MARK Rishton admitted his Baxenden side are still stunned by the manner of their Ramsbottom Cup quarter-final exit on Sunday.
They seemed to be holding Read to an achieveable score when suddenly Read batsman Andy Rushton went wild.
He hit 51 off the last two overs, including 31 off the final six balls, to leave Bash chasing 242 - which proved four runs too much.
"We were shell-shocked," admitted the Bash skipper as his side looked to go one better after finishing runners-up in the cup last season.
"But we know things like that can happen in cricket.
"It has happened to me before - I remember one game where one team got five sixes on the trot - and you have just got to get on with it.
"To be fair, he hit it clean but we didn’t play well as a team.
"We only played well in parts and let ourselves down at other times."
Gary Sudworth was the unfortunate bowler but Rishton said everyone was at fault for the defeat.
"We dropped Andy Rushton when he was on two or three runs and ended up chasing more than we should have.
"I would have been content with around 200 but we were still in with a shout chasing 242.
"Then three wickets went in quick succession - mine, Dave Parkinson’s and Oscar’s (Ian Austin’s).
"But even then Dominic Bulcock batted well and Gary Sudworth did well with the bat and we needed 11 off the final over.
"We got a six from the first ball but then it was a dot ball, we lost two wickets and that was it.
"It was just one of those games. We didn’t field as a team and didn’t particularly play well and no one individual was to blame - it was just disappointing."
With one piece of silverware gone, Baxenden are determined to go all out for another - the league title.
They are currently in third place in the league after all the Saturday games were wiped out by the weather and are looking to improve on the runners-up spot they occupied last season.
Bash have a local derby at Gerard Metcalf’s Oswaldtwistle Immanuel tomorrow but are facing a race against time to get a professional in.
Regular paid man Will Purser is still struggling with a hip injury but they could have either former Haslingden pro, Sri Lankan Pasan Wanasinghe as their paid man or Dutch man Randy Van Warmer.
But they are keen to keep their title hopes on track and ignore last Sunday.
"We just have to hope that was a blip," said the captain.
"In the league, we have won four on the trot and we have leaders Great Harwood and second placed Barnoldswick in our sights but it is not yet half way through the season and we have got to keep it going.
"And we won’t underestimate Oswaldtwistle.
"People tend to raise their game against the higher placed teams and they have a good batting pro in Andy Kerr and a decent bowling attack including Andrew Metcalf and Joe Sipocz.
"They can be a dangerous team on their own ground and we will have to play well."
League leaders Great Harwood come up against Blackburn Northern - the team they want to replace as league champions.
-IN the Ribblesdale League 20/20 competition, Great Harwood are currently second in Group Two having won two of their three games; Oswaldtwistle Immanuel have won one of their three matches in Group Three while Baxenden have lost all three in Group Four.
-OSWALDTWISTLE Immanuel are at home against Cherry Tree in their 20/20 game on Thursday 10 July when they will also be holding a barbeque, weather permitting.
