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Leyland beat Chorley in thriller
Leyland moved 35 points clear at the top of the Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket League after a dramatic victory over derby rivals Chorley at Windsor Park.
David Makinson's side swapped the sunshine of Malta, after completing their traditional week-long mid-season tour for gloomy overcast Lancashire skies but acclimatised superbly to earn a maximum 15-points haul from a thrilling, low-scoring game.
After the start was delayed for 35 minutes due to morning drizzle Leyland, invited to bat by Chorley captain Andrew Holdsworth struggled on a slow, damp pitch as Chorley gave one of their best bowling and fielding performances of the season.
Chorley's substitute professional Andrea Agathagelou, the Rishton professional, appeared to have put the skids under the leaders with an inspired display of leg-spin bowling.
Agathagelou captured seven wickets for 23 runs as Leyland collapsed from 59 for 1 to 89 all out, and that after Andrew Makinson and Tayyab Afsar mustered an invaluable 19 for the last wicket. Included in the Lancashire Second XI's star's haul was his provincial captain back home in South Africa, the Leyland professional Brett Pelser.
Opener Chris Parkinson top scored with 30 off 97 balls. Luis Reece (16) and Andrew Makinson (20, including two huge sixes off Agathagelou) were the others to reach double-figures. Billy Smith played a fine supporting role with three for 26 off 17 overs.
But Leyland captain David Makinson was in no mood to let slip Leyland's hard-earned lead at the top after news came through that Barrow had moved into second place after victory over St Annes.
Makinson bowled superbly to take eight for 17 off 14 overs as Chorley subsided from 20 for none to 25 for 7 and then 60 all out.
Afsar began the collapse by catching Agathagelou at mid on off Makinson. Only four Chorley batsmen troubled the scorers as Makinson claimed three leg before decisions, bowled two more and saw Kieran McCullagh and Smith fall to superb catches by Luis Reece and Pelser respectively.
Pelser supported his captain by taking two for 12 off 14 overs. Makinson captured the final two wickets in successive balls just as light drizzle turned to heavier rain and no sooner had last-man Chris Harty been despatched leg before the heavens opened at just before a quarter to seven.
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Weather for Leyland
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
