ST ANNES kept up their challenge for the Northern Premier League title with a convincing win over Netherfield at Vernon Road on Saturday.

They put the visitors in to bat and then bowled them out for 182. They paced their reply to perfection and made 184-3 to win by seven wickets with five overs and one ball remaining of the final 20 overs.

The Netherfield innings was rather like the curate's egg, good in parts. Opener Gareth White made a splendid 65 from 76 balls with one six and seven fours but then it was only runs from the lower order that enabled them to reach their final total.

They had progressed to 100-2 when St Annes skipper and professional Geoff Love struck. He had already accounted for Pieter Strydom by taking a catch from a well-positioned short mid wicket, and he followed this up with five wickets while the total advanced to only 117.

He began by dismissing danger man White leg before wicket and followed this up by having Chris Parry and Ben Haddrick stumped by Duncan Whalley, Rishi Girdhari caught and bowled and Tommy Prime caught at short leg by Adrian Darlington.

Scott Clement, 24 not out, and Graham Dodds, 22, then put some respectability on the Netherfield scorecard but it was 182 all out with Love taking 5-56 and Steve Twist 3-45.

St Annes lost Darlington, seven, and Gareth Evans, 17, before Twist made a sparkling 42. It came as a surprise when he was dismissed having struck four fours from 47 balls but Love, 40 not out, and Duncan Whalley, 60 not out from only 64 balls with three sixes and eight fours, saw St Annes comfortably home by seven wickets at 184-3.

Netherfield 182, St Annes 184-3

* Blackpool meanwhile could only draw with Leyland Motors for whom Arif Ashraf scored 101 not out in their 218-9. Blackpool made 185-9 in reply with Darron Walton top scoring with 36.

And on Sunday Blackpool lost convincingly to Morecambe in the Smooth Beer Cup as they managed only 125-6 in reply to Morecambe's 227-7.

* Fleetwood also drew on Saturday as they made 214-2, Lloyd Ferreira 102 not out and Michael Dewhurst 64 not out, to which Lancaster replied with 181-8, Renier Munnik making 58.