First Division - Fleetwood Hesketh close in on Hightown
Saturday 21st August 2004

After a week of torrential storms across the area, Hightown's match at Highfield fell to the weather and with Colwyn Bay's match against Haydock being rearranged because of a County match at Penryhn Avenue, second placed Fleetwood Hesketh had a chance to close the gap on the leaders at Newton le Willows.

Losing 45 minutes at the start and continuing for four overs after the tea interval, Hesketh batted 46 overs for 168-8d. Neil Rimmer (65) and David Bernard (50) added 87 for the third wicket with SS Das taking 3-19.

Fine Hesketh bowling sent Newton reeling to 84-8 before Chris Waite (33) and Aaron Scott (12*) added 54. but the end came soon after at 145 (38.4 overs) with Bernard taking 5-44.

St Helens Recs asked Liverpool to bat at Aigburth and bowled them out for 80 (35.1 overs). Only Stephen Nealey showed any resistance as Mark Orchard turned in his best performance of the season (8-30) and took a hat trick for good measure.

Recs struck the destruct button and nearly lost the game but managed to hang on at 81-9 despite Geoff Blackburn's 6-31. Veteran slow left armer, Blackburn, has now taken 57 wickets at an average of 7.40.

Rain delayed the start at Windleshaw Road where St Helens elected to bat against Formby. They recovered from 98-8 to an all out 138 after 49.3 overs, Brendan McDonald taking 6-19 and Mark O'Connor, back after injury, 3-62.

Left with 33 overs, Formby hung on for a draw at 115-7 with Dave Hadden and Richard Scanlan hitting 25 apiece and Sanjay Pandey taking 6-46.

The matches Wigan v Orrell Red Triangle and Worsley v Caldy were abandoned without a ball being bowled.

tail piece from umpire Rob Morris who asks "Is this a first?"

In St Helens innings Ian Lawless scored an eight!

Mark O'Connor bowled him a wide long hop that Lawless cut down to the furthest part of the ground away from the pavilion, the long, wet grass held the ball up (the outfield only having been partially cut because of the rain.)

A fielder went after it, retrieved the ball and threw it by which time Lawless and Craig Horabin had completed a third run and then decided to take another 'for the throw'.

In the meantime the ball had reached Brendan McDonald at gully, who turned and saw Craig short of the crease and shied at the stumps at the far end and, with no one backing up, the result was inevitable as the ball crossed the short long on boundary.

Result four runs + four over throws.