Norden Finish on a High

Another season is in the books and Norden finished with a win away at Walsden which cemented a 4th place finish and a spot in next season’s Lancashire Knockout. Whilst there is no doubt that the Stags went into the season hoping for much more, this was at least some consolation and rewards for their efforts in a long season which also included a run to the Worsley Cup semi-finals and the t20 quarter-finals. Sunday saw an unusually low-scoring game at Scott Street on a difficult surface that offered plenty for the bowlers. In stark contrast to the run-fest between these two teams at Stag Park earlier in the season, Walsden were forced to battle hard for every run as they looked to post a target with very little idea of what would constitute a good score. Nick Barker and professional Jomel Warrican put on 58 in 25 overs for the 3rd wicket, with Ashar Zaidi bowling his 15 over spell for the cost of just 16 runs. There was turn and bounce for the spinners and once Zaidi bowled Warrican for a remarkably patient 17, Greg Butterworth stepped up and took 5 of the final 7 wickets to fall. Walsden were bowled out with just over an over left in their innings, with Barker making 61, and a target of 161 for Norden felt to some observers like it may be too many. Norden opener Josh Tolley soon made a mockery of that theory by somehow making the pitch look like an easy one to bat on as he tore into the Walsden attack. He put on 42 for the opening wicket with Hashum Malik and when Malik fell, Harvey Fitton joined in the fun as he too was able to score at a run-a-ball in a stand of 96. Both reached their half-centuries and in doing so Tolley passed 1,000 league runs for the season to finish as the leading run-scorer amongst all players, both professional and amateur. Even though there was a slight wobble as 3 wickets fell quickly, Zaidi and first-team debutant Joe Gordon were able to finish the job with just over half the overs remaining. This was a remarkable contrast from what we had seen in the first innings, and huge credit should go to Tolley and Fitton in particular for making a tricky chase so comfortable. On an individual note, as well as Tolley’s efforts, Ashar Zaidi finished as the league’s leading professional run-scorer and the leading wicket taker amongst all players. Greg Butterworth’s 57 wickets in all competitions are also worthy of a mention.
1st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000259

The 2nds also finished with a win which meant a 5th place finish and also consigned Walsden to division 2 cricket next season. After being asked to bat first, Phil Docker and Kabir Ahmed were once again the mainstays of the home team’s batting effort. Another century partnership between the pair was the foundation for a total of 249 for 7 from their 45 overs. Docker made 80 and Ahmed 40 before good contributions from Oli Kirkby, Greg Tattersall and Mo Munawar, as well as 54 extras, got the total up to a very challenging one. Munawar also did his job with the ball, taking 3 wickets, and Mo Waheed chipped in with 4 for himself as Walsden struggled. Ash Colclough was not going down without a fight though, and he smashed 38 from 19 balls, including 3 consecutive sixes. Docker, short of bowling options, turned to young Oli Yates with the game starting to get tight, and the youngster came up trumps. Colclough was superbly stumped by Danny Devine looking to launch another shot out of the ground and two balls later Yates finished the match as he cleaned up opposition skipper James Stevens. There were some fine individual seasons in the 2nds, especially Kabir Ahmed who finished nearly 300 runs ahead of anybody else in the division 1 run-scoring charts. The two veteran seamers, Munawar and Waheed were also excellent and took 36 and 33 wickets respectively.

2nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000284
2nd XI Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghJZPHjs32w

The 3rds, with a game still to play at home to Todmorden next week, secured a 2nd place finish with a good win at Nelson on Saturday. Zishan Zahid took the remarkable figures of 5 for 8 as Nelson were bowled out for 71. He then scored 22 with the bat, as did Oli Kirkby, as Norden had no problems in knocking off the runs.
3rd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000042

Sensational Silva Slays Stags

For the second time this season, Norden felt they had posted a competitive score against Worsley Cup winners Ramsbottom and for the second time the Acre Bottom club knocked the runs off with relative ease. On this occasion, the first innings score was 256 for 9 but the margin of victory for the visitors was 7 wickets.

Norden started badly with the bat and both openers were dismissed before the score had reached 20. Harvey Fitton and Ashar Zaidi then came together to provide the partnership that would form the backbone of the Norden innings. Fitton got off the mark with a pulled 6 from just his second ball and Zaidi also looked in an aggressive frame of mind from the start of his innings. The two left-handers had put on 122 when Fitton chipped Dan Pyke to cover and fell for 57. Zaidi continued to push on but he began to be starved of the strike and he was dismissed just 9 short of a century when he looked to up the ante but failed to clear Josh Dentith on the long-on boundary. Greg Butterworth played nicely for his 42 but Norden never got the acceleration they would have wanted in the last 15 overs and the run-rate stayed around the 5 an over mark that it had been for most of the innings. Kieren Grimshaw picked up 4 wickets for Rammy and sub-pro Ashen Silva, although wicketless, bowled his 15 overs for under 40 which proved to be by far the most economical spell of the game.

Norden got a good early breakthrough when Tom Parton looked to hit Zaidi over the top but could only find Greg Butterworth at mid-off. This brought Silva to the crease and he played himself in with ease as Jonathan Dack took the attack to Norden at the other end. Dack fell for 44, 40 of which were scored in boundaries, and when Oli Holt’s slower ball picked up the key wicket of Grimshaw a few runs later, Norden felt they were favourites. Harry Caton and Silva soon put that theory to bed though and Caton scored quickly from the get go whilst Silva looked completely untroubled at the other end, running the ball around comfortably and finding the boundary when presented with anything loose. Skipper Hashum Malik was at least one, and probably two bowling options light and there was little he could do as the Rammy pair took the game away from Norden. Their unbeaten partnership of 160 was chanceless and deserved to win any game, Silva reaching his century from 108 balls and eventually finishing unbeaten on 117 with Caton 64* at the other end. Another disappointing result for Norden in a season that is petering out somewhat. They must now go to Walsden on the final day of the season and win if they are to be sure of a Lancashire Cup spot for next season.
1st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000215#
1st XI Highlights: https://youtu.be/0wc8KGP_QKk

The 2nds suffered a heavy defeat against the same opposition. We won’t go into too much detail on that one but suffice to say they were back at Stag Park to see the majority of the 1st team game.
2nd XI Scorecard and ‘Highlights’: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000285

The 3rds had a much better day at home to Greenmount. An excellent all-round bowling display saw the visitors lose wickets regularly on their way to being bowled out for 86. There were 3 wickets each for Mohammed Omar and impressive young left-arm seamer Will Hindley. The chase started badly as Lancashire u-15 seamer Max Birtwistle dismissed Oli Kirkby and Stan Kearns with successive balls to leave Norden on 2 for 2. Omar and Charlie Gooding played calmly to ease the pressure and they put on 73 to take the Stags all-but over the line. Omar finished unbeaten on 57 in the eventual 6 wicket win.
3rd XI Highlights: https://youtu.be/UwKQKeSNPrQ

Norden Slump to 3rd Successive Defeat

A Norden side missing several first-team regulars, including professional Ashar Zaidi, went down to a 3rd successive Lancashire League loss at champions Burnley on Sunday. The Stags now face a battle to keep hold of one of the four Lancashire Knockout places with two games remaining. After electing to bat first, Norden got off to a good start, with the new ball pairing of Scott Butterworth and Oli Holt picking up a wicket apiece. Things could have got even better for the visitors but, much to the amazement of Butterworth, home professional Ocky Erasmus survived a huge appeal for L.B.W. on the first ball he faced. That moment proved to be decisive as Erasmus went on to anchor the innings as he has done so often. The first of two significant partnerships he was part of was one of 76 with Matt Roberts, before Jack Taylor and Norden deputy professional Shreevats Goswami took two quick wickets to put the game in the balance at 110 for 4. They would be the last wickets Norden took until the final ball of the innings, though, as Erasmus found another willing ally in wicket-keeper Chris Burton. They took the score to over 200, normally an extremely challenging target on a slow-scoring Burnley ground, and Erasmus brought up his century before Goswami had him stumped trying to end the innings with a big hit.

It would be 220 to win for Norden and they were soon one down when Hashum Malik tried to clear the man on the cover boundary without success. Goswami, who has plied hos trade with Flowery Field this season, joined Josh Tolley and everybody knew that much would depend on their partnership. Tolley had made 24 when he aimed a drive at Erasmus but only found an inside edge onto the stumps and the home side were jubilant. Goswami played fluently at one end, scoring at a run-a-ball on his way to 83, but nobody was able to keep him company for any significant period and Burnley’s spinners were able to take control. It took a nice hand from Butterworth down the order to get Norden into the bonus points and they left with 2 as the final margin of victory was 36 runs. The Stags have a home game with Ramsbottom next week, followed by a trip to Walsden on the final day and they will need at least one win to have a chance of keeping hold of 4th spot.

1st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000124

The 2nds were aways going to find it tough at home to league leaders Burnley, with a host of absentees making things even tougher. They put up a creditable showing though after surprisingly being asked to bat first on an excellent Stag Park batting surface. Kabir Ahmed was once again the mainstay of the Norden innings and he put on 111 with skipper Phil Docker on his way to an outstanding 95 before being unfortunately run-out just before he was able to reach his 2nd century of the season. Ross Collin played a nice cameo in making 30 to help up the score to just under 200, but the final total of 192 for 6 looked a bit short of par at the break. Norden made a good start with the ball and Mo Munawar and Zishan Zahid both got an early breakthrough and the home side were always in the game but could never keep the scoring rate under control and ultimately looked a bowler short against such a good side. The middle order of Khan, Brunt and Syed all made solid contributions and Burnley got home with over 7 overs left. Norden picked up 2 bonus points for taking 6 2nd innings wickets.
2nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000272
2nd XI Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3drCPvXJSY

It was mixed fortunes for the 3rds as they secured a home win against Colne on Saturday but went down to a strong Todmorden side on Monday. Saturday saw Oli Kirkby shine in taking 4 for 6 on his 14th birthday and he was well supported by Charlie Gooding ad Zishan Zahid as Norden bowled Colne out for 89. There were a few wobbles in the chase but 26 from Gooding and an unbeaten 31 from Ahsan Tariq got the job done. Monday proved to be a much tougher challenge and at one stage it looked like Todmorden might rack up a mammoth total batting first. A good fightback with the ball, however, kept the target under 200 and there were good spells from Stan Kearns, Mohammed Omar and Gooding again. 3 ducks in the top 5 for the Stags didn’t help the cause but Jimmy Drury and Zahid played nicely to put on 61 and get Norden up to respectability. Sadly, Zahid ran out of partners and was left stranded just 5 short of his first half-centuryfor the club.
3rd XI vs Colne Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000063
3rd XI vs Colne Highlights: 3rd XI vs Colne Highlights – YouTube
3rd XI vs Todmorden Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000103

Clitheroe Too Strong For Stags

Despite missing their 4 first-choice seam bowlers, Clitheroe’s bowling attack was still good enough to bowl Norden out for 175 after being asked to bat first at Stag Park on Sunday. The innings got off to a bad start when Hashum Malik edged a ball from sub-professional Azim Kazi which turned and bounced and was out without scoring. Harvey Fitton followed not long afterwards when Charlie Atkinson found his outside edge and it was left to Josh Tolley and Greg Butterworth to begin the rebuilding. They put on 59 but Tolley fell in the process of looking to up the rate, holing out to long-off. Ashar Zaidi, struggling with a bad back, felt that all-out aggression was his only option but he was spectacularly caught by Clitheroe skipper Peter Dibb, diving full length to his right and just hanging on off the bowling of Ali Ross. These 2 wickets just before drinks put the visitors firmly in the driving seat but the partnership of Butterworth and Lee Crabtree got Norden back in the game and a total of 200 plus looked very possible as they moved the score up to 145 for 4 with 10 overs left. Unfortunately for the home side, both set batters fell in consecutive balls from Kazi. First Crabtree skied straight up to be caught at midwicket for 29 and then Butterworth chipped straight back to the bowler for 52. Alex Willis tried valiantly but he got no support and the final 6 wickets fell for 30 runs, with Tom booth the last man dismissed in the final over. Kazi finished with 5 for 51 from his 15 overs and he was well backed-up by Atkinson who took 3 for 32.

Some inconsistent bowling and sloppy fielding let Clitheroe openers Ross and Tom Lord get off to a fast start and they had 50 up in just the 8th over. Greg Butterworth got the breakthrough when Lord went looking for his 3rd six but missed and Jack Dewhurst and Ross were also back in the shed before the score had reached 70. Norden sniffed an opportunity but Kazi was looking dangerous and he took 18 off an over from Tolley. Scott Butterworth had the paid man caught behind for a better than a run-a-ball 36, just 3 balls after he had been dropped on the square-leg boundary, but the Stags were always just behind the game. Stuart Lemon became the 5th man out in bizarre fashion when Willis dropped him at mid-on and in frustration more than anything else, threw the ball at the striker’s end where it turned out Lemon was ambling back for a second run and he looked as surprised as anyone when the ball hit the stumps and he was short of his crease. 50 were still needed but Sam Mulligan and Hammad Amin were able to ride the storm and their partnership of 40 put any doubts to bed. Clitheroe reached their target with 7 and a half overs to spare and the3 wicket margin of victory perhaps suggests a closer finish than there was.

1st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000209
1st XI Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xFaIsdFfNI

The 2nds went into their fixture at Chatburn Road with hopes that a victory could still put them in the title mix. A strong team made the trip but, after reaching 101 for 2, they were unable to kick on and post a big total. Wickets fell regularly from that point, including 2 in 2 balls when Jozef Gordon was run-out backing up and Jack Taylor fell caught and bowled off the next delivery. 165 all-out represented a disappointing effort but with a team stacked with bowlers all hope was not lost. Sami Waheed picked up an early wicket in the reply but Adam Hewitt and Oliver Butterfield played nicely to take the score up to 94 before the 2nd wicket fell. It was always going to be too tough a task from there, even with Jack Taylor’s good form with the ball continuing as he took 4 for 28 as Norden managed to collect enough wickets in a losing cause to take a point from the game.

2nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000266

The one bit of good news from the weekend came from the 3rds as they got back to winning ways after a tough run of defeats. Ahsan Tariq returned to form with the bat, making his first half-century of the season as Norden posted 194 for 8 from their 40 overs against Rochdale’s 4th XI. Oliver Yates, Mohammed Omar and skipper Jimmy Drury also made good contributions. The wickets were shared around in the Rochdale reply, with Matt Findlow, Oli Kirkby and Saad Malik all taking 2 as Rochdale fell 23 runs short of their target. A big mention, though, must go to 12 year old Haroon Kashmiri who batted throughout the entirety of the Rochdale innings to finish on 73 not out.

3rd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000069

Stags Taste Derby Success

Norden kept their faint title hopes alive with a comfortable home win against local rivals Rochdale on Sunday. At times this season, Hashum Malik’s team have been over-reliant on a few key players but this win demonstrated that there is much more depth to this side. After being asked to bat first by stand-in Rochdale skipper Steve Oddy, Norden were soon 2 down after a rare failure from Josh Tolley and a poor shot from Malik soon after. That brought the recently returned Harvey Fitton and professional Ashar Zaidi together and the two left-handers combined well until Zaidi top-edged a paddle-sweep off Ali Muzaffar for 30. Fitton was timing the ball well though and alongside Greg Butterworth, began to up the rate. The 2 put on 80 in 17 overs and Fitton reached a well-made half-century before running himself out looking for a second run that was never on. Butterworth continued to play positively, hitting the sweepers and finding the occasional boundary and he got excellent support from Lee Crabtree who made 30 from 25 balls including 3 fours and a six. Butterworth was the sixth man to fall for 68 and Norden were able to get up past the 250 mark, closing on 253 for 8 from their 50 overs.

Rochdale too lost an early wicket when Zimmy Khan was trapped in front by Butterworth, who took the new ball alongside brother Scott. The big wicket, though, was that of James Maurice-Scott who has been the scourge of Norden in recent times and who was looking in good touch again before he skewed a drive from Sami Waheed’s first ball and Dean Lord leapt one-handed at point to grab an excellent catch and break what was looking an ominous partnership for Norden. Waheed bowled with much greater control than we have seen from him recently and he picked up a deserved second wicket when he deceived Muzaffar with a slower ball. Of course Zaidi also got in on the act by dismissing his counterpart, Sean Whitehead, and Dean Lord followed Waheed at the Woodhouse Lane end to good effect. Lord has bowled well this season, often much better than his figures have shown, and he was rewarded on this occasion with 3 wickets including that of Jack Duffy who was taken superbly down the legside by a diving Crabtree. Zaidi finished with 3 for 29 as he wrapped things up for a comprehensive 86 run victory which sets Norden up nicely for their trip to Darwen next Saturday where they will face the league leaders who have won 10 matches on the bounce. A win for the Stags might just make things interesting for the run-in.
1st XI Scorecard:https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000216
1st XI Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoSzoJMrrFI

The 2nds also had a good win by a virtually identical margin. Norden’s 220 all-out included a fist Norden half-century for Saurabh Ahuja and good contributions from David Bebb and Jack Taylor. Ahuja’s 67 was made at better than a run-a-ball contained 9 boundaries. Rochdale never looked like getting close and Taylor was also to the fore with the ball, taking 4 for 30. He was well backed up by the ever-reliable Mo Waheed who took another 3 wickets, taking his season’s tally to 29.
2nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000447

The 3rds suffered defeat at home on Saturday to a strong Accrington side containing many 2nd team players. Accrington chose to bat first and their total of 170 for 8 from their 40 overs was mainly down to wicket-keeper Waleed Majeed who scored an unbeaten century. There were 2 wickets each for Saad Malik and Oli Yates for Norden. Yates then played a good hand with the bat and, despite wickets falling around him, batted for 36 overs to score his first senior 50, finishing uneaten on 61. Norden, though, fell 33 runs short of their target.
3rd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000062

TH96 Run 2022

Date : Saturday 1st of October

9 Km run/walk Raising Money for Cardiac Risk in the Young

9 Km run, walk, cycle, push the pram, walk the dog.   You can take part as an individual or a team (no minimum or maximum numbers per team).  Raising money for Cardiac Risk in the Young in memory of Tom Hardman who died aged 21 in 2012.  All Participants receive a TH96 Run T-shirt to participate in and keep after the event.  There’s no entry fee but donations are welcome and all proceeds go to Cardiac Risk in the Young. 

You can donate using the link below

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tom-hardman5

You can register for the event here https://th96run2022.eventbrite.co.uk/

Stags Too Strong For Villagers

A good Norden performance with both bat and ball proved more than enough for a comfortable home victory against Greenmount on Saturday. For much of the visitors’ innings it looked like the best Norden could hope for was a 10-point victory as Greenmount made their way to 131 for 5 with just 6 of the 36 overs remaining after the match was shortened due to rain. What followed was a remarkable collapse which saw the villagers lose their final 5 wickets for just 5 runs. Greg Butterworth, surprisingly held back until the 29th over, took 3 of those wickets and Ashar Zaidi the other 2 on a pitch that was offering some help to all the bowlers. The returning Scott Butterworth had found some seam movement early on and he was too good for Evan Williams before Usama Malik picked up the big wicket of Andy Kerr. Greenmount professional Chesney Hughes, Tom Heaton and Dan Stephens all got good starts but nobody was able to kick on and Norden always had the game under control. Zaidi added another 4 wickets to his season’s tally and Norden were strong favourites at the break.

Despite losing Hashum Malik early on to a peach of a delivery from Callum Hunter, the chase was a very comfortable one. Alex Willis, promoted to number 3, joined Josh Tolley to put on 92 for the 2nd wicket and Tolley once again showed his class in making an imperious 82* from only 52 balls. Norden had 15 overs left when they reached their target and kept themselves in 3rd place in the table whilst pushing Greenmount further into relegation trouble.

1st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000211

1st XI Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7FHex-8d0A

The 2nds came out on top in a high-scoring game at Colne. The Waheeds were to the fore as stand-in skipper Mo and son Sami combined for 8 wickets after Sami had scored 81 in Norden’s total of 249 for 9 from their 40 overs. Kabir Ahmed and Jo Gordon both fell just short of half-centuries as well for the Stags after both openers had fallen cheaply. Colne made a good fist of their chase as Jake Greenbank in particular played nicely for 71. The Waheeds proved too good with the ball, though, with Sami taking 3 for 49 and Mo 5 for 46 as Norden ran out winners by 36 runs.

2nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000323

Stags Wilt in the Heat

Norden’s Lancashire League title aspirations suffered what looks like a terminal blow on Saturday when they went down to a heavy 105 run defeat at Lowerhouse. The Stags have come up short in 2 run chases against this opponent this season, but this was a much more comprehensive affair than the defeat at Stag Park earlier in the year. There was no surprise when Lowerhouse skipper Ben Heap won the toss and elected to bat and, despite Greg Butterworth dismissing Heap for just 2, the home side set about building a substantial score. The 2nd wicket partnership between Frankie Haasbroek and Joe Martin was the backbone and Norden were never able to establish any control with the ball as Haasbroek in particular was able to score freely. Their stand was worth 159 before both batters were dismissed in quick succession; Martin was cleaned up by Ashar Zaidi for 63 and Haasbroek suffered the unfortunate fate of being run-out backing up when on 93. Stephen Parry and Tom Yorke-Robinson were able to continue upping the rate and Lowerhouse pushed on to finish with a challenging looking 271 for 7 from their 50 overs. Zaidi was the only Norden bowler who came out with much credit, taking 3 for 54 from his 15 permitted overs.

Norden were unable to find the big partnership needed in their chase. Several batters got in but could not kick on in support of Josh Tolley who saw 7 wickets fall at the other end as he made his way to a 9th half-century of the season to go with his 2 hundreds. Zaidi hit 2 consecutive sixes off spinner Paddy Martin but he perished going for a 3rd and after that there was little resistance until Dean Lord played a few nice shots in his 18*. It was nowhere near enough, though, and Norden are left to focus on securing a Lancashire Cup spot for 2023 after a very disappointing few weeks.
1st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000192

The 2nds got back to winning ways with a very comprehensive win at home to the same opponents. Phil Docker also lost the toss and was forced to field first but the bowling troubles of the previous couple of weeks were nowhere to be seen as Mo Munawar and Sami Waheed both hit their straps and picked up early wickets. Only opener George Durkin was able to offer anything of note for Lowerhouse and Saurabh Ahuja was able to enjoy his first bowling spell for the club, claiming 3 wickets with his off-spin. Munawar also took 3 for 23 from 12 excellent overs and Waheed, who ran in and bowled quickly and accurately, finished with 2 for 29 from his 11. The Norden batters seemed intent on enjoying themselves in the process of knocking off the 99 required to win, with Ahuja and David Bebb attacking from the outset. They made 28 and 34 respectively, both at better than a run-a-ball, and despite Shaukat Ali posing a few problems with his left-arm wrist spin for the visitors, it took just 17.5 overs for the job to be done and an early beer was enjoyed in the sunshine.
2nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000428

The 3rds lost out to Ramsbottom on Sunday afternoon. 5 of the top 6 batters failed to make double figures as Norden slipped to 56 for 7 after opting to bat first. A good knock from skipper Jimmy Drury, who made 42 from 31 balls, helped the Stags pass the 100 mark but a target of 109 was not what they would have been hoping for. A much better performance with the ball saw Rammy lose 6 wickets in their chase but the home side took the maximum 12 points to make things very interesting at the top of the table. 3rd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000076

Maurice-Scott Takes Rochdale to the Final

An unbeaten hundred from Rochdale opener, James Maurice-Scott saw Rochdale home and gave them a well-deserved spot in the Worsley Cup final on Sunday afternoon. Visitors Norden were left to rue a 3rd semi-final defeat in 2 seasons after being bravely asked to bat first on a blisteringly hot day at Redbrook. Veteran seamer Steve Oddy struck the two decisive blows in his spell of 10 unbroken overs, dismissing the prolific Josh Tolley and Stags professional Ashar Zaidi for a combined total of just 7 runs. Tolley was first out, given LBW to a ball that looked very leg-side to most observers and Greg Butterworth followed shortly afterwards after top-edging a pull stroke off Casey Roche. With the score on 42, Zaidi attempted a similar shot to a ball that did not look short enough and he mis-timed to mid-on for a duck, leaving the home side in raptures. Norden skipper, Hashum Malik rode his luck early on, being dropped twice, but as wickets fell at the other end he played a more controlled innings than we have seen from him of late. The introduction of Rochdale professional, Sean Whitehead saw Norden’s middle-order ripped apart. His opening spell of 3 for 4 from 6 overs saw Brierley, Crabtree and Willis all dismissed LBW and only 2 scoring shots played off him in that time. Whilst some of the umpiring decisions could certainly be questioned, the lack of intent from Norden’s batters left them stuck on the crease and at the mercy of an umpire who was being pressured by vociferous appealing every time the ball struck the pad.

Finally, that intent did appear in the shape of Oli Holt. He was aided by the bizarre decision to remove Whitehead from the attack after those 6 overs but he played positively and he and Malik were able to compile the partnership that Norden had been looking for. Malik went to his 2nd half-century in consecutive weeks and he struck 13 fours and 2 sixes in an innings that was eventually ended on 79 when he edged behind off Ali Muzaffar. Holt was far from done, though, and he got support from Dean Lord and Usama Malik. The final 2 wickets combined for a further 66 runs which took Norden past 200 and firmly into ‘something to bowl at’ territory. Holt made his first 1st XI half-century for the club and he was last man out for an excellent 63. From 78 for 6, the 215 posted represented a good recovery but on an excellent pitch it still looked short of a par-score.

Any momentum Norden may have had from their tail-end runs was soon extinguished as Maurice-Scott and Zimmy Khan were gifted a flying start by some woeful new-ball bowling. 4 combined overs from Lord and Sami Waheed went for 50 runs as the Rochdale openers were quick to punish anything too short or too full. From that excellent start, Rochdale were able to assess the situation and had the luxury of not having to play a shot in anger against Zaidi. His 10 overs went for just 17 but there was no hint of a wicket and there were plenty of easier runs to be had at the other end. The score was on 123 before Norden got a breakthrough, Khan joining the group of batters to look unhappy at an LBW decision against him. Whitehead then joined Maurice-Scott and neither looked troubled as they cruised towards their victory target. Maurice-Scott brought up a fine hundred and although Whitehead fell with just 12 required, the game was finished with 8.5 overs to spare. Maurice-Scott finished unbeaten on 114 from 135 balls, including 18 fours and 1 six and Rochdale will travel to Acre Bottom to face Ramsbottom in the final.
Worsley Cup Scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5470327

Saturday saw another nail-biter at Stag Park as Norden kept their Lancashire League title hopes alive with a 1 wicket victory against Haslingden, which was secured from the final ball of the game. Alex Willis was the hero, finishing with an unbeaten 35 to see the Stags home after a collapse had threatened to derail what was looking like a routine run-chase. Needing 205, Norden were 126 for 2 with Tolley and Zaidi at the crease and plenty of overs remaining but after Tolley was stumped off the wicket-keeper’s pads, Zaidi followed soon after and Nick Brierley, Lee Crabtree and Ross Collin all perished in quick succession leaving the hosts on 147 for 7 and staring down the barrel of defeat. The 45th over proved to be crucial as Willis opened his shoulders to target the garage and took 18 runs from it. 32 were now needed from 5 overs and there were only 2 wickets in hand when Tom Booth became the 3rd batter to be run out in the innings. Usama Malik joined Willis but only 4 runs came from the 47th over and 22 were now required from 3. Malik found the boundary with a straight drive and when he connected well again at the start of the penultimate over to clear the rope, Norden were favourites again. The next 8 balls produced just 3 runs though, and inincluded the wicket of Malik who was well caught at short fine-leg. Young Jamie Taylor had the unenviable task of coming in as last man with 7 needed from 4 balls but he was able to get off strike from his 2nd ball and Willis was left needing 6 from 2 balls. The first of those looked for a moment like it may go for 6 as he got enough of it in the direction of the shorter extra-cover boundary but the ball bounced just inside the rope meaning a further 2 were required off the last ball. Willis struck straight and the scampering Taylor turned and may well have got back for 2 anyway but a fumble at long-on meant he could coast home and Norden had snatched a crucial win when all seemed lost.

The 1st innings of the game had seen Zaidi do most of the damage with the ball, taking 4 for 27 but a big mention must also go to Taylor who bowled 11 overs and took 3 for 66, knowing that Malik was relying on the teenager for overs with 3 regular seam bowlers unavailable. Mini Bhada made a half-century for the visitors but the drama in this game came late in the day. Saturday Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000212

The 2nds’ struggles with the ball continued at Haslingden on Saturday as they fell to a similar looking defeat as the previous week. Batting first, it was the youngsters to the fore with Jo Gordon making 46 and Jack Taylor 37 as Norden closed on 187 for 7 from their 45 overs. Unfortunately, this never looked like being enough as ill-discipline with the ball proved costly. 33 extras were clocked up as Haslingden chased their target down in the 29th over and it is abundantly clear where improvements will have to be made quickly if a promising season isn’t to be allowed to fade away.
2nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000408

Tolley Brilliance Keeps Stags in the Hunt

After the drama and excitement of the previous week, Norden were grateful for a routine victory when they travelled to Towncroft to face Middleton on Saturday. What did not change from the week before, though, was the outstanding batting form of opener Josh Tolley who scored a 2nd consecutive century to form the backbone of Norden’s impressive 1st innings total of 340 for 3. No Norden batter was dismissed before reaching a half-century, with Hashum Malik and Ashar Zaidi both reaching that milestone in support of Tolley who went on to score 142 to add to his 177 from last week. He was out from the final ball of the penultimate over having struck 9 fours and 6 sixes in his knock and taken Norden to a total that would never realistically be chased by a Middleton side missing their two leading amateur players in Rehan Udwadia and James Tierney. Greg Butterworth also added a late flourish to the innings with a quickfire 41* from 28 balls and Middleton left the field at tea looking a beaten side.

Home professional, James Price scored 80 in Middleton’s reply but the only other player to make double figures was Rhys Tierney who added 11 and the winning margin was a colossal 225 runs when Nick Brierley (yes, you read that correctly) took the final wicket to secure the maximum 12 points. Prior to that it had been Usama Malik and Butterworth who had done the damage with 4 wickets each and skipper Malik was never troubled by the fact that he was without 3 regular seam bowlers. The result keeps Norden in 3rd place in the table and Middleton bottom with 10 matches left to play.

1st XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000203

The 2nds were on the receiving end of a heavy defeat at home to Crompton. Norden were put in after losing a crucial looking toss and were soon 3 down with David Bebb, Zeshan Anwar and Danny Devine falling early. The experienced heads of Phil Docker and Kabir Ali came together and recognised that batting was difficult on a damp pitch and they worked hard to recover the situation before being able to push the scoring rate up in the last 10 overs. Their partnership could not be broken and when the home side’s 45 over allocation was up, it totalled 205 with Docker unbeaten on 91, his highest score for the club, and Ahmed finishing on 84*. 221 seemed like a more than competitive score but that soon appeared not to be the case as Crompton’s 1st XI wicket-keeper, Kain Dean, set about the Norden attack. He was helped by some very poor bowling and some pretty average fielding but he struck the ball cleanly and soon brought up a half-century from just 30 balls. He went on to make 91 from 54 before holing out off Mo Waheed. The damage was done, though, and Dean’s opening partner, Jozef Kobyra, took over and he finished unbeaten on 78 as Crompton strolled home with 16 overs to spare.

2nd XI Scorecard: https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/5000425