Saturday 14th June

 

Lea Park                      163 – 7            46 overs           [5 points]

 

Thoresby Colliery II      164 – 5            44.5 overs        [18 points]

 

This fine all-round performance resulted in an excellent win for ‘the seconds’ on a pleasant afternoon in the Edwinstowe sunshine.

It was made all the better by the fact that the lines (for the uninitiated, they are the plastic tubes designed to transport the brown, fizzy, alcoholic beverage (beer) from its nestling place in the barrels to its serving position at the pumps) had been cleaned out ‘early doors’ by the comedy bar-room partnership of Rossington and Case, thereby allowing a full and natural practice period before the commencement of the game.

 

In Walker’s case it seems win or lose the toss we field first, and it was to be so once more. Jepson and Hutchinson opened the bowling with some tight stuff and it wasn’t long before Lea Park found some demons in the pitch. With one opener gone, Hutchy had left-hander Elliot top edge a looper to Godfrey then Casey took an excellent slip catch off Jeppo to have them 10 for 3. Best bat Elton ____ came to the wicket and hit several powerful boundaries with partner AJ. With the score taken on into the 60’s Elton got a bit too ambitious in turning one off middle stump and spooned one to Ben Marson at square leg. There followed much excellent bowling and ground fielding from Thoresby, even as Evans and Edgar replaced the openers. With 8 overs left Lea Park only had 120 on the board; a few meaningful blows, especially from slogging bowler ‘Baggy’, took them up to the 160 mark. Hutchy finished with an excellent 3 for 41 off 15 overs and Stuart Evans 2 for 45 off 16.

 

Case and Halfpenny opened the Thoresby reply very steadily against the new ball. The score was only in single figures after 7 overs but gradually things began to move on. Halfpenny had just got into his stride, hitting three 4’s, before cutting one too close to deep point who ran him out with a direct hit for 18. Jeppo hit a few lusty blows before holing out then Case was caught at point for a pleasing 27. When Ben Marson was caught behind it was 62 for 4 and Thoresby were on the back foot. An excellent partnership between Evans and Rossington kept the home side in the chase. Four runs an over would always take us somewhere close, and the pairing managed to maintain this with a series of boundaries off the flagging attack. At about 110 Rossy was well caught at cover off a skyer, bringing skipper Walker to the wicket. Meanwhile Evans was unleashing a full array of shots from his no.6 berth. Without taking risks this pairing were able to play lots of good cricket strokes to bring our target nearer. When long off Elton palmed a catch over the ropes for 6 off Evans, the away side’s plight looked evermore desperate. So it would prove, as the Lea Park skipper brought in the field Evans (63 NO) and Walker (17 NO) played over or through it, to bring about a fine victory.

 

A super win by our team - bowling, fielding and batting as a unit. Stuart Evans was undoubtedly man of the match. Bring on the mighty Bilsthorpe.