With a loss to Northumberland by 44 runs, Cumbria had a disappointing start to their National Counties One Day Trophy campaign, writes Roxine Beaumont-Sempill.
Before the match, players and officials lined up for a silence in remembrance of a few people associated with each of the county clubs who died since the end of last season, including Cumbria’s Gilbert Johnstone.
The visitors won the toss and elected to field.
Making a very welcome return to the fray after missing so much of the 2024 season through injury, Michael Slack (Carlisle CC) opened the bowling from the pavilion end.
By the end of the sixth over Slack had conceded 12 runs, whereas Ed Moulton (Chorley CC) had conceded 24. But, with the last ball of the 6th over, Moulton made the first breakthrough. Alasdair Appleby (26 off 21 balls) sent the ball soaring towards the fine leg boundary, where it eventually fell into the grateful hands of debutant Louis Backhouse (Kendal CC) just inside the rope.
Eight overs later Backhouse was in bowling action, taking over from Moulton. He found it difficult to adjust to the slight down slope and tail wind, overstepping 4 times and conceding 24 in his 2 overs.
However, in between those overs he pulled off the catch of the match at mid-wicket, leaping 2 feet in the air and clutching the ball with left hand at full stretch overhead. This sent opener Harry Crawshaw (40 off 59) back to the hutch off spinner Nico Watt (Carlisle CC). 87/2 off 17.2 overs.
Having taken over from Slack, Ben Walkden (Newton-le-Willows CC) took the next 2 wickets. In the 21st over he bowled Jonny Bushnell (5). Two overs later Freddie Fallows (Kendal CC) caught John Oswell (6) at mid-wicket.
These dismissals brought a quiet period, with Watt and Walkden limiting the runs and reducing the hosts to 120/4 off 30 overs.
Ross Whitfield showed his ex-England U19 class, scoring 91 off 95 balls (9 X 4s, 5 X 6s) before falling to a catch at mid-off by Harry Singh (Flixton CC & Lancashire CCC) off Slack in the 45th over.
Four overs later Christopher Youldon (49 off 85), Whitfield’s oppo in the highest partnership of the match (122 off 136 balls), also fell to the Slack/Singh combination.
In the final (and his only bowling) over Singh took three scalps – Matthew Oswell caught by Matthew Sempill (Cockermouth CC) on the cover boundary, Oliver McGee caught by Fallows at deep mid-wicket and Callum Fletcher whom Singh ran out with the last ball of the innings.
Walkden’s economy rate was the best of the day – an astonishing 1.7 runs per over.
Facing a target of 275 to win, Cumbria were gifted 4 leg byes off the first ball. Then Fallows added insult to injury with a further 10 runs off the next 4 balls. Feast to famine brought nine dot balls followed by Fallows’ dismissal, caught behind off Bushnell.
This brought Singh to the crease for a marathon innings, starting with a 36-run partnership with Sam Dutton (Barrow CC) before Dutts (19 off 25) was also caught behind, off Matthew Oswell. 50/2 off 10.
Keeper Youldon and Matthew Oswell also sent Evan Williams (Horwich RMI CC) packing; off the second ball he faced. This brought Slack to join Singh. Fortunately, they were able to establish a partnership of 109 off 141 balls before captain McGee trapped captain Slack (53 off 71) lbw.
Walkden (1 off 4) was caught & bowled by Max Williamson. 160/5 off 36 overs was pretty much on track with the hosts’ position of 151/4 at the same stage. The Singh/Sempill partnership started well, with them rotating the strike and scoring off virtually every ball, adding 29 runs over the next 3 overs.
Sadly, in the 40th over Sempill (8 off 13) was caught at extra cover by Whitfield off Williamson, and 3 dot balls later he was followed into the dressing room by Finlay Richardson (Kendal CC).
Singh and Watt settled into a run-a-ball 35 partnership before Singh was bowled by Williamson (114 off 132). Watt (14 off 16) was caught behind off Bushnell, and Backhouse (2 off 5) was stumped to bring the Sausages to fizzling, rather than sizzling, end. 230 all out off 47.2 overs.
Cumbria’s upcoming fixtures are also in the One Day Trophy, starting at 11am:
- Sunday May 4 v Bedfordshire at Dunstable Town CC
- Sunday May 11 v Cambridgeshire at Kendal CC
- Sunday May 18 v Lincolnshire at Furness CC
