Rain rescues Garstang CC against title chasers

Danny Gilbert hits out against Blackpool Picture: Tim Gilbert/Preston Photographic Society

Garstang CC were thankful for Saturday's showers as they looked set for defeat in their Northern League encounter against Blackpool.

With leaders Netherfield needing next to no time in seeing off bottom side Preston, the pressure was on Blackpool to remain on their tails.

They travelled to the Riverside to meet last year’s Palace Shield champions, Garstang, and dismissed the home side for 140.

Having chosen to field first, Blackpool had an early success with Matt Grindley (2-33) bowling Michael Walling (3).

His new ball partner Jovaun van Wyndgaart (2-30) then picked up a couple of wickets as he accounted for Michael Wellings (10) and Fayaz Ughradar (20) to leave Garstang 42-3.

Blackpool were then held up by a 46-run stand for the fourth wicket between Garstang skipper Mark Walling and Coen Oosthuysen.

That ended when both fell with the score on 88 as Mark walling (13) fell to Andy Furniss (3-10) with Matthew Siddall (3-25) then dismissing Oosthuysen for an innings-high 32.

That was the start of a collapse which saw five wickets fall for 12 runs as Furniss sent back Matthew Crowther (2) and Ian Walling (6), while Siddall got the better of Mark Winstanley (1) with Garstang now 100-8.

Siddall trapped Naqib Rahman (8) 10 runs later but Blackpool were held up by a 30-run stand for the final wicket, ended when Grindley dismissed Danny Gilbert (21).

Blackpool’s reply, however, only lasted four overs with opening pair Matthew Houston and Syed Kazmi hitting a brace of boundaries each in taking their side to 18-0.

That was when the rain came, leaving both sides with five points each.