Cumbria County Cricket Club’s first match of the season in the NCCA NV Play Trophy Group 1 was described as a sweet success, writes Roxine A Beaumont-Sempill.
By contrast, their second match, against Suffolk at Furness CC, was almost a sweep setback. But fortunately, stalwart lower order batters were able to secure victory.
The day started on the still, chilly side, with high grey clouds. Within a couple of hours the sun shone, accompanied by a chilly breeze.
It was almost a case of déjà vu, with young Ethan Hardie-Knight (Cockermouth CC) again travelling as 12th man, but replacing a paceman as a potential injury precaution.
Last week it was a niggle in the back of Sam Sharp (Penrith CC), this week in the hamstring of club captain Michael Slack (Carlisle CC).
Cumbria won the toss and elected to bowl. Assisted by the overhead conditions, opening bowlers Louis Backhouse (Kendal CC) and Sharp were able to put down challenging balls. Backhouse struggled slightly in the first over, conceding two wides in the 8 runs.
Plying his trade up the slope Sharp started with a wide, but trapped Beaumont lbw with his sixth ball.
Five overs later Backhouse battered Burle’s stumps. Backed up by committed fielding, the home pair commendably contained the visitors to 25/2 off the first 10 overs.
Replacing Backhouse, Ben Walkden (Newton-le-Willows CC) kept the pressure on, conceding just 12 off his first 5 overs.
Although spinner Hardie-Knight was not entirely comfortable with the up slope, he nevertheless conceded only 12 runs in his first 3-over spell.
Following his fellow left-arm spinner, Freddie Fallows (Kendal CC) dismissed Archie Jones (22) lbw with his second ball. Five balls later Walkden put paid to Parker: stumps asunder. 64/4 off 21 overs.
Fallows put in a shift, bowling all his 10 overs in one spell. Nico Watt (Carlisle CC) joined him for 3 overs, followed by Hardie-Knight.
The latter was gifted a wicket in the 33rd over, thanks to right-handed batter Cantrell hitting the ball onto his own foot. It ballooned up over his head.
Quick-witted keeper Drew Postlethwaite (Barrow CC) scrambled to pouch it just before it hit the ground to the batter’s left.
Three overs later Pell fell, clean bowled by Fallows. The 45th was Suffolk’s best over, with 17 coming from it.
Twelve balls later Ironside flicked a Sharp delivery towards mid-wicket. Max Winskill (Shaw CC) tore in from the boundary, threw the ball to Sharp who ran out Heldreich (35 off 36) in his desperate attempt to turn a single into 2.
No more wickets fell until the final over when Marston was caught at deep mid-wicket by Watt off Calum Rowe (Carlisle CC), Ironside was caught at long off by Backhouse, and Watt effected the keeper-assisted run out of Bevan.
Ironside was the top scorer, exemplifying nominative determinism: his surname means having “great power of endurance or resistance”.
Batting for just under 43 overs, Ironside forged Suffolk’s top three partnerships of 34 (with Jones), 51 (Cantrell) and 61 (Heldreich). He scored 57 off 109 balls in 160 minutes. Extraordinarily, he did not score a single boundary.
Six out of seven Cumbrian bowlers took at least 1 wicket. The most economical bowler of the day was Walkden at 2.50.
A target of 199 to win seemed eminently achievable, not least because weather conditions had improved for batting. Rowe and Thomas Fraine (Clifton Alliance CC) resumed the opening partnership that had worked so well the week before and were well on track on 12/0 from 3 overs.
Unfortunately, 4th ball 4th over Burle took a great low catch off Cantrell at mid-wicket from a Rowe sweep.
Next ball Walkden was given out lbw, getting a big stride in. The left-handed pair of Fraine and Matthew Sempill (Cockermouth CC) seemed settled, but last ball of 10th over Sempie was out lbw, sweeping.
Cumbria’s innings wasn’t helped by a run out when Winskill guided the ball towards mid-wicket, took a couple of paces, then turned back.
Fraine was halfway down the track and quickly turned back to no avail.
Fallows took care to bed in for 9 balls, scoring just one single and a boundary then the ball evaded his attempted sweep and flattened his off stump.
Then came the partnership of the match: 74 from 84 balls between Winskill and Postlethwaite. Winskill top-scored for the Sausages: 50 runs in 50 balls, 64 minutes (4×4, 3×6). He was given out lbw penultimate ball 30th over.
Suffolk probably thought they had delivered two 2 fatal punches when, 3 balls later, Postlethwaite (32 off 50, 3 X 4s, 1 X 6) was also given out lbw after taking a stride. At 132/7 off 30.2 overs, Cumbrians feared the worst.
However, with great maturity Watt and Sharp put together a careful partnership of 59 from 74 balls, taking few risks but keeping up with the required run rate. Suddenly a ball spat up at Sharp (35 from 45, 5 X 4), nicked his top edge, and was grabbed by the keeper.
Just 8 runs required for victory. To the crease strode Backhouse. “He’ll try to do it with a couple of 6s” was muttered by more than one Cumbrian supporter.
But no, with self-confessed increased maturity, he and Watt were watchful. Four dots, a single from Watt (22 from 33, 2 X 4), then Backhouse: 2, 4, 1, each directed elegantly towards cover. 199/8 with 36 balls to spare. Phew!
Cumbria had faced 39 (of 44) overs of spin to win their first ever One Day Trophy match at Furness.
Although Hardie-Knight had scored a maiden 50 at number 11 for Cockermouth the previous day, he was probably more relieved than most to witness the winning run!
An always exciting aspect of Furness CC for the crowd is the ‘over the wall’ 6s. Of the 8 sixes in the match (4 by each side) one threatened a heavily-glazed porch, one hit a garage roof, another the flat roof of the clubhouse extension, and at least one soared into the road.
Having lost away to Cheshire the day before, Suffolk’s northern mini-tour was disappointing for them to say the least. Cricket can be a very cruel game.
Cumbria CCC’s remaining fixtures in the One Day Trophy, starting at 11am:
- Sunday May 10: v Cambridgeshire at Exning Park CC
- Sunday May 17: v Cheshire at Keswick CC
