Usama Malik produced a superb final over under pressure to send holders Norden through to the last 8 of the LCFKO Cup on Sunday evening and complete a fantastic weekend for the club, which also saw them return to the top of the Lancashire League division 1 table. Visitors Denton St. Lawrence looked to have timed their run chase perfectly when Ben Tighe took 14 runs from the first 5 balls of Greg Butterworth’s penultimate over to the short legside boundary but when Tighe hit a low full toss straight to Harvey Fitton at long-on off the final ball of that over it gave Norden a chance. A run-a-ball was required from the final 6 deliveries but Denton were down to their final wicket. 3 singles to start were followed by 2 dots as Malik mixed his pace and the final ball produced a swing and a miss, half an appeal for caught behind and a huge cheer from the crowd.

Norden’s innings started badly when Fitton was bowled by Scott Kirwin but Josh Tolley and Butterworth both looked in good touch and moved the score along nicely until Tolley was caught behind. Ash Zaidi joined Butterworth and at 100 for 2 at the half-way stage, Norden looked set for a total well in excess of 200. However, both set batsmen fell either side of drinks and it was left to the middle-order to get the home side to a competitive score. Hashum Malik, Lee Crabtree and Dom Humphreys all made it into the 20’s but Tighe removed all 3 on his way to 5 for 50 from his 9 overs and the final total of 196 for 9 felt a little below-par on a good pitch. Malik got Norden off to the perfect start by having skipper Adam Hawley caught by Crabtree off the first ball of the reply and things were looking good for the home side when they got the 2 big wickets of Kirwin and professional Neil Hornbuckle, bowled by a beauty from Zaidi, before the score had reached 50. Opener Matt Sonczak holed out to deep midwicket and Butterworth bowled Dan Moriarty round his legs to leave Denton struggling on 78 for 5 but Norden, with only 4 established and fit 1^st team bowlers in the side, had to find some overs from somewhere and Liam Parkinson was able to take advantage, hitting 27 off 2 overs from Dean Lord. Skipper Hashum Malik had no choice but to return to his main bowlers and Parkinson moved to an excellent half-century, but Sami Waheed returned to bowl a superb spell and picked up 2 wickets, including Parkinson, to finish with 3 for 25. The game looked over at 146 for 8 but then a game of cat and mouse ensued with Tighe and Ethan Illingworth knowing that if they took the game deep they would have 3 overs to face from the 5^th/6^th bowling option. They did just that but Malik showed skill and nerve to bowl those 3 overs for just 14 runs and give the home side the victory. Norden will travel to Ormskirk in the quarter-final.  
Sunday Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4916331
Sunday Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rqh_Y-6TZU&list=PL6059uKkjg6zP0UMAW1179G30BnfgDpHX&index=1&t=1164s

Saturday saw then league leaders and rivals Walsden make the trip to Stag Park. The visitors won a good toss and batted first but Norden’s bowlers chipped away at Walsden’s powerful batting line-up, taking wickets at good times and keeping the run-rate under control. Professional Umesh Karunaratne was the mainstay of the innings, making 66, but the hosts were understandably aggrieved that he wasn’t given run-out on 27 after good work at backward point from Dom Humphreys. Matt Dawson provided good support but it was only when Joe Gale joined Karunaratne that things threatened to get out of hand for the Stags. Gale is a powerful striker of the ball and he hit 2 sixes and 3 fours in a quick-fire 37 before mis-timing a drive off Sami Waheed and finding Pimm in the deep. Waheed was rewarded with 4 wickets after sticking to his task admirably after a difficult start and his bowling at the death, alongside the ever-reliable Zaidi and Butterworth, meant that the target to chase remained well within reach at 223. Tolley and Fitton got off to a flyer and when Fitton was bowled by Karunaratne there were already 76 on the board in under 10 overs. Butterworth was the victim of a very poor L.B.W. decision and had Martin Harlow been able to cling on to a catch at deep-midwicket off Zaidi when he was on just 4, things could have looked a little dicey but Tolley was still going well at the other end and his partnership of 93 with Zaidi made for a pretty comfortable chase. Tolley finally went for a splendid 79 and Zaidi remained unbeaten on 88 as the Stags cruised home with 6 wickets and 3 and a half overs remaining. Credit should go to the umpires for remaining strong in the face of some extremely vociferous appeals and the richly deserved win means Norden hold a 4-point lead at the top of the table.
Saturday Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4549849
Saturday Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcPwoGvX9i0&list=PL6059uKkjg6zP0UMAW1179G30BnfgDpHX&index=2&t=2s

There was also a t20 win on Friday night as Zaidi and Fitton guided Norden home with an over to spare chasing Todmorden’s 141 all out. Butterworth took 4 for 12 and Waheed 3 for 22 whilst visiting professional Murasingh hit 63 for Tod but Tolley and Hashum Malik put on a rapid 66 for the opening wicket allowing Zaidi to play within himself and put the Stags into the qualifying places in the Manchester Craft division with 2 games to go. Friday Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4545372
Friday Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qSvUbKeIu4&list=PL6059uKkjg6zP0UMAW1179G30BnfgDpHX&index=3

The 2nds had a nail-biting win at Scott Street on Saturday after a late Walsden collapse meant they fell 22 runs short of their target of 260. Danny Devine, Jack Harrison and Zeshan Anwar made good contributions up top without going on to make a big score but the man in form, Dean Lord, struck an unbeaten run-a-ball 67 to follow up from his century the week before and James O’Neill added 41 to leave Norden big favourites at the break. When Oli Holt got the big wicket of Jon Lord with 123 still required, it looked good for Phil Docker’s men but a partnership of 86 between Chris Lord and big-hitting Junaid Khan took Walsden to within touching distance. Mo Waheed castled Khan to start the collapse and he and Melbourne Austin took the final 6 wickets between them for just 14 runs to spark wild celebrations in the Norden ranks.
2nds Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4550323

After a week of warm weather, all eyes were on the toss at Glebe street on what looked like a very good pitch for batting.  Unfortunately for the stags, Hashum Malik called incorrectly and Crompton skipper Mohammed Jamal took the first opportunity to bat.

Norden started well with the ball with both Dom Humphreys and Sami Waheed regularly beating the bat and it was the latter who drew first blood removing the advancing Sam Rigbys off stump. Denis Louis joined Stephen Wright at the crease but just as the partnership was building, it was Waheed again who struck having Wright caught behind.  Louis fell shorty after, LBW to Hartley, a decision he showed his displeasure at.  This brought both Captain Jamal and Professional Imran Khalid to the crease.  A long period of risk free, sensible batting saw both bring up their individual half centuries along with a hundred run partnership. 

After both Greg Butterworth and Asher Zaidi has provided some tight overs of spin, Jamal tried to go big but was caught by Dom Humphreys on the boundary.  Pro Khalid was then run out superbly by a Tolley direct hit and wickets began to crumble to Zaidi and Butterworth.   The Stags sensed they could bowl Crompton out for a total below par but with a late rally from an injured Aqib Zulifqar, Crompton were bowled out for 206.  The last wicket providing a catch of the season contender after Harvey Fitton misjudged a catch on the square leg boundary.  He chased back and caught it one handed, akin to the famous Ben Stokes catch for England.

Norden’s reply couldn’t have got off to a wores start, losing Tolley LBW, Fitton caught behind and Asher Zaidi caught in the slips.  The Stags were in trouble at 18-3.  One man who refused to be beaten was Greg Butterworth and he led the counter attack with some lovely stroke play.  Him and Lee Crabtree begun the rebuild and saw Norden advance to 76, before Zuhaib knocked back Crabtrees stumps.  Dom Humphreys grafted with the now fluent Butterworth but found the hands of Louis at first slip for 2.

Young Spencer Allen joined Butterworth at the crease and showed maturity to begin Nordens fightback.  He batted sensibly and supported Butterworth taking the score past 3 figures.  Greg Butterworth reached his fifty and begun to attack.  The pair took the score past 150 and Norden looked in the game.  After a period of tight bowling and with overs running out, Allen was out LBW for 32, ending a 67 run partnership.  Captain Malik came and went which brought Sami Waheed to the crease.  At this point, Norden needed 35 off the last 4 overs.  Norden kept pushing but Butterworths terrific innings came to an end in the penultimate over, out stumped for a wonderful 88. Unfortunately it proved in vain as despite a late flurry from Jack Harrison and Sami Waheed, the stags fell 7 short after the former was caught with 2 balls left.

Norden pick up 7 points on the road, but they’ll feel the game should have been won. Scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4549843

The 2nds got back to winning ways with a comprehensive victory at Stag Park. The star of the show was Dean Lord who struck his first century for the club and he was ably supported by Zeshan Anwar’s 67 and Usama Malik’s 5 for 34. Lord wasn’t fluent at the start of his knock after coming in at 61 for 4 but Anwar was playing beautifully at the other end, allowing him time to get in, and once he got going the Crompton bowlers were dispatched to all parts of the ground with regularity. Sitting on 81 with just 2 overs of the innings remaining, it looked unlikely Lord would reach the magical 3 figures but with the small legside boundary in his sights he launched into a brutal assault on Lucas Devine, taking just 4 more deliveries to bring up his 100 from 94 balls. 29 came from that over in total and Norden finished on an imposing 276 for 7 from their 45 overs. Lord remained unbeaten on 110*. Malik cleaned up both of Crompton’s openers and there were wickets too for Mo Munawar and Matt Findlow as the visitors struggled in reply. The only frustration for the Stags was that they were unable to pick up the final wicket to secure maximum points, although a victory margin of 132 runs should surely be deserving of a full quota.

2^nd XI Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4550315

2^nd XI Highlights https://youtu.be/BwO5Wyj1oTc

The 3^rd team almost managed to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat on Saturday but Crompton ultimately left Stag Park with the win after scrambling over the line with a couple of overs remaining. Mohammad Omar and Mo Waheed both made 34 as Norden posted 157 for 8 from their 40 overs. A second wicket partnership of 127 between Mason Everton and Jozef Kobyra looked to have led the visitors to a comfortable chase but a flurry of wickets meant there were unexpected late nerves before Lucas Devine just managed to clear mid-on to hit the winning boundary. Mo Munawar took 3 for 14 and skipper Simon Wystawnoha 2 for 2 and he must have been left wondering what might have been had he introduced himself into the attack sooner. 

3^rd XI Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4789468

3^rd XI Highlights https://youtu.be/jnh62t1fb44

With the sun shining, it finally started to feel like summer at Stag Park over the weekend and the Norden bowlers put in two excellent performances to send the 1^st XI through to the quarter-finals of the Worsley Cup and consolidate their position just one point behind leaders Walsden in the league. Middleton were the visitors on Saturday and having elected to bowl first, it took Dom Humphreys just 2 legitimate deliveries to get the Norden ball rolling when he cleaned up Keelan Shipley with a fantastic seaming delivery. Humphreys was in good rhythm and found consistent movement off the pitch to trouble all of the visiting top order. George Walker chipped tamely to midwicket to give Humphreys a second and after beating the bat on several occasions he found the edge of visiting professional James Price’s bat and had him caught low down by Crabtree behind the stumps. Price seemed convinced the ball had not carried but the umpires disagreed and the danger man had to depart. Humphreys went on to complete his 5 for with the wickets of Le Carpentier and Shahid, his figures of 5 for 16 off ten overs representing his best for the club and leaving the visitors in big trouble at 46 for 5. Ammar Malik battled hard for Middleton but after such a poor start there was unlikely to be a recovery against the spin of Zaidi and Butterworth and after they picked up a wicket apiece, Sami Waheed returned to finish off the tail with the final three wickets. With just 81 to chase, Josh Tolley and Hashum Malik wasted no time in getting the job done and a 10 wicket victory was wrapped up inside 14 overs. Norden will travel to Redbrook to take on local rivals Rochdale in the quarter-final on the 26^th June.

Saturday scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4905223

Saturday highlights 1st XI v Middleton Worsley Cup Round 2 Highlights 29/5/21

It was a similar story on Sunday when Ramsbottom made the short journey over the tops. It took Humphreys and his latest new ball partner, Chris Hartley, a couple of overs to hit their straps but once they did, they made quick inroads into the visiting batting lineup. Harry Caton was snapped up in the gully off Humphreys and Hartley had Simon Hanson and Brad Fielding trapped in front. The spin twins then took over and Zaidi had Kieren Grimshaw caught behind before Butterworth removed Rammy professional Daryn Smit for just 12. From there the innings went nowhere and at one point there were 27 consecutive balls without a run being scored. Daniel Pyke did manage to occasionally cut loose but he could not find any support and Zaidi continued to pick up wickets, finishing with 5 for 25. Ramsbottom did manage to creep past Middleton’s score from the previous day but 86 all out was well short of a par score. The chase was a little trickier than Saturday’s with Smit’s leg-spin causing problems, albeit more with his drag downs than his well-pitched deliveries. The cool head of Zaidi ensured it was nothing more than a minor scare, though, and another early finish came in the 26^th over.

Sunday scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4549838

Sunday highlights 1st XI vs Ramsbottom 1st XI Highlights 30/5/21

The t20 competition got underway on Friday night and Norden returned empty handed from their trip to Crompton. The hosts posted 154 for 7 from their 20 overs with Zaidi taking 3 for 31 and Butterworth 2 for 25 for the Stags. In reply Norden fell 22 runs short with only Zaidi, who made an unbeaten 73, making a contribution of note. The chance to bounce back will come at Haslingden on Friday.

The 2^nd XI had a disappointing weekend, suffering two defeats on the road. Saturday saw their Junior Cup hopes come to an end at Colne with a 52 run defeat. Jack Taylor took 5 for 27 and Chris Hartley 3 for 30 in Colne’s total of 202 all out which included 50 extras. The chase never got going and despite Melbourne Austin’s 47 Norden were bowled out for 150 in the 37^th over. Sunday turned out not to be a good day to lose the toss as Ramsbottom openers Alex Olpin and Nick Round put on a remarkable stand of 237 which was only broken on the final ball of the innings. Again, the wickets fell too regularly for Norden in reply and they picked up just one bonus point in losing by 49 runs. James O’Neill’s 48 was the highlight of the Norden innings.

Saturday scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4905231

Sunday scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4550309

This weekend’s fixtures: Saturday – 3^rd XI vs Crompton (H)

                                            Sunday – 1^st XI vs Crompton (A)

                                                             2^nd XI vs Crompton (H)

We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Colin Massey. Colin was a devoted and popular member of Norden Cricket Club serving on the general committee for 10 years.

Colin loved a pint of Lees bitter and to watch sport particularly his beloved Manchester Utd, a chat and laugh with Colin whilst in the club was almost a guarantee and will be missed by us all. Our thoughts and condolences are with Colin’s family and wife Margaret at this difficult time.

There will be a minutes silence observed in Colin’s memory at 12:55 before the start of 1st XI game vs Middleton.

It certainly wasn’t cricket weather and it probably wasn’t what the Stag Park faithful thought they would be watching early on Sunday evening but the sight of Josh Tolley, in a cap, bowling two perfectly pitched and deadly straight deliveries to hit the stumps brought cheers from those watching at the ground and online and helped send Norden through to the 2^nd round of the LCBKO trophy. From 2-0 down in the bowl out, Tolley tied the scores with his two hits and Greg Butterworth finished the job after the match against Northern Premier League side Blackpool had to be abandoned half-way through.

Tolley had also shone during the one innings that was played before the rain arrived. His 87 anchored the Norden innings and a century stand with pro Zaidi, who made 49, meant the home side were able to reach 203 for 5 from their 45 overs on a pitch that was difficult to bat on. Lessons had been learnt from the previous week’s showing and this was an intelligent batting display leading to a total that looked to have put Norden in a good position at half-way. Unfortunately, the weather had looked like it would be a problem from the outset and that turned out to be the case. With no hope of a resumption, a bowl out was agreed upon before it became too wet even for that and it did not look good for Norden after Dom Humphreys, Zaidi and Sami Waheed had all failed to hit the stumps. Tolley, though, had not finished his good work for the day and the holders will now host Denton St. Lawrence in round two.
1st XI LCF knockout scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4586887
1st XI LCF Knockout highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzN1bee5DtE

The weekend started with two good wins for the 1^st and 2^nd XIs against Colne in the league on Saturday. The 1sts made the away trip and bowled the home side out for 89 despite them reaching 50 without loss. Zaidi started the collapse and he was joined in the wickets by Butterworth, Humphreys and 1^st XI debutant, Usama Malik. Humphreys bowled 15 overs unchanged and picked up 2 for 28, including substitute professional Richard Levi, and the left arm spin duo combined for 7 wickets before Malik completed the job. Tolley with 34* and Zaidi with 30 made sure the chase was never in doubt and the 7 wicket win was wrapped up inside 22 overs.
1st XI League scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4549830

The 2nds were asked to bat first at Stag Park and were up against some excellent new ball bowling from Matt Clark. Openers Devine and Anwar were prepared to graft, though, and the middle order were able to benefit from their patience against some much weaker change bowling. Dean Lord was at his belligerent best on his way to 69 in 53 balls including 5 sixes and Spencer Allen continued his excellent form with his second consecutive unbeaten half century. The icing on the cake was provided by Chris Hartley who was promoted to number 6 and bludgeoned his way to a first senior 50 from 40 balls. The 228 for 4 posted looked formidable and so it proved with Mo Munawar and Steve Colmer both providing early breakthroughs and Munawar continuing to rip through the Colne batting lineup on his way to 6 for 17. The 178 run victory bodes well for the 2^nd round Junior Cup tie against the same opposition next week. 
2nd XI League scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4550304
2nd XI League highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPHbb_5ErdE

Covid 19 Update

We have reached the next milestone in our journey back to normality and from today onwards we can once again open our doors for you to come inside and and enjoy the hospitality.

To celebrate this we are opening all week from Monday 17th at 5pm to 10:30. So whatever the weather you can come down to Norden Cricket Club.

Please note we the government rules on indoor hospitality, no standing, rule of 6, table service only, face masks must be worn when not at table, track and trace on arrival. We are all fed up of the rules but it is for all our safety and to ensure we can get to the next stage when all the restrictions are removed.

The outdoor area will remain for the foreseeable future also, giving Norden Cricket Club lots of space to accommodate everyone safely.

We look forward to seeing you all soon.

Norden suffered defeat for the first time this season on Sunday with a home loss to Darwen. Asked to bat first after a delayed start on a pitch that was green and damp after the recent rain, the high scores seen at Stag Park so far this year were never going to be repeated and it was clear from the outset that a tough day for batsmen lay ahead. Josh Tolley felt that aggression was the way to go but he fell first caught in the gully and he was quickly followed by Stephen Pimm and Harvey Fitton leaving the Stags in early trouble at 24 for 3. Lee Crabtree and Greg Butterworth both attempted to dig in in support of pro Zaidi, but Crabtree could only pick out point from a short, wide delivery and Butterworth became the first wicket to fall to spin as Bowden found the outside edge. Even Zaidi was finding life tough on the challenging surface and when he was cleaned up by Bowden it left the lower order with the job of trying to bat for as many of the 43 overs as possible. Unfortunately, despite a few nice strokes from Malik and Chris Humphreys, the wickets continued to tumble and Norden could only limp to 88 all out from 31.4 overs. The visiting bowling was good without ever seeming unplayable and perhaps a touch more application throughout would have led to the extra 30-40 runs that would have resulted in an extremely challenging total.

The run chase began in chaos for the visitors, though, as Chris Humphreys had Mark Friend caught at cover and Kamran Anwar caught over his shoulder by Crabtree behind the stumps with the score still on 0. Scott Jackson and deputy professional Siddhesh Lad began the rebuild and Norden turned to spin. The partnership added 33 before being broken in bizarre circumstances. Jackson hit aerially out towards Pimm on the cover boundary and the fielder dived forward and appeared to many, including the batsman, to take the catch. With Jackson starting to walk off Pimm threw the ball to Butterworth who broke the wicket before the batsman had time to regain his ground having belatedly realised that the ball had in fact reached Pimm on the half-volley. The umpires had no option but to give Jackson out and Malik was absolutely correct to uphold the appeal as Pimm had at no point indicated that he had taken the catch. Lad was looking a cut above the other players on show and he progressed to 24 before he chopped on to Zaidi and when Scott Friend holed out quickly afterwards, Norden were all of a sudden ahead on the DLS calculation and well in the game at 51 for 5 with the clouds starting to gather overhead. Bowden and Reece Davies were able to soon put an end to the home side’s optimism, though, as Zaidi and Butterworth strained for another breakthrough. Runs started to flow quickly for the first time in the day and Davies finished the game with his 4^th boundary.

1^st XI Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4549826

1^st XI Highlights 1st XI vs Darwen 16/5/21 Highlights

The 2nds also had a frustrating day at Darwen. Having scored 258 for 8 in their 45 overs batting first they were unable to take the field for the home side’s chase after the heavens opened. Sami Waheed and Spencer Allen both made half centuries for the Stags.

2^nd XI Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4550296

After Saturday’s washouts in the league, Norden’s 1^st and 2^nd XIs were in cup action on Sunday afternoon. Both teams made it through against Accrington but the manner of the two victories could hardly have been more contrasting.

Hashum Malik’s 1^st team made the journey to Accy’s Property Shop Arena and asked their hosts to bat first in pretty wet conditions. Norden’s senior seam bowler, Chris Humphreys, was able to take full advantage of the moisture in the pitch and he ripped through the home side’s top order, taking 3 early wickets including that of professional Lasith Lakshan caught at slip for a duck. Teeno Saeed was the man to take over as destroyer-in-chief and he continued to impress this season. At one point he held the remarkable figures of 3 for 3 and went on to pick up a fourth wicket to finish with 1^st team best figures of 4 for 24 from his 8 overs. Accrington never got going at all and it took a 10^th wicket stand of 20 to take them up to 3 figures. Despite losing 2 early wickets in reply, a target of 101 was never going to be much of a challenge and an unbeaten partnership of 87 between Stephen Pimm and Ash Zaidi gave the Stags a comprehensive 8 wicket victory. Zaidi finishing on 59* and Pimm 24*.

Back at Stag Park, it was a much tougher day for Phil Docker’s men. They also chose to bowl first but were unable to find an early breakthrough. Openers Connor Tattersall and Tariq Hussain combined to put on 62 for the first wicket with Hussain taking advantage of the power play, hitting 5 sixes in his 44. Chris Hartley produced a fine yorker to remove Hussain and Norden were able to establish some control. Oli Holt was brought on and had an immediate impact with 2 quick wickets and at 83 for 4 at drinks it looked like a good opportunity to bowl Accrington out for under 150. Husnain Pervaiz and Sam Tattersall had other ideas, however, and Pervaiz launched into an aggressive counter attack. He contributed 44 in a partnership of 60 in just 8 overs before Holt trapped him in front. Rasheed followed 2 balls later and again Norden sensed the opportunity to restrict the visitors to a manageable total. When skipper Williams joined Tattersall, the latter began to open his shoulders after a cautious start and the wheels started to come off for the Stags in the field. Dropped catches and extras contributed to a pretty ragged display, albeit in pretty constant rain, and the runs were now flowing freely. Tattersall brought up an excellent half-century and Accrington were able to get up to an imposing total of 253 before being bowled out in the penultimate over. Holt finished with 4 for 41 and a mention should go to Hartley whose figures of 1 for 28 from 10 overs were by far the most economical of the day and could have been so much better had it not been for some poor catching.

Not many 2^nd team games are won chasing that kind of total but Docker and his team were not prepared to bow out of this competition at such an early stage without a fight. When Holt came in to replace Dean Lord with the score on 25, he looked to take on the bowling from the outset and his innings completely changed the momentum of the match. His 55 of just 40 balls meant that Norden were well up with the rate throughout and enabled Docker and his new partner, Spencer Allen, to accumulate steadily at the start of their partnership before becoming more aggressive. Allen showed great maturity and match awareness and Docker was exemplary in knowing when to be circumspect and when to attack. Both, though, were dismissed in relatively quick succession after adding 93 and there was still work to do but Tom Booth and Jack Harrison put any home nerves to bed and a memorable win was achieved with over 5 overs remaining.

1^st XI Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4545391

2^nd XI Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4545526

2^nd XI Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y87V1olffgY

In the second round Norden 1st XI will host Middleton, whilst Norden 2nd XI will make the journey to Colne. Both games are scheduled to be played on Saturday the 29th of May.
The full draw can be seen here : http://www.lancashireleague.com/Articles/16/16466.html

Norden sit pretty at the top of the Lancashire League First Division table after victory over Middleton on Sunday. It was a win that came despite a frustrating batting performance after winning the toss. Harvey Fitton and Josh Tolley found the boundary regularly early on with Fitton picking up where he left off from last week and looking in superb touch. With 50 reached inside 8 overs, it was a shock to see Fitton mistime an aggressive stroke and chip to mid-on. Middleton introduced their professional, James Price, and former Stag, Rehan Udwadia, into their attack and they picked up an early wicket apiece with Price dismissing Stephen Pimm and Udwadia claiming the big wicket of Tolley with the first ball of his spell. The bright start gave plenty of time for a re-build, however, and Ash Zaidi and Lee Crabtree gave themselves time to get in before Crabtree looked to push things on. Their stand of 57 had the home support again expecting a score of around 250 but after Crabtree fell to an excellent catch running back by wicket-keeper Shipley, the home side lost 3 further wickets for just 12 runs. It was Udwadia who did the damage, having left-handers Zaidi and Joe Humphreys both caught off the outside edge and Dom Humphreys bowled neck and crop. With sights re-adjusted to seeing out the overs, Greg Butterworth and Hashum Malik batted sensibly to take the total past 200 but the temptation to push for extra late runs proved too much and Norden were dismissed for 212 with 4 overs remaining. With both Price and Udwadia having finished their spells, visiting captain Dale Highton will have been relieved not to have needed to find a bowler to join him for those remaining overs.

In reply, Middleton made a solid if unspectacular start. Only 1 wicket fell in the first 20 overs but tight opening spells from Chris and Dom Humphreys, with the latter particularly impressive, had the required run rate creeping upwards. This was always likely to be problematic with the high-quality left arm spin of Zaidi and Butterworth able to combine for the vast majority of the remaining overs and so it proved. Zaidi pushed one through to clean up George Walker for a battling 31 and a frustrated Udwadia had a wild hack at Butterworth. Jones and Tierney both fell to the home professional and it was only when Price and Leighton Le Carpentier came together that Middleton briefly threatened to get close to their target. Their partnership of 58 ended with Price finding Zaidi on the long-off boundary off Butterworth and with him went any flickering hope of an unlikely run-chase. Zaidi completed his 5 for and Butterworth finished with 3 before Sami Waheed wrapped up the match and gave Norden the maximum 12 points. The Stags can be much better, and will need to be, but they are the team to chase going into next weekend’s league and cup double-header.

Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4549814

1st XI Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TAtjKTxYa0

Norden 2nds fell to an agonising first defeat of the season at Haslingden. An extremely strong Norden seam attack shared the wickets around in bowling out their hosts for 141 but the Stags fell just 8 runs short in reply. Three early wickets made the chase a tough one and some questionable umpiring decisions only added to the sense of frustration, but picking up 7 bonus points meant the loss was far from a disaster.  

Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4550284

The 3rds also suffered defeat with a strong Lowerhouse 4^th XI comfortably chasing their target of 146 with plenty of overs to spare. Steve Colmer top-scored with 36 for the Stags and Matt Findlow picked up 2 of the wickets to fall in the home team’s chase.

Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4789456

The inaugural game for the 4th team resulted in victory over Greenmount 4th XI in a friendly fixture. Some solid bowling performances from Golden, Hindley and Radlicffe, and 3 wickets from skipper Tommy Booth restricted Greenmount to 146 from their 40 overs. Norden cruised to victory in 28 overs with 45 from Spencer Allen and a quickfire 34* from Jimmy Drury

Scorecard https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/4895041

We have hinted in previous updates at further developments to enhance our outdoor experience. After successful trials we are proud and excited to unveil our new 180″ outdoor screen from which we can show live sports.

Tonight Manchester City play PSG and we thought this would be a great opportunity to show off this new technology and give our members an excuse to come down for a drink.

We have checked the weather forecast and it is dry but cold so wrap up well and come have a look.

All the usual Covid safety requirements will be in place for your safety so you will be able to sit down and have your drink brought to you as you enjoy the game.

You will be able to renew your membership/join when you arrive. We look forward to seeing you.