Heysham can win the title today

Heysham are on the brink of winning the Westmorland League Championship needing just 3 points from their last two games to secure the historic title for the first time since 1961. Today they travel to Sedgwick with the weather.

In recent weeks captain Lewis Plackett has won the toss and with conditions likely to favour the bowlers unleashed his attack. That was the pattern against bottom side Kirkby Lonsdale, who with Jamie Cassidy (4/29) and Sam Calverley (3/31) in tandem, slipped to 34/6. Ben Ferguson (36) and Callum Little (30) took the total to 97, but Plackett (43 not out) and Phil Bovis (28 not out) completed the 9-wicket win. Heysham travel to Sedgwick on Saturday. Shireshead’s pursuit faltered when Adam Hornby (53) and Glenn Russell (25) enabled Carnforth 2nds to recover from 6/3 to score 110. Joe Cunliffe took 4/19 and Daniel Pye 3/15 for Shireshead. Shireshead’s response was one of those where all the batsmen were waiting for a colleague to step up to play the significant innings. No one did, Stan Collinson’s 26 was the highest score as Alfie Hill (3/13) took the final wicket after Gary Baxendale (3/18) had strangled the middle order.

Third placed Sedgwick were indebted to a third wicket stand of 66 between Lee Tattersall (44) and Tom Ridley (51 not out), the latter making a maiden fifty. Ben Dobson excelled for Morecambe 2nds with 5/43, but on a difficult track 146/9 was formidable. Morecambe had little answer to Jonny Matthews (4/21) and Ollie Sanday (4/23) as Mr Extras top scored with 21, the evergreen Gullam Maje defying the bowlers for 19. Holme gave themselves an outside chance of surviving the drop as a season’s bests from Paul Duckett (31) was the only double figures score in 62/9 before last pair Simon Shipperd (44) and Ian Betley (14 not out) added 53 and enabled them to post 115. Graham Kellett took 4/21 for Warton. Tom Barnfield (36) was the key man but when he fell to Betley (4/12) he removed the last four wickets for 3 runs, Holme winning by 30 runs and are now 6 points behind Bare in the race for safety.

Bare were frustrated by the weather at home to Kendal. With most of the Morecambe Bay area remaining dry a prolonged shower hit the Powder House Lane area and affected the games involving Bare, Torrisholme and Westgate. Sam Fletcher (63) and Paul Dodds (40) had added 101 for the second wicket for Kendal in their 177/6 but there wasn’t sufficient time for Bare to bat after tea and the game was abandoned. Nathan Chambers (6/34) had his best day of the season bowling out Arnside for 86 Which Burneside passed for the loss of 2 wickets, Ryan Shepherd making 38 and David Batty 30 not out.

Silverdale’s game at Westgate was interrupted by the rain but they only need 3 points for the Division 2 Championship. Joel Frith (49), David Hannigan (40) and John Lynch (32) took Westgate 2nds to a competitive 171/5. In their truncated response Silverdale were 27/1. Shireshead 2nds need two points to secure second place after a winning draw at Morecambe with Paul Yates (66) and Gareth Bleasdale (49) the main contributors to 174/7. Veteran pairing Mark Armistead (3/40) and Tommy Clough (3/27) did most of the damage and it was Phil Dennison (37 not out) who held out for the draw on 121/9. Ambleside were 144/7 when their game with Netherfield 3rds was abandoned. Bob Simpson (46) scored the bulk of Coniston’s 85 against Heysham 2nds. Young spinner Oliver Toulmin (6/20) had a career best performance. Only David Parker (27) looked comfortable as the masters of the close finish Heysham finished an agonising 6 runs short. Robert Muir took 3/9 and Robert Warne (3/13). Anchor man Steve Bowman made 76 not out from 142 balls for Milnthorpe as they totalled 133/5 against Sedgwick 2nds who with Mike Bracken (50) scoring his first fifty of a season interrupted for the best of reasons, Sedgwick were able to finish on 110/8 despite 3/21 from Darren Wills and 3/31 from Mike Wills.

Ingleton hammered Carnforth 3rds by 10 wickets on Bank Holiday Monday, Josh Capstick taking 7/13 and Matthew France 3/14 as the home side capitulated for 27 to lose by 10 wickets. It means Ingleton need 11 points to be certain of promotion, but the race for the other two promotion places is likely to go down to the final week with 14 points separating the next 4 teams as the League Management Committee indicating its intention that the top 3 teams should be promoted for 2024. Burneside 2nds are top with a 9-point advantage over Trimpell with Windermere and Leven Valley close behind. Mark Ward (59 not out) and Paul Wilson (34) helped Burneside 2nds to 166/6 before Wilson (3/2) led the bowling ensemble as Arnside 2nds mustered 55. Trimpell are second, but only 4 points ahead of Windermere, 5 of Leven Valley and 10 of Ingleton who have 2 games in hand. Andy Muir made 30, but Dan Sykes (4/2) and Denzil Henderson (3/2) bowled them out for 81. It was a struggle for Windermere as CJ Green (3/8) led the attack and Mark Baldwin (3/19) as relieved of the gloves, but Sam Harrison (26) battled through to give Windermere a 3-wicket win. It was easier for Windermere on Sunday as Sykes took another 4 wickets and Will Aspinwall contributed 3 in an 8 wicket win against Bare 2nds. Holme 2nds were 29/2 against Bolton le Sands when the localised rain wrecked the game. Leven Valley’s chances of a first promotion since 2000 were boosted when Maxwell Irving (6/22) bowled out Carnforth 3rds for 61 as they won by 9 wickets. Jack Dougan (37) and James Wright (45) took Silverdale 2nds to 133, Brain Naubuga taking 4/31 for Bare 2nds who replied with 107, Dave Sudell scoring 53. Paul Moffatt took 5/13.
Ulverston 3rds are the winners of Division 4 North. Hector Westmorland-Nicholson (33) was Coniston’s 2nds chief contributor, as Oliver Wilcox’s 3/13 restricted them to 80 before Partha Singh (21 not out) batted resolutely to confirm the win by 5 wickets. Challengers Burneside 3rds dismissed Ingleton 2nds for 96. On a good weekend for veterans, Dave McGonnigal scored 46. Rob Timms took 3/22 and Isaac Moorby 3/6. Daniel Gordon (3/15) and Chris Hudson (5/24) ran through Burneside for 46. Jack Wilson took 3/25 for Appleby Eden 3rds as they bowled out Shireshead 4ths for 73 which thanks to Adam Knowles (47) they passed for the loss of 7 wickets. Another veteran, Malcolm Taylor took 3/25 against his boyhood club. In the first meeting of the clubs over the big derby weekend, Netherfield 4ths with Lewis Edge (19) in their ranks ran out as winners against Kendal 3rds. Trent Knowles took 3/33 for Kendal, but his team finished 28 runs short of Netherfield’s 97 after Alistair Reeves (4/28) and Scarlett Burrow (3/11) had reduced them to 32/6.

Morecambe 4ths are the winners of Division 4 South. Joe Jackson (52) and Dineshmanickam Annadurai (52). bucked the low score theme as the home side made 178/6 which Westgate 3rds couldn’t chase finishing on 102/9. Nine bowlers tried but no one could dislodge Jack Edwards (16 not out). Jackson took 3/10. Shireshead 3rds finished second. Thomas Atkinson (3/10) and Evan Yates (3/13) restricted Heysham 3rds to 66 which they passed for 3. Will Garnett took 3/15 as Milnthorpe 2nds bowled out Sedgwick 3rds for 80. Ryan Heddle’s 35 took them to a 5-wicket win.

Pictured is the 1955 Heysham Championship team