Routine 15 point win over Preston

Lancaster 192ao
Preston 75ao

A positive 61 from Stuart Phillips ensured Lancaster returned to winning ways at home to Preston on Saturday.

At 17 for 3 it looked like the Lune Road men could be embarrassed by the league strugglers but a lower order rally and a Ben Simm six-for secured a maximum 15 point win.

Lancaster’s shaky start began when Alex Metcalfe was trapped LBW for a duck before Rameez Raja chipped back to Navaz Patel.
Charlie Swarbrick gave Navaz Patel his second after a sharp catch at slip by former Lancaster man Rehman Shah.

Jamie Heywood and Sam Moorby set about the recovery. The slow pitch meant scoring was difficult and Heywood dug in against Shabnan Ali while Moorby rotated the strike with quick singles.

Their 56 partnership put Lancaster back on track. Ali’s perseverance paid off when Heywood was caught on the back foot and sent on his way LBW for 29.

Another wobble again put Lancaster’s total in jeopardy. Kieran Moffat mistimed a pull to mid-on off Ali before Moorby played over the top off a Mohmedrafik Patel full toss to depart for 25 at 80 for 6.

Enter Phillips who targeted Preston’s fielding from the off. He found support from youngster Laurie Atkinson (12) and Ben Simm (19) as Lancaster passed 100 and rebuilt.

Phillips kept it simple – forcing the field back and preventing any new bowlers from settling meant errors crept into the visitor’s game.
The number seven’s fifty came up in the 47th over and despite a late clatter of wickets, including Phillips himself LBW for a run-a-ball 61, Lancaster amassed an above par 192 all out.

Preston’s league pedigree has been less than spectacular this year and their batting revealed some of their big problems.

But Shabnan Ali carried on his good form with the ball with bat in hand offering resistance at the top of the order.

Ben Simm got the first of his six scalps when Graham Dobson chipped to Laurie Atkinson at mid-on.

Ali’s aggressive 22 had set Preston’s chase in motion but his departure came through another aerial stroke. Simm tossed the ball above his eye-line and the opener couldn’t resist as Callum East took a smart catch at deep mid-wicket.

Simm kept taking regular wickets from the River End with Mushtaq Tailor top edging to Charlie Swarbrick and Preston skipper finding Alex Metcalfe at silly point.

Rehman Shah showed dogged resistance at number six with a 63-ball 14 but it was a gesture geared toward damage limitation rather than victory.

Liam Moffat toiled with little reward for a hostile spell from the Atherton Road end but he did manage to pick up Gurmandeep Bains LBW for 2 as Preston fell away.

Simm took his fifth when Saif Ullah top-edged round the corner to Moffat at 60 for 6. Moffat himself was replaced by Callum East who removed the stubborn Shah by taking the tally of LBWs for the day to five.

The end came swiftly for Preston. Simm got his sixth when Navaz Patel picked out Atkinson at mid-on once again and it took only two balls of East’s seventh over to wrap up the game. Preston 117 runs short and Lancaster back to winning ways with 15 points.