SPECTATORS could have been forgiven for anticipating that the Bay 96.9 Northern Premier League game between second-placed St Annes and fifth-placed Blackpool would provide good entertainment and a closely fought contest.

Nothing could have been further from the truth as the game latterly provided very few thrills and drifted aimlessly into another boring draw at Stanley Park.

Blackpool won the toss and put St Annes in to bat, and Adrian Darlington gave the game a super start with a rapid 24 -- including five boundaries from 34 balls -- before he was adjudged leg before wicket to Marcus Sharp when the total was 32.

Gareth Evans and Dave Callaghan kept the scoreboard ticking over and had taken the total to 54 when the former was caught in the gully by Barrow off Darren Walton for 19.

Callaghan had made 18 when he was undone by a ball from Walton that reared off a length for Mark Lomas to take a juggling catch at slip and it was 67-3.

Joe Davies and Russ Bradley then provided the most enterprising batting of the day and added 81 in 78 minutes with Davis driving one huge six over long on off Bilal Mustafa.

He had added six fours to the six when, on 48 made from 67 balls, he was bowled by Sharp who had returned in an attempt to quell the runs. Adam Cotton, nought, fell to a controversial catch at slip by Lomas who was sure that the ball had carried. Bickerdike, four, was superbly run out by a direct hit from Barrow, and Duncan Whalley (three) was lbw to Sharp.

Meanwhile Russ Bradley held the innings together and he had made a hard-fought 61, from 122 balls with five fours, when he gave Sharp his third lbw victim.

Andy Kellett played a little gem of an innings for 23 from only 18 balls before he too was out lbw, on this occasion the bowler being Barrow. A run out from the penultimate ball of the final over ended the St Annes innings at 208 with Sharp taking 4-30 from 19 immaculate overs.

Blackpool's reply began sensationally. A first ball no-ball, a Gavin Armstrong two and a boundary had seven on the board after three legitimate balls. Then, from the fourth, there was an almighty appeal for a catch at the wicket. The umpire turned it down so Callaghan steamed in for the following ball and beat Armstrong's prod to remove off and middle stump.

Not to be outdone, Davies removed Lamb's middle stump in the next over and Blackpool were struggling at 7-2. From that point the game was over as a contest and as an interest to spectators. Blackpool made no discernible effort to chase the St Annes' total and only Stephen Croft showed any enterprise as he hit a classy 35 from 73 balls with four fours. He was eventually leg before wicket to Dave Taylor at which point Blackpool were 62-3.

The innings thereafter ambled to a conclusion. Paul Danson made 24 before being stumped by Whalley off Taylor, and an injured Mark Lomas made a painstaking 35 before Evans caught him low down at mid-wicket off Davies. Walton made eight before he became the game's sixth lbw victim off Davies, and that left David Bartholomew -- more often a charismatic cricketer -- having defended his way to 20 not out and Barrow was nought not out as the innings ended at 137-6.

Once again an advert for Northern Premier League cricket at its best it most certainly was not.