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Saturday saw last season’s Northern Premier Cricket League runners-up drop into the bottom two after losing at basement club Vernon Carus.

A low-scoring match saw Lancaster, beaten by Netherfield seven days earlier, go down by five wickets after they were asked to bat first and were all out for 97.

Having lost Eddie Steinson (3), they had reached 33-1 before losing four wickets for only 14 runs.

Lancaster CC's Irfan Khan starred with the bat in Sunday's T20 victory Picture: Tony North

Lancaster CC skipper has two hard acts to follow

Faizan Khan (8), Irfan Khan (18), Jamie Heywood (0) and Jack Lord (5) were all out as they fell to 47-5.

The wickets of Kieran Moffat (12), Steven Fisher (8) and Lee Marshall (8) then left the score 84-8.

David Steinson (21) offered some resistance but his departure, followed by Lee Sparks (0), ended the Lancaster innings with Scott Sparks eight not out.

Matthew Timms took 3-38 for a Vernons team who secured their first win of the season in reaching 99-5.

Lancaster had scented an unlikely win after reducing Vernons to 34-5 with Irfan Khan (3-37) dismissing Matthew Stevenson (4), Christian Ash (0) and Jack Airey (7), while Moffat (2-38) accounted for Wes Royle (0) and Jamie Rigby (1).

However, Ben Duerden (45 not out) and Kasun Ekanayake Mudiyanselage (34 not out) put on 65 to give Vernons victory.

Defeat leaves Lancaster four points from safety going into Saturday’s home match against Fulwood and Broughton (12.30pm).

However, the following day brought a first win in the Readers T20 group stage as Lancaster beat Longridge by 56 runs.

Batting first, they compiled 225-2 from their 20 overs as Irfan Khan dominated proceedings.

He struck 17 boundaries and nine sixes in finishing 150 not out from only 71 balls.

The Longridge reply saw them all out for 169 with one ball of their innings left as Heywood took 7-14.

There was also a win for the second XI on Saturday as they saw off Blackpool by seven wickets in division three of the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield.

Having put Blackpool into bat at Lune Road, Lancaster dismissed them for 189 as Noor Elahi and Steven Armstrong took 5-64 and 3-9 respectively.

Lancaster’s reply saw them reach 190-3, led by opener Danny Welbourne (65) and Karthik Radhakrishnan (43 not out).

Lancaster CC's league defeat followed by T20 success