After winning their last four matches in this year’s National Counties Cricket Association T20 competition, Cumbria County Cricket Club come down to earth with a bump against Staffordshire on Sunday at Wolverhampton, writes Roxine Beaumont-Sempill.
However, they still advance to the Super 12s next month.
The first of two matches was due to start at 11am. However, at 9.30am the heavens opened and gave the ground a severe soaking.
Despite the drying wind and occasional bursts of warm sunshine, the dry, yellowing grass and hard ground were not conducive to soaking up the wet. After a few inspections of the stubborn damp patches the umpires abandoned the first match.
The second started on time on 2.30pm, under grey skies, and with a strong breeze across the pitch.
Cumbria won the toss and elected to field. In a break from their usual approach, they opened the bowling with two pacemen: Chris Wright (Kenilworth Wardens and Leicestershire) and Louis Backhouse (Kendal).
Third ball fourth over Rohan Vallabhaneni (7 off 14) was caught behind by Finlay Richardson off Backhouse.
Two overs later another rapid ball from Backhouse was cut by Nils Priestley (18 off 13) and shot straight into the hands of Freddie Fallows (Kendal) at point.
After the 6-over powerplay, pace gave way to spin. With his hands still possibly stinging from the impact of the catch, Fallows bowled a tidy over.
Three balls later, the ball looped up from the bat of Matthew Morris (7 off 5) off Josh Stirling (Newcastle). Wright seemed to be having a micro nap at the 45-degree third man position, but he suddenly shot forward to take a good catch.
Having restricted their hosts to 52/3 off 7.3 overs, the visitors seemed to be in a good position. However, Reeve Evitts (76 off 50) and James Kettleborough (61 off 38) batted through the remaining overs, putting on a partnership of 129 off 75 balls.
The three most expensive overs almost fell into a perfect pattern with overs 12, 16 and 20 conceding respectively 12, 17 and 20 runs.
A few fielding fumbles, not helped by a bobbly outfield and Staffordshire’s habit of turning 1s into 2s to put pressure on the fielders, probably cost 20 runs in Staffordshire’s total of 181/3. Backhouse posted the best bowling figures of 2 wickets in his 3 overs for 16 runs, economy 5.33.
Big hitters Fallows and Paul Hindmarch (Keswick) opened for Cumbria. Fallows took 2 X 4s and 2 X 2s off the first 5 balls, then the ball shot straight up into the waiting gloves of keeper Callum Hawkins off Priestley.
Second over, coach Hindmarch and Captain Matthew Sempill (Cockermouth), some welcome assistance from Mr Extras, put on 14.
Third over, Hindmarch seemed to hit his straps with 4, dot, 6, 2, 4. But sadly the last ball of the over from Priestley dislodged Hindmarch’s bails. Hindmarch 19 from 9, Cumbria 42/2 off 3 overs.
At the end of the powerplay Cumbria were on 62/2, ahead of the hosts who had been on 45/2 at that point. Ben Walkden (Newton-le-Willows) and Sempill had settled into a 25 run partnership from 23 balls before Sempill (14 off 11) scooped a delivery from Morris straight into the hands of Tom Brett at short fine leg.
Having played himself in Richardson (5 off 6) steered the ball over the rope on the offside, then tried to steer the next to the onside, but it flirted up to be caught at point by Morris off Priestley.
This brought Ben Davidson (Carlisle) to the crease. Seven days previously, the double Bens had batted carefully but at a sufficient rate to bring their team home in the first match against Cheshire. But history was not going to repeat itself.
The partnership lasted just 8 balls before Walker (18 off 24), going for a strong shot on the legside, was bowled by Tom Brett.
At this halfway point the sausages were on 81/5. The bull terriers had been on 72/3.
Wright (3 off 5) was caught at mid-on by Jack Redman off Brett. Davidson and his club teammate Nico Watt kept their heads and kept the Cumbria ‘worm’ (on the graph showing comparative accumulated runs) tracking that of Staffs until the last ball of the 15th over when Watt (2 off 8) was caught by James Kettleborough at point off Redman.
For the last quarter of the contest Cumbria were restricted to 4-6 an over. Sam Sharp (Kendal, 11 off 15) put on a partnership of 20 with Davidson before being caught behind off Sam Atkinson. At the end of their 20 overs Cumbria fell well short on 134/8. Davidson was the top scorer on 37 not out off 36 balls.
Tom Brett posted the best bowling figures of 4 overs, 2 for 18, economy 4.50.
Thanks to Cheshire beating Northumberland twice in the group’s other matches, Staffordshire win the group and Cumbria qualify in second place with Northumberland in third. That means that the county will probably travel to Cambridgeshire.
Meanwhile Cumbria now turns its attention to the Durrant Cricket National County Championship, starting with two away games:
- Sunday July 20-Tuesday July 22 v Bedfordshire at Dunstable Town CC
- Sunday July 27-Tuesday July 29 v Hertfordshire at Bishop’s Stortford CC
The Super 12s of NCCA’s T20 competition are on Sunday August 3, venue tba.
