Blackpool Cricket Club showed two very different sides of their character over the last weekend.

On Sunday they turned on a sparkling performance to maintain their challenge to retain the Thwaites Cup with a thrilling semi-final victory over Kendal at Shap Road.

Put in to bat Blackpool made 226-4 from 40 overs and then, after conceding 79 runs in the first 12 overs, they ran through the Kendal batting line-up, dismissed them for 183 and won through to the final with victory by 43 runs.

Steven Croft was the Blackpool batting hero with 109 not out from 125 balls with eight fours and three sixes.

Croft was ably assisted by Justin Kreusch who made 45 with six fours as he and Croft put on 81 runs in 14 overs for the second wicket following the dismissal of Charles Boucher for 14.

Ullah eventually accounted for Kreusch when he edged a lifting ball from Kevin Howarth. Chris Taylor was run out for two but skipper Paul Danson hit a quick-fire 27 before he holed out to long-off where Chris Miller took the catch off Dilwar Khan.

Michael Moore struck one six and two fours in a 16-ball 22 not out as Blackpool finished on 226-4.

It did not look enough when Howarth and Ullah put 42 on the board in five overs but in the sixth over Michael Taylor bowled Howarth for 29.

Terry Hunte fell for 13 when he struck Kreusch to Boucher on the boundary and Michael Raikes made four before David Baker caught him off Boucher at 97-3.

Ullah, 51 from 45 balls with eight fours, was caught by Baker off Luis Reece at 104-4 and when David Fallows skied a catch to Kreusch off Boucher before he had scored Kendal had subsided to 105-5.

The only other resistance came from Tony Yasim who made 50 from just 32 balls with 10 powerfully struck fours but he was out at 164, caught by Dave Newton at backward point off Danson.

Croft returned to bowl Kabir Khan, 11, Ben Simm, nought, and Dilwar Khan, eight, before Chris Miller was run out for four and with Parkin not out four Kendal, all out for 183 had lost by 43 runs.

Rain interfered with Saturday's game against St Annes who made 167-7.

Blackpool's reply matched that of St Annes up to the 19 over mark but failed to progress against tight spin bowling so at the close they were 108-3 as the match petered out into a draw.