Crawley holds on to Lancs captaincy (11 August 1999)
John Crawley had a double reason to celebrate today
11-Aug-1999
11 August 1999
Crawley holds on to Lancs captaincy
The Lancashire Evening Telegraph
John Crawley had a double reason to celebrate today.
Crawley's reappointment as Lancashire captain for a second season was
confirmed during yesterday's CGU National League game against
Gloucestershire at Old Trafford.
And he marked the news by hitting a typically classy 80 to steer
Lightning to another valuable victory.
Crawley linked up with Neil Fairbrother in a match-winning fourth
wicket stand of 113 in 24 overs after they had slipped to 6-2 and
45-3.
Mike Atherton was lbw to the first ball of the innings from Mike
Smith, and Andy Flintoff wasted a let-off on two from Jeremy Snape at
backward point by giving Snape the chance to make amends two runs
later.
But after Crawley had taken Lightning to the brink of their target of
179, Fairbrother and Graham Lloyd knocked off the remaining 21 runs
with four balls to spare.
Fairbrother ended unbeaten on 66 from 76 balls, his highest CGU
innings of the season.
Gloucester captain Mark Alleyne thought the game turned on an unusual
incident in the 39th over. Fairbrother pulled former Ramsbottom pro
Ian Harvey to Matt Windows at mid wicket but the umpire Neil
Mallender ruled that it was a beamer, and called no-ball. Crawley had
wandered down the pitch and Windows ran to the stumps and appealed
for a run out, but again Mallender turned Gloucester down because
Lancashire were not attempting a run.
Crawley and Alleyne exchanged words, but the Lancashire skipper
regained his composure to hit two fours in the remainder of Harvey's
over.
The win takes Lightning within two points of First Division leader
Worcestershire Royals, who they play in the last game of the season
in Worcester in September. But before that they have the floodlit
double header against Yorkshire, at Headingley tomorrow and Old
Trafford next Tuesday.
And Muttiah Muralitharan showed yesterday what a boost his
availability for those two games will be.
Compared to his amazing Championship form, Murali has been relatively
quiet in one-day cricket with only four wickets from his previous
four CGU appearances.
Muralitharan had a brilliant spell of 9-4-12-3 as Gloucester slipped
to 128-6 off 37, and they did well to recover to 178-8 in the
remaining eight overs thanks mainly to 37 from 36 balls from Aussie
Harvey.
Lancashire will release Darren Shadford, the 24-year-old seamer from
Oldham who has made 23 first team appearances since 1994, at the end
of the season.
Source :: The Lancashire Evening Telegraph