Lancashire League Handbook 2023

21 This meant Littleborough just needed to win at Hare Hill to clinch the title. East Lancs made 147 and Littleborough chased their target down in 35 overs thanks to 60 not out from opener Zac Perren and an unbeaten 48 for professional Travis Townsend. During the season Littleborough were well served by Travis Townsend with 729 runs, Clinton Perren 682 and Zac Perren 618. With the ball, Hamza Ali took 31 wickets, and Ryan Miskella and Lewis Willman both took 29. The Ron Singleton Colne Trophy, was contested between Burnley and Lowerhouse the reigning League and Cup winners from 2021. Lowerhouse won the toss and decided to bat and they were all out for a total of 149 in the 49th over with Francois Haasbroek top scoring with 64 and skipper Ben Heap making 33, Bharat Tripathi took 4 for 18. Burnley struggled from the start with Thomas Walker taking 3 of the first 4 wickets to fall and they found them selves at 51 for 5 when professional Ockert Erasmus fell for 22. Qasim Shah hung around for 23 but he was 9th out with the score on 77 and the game ended in the 30th over with Thomas Walker taking 5 for 16. This was the first time Lowerhouse have won the trophy, having shared it in 2005 and 2012. In the T20 competition, again we had four divisions of 6 on a geographical basis. Rochdale, Darwen, Compton and Lowerhouse won their respective divisions and they were joined in the quarter finals by Clitheroe, Norden, Burnley and Todmorden. The quarter finals were then won by Clitheroe who won at Darwen , Rochdale won at home to Norden, Lowerhouse beat visitors Todmorden and Crompton overcame Burnley at Glebe Street. Finals day was at Rochdale and despite going ahead on the scheduled date, only one game could be completed with Clitheroe winning via DLS before the second semi final was abandoned with Crompton having made a strong start. A reserve date of Bank Holiday Monday was held at Lowerhouse and the second semi final saw Crompton overcome the hosts by 5 wickets. The final then saw Clitheroe bat first and Stuart Lemon ended undefeated on 64 after he and the substitute professional Azim Kazi had put together a partnership of 109 for their third wicket before Kazi fell for 60. This left Crompton chasing 188 to win. A flurry of early wickets saw them fall to 24 for 4 with danger men Jamal and Louis gone. Hassan Fazal 30 and Simon Wright 22 made a fight of it with and Jaime King 12 but they were 95 all out in the 14th over. This is the second time Clitheroe have won the competition. In the Worsley cup, the first semi final, at Redbrook, saw Rochdale chase down Norden’s total of 215 made up with Hashum Malik top scoring with 79 and Oliver Holt 63, then a century by James Maurice-Scott who was unbeaten on 114 after he and partner Mohammad Zaman, who made 52, wickets had put together and opening stand of 123 to help achieve an 8 wicket win. The other semi final was at Acre Bottom where hosts Ramsbottom fielded first and