The top four in the ECB Premier Division faced each other between Saturday’s showers - and third and fourth got the better of first and second.
Wallasey opener Danny Beaver’s 53, his seventh 50+ score of the summer, had helped the leaders to 86/2 against Ormskirk, but they succumbed for just 121 thanks to 5/32 from Jamie Barnes - including a hat-trick - and 5/40 from Afghan spinner Zahir Shehzad, his sixth five-wicket haul of the season.
As impressive as that is, the hosts’ Sumit Ruikar has twice as many. But even he couldn’t defend that total, as John Armstrong’s 50 sealed a seven-wicket win.
But Northern couldn’t take advantage against Leigh. After slipping to 17/4 thanks to an early burst from Patrick Allan, a total of 90 was something of a recovery - but it was nowhere near enough, and the visitors knocked the runs off for the loss of three wickets.
Birkenhead Park got the better of Newton-le-Willows by 89 runs. Safi Abdullah’s unbeaten 79 included six sixes - with 26, he’s the division’s biggest hitter - and along with captain Tom Foster’s 62, he helped the visitors post 227/4. Safi wasn’t finished, and his 5/32 wrapped up the win.
Wigan were the day’s other winners, restricting New Brighton to 155 then earning a four-wicket triumph.
Southport & Birkdale managed to post 220/3 against Rainhill at a soggy Trafalgar Road, with 90 for Jonny Whithead and 50s for JJ Fielding and Jack Stanley. But the visitors made it to 188/7, thanks to 57 from skipper Ben Edmundson, at the close.
Formby’s game at Orrell Red Triangle also ran out of time nicely poised - the visitors posted 200/5 thanks to Sam Oldham’s 51, but Richard Everett was unbeaten on 86 and the score 169/6 when stumps were drawn.
---
Sunday saw Wallasey reach the semi-finals of the ECB National Knockout with a tense two-wicket win over South Northumberland.
The Love Lane Liverpool Competition leaders are one step from the final, uncharted waters for the club, with a semi-final clash against Nantwich to navigate on August 21.
Their top performers on Sunday were no surprise. Sumit Ruikar bowled an eight-over spell that cost just 13 runs, with four wickets thrown in, to becalm the visitors on 161/8 from their 40 overs, before Danny Beaver’s 45 put some wind in the hosts’ sails.
But once Beaver fell, Wallasey were 93/4 and taking on water; captain Greg Beaver and Harry Meehan steadied the ship, but both were sunk in the same over.
Wicketkeeper Jack Leckey and a third Beaver, spinner Andy, took the wheel and steered the side home - Leckey struck the winning four off the first ball of the penultimate over.
The Liverpool Competition rounds of the ECB Vitality Club T20 were won by Leigh, after a final with Northern that was rained off last weekend.
Chris Laker’s 95 and Liam Grey’s 51 helped Northern post 199/4. But their achievements were knocked into the shade by Leigh skipper Karl Brown, who flayed 132 off 63 balls - including 12 fours and seven sixes - to seal a six-wicket win with four balls to spare.
Leigh go on to face Netherfield of Cumbria in the area finals day on Sunday.
Rainford fell short in their Voneus Village Cup semi-final against Dumbleton, a match in which a helicopter stopped play when the air ambulance had to land in response to a shooting at a nearby pub.
By then, the home bowlers had done their part, restricting the visitors to 166/9. But regardless of interruptions, the chase never got going and the last four wickets fell for three runs to dismiss the hosts for 97 and put their dreams of Lord’s on ice.
---
Lytham ran out of time in the battle of the top two in Division One, as they closed on 133/0 with fifties for Myles Child and Richard Staines, in response to Liverpool’s 193/9.
Colwyn Bay moved past Liverpool into second place with a 69-run win at Spring View. Will Evans’ 60 set up the Welsh side’s 204/6.
Firwood Bootle overhauled Caldy’s 161 for a two-wicket win; Corne Nel’s 54 and Dan Hamm’s 5/53 were the standout individual displays for the hosts, but the visitors prevailed.
Rainford kept in touch with the top two thanks to a 32-run win at Ainsdale.
Highfield’s Madduma Lakmal hit 61 in his side’s 164/8 against Sefton Park; Paul Horton made 65 in reply but time ran out with the visitors on 138/7.
The early rain denied us a tense finish at Fleetwood Hesketh, where Northop Hall closed on 113/8 in reply to the hosts’ 127. Hall’s Dhanosh Kaludewa took 6/49, with Ste Gregory claiming 5/51 for Hesketh.
---
The day in Division Two belonged to Norley Hall’s Harsha Rajapaksha, who claimed nine Sutton wickets for 68. But sadly for him, the one that got away was decisive - the visitors’ last pair edged their side over the line, chasing 216 for a one-wicket win.
Maghull lost their first league game of the season, falling just five runs short of Prestatyn’s 198. Gareth Leonard top-scored for the Welshmen with 64 as Munowar Samsodien took 6/71; from 157/9, the hosts’ last pair rallied but fell agonisingly short.
Old Xaverians moved within a point of the top with a 38-run win over Alder. Matthew Harrison’s 68 underpinned Xavs’ 188/9, before Greg Harvey’s 66 proved in vain for the visitors.
Third-placed St Helens Town were comfortable winners over Wavertree. Will Griffiths took 6/35 to ensure the hosts fell 118 short of the visitors’ 221/4, set up by fifties from Dan Roberts and Craig Black.
Matt White scored the day’s only century, for Hightown St Marys against bottom side Parkfield Liscard. His unbeaten 117 set up a total of 220/2; Matt Laybourne’s 6/28 sealed a 134-run win.
