Paul Agnew: It's a heart Acre! (Lancashire League) (25 Aug 1997)

25 August 1997

Lancashire League: It's a heart Acre!

Paul Agnew reports

¥: Haslingden 121, Ramsbottom 124-4 -

CALL it a swift kick up the backside - a new meaning to Acre Bottom.

And no member of the Haslingden side felt the pre-title jolt more than Steve Dearden.

Dearden was so often a winner at Ramsbottom but most certainly a loser here - and there was a similar situation too for Jack Simpson.

The visiting skipper managed six with the bat and no victims behind the timbers while Dearden fared even worse, scoring only eight and then seeing his first three overs dispatched for 22. One might be accurate in suggesting that the locals had it in for the old boys.

Not much love lost then twix these two rivals and, yesterday with the pressure on, it has to be said that Haslingden looked anything but Lancashire League champions elect.

No one wanted to talk publicly about the head to head between Rammy and their two former stars.

"Let's concentrate on discussing the match should we," advised new Ramsbottom skipper Ian Bell. He wanted to wax lyrical about his professional Chris Harris, and why not?

Harris, a humble New Zealander with a wonderful all round talent, is, for me at least, the best professional on the circuit.

He looks like taking a wicket with every ball, fields well and bats with authority and style. But, most importantly, he seems to make a telling contribution with bat or ball - often both - every time he dons the whites.

"We want Chris to come back for a fourth year, but that depends on the New Zealand selectors.

"He is a first class pro and a smashing fellow. He's helped me a lot and is really part of the overall scene here," added Bell. Bell's decision to field first was spot on. Unpredictable early bounce capitalised upon by Harris who bowled unchanged and had everyone in trouble. His return of 6-55 from 23 accurate overs emphasised his performance and, without a couple of streaky boundaries and a dropped catch, those figures would have read even better.

A word too for teenager Chris Hall (3-43) and long-serving Michael Ingham who offered most resistance for the visitors.

Wickets tumbled around Ingham until he finally succumbed to Harris just one short of a half century. Ramsbottom set about the task of reaching their modest target of 122 like a train. Bell and Hall raced to 48 in a handful of overs - Dearden really suffering - before a mini mid-innings collapse left the homesters on 80-4.

It was around this time that there came a turning point, certainly of the match and possibly of the season. Left hander Harris pulled a short ball to square leg where Charlie Lord, already with two catches to his name, allowed the ball to spill out of his grasp.

Had Harris, then on 13, departed, Haslingden could well have gone on to win. As it was he stayed undefeated to guide his side home with twenty odd overs to spare.

FOOTNOTE: If Haslingden do go on to win the league will it go down as the best "amateur" effort of all time?

Since Brad McNamara got injured early season a succession of professionals (ex Burnley star Rudra Singh the deputy yesterday) have filled in on a game by game basis. But, including McNamara, all the paid hands have yet to total 50 wickets or 500 runs between them.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)