Heroics from ‘The Old Guard’ rescue Aldborough A
Read on for all the weekend’s action…
Lucas Fettes Norfolk league Division 1
Aldborough CC v Rollesby CC
Match Abandoned - RAIN
Aldborugh restricted Rollesby to 168 for 8 from their 45 overs before the rain came and the match was called off.
Lucas Fettes Norfolk league Division 5
Aldborough A (25 points) 174-6 beat Old Buckenham B (7 points) 172-10 by 4 wickets
Forced to play their home fixture at Gressenhall, due to the annual fair on The Green, Aldborough A continued their recent good form by beating close rivals Old Buckenham B by 4 wickets in a tight finish. This result keeps the pressure up on league leaders Watton whose game was rained off, meaning next week’s crunch clash between these two friendly rivals looks ever more important. Before the start of play both sides observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of Ron Dobbie, who sadly died the previous week. Ron had been a stalwart of Aldborough cricket club since 1946.
Aldborough won the toss but decided to bowl on a difficult looking playing surface. However, the Old Buckenham openers Pape and Newbury made the surface look benign, racking up 59 for the first wicket in 11 overs. The short boundaries at Gressenhall and some wayward bowling from the opening bowlers didn’t help Aldborough. The introduction of Smith and Mack into the bowling attack rapidly changed the outlook of the game. Mack took a wicket in his second over, bowling the dangerous looking Newbury for 29, and he took a further 5 more wickets in quick succession to leave Old Buckenham clinging on at 115 for 8. At the other end Ray Smith created pressure with his probing medium pacers until he was forced out of the attack with back pain after 6 overs. Mack finished with career best figures of 6 for 33 while Smith finished with a miserly 1 for 18.
After Mack and Smith were rested Aldborough were unable to finish off the Old Buckenham innings with Robinson (no6) playing particularly well for his 42. Old Buckenham finished with a respectable 172 All Out after Perry-Warnes finally wrapped up the tail.
In reply Aldborough made a disastrous start with the in-form Mack being bowled for 1 in the 8th over. Old Buckenham’s opening bowlers P Fitt and D Fitt bowled tight lines on a wearing and unpredictable pitch. The inevitable pressure told as Aldborough’s batsmen resorted to trying to force the pace as the run rate rose to over 6 an over. Cramp perished for 4, then Skinner was caught behind by the ever-tidy Perry for a patient 22. Only Matt Saunders with a powerful 37 looked like providing any resistance. At 86 for 6 the game looked to have slipped from Aldborough’s grasp.
However, Aldborough stalwarts Ray Smith and Tim Nicholson slowly built a partnership, cleverly moving the ball around. Nicholson, in particular, looked increasingly comfortable and even hoisted an audaciously lofted six over square leg off the bowling of Newbury. An unbeaten partnership of 88 made sure that Aldborough sneaked home with 8 balls to spare with Smith finishing on 30 not out and glove-man Nicholson on a season’s best, and match winning, 51 not out.
Knights Sporting Limited Man of the Match: Tim Nicholson