Westmorland Cricket: Wilson shines ahead of top of table clash with Warton (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Westmorland Cricket: Wilson shines ahead of top of table clash with Warton

10:58am Saturday 2nd July 2011 in Sport

WESTGATE face Warton today in a top of the table clash but go into the game in confidence after Peter Wilson broke a 31 year old league record.

Wilson was in inspired form as he smashed the 31-year-old individual league run record with a magnificent unbeaten 189 as Westgate took a winning draw against Arnside last weekend.

Wilson’s innings surpassed that of Brian Danson of Shireshead who knocked 171 in 1980 on the old Silverdale ground.

And Westgate fell just three runs short of breaking Windermere’s highest team score of 292-8 in 2003.

Wilson went in at No3 with the score on 42 and struck the ball around the ground to make 34 from his first 10 balls.

He shared a third-wicket stand of 117 with Dave Hannigan (33) and a fourth wicket partnership of 128 with Khan Puffett (48no) as he stretched away to 189 runs in just 144 balls.

Westgate were to come up just two runs short of matching the team record on 290-4 in a match reduced to 40 overs apiece due to rain.

Arnside refused to throw in the towel despite the early loss of Matthew Brockbank and Adrian Lee and man of the moment Wilson kept his good run going as he took 4-48 asArnside struggled.

Adam Richardson kept Arnside hanging on for a draw with an unbeaten 68 as they finished on 126-6 for a solitary point, as Westgate took seven points.

Bolton le Sands took a maximum 15 points against Heysham as they escaped the weekend downpours.

Inserted to bat, Sands made 149 as Mark Clarkson (58) gave them a strong start but Sam Calverley took four wickets to thwart Sands.

Heysham looked set for victory when cruising at 60-1 as James Whincup made 57, but a middle order collapse saw them fall to 92-6.

Graham Cassidy (20) and Paul Antcliffe (27) edged them closer to victory before Cassidy was out with the score on 132.

Heysham needed six runs for the last wicket but after a single, Paul Antcliffe was caught on the boundary as Heysham fell four runs short with Adam Dyson taking five wickets for Sands.

Warton strengthened their lead at the top as they overcame Shireshead for 12 points in a 30 overs per side match.

Shireshead started well as Lawrence Singh (21) and Uzair Shah added 45 for the first wicket, but a mini collapse saw James Rafferty (4-64) exploit the bowler-friendly conditions, while Shah’s 56 kept the visitors in with a fighting chance on 136-7.

Tony Barrow and James Rafferty set Warton on the victory march with a quick-fire 36 off six overs and the first wicket eventually fell for 55. But Phil Oliver (4-67) and Dave Jack found their rhythm as Warton slipped to 88-5.

Phil Bovis’s wicket was to prove crucial and his stay at the crease with captain Graeme Crowther saw him make an unbeaten 46 as Warton made 137-5 for a five wicket win.

In Division 2 Colin Twiname (115no) and Simon Harrison (104) knocked a century apiece as Shireshead A took 15 points at home to Warton, while Darren Troughton (8-54) enjoyed an eight-wicket haul against Trimpell to earn Ibis a 57 run victory.

And Barry Smith made an unbeaten 106 in Morecambe’s Division 4 victory at Kirkby in Furness.