COLNE suffered double disappointment over the weekend, losing two games, when they may feel they should have won both.
The first was at home to Rishton on Saturday.
Colne chose to bat, and after two early wickets went down, opener Justin Nutter was joined by Matthew Wilson.
The pair built a partnership of 54 before Wilson skied Ali Sartaj to mid-on for 31, and Nutter was joined by professional Shadley van Schalkwyk.
Nutter departed for a hard-earned and valuable 38 with the score on 123.
The rest of the innings featured Van Schalkwyk’s first 50 for Colne, out with one ball left for 58, (including two sixes.
He was supported by Bradley Ramshead, whose 13 runs also included two sixes, one of them landing just below the ridge tiles of a house across Keighley Road; and Matthew Constable, 21 not out, including two sixes of his own.
Constable survived the last ball to leave Colne 200-9.
Rishton pro Daniel Salpietro opened the innings, and survived a huge lbw shout off Matthew Walker first ball – possibly just passing over the stumps.
After that he played a steady innings with a solid but unspectacular supporting cast of amateurs, no batsman apart from Salpietro getting more than 17.
Van Schalkwyk took wickets at regular intervals in a marathon spell of 22 overs, 5-80.
Kurrum Nazir took a couple of wickets too, but the crucial moment was when Nazir forced Salpietro to return a dolly; but having done the hard part, he was off balance and couldn’t hold the catch.
That was the only chance Salpietro gave, and he carried his bat for 111, hitting the winning run with four balls to spare.
In the Worsley Cup on Sunday, Colne got among the wickets early and had Accrington at 14-3, 54-5, and 104-8.
But although only two Accrington batsmen made double figures – Stuart Crabtree, last out for 46, and pro Zaidi who made 13 – Mr Extras was a match winner with a shocking tally of 58 - 45 of these runs were wides, in only 46.3 overs, mostly under the new very strict interpretation of the leg-side wide rule.
Accrington made 149 all out, only 91 of them coming from the bat. Nazir had the best figures, 3-13 from 10 overs.
Colne never threatened the target. Tayyib Jamil top scored with 16, and the highest partnership was 17 for the last wicket.
Colne made 97 all out, thus ending their interest in the Worsley Cup for this season.
The first XI travel to Rawtenstall on Sunday.
The Horsfield will see action as the thirds, tomorow, and the seconds, on Sunday, both have home games.