Vintage Verden as settle draw with Baxenden (From Craven Herald)

Vintage Verden as settle draw with Baxenden

9:37am Monday 6th July 2009 in

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Settle first team’s encounter with unbeaten Baxenden, on the league leaders’ home patch, ended in a draw as the weather intervened.

Settle were asked to bat and posted the second highest score by any opposition team in the 12 games so far this season. This excellent effort was largely due to a stunning knock of 73 from opener Mark Verden, who is enjoying a vintage year and currently averaging 53.

His cavalier innings included four sixes and ten fours and he was well supported by Shaun Airey, who danced down the wicket to the spinners to record an entertaining 25 runs. However, only three other batsmen reached double figures. In the middle order, Will Davidson (12) put two classy fours through the off-side, while Will Metcalfe (10) placed the ball well with some clean drives.

Down the order, Simon Chapmen (10) caused merriment by hitting the Rawalpindi professional Naeem for six, but the innings ended on 178 with a dramatic run-out with one ball remaining.

Gary Sudworth was the pick of the bowlers with a return of 5-37. Baxenden’s reply looked as ominous as the gathering storm clouds as openers Naeem and Callum Waddington put on 94 without loss, but the rain ended proceedings after 17 overs.

After a shaky start to the season, Settle lie in ninth places with only a few points separating the mid-order teams.

Until this draw they had won four out of their last six games and this will be hoping for more success this Saturday when they entertain struggling Clitheroe at the Marshfield.

Settle seconds could not repeat the previous week’s triumph, losing at home to league leaders Brinscall first team. Good contributions came from skipper Nick Cook (16) and Damon Barrett (14), with Robert Hutchinson hitting 35 at a run a ball.

However, the evergreen David Hulse stole the show by smashing seven fours in his quick-fire innings of 41, leaving Settle on 151 all out.

The visitors replied with a century opening stand to finally win by eight wickets after 20 overs. Hutchinson picked up the wickets and Barrett only conceded three runs an over.

Settle third team beat Whalley by a handsome 121 runs. Opener Tom Elliott showed the way with a thumping innings of 61, supported by 32 from Robert Hutchinson, 21 from Jack Jones and 15 from Robbie Davidson.

But it was the stand-in skipper Will Davidson who put the game out of Whalley’s reach with a fearsome knock of 71 not out from just 41 deliveries.

He also had a major hand in the field by picking up three catches and claiming a run-out. Settle’s bowling highlights included three wickets for Hutchinson, two for Laurence Read and a fine spell of 4-54 from left-arm spinner Fergus Milligan.

Torrential rain robbed Earby of almost certain victory when they travelled to Oswaldtwistle, writes John Heald.

Professional Ali Azmat picked up 4-17 as the home side were dismissed for just 94. Richard Craddock picked up three wickets as Earby looked set to take maximum points.

Opening batsmen Aron Pollard (25) and Stephen Pickles put the visitors well on the way, and they were 44-1 after 11.4 overs when the heavens opened and flooded the Oswaldtwislte ground.

The outcome was even more frustrating when they returned to Earby to find there had been non-stop sunshine, but the club’s Second XI were denied a match because their opponents, Burnley GSOB had been unable to raise a team.

On Friday Earby slipped to defeat at Settle in the Twenty/20 competition and the outcome of the Group stages of the competition could rest on the outcome of this Friday’s clash with Clitheroe, which starts at Applegarth at 6pm.

On Saturday, the first XI are at home to top-of-the-league Baxenden with Earby desperate for a win to press home their battle at the top of the table.

Barnoldswick beat Edenfield by eight wickets at Victory Park. The visitors made 196-9, with the major contribution a superb 129 not out from Atif Ali Zaidi. His knock came off 121 balls and included three sixes and 18 fours, writes Rachel O’Connor.

He struggled to find partners to stay with him with only James Lester with ten, Adam Barnes with 11 and Jamie Kelly with 15 reaching double figures as their kamikaze actions saw five players run out.

The best of the bowling came from Zahid Iqbal with 2-42 off 12 overs. Barnoldswick then knocked off the runs with just two wickets down.

This was due to a fine unbeaten 101, off 84 balls, from Brendan Nash, assisted by an unbeaten 51 from Matt Nutter and 31 from opener Luke Hodgson.

Nash’s innings included 17 fours while Nutter found the boundary seven times in his 69-ball 51. Hodgson also hit five fours. Nash and Nutter shared an unbroken third-wicket stand of 153.

As the bowlers struggled Brett Storey was probably the pick with 1-31 off nine overs while Atif Ali Zaidi had 1-31 off eight.

Barnoldswick seconds lost by a mere five runs to Burnley GSOB firsts, who were dismissed for 134. Barnoldswick were then dismissed for 129.

There was another abandoned game on Saturday when Ghyll firsts travelled to Salesbury. The home side batted first, falling for 83 with 19 from Will Cook, 23 from Tom Gavin and 15no from Liam Parkinson. Doing the damage was Martin Caygill with a superb 7-27. Ghyll were 33-0 when rain stopped play. On Sunday, Ghyll firsts lost to Whalley seconds by 54 runs in their Division Two game at Ghyll Lane. Whalley made 155-9 and Ghyll replied with 101-9.

Ghyll seconds lost to Clitheroe seconds by 125 runs after the visitors posted 240-4. Ghyll fell for 115 in reply.