Accrington Cricket Club
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Accrington v Lowerhouse
Sunday August 24th 2014

Fosters Lancashire League
Sunday August 24th Score Score
Accrington 178-8 Lowerhouse 183-6
Scorecard Table
Lowerhouse (10pts) beat Accrington (5pts) by 5 runs


Six for Ockie
Six for Ockie
©Nigel Stockley

Lowerhouse need just 7 points from their remaining three games to secure a fourth Lancashire League title after a hard fought five run win at the home of outgoing champions Accrington. Lowerhouse made 183-6 on a green wicket with Ben Heap top scoring with an unbeaten 66. Openers Jon Finch and Jonny Whitehead put on 77 before Whitehead was bowled by Accrington professional Ockert Erasmus for 35. Finch followed 6 runs later when he was well caught by Erasmus at mid on for 36. Professional Cobus Pienaar followed without addition trapped in front by Simon Hanson for 3. Joe Hawke (3) gave Erasmus a return catch at 93. Matt Walker was next to go well held by Ramiz Hussain at long on for 7 with the score on 122. Chris Bleazard (9) added 39 with Heap for the 6th wicket before falling lbw to Erasmus. Skipper Charlie Cottam (5 not out) and Heap then put on 22 as the overs ran out. Heap hit five fours, one five and a six from the 61 balls that he faced and he passed 500 runs for the season during his innings. A tight bowling performance then restricted Accrington to 178-8. Ramiz Hussain was first to go at 40 to the first ball of Pienaar's second spell when he chipped the ball to Cottam at cover for 17. Simon Hanson was stumped by Joe Martin off his brother Paddy for 4 with 51 on the board. Erasmus joined Sam Excell but the going was tough with just 57 runs on the board after 20 overs. Excell finally perished for 26, caught at long on by the safe hands of Bleazard for 26, including his 500th league run of the season. Skipper Stuart Crabtree (7), Graeme Sneddon (7) and Ali Hasham (1) all fell to Paddy Martin (5-44) as did Bryn Hargreaves after adding 23 with Erasmus for the 7th wicket. Hargreaves hit 18 of the runs before becoming the spinners 5th wicket of the innings. It looked like the end when Matt Wilson fell to Matt Walker to leave Accrington on 123-8 but Erasmus and Jacob Clarke earned 5 batting points for Accrington who finished on 178-8 after needing 21 off Pienaar's final over. Erasmus finished unbeaten on 72 made from 85 balls and containing three fours and four sixes. The South African passed 800 runs for the season and now has 865 at 61.8. Lowerhouse, who won for the seventeenth game in a row, have been deducted a point for taking 3 hours and 24 minutes to bowl their overs.