving into second spot after a tense 12-run win over Wallasey at Rosclare Drive.
Everything was going swimmingly for James Cole’s men after Davy Smith’s 49 had piloted them to 194-8 declared in 54 overs and Tom Sephton had helped reduce the home side to 102-8.
At which point Wallasey’s No9 Mykal Graham changed the game with a spirited 51 before Sephton’s last two wickets ended the tailenders’ late resistance. Wallasey were dismissed for 182, leaving the left-arm spinner with figures of 5-78 and his team with a vital victory. Stephen Cole took 3-26.
Saturday’s morning’s leaders, Firwood Bootle, were forced to hang on for a draw at Cricket Path after Formby’s Elliot Ketteringham had played one of the innings of the day.
Ketteringham crashed 19 fours and three sixes in his 114-ball 131 and added 103 for the eighth wicket with Gary Keedy, but his century did not set up his side’s first league win of the season.
Slow left-armers Keedy (3-63) and Stephen Parry (4-42) prevented Bootle mounting a serious pursuit of Formby’s 250-8 declared but last pair, Chris Liptrot and Chris Cunningham, defied Ian Cockbain’s attack.
Another vital innings by Adam Neal helped New Brighton to a three-wicket win in a fine match at Leigh.
Fifties from Luis Reece, Ross Zelem and Mattie McKiernan boosted the home side’s total to 221-4 declared but Upal Fernando’s 52 kept David While’s men in the hunt before Neal’s 44, with half a dozen fours and a six, all but clinched the 20 points.
Colwyn Bay are now fourth in the table after their draw against Rainhill. Zak Gidlow’s 62 was the top score as the visitors posted 225-4 declared at Victoria Terrace with Mohammad Qureshi bowling unchanged to take 4-74, all his victims being lbw.
Qureshi then made 56 not out in his side’s 160-8 with left-arm spinner Paul Jenkins’s 5-63 off 25 overs taking his haul of wickets for the season to 17 in four games.
Matthew Bailey’s 78 helped Rainford chase down 221 to condemn Birkenhead Park to their fourth defeat on the trot. Mike Barnes’s 54 had helped Chris Davies’s men post a very competitive 221-5 declared in 54.1 overs but Bailey and his skipper Paul Farrar, who made 48, had the last word.