Colne’s winless run in the Lancashire League continued last Sunday with the 10th defeat of the season, at home to next-bottom Bacup.
This was a match which Colne had thrown away before 2 p.m.
Having won the toss and chosen to bat, Colne were 53-6 within 11 overs.
Opening batsman Khurrum Nazir was 23 not out, there were 10 extras, and the six men out had contributed 20 between them in their short stay at the crease. Joe Sipocz had taken 5-27 in six overs.
Things improved in the rest of the innings. Khurrum went on to score 43, eighth man out at 87-8. This left Sam Williamson at the crease on his first XI debut - having been selected for three league games and one Twenty20 last season, though all four were abandoned without a ball bowled! He was joined by Kenton Rhodes, also inexperienced, and these two put on 24 until Rhodes was needlessly run out for 12.
Dave Wallbank joined Williamson and batted sensibly for eight, while Williamson went on to an impressive debut score of 34, last man out.
The last wicket partnership showed how it could be done, worth 28, highest of the innings.
Bacup’s openers started the innings cautiously, with only eight runs off the first five overs, but crucially they hadn’t lost any wickets. They built an opening partnership of 50 before Wallbank and Nazir struck in consecutive overs. Wallbank was the undoubted star of the bowling attack, finishing with 2-24 from 12 overs – 12 of the runs came off the last three balls when the Bacup pro Aubrey Swanepoel started hitting out.
Professional Shadley van Schalkwyk bowled a couple of Bacup men, both beaten for pace. This put Bacup on 81-5 and Colne still had a chance.
But Swanepoel, previously almost totally ineffective as a batsman (74 runs in eight innings), hit out effectively and scored 47, very smartly stumped by Tillotson off Holt with the score at 124-6.
Four fours in three overs ended the innings, and Colne had lost again.
Supporters searching for crumbs of comfort could at least welcome the two bonus points, the first points Colne have managed in June.
But hope springs eternal, and a new, surely more successful, month starts this weekend with a double header.
The first XI travel to Enfield tomorrow and play at home to Burnley on Sunday.