Cumbria County Cricket Club won the first of their two matches in the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA) Dojo T20 competition, but lost the second, writes Roxine A Beaumont-Sempill.
In the same week as England fielded three young debutants, Cumbria did the same.
There was a distinctly youthful feel to the Cumbria squad: five teenagers; no player was over the age of 30; only the oldest three were above 25.
The latest seven young recruits had played 16 limited overs matches for CCCC between them.
Similarly, England’s seven young players had 17 previous tests between them.
It was a hot day, with little breeze. High white clouds offered some welcome protection.
The straight boundaries of the Nantwich CC pitch were unusually short (only about 10 yards beyond the inner circle). On three sides were luxuriant hedges. These proved to be excellent at swallowing balls, so several replacements were needed during the day.
Cheshire won the toss and elected to field. Freddie Fallows (Kendal CC) was off to a fine start, scoring 30 from 16 balls, 5 X 4s, 1 X 6, strike rate 187.50.
He was dropped on the midwicket boundary off the penultimate ball of the 3rd over, then hit it straight into the hands of long on three balls later.
Another three fallow balls followed before Tom Fraine (Clifton Alliance CC) followed Fallows back to the fold.
Captain Matthew Sempill (Cockermouth CC) joined opener Faizan Ghumman (Newcastle CC) for 5 balls before the youngster was bowled. 33/3 off 4.4 overs was a good start for the hosts.
However, Sempill was able to forge two decent partnerships, firstly of 49 from 41 balls with Max Winskill (Shaw CC, 24 off 21), then 40 off 27 balls with debutant Ed Wade (Clifton Alliance CC).
Last ball 16th over Sempill was caught at long on, having top scored for Cumbria with 45 runs off 37 balls, 4 X 4s and 1 X 6.
Wade and Louis Backhouse (Kendal CC) put on 39 from just 20 balls before, with just four scheduled balls left in the innings, Wade (39 off 24) was caught on the midwicket boundary.
The last ball of the innings was rocketed into the sight screen by finisher extraordinaire Louis Backhouse (Kendal CC), whose 22 runs came off just 10 balls.
Given the modest dimensions of the pitch and the good batting wicket, local cognoscenti felt that 171/6 was about 30 runs short.
However, Sam Sharp (Penrith CC) plundered 2 wickets in his first 2 overs, with Ashling caught by Fallows at long on (regulation catch, chest height) and Newton bowled. Five balls later Sharp was in catching action on the midwicket boundary to dismiss Murray off the bowling of Backhouse.
Fallows was in the action for the next 4 wickets. Firstly catching a skier from Vaughan-Hawkins off Ethan Hardie Knight (Cockermouth CC) at long on, then getting Usher stumped by Harry Temperton (Kendal CC).
Fallows’ next catch at long on, to give Callum High (Millom CC) his first county wicket, was taken like a shot putter in reverse!
The ball soared towards him. He pouched it just inside the rope and, to avoid stepping out, reverse pirouetted gracefully with one foot gliding just above the boundary rope.
Fallows’ fourth long-on catch has to be the catch of the season. Captain Sam Perry, on 60 from 45 balls, launched a delivery from Hardie-Knight.
Fallows sprinted several yards to his right. More in desperation than in hope he leapt up, twisting his back towards the ball and stretching out his left hand.
The ball stuck! I could hear the dulcet tones of David Attenborough’s describing an orca leaping and twisting to stun or disorient fast-moving prey.
With the hosts on 117/7 off 15.5 overs, Cumbria’s own killer whale had virtually won the match single flippered.
But there was further excitement in the next over when Backhouse was on a hat trick following an lbw and a stumping, but the ball missed an edge by a whisker.
The hosts were contained to 139/9, so Cumbria won by 32 runs.
For the second match Cheshire again won the toss and this time elected to bat. This match was a different ‘kettle of fish’ (to keep up the maritime theme). With scores more ‘parr’ for the course (196/7 and 190/5) it was very much a ‘tail’ of two ‘batters’: Cheshire’s Patrick Ashling (who scored 102 off 53, 11 X 4s, 6 X 6s, S/R 192.45) and Cumbria’s Tom Fraine (97 off 52, 11 X 4s, 5 X 6s, S/R 186.54). Each of them was batting at number 2, and their opening partner ‘flounder’(ed) in the first over.
Whereas Ashling’s top partnership was 83, Fraine forged a fantastic 122 run partnership from 72 balls with his Clifton Alliance teammate Wade for the second wicket.
In the absence of Sharp (resting a damaged wrist) Cumbria’s first three bowlers (Fallows, Backhouse and Hardie-Knight) each took 2 wickets and kept their economy rates at or below 8.5.
However, High, Sempill and Winskill got ‘hammer(head)’ed, each conceding double figures per over.
It’s a great shame for the match, and for the teenager, that Fraine fell agonisingly short of his ton.
It’s a shame for this report that his bowling nemesis was called Barraclough (so close to ‘Barracuda’). When Tom was dismissed, the Sausages needed 27 from 1 ball short of 3 overs. Debutant Kian Larmour (Whitehaven CC) and Ghumman were limited by good bowling and sharp fielding which ‘seal’(ed) the match for the Cats.
Cumbria host Cheshire (yes, again!) for the semi-final of the NCCA NV Play Trophy on Sunday June 28 at Keswick CC, starting at 11am.
The final Dojo T20 Cup fixture, start times 11am and 2.30pm, is on Sunday July 5 v Staffordshire at Carlisle CC.
