Greens Back on Form!
Read on for all the weekend’s action…
Lucas Fettes Norfolk League Division 1
Aldborough (26 pts) 289 for 4 beat Great Yarmouth 49 for 10 (3pts) by 240 runs.
Aldborough still smarting from recent defeats were looking to exorcise their cricketing demons and on Saturday Great Yarmouth’s hopes of any kind of result were banished in incisive style.
On a worn and tired looking pitch Yarmouth won the toss and inserted Boro’. With puffs of dust and the track breaking early on it looked like openers Allan and Cooper needed to be resolute and patient. The score after six overs was at a lowly nine runs when Allan and Cooper both decided to take a positive and dominant slant on the game. The pitch apparently died down after the newness of the ball had diminished and the pair set upon a mammoth partnership.
Both batsman driving and cutting in equal aplomb forced bowling changes and rarely let this interrupt their rhythm. Cooper was the dominant partner in the early stages with Allan cleverly rotating strike to give his partner free reign. Cooper reached his fifty first with a driven four. Allan in similar fashion followed suit shortly and quietly moved to sixty.
Cooper on seventy one then was forced to watch some superb batting from the other end. Allan took centre stage and before Cooper could add another run scored the forty required for him to secure his second league century so far this year. He reached landmark with a series of boundaries and then began to smash the ball around Beaconsfield. In this onslaught the match ball was hit so hard that the leather casing came off the ball and had to be replaced. Cooper was out for an excellent 77 in which he and Allan had amassed an opening partnership of 203.
One wicket brought two with Reeve going first ball. Bacon then joined the roller coaster ride and proceeded to smash a great 33 in a partnership of 62 in six overs. The majestic Allan continued with his faultless innings. More fours and sixes followed and he looked to push the score towards three hundred. He was eventually caught on a career best 149 which included 14 fours and 8 sixes. The innings was finished off in style with Matt Saunders once again coming in and smashing the ball for the team to finish on 289 for 4.
In reply Great Yarmouth were in need of some inspiration but captain Paul Reeve was in no mood for charity. Ably supported by Michael Board he ripped through the home side top order. Bowling with pace and good lines he removed the first five for 17 runs with star batsman and keeper Allan taking two sharp catches. Board was unlucky not to join the party but Reeve continued in this excellent spell to take the next two and have Yarmouth reeling at 26 for 7. Oxborough showed some resistance but Board accounted for the eighth wicket and with the 11th man refusing to bat Reeve took what was the final wicket with a good catch from Skinner to bowl the home side out for 49 and finish with a career best eight wicket haul and figures of 10.4-2-30-8
Lucas Fettes Norfolk League Division 5
Aldborough A 199 for 4 (6 points) lost to Colney CC 202 for 4 (23 points) by six wickets.
After last week’s crushing loss to Old Catton, Aldborough A were determined to get back the winning feeling as they entertained bottom of the league Colney. On a great track Aldborough A elected to bat and Tim Briggs and Charlie Mack got off to a good start before Mack was bowled for 36. Cannon continued the good work before flashing at a wide one and being caught behind for 21. Briggs secured his fifty with a classic cut shot and continued to up the run rate with Mike Cramp. As the run rate was increased risks were taken and Briggs was disastrously run out on 60. Cramp and Holroyd upped the run rate again and moved the score near to 200 before Cramp (43) was removed and Ray Smith saw the overs through with Aldborough A falling a run short of 200 in a competitive score of 199/4.
As Colney had failed to reach more than 125 all year The Green’s were confident, but Whitworth batted with real style after Knight dropped a tough chance to remove him on 0. With Aldborough A again missing key bowlers, captain Cannon could only rotate what he had and despite good bowling from Smith (12-2-39-2) and Mack (10-2-37-0) wickets were hard to come by. With Aldborough A on the ropes Cannon tried to vary things but Cramp was dispatched for 17 off his one over and Cannon was treated with similar disdain as Colney neared the winning post. The Colney batsmen played with real positivity and skill and despite pressure from Aldborough they eventually reached the target with six wickets and four overs in hand. Whitworth’s 94, including three sixes, proved the deciding factor in the game as Colney finally got a win and Aldborough A lost their second game on the bounce.
Knights Sporting Ltd Man of the Match – Charlie Mack
Sunday’s game was called off due to rain