Morecambe CC skipper happy with solid start

The first day of the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield Premier Division campaign saw Morecambe defeat Vernon Carus by 38 runs at Woodhill Lane.

As was the case with matches across the region, rain meant a reduced-overs game with Briggs’ players making 182-4 from their 37 overs.

Morecambe’s attack then kept their visitors at bay, restricting Vernons to 144-7 and securing 11 points in the process.

Looking back at Morecambe’s victory, Briggs said: “It was a good win, I didn’t really think we were going to get much of a game in.

“When I woke up on Saturday, it was raining and the bowling green next to my house was flooded but it had stopped by the time I got to the ground.

“We were never going to start on time but a 37-over game was fair enough and meant it was still a proper game.

“We batted really well and Lewis Smith (56) had another good start, following on from last year, and everyone else chipped in to get us to a good score.

“After that, Vernons never really looked like they were going to get the runs.

“I think we arguably let them score a few too many runs, but that was more a case of us trying to take the wickets we needed to bowl them out.

“It was frustrating not to take all 10 wickets but, if you’d said on Saturday morning that we’d win and get 11 points, I’d have taken that.”