Win sets up Readers Cup Semi
Lower order fightback and tidy bowling effort sets up victory
Lancaster bounced back from Saturday’s disappointment with their first Readers Cup win since 2008 on Sunday.
Chorley skipper Andrew Holdsworth inserted Lancaster and it looked like a familiar tale being retold for the hosts early on when Alex Metcalfe was clean bowled first ball for a duck by youngster Ed Moulton.
Moulton blew away the top-order in style. Jamie Heywood played on to a full delivery to go for 5 and the young seamer put Lancaster firmly in trouble when he nipped one through the gate of Rameez Raja for 10 at 23 for 3.
A bad situation got worse for the hosts when Moulton claimed his fourth – this time it was Sam Moorby edging to the elder Moulton, Will, at second slip for a second ball duck.
And 23 for 4 became 32 for 5 when Kieran Moffat was castled by James Lee to add to the Lancaster collapse.
From then Lancaster recovered in fine style. Charlie Swarbrick has shown glimpses of his potential since his return from a rotator cuff injury but Sunday saw the right-hander offer a full showing as he picked off boundaries at will.
Iain Perrieman provided good support at number seven employing his bottom hand to good effect in rotating the strike and bludgeoning the odd boundary into the leg-side.
The hosts motored past three figures as Chorley struggled to wrestle back control. Swarbrick’s fifty came up in as many balls with a maximum into the far wall. His 58 came to an end with something of anti-climax as he picked out Pete Cummins at square-leg off a Michael Mead long-hop.
But Perrieman remained and was well-supported by the lower-order. Despite Dan Chambers being caught for 4 off Mead, Ben Simm, Liam Moffat and a returning Danny Welbourne all chipped in with important cameos as the 40-over mark approached.
Perrieman brought up his maiden first-team fifty late in the piece with a characteristic blow into the leg-side to take Lancaster beyond 170.
Welbourne’s unbeaten 17 at number 11, including a lofted maximum over cover, would prove important later in the game – Lancaster finishing on an unlikely 191 for 9.
In a reverse of the Leyland innings, Chorley looked in control from the off. David Fisher and the aggressive Will Moulton took the visitors to 57 for no loss after ten overs with the pair taking full advantage of the fielding restrictions.
After an injury to Perrieman, new skipper Alex Metcalfe threw the ball to Kieran Moffat who bowled a tidy eight-over spell from the Atherton Road end.
Moffat’s patience was rewarded as Moulton picked out his brother Liam at long-on to make it 61 for 1.
Spin was the order of the day from the River End as Simm got to work tying down the Chorley top-order. Ian Dickinson departed edging Simm behind for 9 as Chorley’s position of strength slowly began to seep away.
Dan Chambers replaced Simm and bowled with great control while Iain Perrieman returned – this time bowling left-arm spin – to ratchet up the required run rate further.
Hope for Chorley lay with Fisher who passed his fifty as Chorley breached the hundred mark but pressure was building. But that hope evaporated when Fisher walked past a Chambers arm ball and Sam Moorby completed a sharp stumping.
Number four Andy Holdsworth fell in the same fashion soon after to Chambers as Lancaster looked to wrestle back the game.
Jack Bentham gave Chorley some momentum at number five, striking a maximum onto the banking to keep the total within reach.
Despite the loss of Alex Howarth LBW to Chambers for 8, the quick singles of Bentham and Andy Flear kept Chorley well in range.
With 26 required from four overs, the returning Ben Simm and Liam Moffat killed off hope for the visitors. First Bentham found a sliding Raja at long-on to go for 30 before Pete Cummings became Simm’s second victim of the over, 173 for 7.
Moffat broke the back of the chase by bowling straight to castle Flear and Mead and leave Chorley with an unlikely 17 to win from the final over.
Simm made sure of a semi-final berth as an Ed Mouton leading edge ballooned back to the bowler. Chorley falling 14 short with four deliveries to spare to leave Lancaster set for their second cup semi-final of the year.
Team Sponsors