Nelson couldn’t deny champions Lowerhouse maximum points from their mini-derby at the Neville Gee (Recruitment) Cricket Ground on Sunday.
After a rare day off on Saturday, Nelson made the short trip to the West End to take on third place Lowerhouse.
Historically the men from Seedhill have been the ‘House’s nemesis.
They hold a 19 to 1 Worsley Cup advantage alone, so this was never a league fixture that the champions take lightly.
Lowerhouse won the toss,and perhaps mistakenly, on a wicket that got progressively better for batting,followed their usual formula of batting first.
They were in some trouble at 35-3, with the returning prodigal son Max Howells taking the ever-important wicket of Jonny Whitehead.
Professional Francois Haasbroek(46)and Joe Martin(23) steadied the Lowerhouse ship, but they went to successive balls at 117.
It was 127-6 when the increasingly consistent Joe Hawke and the league’s best number eight Chris Bleazard came together.
They took over the game with a 92-run partnership and both reached half-centuries as the ‘House finished on 250-8.
Richard Meade and skipper Neil Thompson both claimed three wickets.
An unfortunate feature of the innings from the Nelson point of view was a total of 50 extras, with 40 of them wides.
Nelson’s reply started well, with Lowerhouse also a victim of the wides’ virus, though they did restrict their total to a mere 20.
Nelson had scored 47-0 off 10 overs when Matt Walker, who would also go on to take two fine catches, took three quick wickets, including the Nelson paid man Ryan Canning
Although the task was now beyond them, Nelson bravely fought to the last man, and it was down to the final over when they were 203 all out and all12 points were in the bag.
Sean Lemon(31) and Tyler McGladdery(30) top-scored for the visitors, but one point was scant reward for their efforts.
As well as Walker’s 3-26, Hassbroek had 3-67 and Paddy Martin continued in the wickets with 4-66.
This weekend, Nelson host Ramsbottom tomorrow on the first fixed replay date, and on Sunday they travel to Burnley for another mini-derby at Turf Moor.
Nelson start their Twenty 20 campaign tonight, when they open their Group C fixtures with a home clash with Burnley.