NPL Cricket - Unsung Nixon lands Fleetwood catch again (From The Westmorland Gazette)

NPL Cricket - Unsung Nixon lands Fleetwood catch again

9:25am Monday 25th July 2011 in Sport

NETHERFIELD took advantage of Chorley’s defeat on Saturday to move up to third place in the Furness Building Society Northern Premier League’s first division with a six-wicket victory over Fleetwood at Broadwater.

Fleetwood batted first and made 180 for 8. Adam Parker batted with great style to make 85 form 96 balls (5 fours, 4 sixes) for the home side.

Parker was well supported by Mike Clinning, who made 38 in a partnership of 88 that helped weather a hostile opening spell of pace bowling from Netherfield’s Australian professional Be Laughlin.

The bowling hero for the visitors, however, was the often unsung Stuart Nixon, who bowled with great control to take 6 for 69 from 19 overs, his six wickets being the top six batsmen in the Fleetwood line-up.

Netherfield’s run chase centred round a superb innings from Cumberland batsman Alex Atkinson. Atkinson, who led the Northern League U21 team against the MCC recently, was particularly aggressive against short-pitched bowling and made 78 from 84 balls (10 fours, 3 sixes) before he was dismissed by Sam Bell.

The surprise result of the day came at Shap Road, where Carnforth beat Kendal by 67 runs in a low-scoring encounter.

The visitors were asked to bat first and struggled in the face of some accurate bowling from Stu Parkin (3 for 36), Nick Lewthwaite (3 for 42) and Kendal’s captain Chris Miller (3 for 50).

That Carnforth could reach 160 all out owed much to a counter attacking innings of Darren Nelson, who made 32 not out batting at number seven.

The game appeared to be well balanced with Kendal poised on 88 for 5, but a devastating spell of bowling from Carnforth professional Gareth Pedder saw the home side lose their last five wickets for just five runs to be dismissed for 93 in 37.5 overs.

Pedder finished 6-24 from 13.5 overs, his third five-wicket haul of the season.