NPL Cricket - Huck impresses as Netherfield cut gap on leaders (From The Westmorland Gazette)

NPL Cricket - Huck impresses as Netherfield cut gap on leaders

9:49am Sunday 31st July 2011 in Northern League By Mike Latham

NETHERFIELD made up ground on the leading two in the first division of the Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket League with a comprehensive 151-run, maximum-point victory over Carnforth at Lodge Quarry on Saturday.

Ahead of Sunday's programme, St Annes (played 18-176pts) lead Leyland (17-163) by 13 points, but David Makinson's side has a game in hand.

Netherfield (18-158) keep in touch with the top two and keep themselves in the title reckoning. Wicketkeeper John Huck took the batting honours with a superlative unbeaten 77 off 92 balls as the visitors piled up a target of 253 for six for Carnforth to chase.

Opener Marc Brown got Netherfield off to a great start with his a fluent 49, while off-spinner dickon Morris took 3-52 and then provided the only sustained resistance with the bat as Carnforth subsided to 102 all out.

In-form Stuart Nixon took 5-28 off 11 overs to destroy the top order, claiming the vital wicket of opener Ryan Nelson who was adjudged caught behind down the legside.

Morris valiantly made an unbeaten 55 off 63 balls with ten fours, but Nathan Chambers and Marc Hadwin each took two wickets to polish off the tail.

Kendal have a bye day on Saturday but are back in action at Preston as the league's double header continues today (Sunday).

Netherfield are back on their stomping ground with a home tie against Morecambe (1pm start).

Elsewhere on Saturday, St Annes star Atiq Uz-Zaman grabbed his first career hat-trick and then hit an unbeaten century as his side maintained their 13-point lead over defending champions Leyland on a gloriously sunny afternoon.

The former Pakistan Test wicketkeeper even eclipsed pro Dinuka Hettiarachchi who had taken the first seven Fleetwood wickets to fall at Vernon Road. Hettiarachchi took his seasonal tally to 72 wickets with a superb bowling display, taking 7-37 off 23 overs; though wicketkeeper Dean Bell long defied his spinning wiles to compile a high-class 65 of 95 balls.

Bell's fine effort formed the cornerstone of Fleetwood's 157, off-spinner Atiq ending the innings by pinning captain Mat Clark leg before, bowling Kieran McGann and then seeing Tom Wilson caught in the deep by Ben Willis for 35.

Atiq then hit a superb unbeaten 102 off 109 balls including 19 fours to see St Annes home by eight wickets.

His third league century of the season saw him pass 800 runs for the campaign and teenager Nathan Bolus, who made an unbeaten 42 off 91 balls helped him add 123 in an unbroken third wicket stand.

Leyland's game at Woodhill Lane was a thrilling, low-scoring affair; the defending champions recovered from 69-7 chasing 135 to win by three wickets against Morecambe.

Pro Brett Pelser, who made an unbeaten 60 and Peter Cummings, who was undefeated on 21 were the Leyland heroes in a match-winning stand of 66.

Morecambe's Pakistan A fast bowling professional Anwar Ali had wrecked the Leyland top order in a spell of 6-67, taking his seasonal tally to 54 wickets in an impressive debut season in the Northern League.