KENDAL all-rounder Kevin Howarth and wicketkeeper Alan Fawcett turned what looked a lost cause on Saturday into a tremendous three-wicket victory over Preston, writes Richard Daniels.

The 12-point win lifted the Shap Road club up a place to fourth in the table and still poised to have a say in the outcome of the Bay Northern League Premier championship.

Understandably some spectators went before the end on Saturday as Kendal seemed to be spiralling towards defeat at 67-6 in reply to Preston's score of 180 all out.

Total collapse looked imminent after three wickets tumbled for five runs but Howarth, who had already taken 5-56 with his pace bowling, had other ideas.

His unbeaten 70 rewrote the script and he found a willing ally in Fawcett, whose 54 was his first league half-century for the senior side.

Kendal skipper David Fallows said: "Kevin (Howarth) played in his own individual attacking way.

"He is the type of player who believes he can always do the job and was very much the match-winner, but it was 'Corky' (Fawcett),who produced the innings that enabled it to all happen.

"He went out with a plan to push the ones and twos and punish the bad ball and was allowed to do it as Preston did not set the best of fields."

The determined pair shared a seventh-wicket partnership of 108 in 25 overs and Howarth sealed victory in style by clipping a six over deep midwicket with 2.2 overs still in hand.

"When you lose the professional, the captain and one of the opening batsman all for ducks and still win a match from that situation it says something about the belief in the side," added Fallows.

"We think we're still in with a shout of the title if we can put the all-important winning run together."

Preston had lost professional Akbar with a broken wrist last week and Pakistani fast bowler Faheem Ahmed came in as substitute professional.

Their innings was built around a fine unbeaten 101 from Parvez Shah, the former Carnforth paid man now playing as an amateur.

Kendal had taken the early initiative as Howarth struck in his opening over and then professional Kabir Khan took two leg-before victims for the visitors to stand at 21-3.

But Shah struck the ball firmly and could not be budged, hitting three sixes and six fours in his unbeaten 101.

Only Andy Mann made much impact among his team-mate with 30 and Preston were still restricted to 180.

Kendal were always up with the asking-rate of four runs per over in their innings but began to lose wickets alarmingly.

Opener Simon Little played on off the pad without scoring.

Then the introduction of left-arm spinner Manooj Parekh removed Steve Cooper for 19 and his replacement David Fallows for 0, both caught in the slips in his opening over.

Preston spilled five catches in all during the afternoon which did not help their cause, but looked to have the upper hand when Kendal's forcing tactics came badly unstuck.

Trying to impose himself on the bowling, Terry Hunte flashed one to the cover-point fielder for 31.

Kabir Khan was still to score when he put up a leading-edge steepler to extra cover and Ian Schmid departed to a bat-pad catch at forward short-leg also for a duck.

Preston were all smiles at 67-6 and must have thought victory was in the bag, but Howarth and Fawcett demonstrated that it's never ever over until the credits roll.

n Kendal entertain Lancaster in a rearranged first-round Slater Cup tie on Sunda after playing Fleetwood in the league on Saturday.