Last updated at 15:43, Wednesday, 14 July 2010

THE North Lancs and Cumbria League team are on the silverware hunt again.

The talented outfit beat the Lancashire County League by five wickets at Prestwich in the semi-final of the Readers’ 2010 Inter-League Competition.

They will be away to the Manchester Cricket Association in the final on Sunday, August 8. The North Lancs side last lifted the trophy four years ago when, led by Millom batsman Stuart Swallow, they beat the Bolton Association in the final.

In reply, openers Glenn Capstick (0) and Callum Moffat (9) both fell early. That brought Millom’s Ryan Brown and Furness’ Mark Daly together at the crease. The pair put on a superb stand to put the visiting team well in control. Brown eventually fell for 66 and Daly 77. Hodgson hit the winning six with five wickets in hand and eight overs to spare.

There was no such joy, however, for the league’s under-18s team, who were beaten a strong Central Lancs League outfit at Furness Park. Millom’s Paul O’Callaghan and Lindal Moor’s Jack Cumberbatch opened the attack and soon had the scoreboard reading 15-2.

Opener Chris Long, however, proved harder to remove, making 139 after being bowled off a no ball on nought. In a Central Lancs total of 225-8. O’Callaghan finished with excellent figures of 5-57 from his nine overs, while Cumberbatch took 3-41.

It was a big target for the home side to chase down and that task was made more difficult when Drew Postlethwaite and Rob Thompson both fell without troubling the scorers. Furness left-hander Gary Thompson and Kirkby’s Ryan Tyson showed good resistance to make 23 runs each, while skipper Edward Waind chipped in with 18 and Lewis Gribbin 17. The hosts were eventually dismissed for 126 in the penultimate over.

North Lancs League secretary Colin Bickerstaffe said: “They may have been well beaten, but with a couple of years experience they will get deserved revenge.”

First published at 13:04, Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk