Last Saturday’s home Premier League match with Lytham turned into a rain affected draw with Bootle in a strong position.  Our bowlers limited the visitors to 178 all out after 58 overs after Craig had asked them to bat first, Bharat Tripathi taking 4-32.  In reply, Will Hale and Michael Farrell put on a healthy 66 for our 1st wicket and Bootle were going along quite nicely at 85-1 after 25 overs when the forecast rain duly arrived and brought the match to an abrupt end.

The following day’s Ray Digman Trophy semi-final produced scenes the like of which very few Bootle followers will ever have witnessed at Wadham Road.  Northern put us in on winning the toss and had an immediate success when Will Hale was caught behind off the first ball of the game.  Michael Farrell and Sam Kershaw took the total to 55-1 in the sixteenth over when the visiting captain, James Cole, led his team from the field claiming that the wicket was too dangerous.  This was arrogant nonsense but the umpires – to everyone’s astonishment and without consulting the Bootle skipper abandoned the match.  The Bootle players and supporters were, quite understandably, shocked and dismayed with the decision.

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