9 May: Bare 91/7  Shireshead & Forton  94/1
The heavy showers that hit the north-west at lunchtime caused the cancellation of many matches, but the drying powers of the Bare were in evidence as puddles disappeared with the emergence of the sun.  Unfortunately for the home side, they had lost the toss and Paul Yates opted to bowl first.  In shortened games, in this case 29 overs a side, the team batting first is severely hampered.  At best they can hope for a winning draw and are unlikely to claim many bonus points.  The WCL deserves much praise for its willingness over the past few seasons to change the points system to promote attractive cricket, but perhaps games where more than 20 overs are lost before the start should revert to straight win/lose?

Dave Jack (2/13) bowled a penetrative opening spell dismissing Adrian Osmotherly (0) and John Moller (4).  Frank Smith (19) and John Sharman (10) consolidated, but Bare entered the last 10 overs with only 40 on the board.  Cook (39 not out) swung to leg with gusto, twice hitting maximums in his 42 ball innings, but, although the ageless Steve Bransby weighed in with 13, none of the Bare batsmen could make much of Phil Oliver who took 4/11 from seven overs.

Colin Twiname (18) and Tom Jacques (62 not out) attacked from the start adding 59 in seven overs before Twiname found the solitary man on the leg side off Bransby (1/25).  Tom Battarbee (11 not out) supported Jacques to an electric fifty.  In all the right-hander faced 44 balls, hitting 3 gargantuan sixes and 7 fours as the target was reached in the 14^th over.

2nd team: No play — rain

Shireshead 3rd 86 for 9  Kendal 3rd 82 for 5

Shireshead lost the toss again and batted first on a very damp wicket, rain having prevented the start of play for over an hour, so that the game was restricted to 35 overs per innings.  Geoff Hornby (6), the anchorman of earlier games was the first to go when the score was 17.  Two further wickets fell without a great number being added to the total.  Then  a spirited innings by Ste Yates with a steady partner in Peter Dodds (9) put on 28 for the fourth wicket.  Yates’ 21 came in 28 balls and included two magnificent fours which sent the fielders to the boundary in anticipation of more.  Yates was the first of Jenna Wood’s victims and she severely restricted the scoring of the following batsmen until David Riley (11 no) slowed the flow and, with Mike Bailey (0 not out) maintaining his unbroken not out record, took the innings to its end.

Wood was the most economical of the Kendal bowlers with 3 for 7.

In reply, Graham Rand, bowling with his usual economical flair, dismissed the first three batsmen for a total of 25.   His fellow opener, Oliver Yates (1/19) took the wicket of Paul Burrows (10) with no further addition to the scoreboard.  Wood (17 no) then was joined by Dan Wilson (3), who was unfortunately run out by an accurate throw, which hit the stumps, by Yates at fine third man near the boundary.  Hopes of victory with the 5^th wicket falling for only 36 were dashed as veteran Keith Donoghue joined Wood.  After a slow start, they took full advantage of the end of Rands’s 12 overs and the use of younger bowlers at the opposite end from Bailey.  Donoghue’s 29 no included four fours. 

Rand’s 12 overs included 7 maidens and he took 3 for 10.

10 May: Milnthorpe 162/5  Shireshead & Forton 143
Whilst 19 runs was the difference between the two sides, in truth it was the innings of Steve Bowman (76) that carried the day for the home side.  Initially circumspect he was content to observe Chris Baldwin (24) make the early aggression in a stand of 56 in 11 eight ball overs. Milnthorpe skipper, Poddy Pennington made 19 before being trapped lbw by Mike Park (1/32).  It was now that Bowman came into his own, hitting 56 from the final 45 balls he faced.  In all his 74 occupied 86 balls and he hit 9 fours, surviving a single chance to long on, although at times the ball fell just out of reach of fielders.  As ever Mike Wills (27) was a worthy ally, manufacturing shots a la Neil Fairbrother before Dave Jack (2/28) reaped belated rewards for an excellent first spell.

Colin Twiname (0) fell second ball, but Tom Jacques (16) and Mike Park (18) added 42 in 7 overs.  Arguably the pivotal moment of the match was when Chris Baldwin (3/22) conceded 18 runs from his first over, but with his tenth ball dismissed Park to one that kept low.  At that stage Shireshead were getting on top, but when in his next over Baldwin removed Jacques and Phil Oliver (0) in successive balls Shireshead were on the back foot.   Rob Charles (10) and Paul Yates (34 not out) consolidated, and Mike Armstrong (22) and Graham Swindlehurst (9) added impetus to create hope for the visitors.  59 were needed from 5 overs, but the wily Wills (4/19), varying his pace, exploited the conditions to take three wickets in four balls and ensure that it was the home side that progressed to the next round.