Leyland’s Northern League title triumph a big relief for skipper David Makinson

Makinson’s side had been top of the table for the majority of the season and after missing out on securing the league crown the previous weekend by losing to Fulwood and Broughton, Leyland claimed the seventh title in their history by beating Longridge by 66 runs at Fox Lane on Saturday.

Makinson said: “We’ve won it four times in the last 10 years which is a brilliant effort.

“We were really pleased to win it. It was a feeling of relief I suppose.

“It was in our hands the week before at Fulwood and Broughton. We should have been able to get the victory and win the league then, so if we’d let it slip on Saturday we would have been really disappointed.”

Nathan McDonnell’s unbeaten 33 helped Leyland post a total of 110-7 from their 50 overs.

McDonnell would then pick up four wickets for just six runs with the ball as he, Ross Bretherton (4-18) and Karl Cross (2-17) skittling the visitors out for 44.

And Makinson praised McDonnell for his intelligent batting.

He said: “It was a really tough wicket to bat on as the scores show.

“We were really struggling off about 50-4 off about 27 overs.

“Once we got into three figures we thought someone is going to have to bat very well for them, or most of our attack bowl poorly, but we still had to get the wickets.

“Nathan’s innings won us the game really. To bat like that was brilliant, to realise it was a wicket where anything over three figures would be difficult for anyone to chase, he had the knowledge and the skill to do that.”