East stars in Lancaster’s win over Leyland

East’s five wickets for 31 saw Leyland slip to 95 all out on a green Fox Lane surface.

After David Makinson opted to set a total, the left arm pair of Liam Moffat and Iain Perrieman found their lines early.

The dangerous Chris Parkinson was dismissed by Perrieman without troubling the scorers while Nathan McDonnell’s breezy innings came to an end after Moffat completed a caught and bowled chance.

Pro Richard Frienz and Sam Oldham dug in for the hosts resulting in captain Ben Simm throwing the ball to his young paceman, East.

Shaping the ball away, East forced Oldham into an uppish drive to cover where Simm completed the simple catch to leave Leyland three down before 50 was on the board.

Karl Cross entered at five and saw attack as the best mode of defence – striking three boundaries off an East over.

But the 18-year-old had the last laugh as Cross tried one big shot too many and top edged a skier to Lee Sparks to hand East his second wicket.

Frienz’s watchful innings was an indication of the quality of Lancaster’s bowling but it was the ridged surface eventually proved his undoing. East could do no wrong as Frienz was pinned for 15 by a ball that kept low and trapped him in front of all three to leave the hosts teetering.

Simm rotated Perrieman to make the most of the ridge on the pitch and it proved successful, Ross Bretherton becoming Perrieman’s second victim and Leyland’s sixth to go.

With one over left in his permitted seven-over stint East struck gold again first cleaning up Thomas Murray and then re-arranging James Rounding’s stumps with the final ball of his spell to complete his maiden first division five-wicket haul.

With the back of the innings broken there was no way back for Leyland. The evergreen Makinson was caught well short of his ground after an ill-judged single to Charlie Swarbrick at point before pro Rameez Raja mopped up the tail bowling Will Jacques to leave Leyland dismissed five short of three figures in just 28.5 overs.

With memories of a top-order collapse against Kendal two weeks ago and 71 overs at their disposal, Lancaster, understandably set about their target with caution.

Jamie Heywood and Kieran Moffat were patient at the crease – building a solid foundation for a potentially tricky chase.

Karl Cross made the initial breakthrough – Moffat adjudged leg before to leave the visitors 23-1.

Enter Swarbrick at three who played the ideal foil to Heywood. His cameo 22 eroded much of the Leyland’s spirit while Heywood continued to occupy the crease.

Swarbrick’s brief but bright innings ended with a top-edged pull off the wily Leyland skipper and when pro Raja departed for a two-ball duck the hosts sensed Lancaster had left the door ajar.

Dan Chambers’ 40-ball six – while innocuous on paper proved important in steadying the wobble. Meanwhile Heywood continued to churn out runs at the other end as the total required ticked ever closer.

Perrieman helped issue the coup de gras with Heywood unbeaten on 39 not out from 105 deliveries to give the Lune Road men all the points.