ADAM Cowperthwaite utilised the Kendal lower order as the Shap Road club progressed to the semi-final of the Readers Cup after an impressive victory over holders Blackpool at Stanley Park.

 Kendal restricted Blackpool to 138-6 from their 40-over allocation with opener Matthew Houston top scoring with 38 as Darren Nightingale continued his good form with three wickets.

 Cowperthwaite and Miller were at the crease as the visitors reached their victory target with two overs to spare, with Terry Hunte the leading contributor with 28.

 After Blackpool elected to bat first, Kendal skipper Stu Parkin claimed the first wicket to fall as Josh Boyne picked out Ryan Shepherd to depart for eight.

 After Parkin and fellow opening bowler Cowperthwaite ensured run-scoring was difficult early on, Nightingale claimed his first wicket by bowling Namibian professional Christi Viljoen for six.

 And following his last-over heroics 24 hours earlier, Nightingale struck again in the same over to remove Blackpool captain Paul Danson without scoring, with the hosts 21-3 in the tenth over.

 Houston and Andy Furniss brought a degree of stability to the Blackpool innings with a partnership of 41 before the latter holed out to Cowperthwaite off Nightingale for 23.

 The home side were approaching three figures when Houston was caught behind by Gary Baker to give Jamie How his sole wicket of the piece.

 Miller bowled Gurmandeep Bains for 12 with Blackpool 103-6 in the 32nd over, as Jake Muncaster and Danny Gilbert added a useful 35 in the remaining overs as the hosts posted 138-6 from 40 overs.

 Nightingale proved the pick of the Kendal bowlers with 3-25 from eight while spin also proved an effective weapon as Miller and How conceded just 47 runs from a combined 15 overs, with a wicket apiece.

 The Kendal reply started in circumspect fashion as the visitors were reduced to 7-1 in the fourth over as Danny Gilbert claimed the wicket of Graham Baker for one.

 Ben Eckton snared the prized wicket of How for 18 in the ninth over, reducing Kendal to 29-2, as Richard Herron and Hunte progressed the score beyond the 50-mark.

 The Shap Road reached 64 before losing their third wicket in the 17th over when Herron picked out Furniss off Muncaster for 15, with Hunte the next to go.

 The veteran batsman added 28, a knock which contained six fours, before being trapped in front by Jamie Thomson, as wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.

 Thomson struck again to remove Ryan Shepherd, caught behind by Ben Howarth, for nine as Kendal slumped to 92-6 in the 26th as Viljoen snared Gary Baker for four.

 With the result in the balance, Nightingale added a precious 14 before being bowled by Boyne, as a solid partnership between Cowperthwaite and Nick Lewthwaite swung the tide in Kendal’s favour.

Needing 14 runs from five overs, a further five were added before Gilbert trapped Lewthwaite in front for 7 as Cowperthwaite remained resolute with a 39-ball 20.

The winning runs were scored by Miller, who found the boundary over point, to finish unbeaten on nine as Kendal set up a semi final clash with Lancashire Colts.