MORECAMBE professional South African Stephen Pope captivated the crowd at Stanley Park on Saturday in the Vaux Northern League Division One game against Blackpool.

As he had done in the first game at Morecambe he made a faultless century and helped put Morecambe in an almost invincible position at 210-8 declared with one ball of their 50 overs remaining.

Blackpool in reply struggled through to 124-7 to hold on for a draw.

Blackpool won the toss and put Morecambe in to bat and when Fisher was caught at second slip by Bracewell for 11 the visitors were 16-1 and Blackpool were in the ascendency.

Woodhead and Pope soon changed matters with a partnership of 54 in 45 minutes and when Kirkby had Woodhead caught at short third man by Moore for 27 Morecambe had recovered to 70-2.

Three quick wickets swung the game back to Blackpool as Moffatt was yorked by Kirkby for nought, Clough was leg before wicket to Sharp for two and Greenwood went the same way without scoring; Morecambe wobbling a little at 77-5.

Pope had become becalmed in the forties but then in partnership with Maje he took the total to 120 before Maje, 26, was smartly taken by Moore, again at short third man, off Kirkby.

Wicketkeeper Gudgeon then arrived at the wicket and, although scoring freely, he played second fiddle to Pope who moved majestically to his century with a fine array of strokes all round the wicket.

After the pair had put on 80 in 38 minutes Pope, much to his disappointment drove firmly at Sharp but only found the safe hands of Wiggans at short extra cover.

His sparkling 100 had come from 118 balls and included three sixes and seven fours.

Eccles was dropped by Simmonite on the mid-wicket boundary but next ball Bracewell took a stunning tumbling catch in front of the pavilion off Kirkby before Gudgeon, 28 not out, saw Morecambe to their third batting bonus point and a declaration at 210-8.

Marcus Sharp took his League wicket tally to 41 but his stamina-sapping 25 over stint cost him 105 runs, Kirkby, one of only three bowlers used, finished with 4-77.

Blackpool's reply began in the rapidly becoming time-honoured way.

Simmonite, four, pulled a short ball to square and Blackpool were 6-1.

Chris Cornall, opening in the absence of Martin Pickles, did most of the scoring in a second wicket partnership of 44 in 47 minutes with Robin Bracewell before he played on to the spin of John Eccles.

The spinner, who regularly enhances his reputation at Blackpool's expense, then accounted for Bracewell, eight, Moore, three, and Newell, three and Blackpool were once again deep in trouble at 85-5.

Skipper Gavin Wiggans, however, stood firm and battled his way to 36 before Eccles completed a 5-35 return by holding on to a return catch at 100-6.

Namajee and Sharp had little option but to bat out for a draw and they added a few runs before Morecambe made a nonsense of the end by tossing up a few free hits by way of donkey drops.

Even so Namajee, eight, contrived to get himself leg before wicket to an ecstatic Greenwood from the final ball of the game and gift Morecambe a bowling bonus point as Blackpool ended at 124-7.

The two points for the draw saw them still second to bottom of the League but did move them one point nearer third-bottom St Annes.

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