Cumbria CCC won their first fixture in this year’s NCCA Cluberly Championship CCC against Hertfordshire at Furness CC by 49 runs, not least because of three stand out performances with the ball, gloves and bat, writes Roxine A Beaumont-Sempill.
All three days were sunny and hot, with a breeze that varied in its course, but offered no respite from the heat. Cumbria won the toss and elected to bat.
Tom Fraine (Clifton Alliance CC) was the first to fall, lbw in the 3rd over.
By the end of the 27th over first change bowler Dan Orchard had sent three batsmen up the ‘apples and pears’ to the changing room.
The batters were unable to ‘gauge’ the trajectory of each of three ‘peachy’ deliveries. None were out ‘plum’ lbw, but in each case the ‘cherry’ swerved into just one ‘stump’: off, off, middle.
Neither Ed Wade (Clifton Alliance CC) nor Michael Slack (Carlisle CC) had troubled the scorers too much. But fortunately, Nathan Waterston (Millom CC, but playing at his former club) had scored 51 off 62 balls, 10 X 4s.
Orchard’s bowling partner Alex Gosling might have thought “what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” as he ‘plucked’ the next three batters. Matthew Sempill (Cockermouth CC) didn’t ‘feather it’, but thick edged it to second slip; Freddie Fallows (Kendal CC) wasn’t out for a ‘duck’, but was caught at point; and Drew Postlethwaite (Barrow CC) took one painfully on his right ‘wing’ (forearm) onto the stumps.
At 102 for 7 from 26.5 overs, it seemed very likely that Cumbria’s “goose was cooked”.
Fortunately, Max Winskill (Shaw CC) wasn’t ‘down’ and put together partnerships of 33 with Sam Sharp (Penrith CC) and 36 with Louis Backhouse (Kendal CC). Sharpy scored 22 (‘two little ducks’, caught at mid-wicket off Sam Davis). Max scored 36 from 72 balls, 5 X 4s before being out lbw to Ben Waring.
Two balls later Ethan Hardie-Knight (Cockermouth CC) was caught at gully off Waring. The hosts were 173 all out from 44.3 overs. Backhouse was the not-out batter, having added 25, including the only 6 of the innings which he sent ‘flying’ onto the flat roof of the clubhouse extension
To rally the troops, Psychic Sharp’s frequent call from the boundary was “50 for 3 lads”. With bowling skills to back up his predictive powers, Sharp sent the visitors into tea on exactly 50/3: Ed Hales lbw, Dominic Chatfield caught behind and Nafis Shaikh caught by Slack at cover.
By the end of the day Herts were 154/6 from 50 overs. Sharpy had his 5-fer with Jacob Gordon stumped, and Finn Kelsey caught behind. Skipper Slack took the 6th, with Cole Seggery caught behind.
In just over an hour on the second day Herts were all out for 209 from 63.2 overs. Jack Plom and Sam Davis increased their stand to 102 from 183 balls before Hardie-Knight caught Davis at mid-wicket off Fallows. Hardie-Knight was in catching action again, this time at slip to dismiss Gosling off Slack.
Keeper Postlethwaite assisted with the final 2 wickets catching Ben Waring off Slack and Orchard off Ethan. In so doing, he equalled the Cumbrian record of 6 keeper dismissals in an innings. Sharp’s figures were 5 for 96 from 23 overs, 6 maidens.
Although Waterston had rescued Cumbria from total ignominy in the first innings, his was the first wicket to fall in the second when he was caught mid-wicket by Gordon off Gosling. The two Gs also did for Fraine, who was caught 2nd slip.
By lunch time Wade and Slack had overcome the first innings deficit, but Slack had been bowled by Davis. After the buffet with sponsors, Wade and Sempill put on the best partnership of the innings (76 from 123 balls) before Sempill (32) was given out lbw.
Wade and Winskill settled into a second substantial partnership (which was to grow to 68 from 149 balls), and Wade was on an agonising 99 when the umpires called tea. 173 for 4 off 54 overs.
Fortunately, only 5 balls were bowled after tea before Wade secured his century. However, celebrations were fleeting as exactly 2 overs later Wade (109 off 158 balls, 14 X 4s, 2 X 6s) was out lbw to Waring. 14 balls later Winskill (28) was also back in the hutch lbw to Gordon. 191/6 off 59.1 overs.
Running out of partners, Forbearing Fallows batted sensibly as Postlethwaite (20 from 25, lbw), Sharp (10 from 49, lbw) and Backhouse (c&b first ball) came and went. But after Hardie-Knight came to the crease Fireworks Fallows fired off three 6s off the last 8 balls he faced, one of which soared straight over a house! Fallows (59 off 62, 4 X 4, 3 X 6) was caught long on attempting to clear the rope again.
Herts needed 242 to win the match. Cumbria had 7 overs at the end of the day to make a start on the wicket-taking. And what a start! Aggressive fields were set, with several men in or around the slip cordon.
The atmosphere was electric. Overs 3 to 5, in a 13-ball spell: Chatfield (4) lbw Sharp, Seggery (0) lbw Sharp, Gosling (0) bowled Backhouse, Shaikh (0) lbw Sharp.
The next morning Cumbria supporters’ high expectations waned within the hour as 27/4 became 106/4. After the one-hour drinks break, with the 3 seamers seemingly unable to break through, the ball was tossed to spinner Hardie-Knight.
Off his first two overs Hales (67 off 57) was caught by Backhouse at short cover and Waring (22 from 65) caught at point by Sharp. Kelsey fell to a reinvigorated Slack, caught behind. 110/7 from 28.3 overs.
Gordon and Plom put on a frustrating partnership of 64, but within an hour after lunch it was all over when Gordon fell lbw to Sharp, Davis was bowled by Fallows and Orchard was run out by Waterston, fittingly assisted by Postlethwaite in his last act before he retired as a Cumbrian player.
Cumbria’s next fixtures in the NCCA Cluberly Cricket Championship, 11am starts each day:
- Sunday August 2-Tuesday August 4: vs Norfolk at Sprowston CC
- Sunday August 16-Tuesday August 18: v Bedfordshire at Netherfield
