CRICKET REVIEW by Keiron Metcalfe – South Holderness v Hill Top CC – Sat 3rd May 2014:
On a lovely mid-spring day at the Middle Lane Cricket Ground, South Holderness Cricket Club’s defence of a no-more-than-par score of 183 was a touch-and-go affair right up to the 43rd over of 10-man Hill Top’s run-chase before a no-ball from plucky Jack Riley was dispatched for 6 by Gavin Wilkinson. And, with that one bad ball, Hill Top pulled ahead of the required run-rate for the first time in their innings; and, with plenty of wickets in hand, they then crossed the line with what appeared to be ease, finishing on 185 for 3 with 2 overs to spare.
But it wasn’t quite as straight forward as the result would have us believe. Because, despite always being only a tad behind the run-rate for most of their innings, Hill Top seemed to be settling for a losing draw. South Holderness bowled well mostly; but there was at least one bad ball every two overs which, once dispatched, kept Hill Top in the game. And, eventually, the home team’s inability to eradicate the bad balls cost them the match, with Laurence Wilkinson batting wire-to-wire for an unbeaten 97 from 136 balls. For South Holderness, Richard Rosindale was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 12-4-29-1. (Adam Towse and Rich Ingram both took wickets in their first over – Towse with his first ball.
Stewart Towse’s first bowling spell for the Club was promising but, ultimately, wicketless. And, coming into the attack when the game was very much in the balance and with the responsibility of having to avoid leaking silly runs, 15-year-old Jack Riley held his own (and was VERY unfortunate to receive a formal warning after bowling a waste-high full toss which hit Laurence Wilkinson on the forearm as he tried to dispatch it).
Earlier on, a total of 200+ was more than achievable for South Holderness once, after a watchful start, Rich Ingram started to put the hammer down. But South Holderness kept losing wickets at just the wrong time, thus preventing them from pulling away in earnest. Ingram got to 52 and was dismissed the next ball after he’d raised his bat. Jack Riley batted well with, first, Ingram and then Stewart Towse, recording the innings’ third highest score of 14 (off 24) before he got greedy with a full-pitched ball and had his timber re-arranged. And, once Riley was gone, no one managed to stick around with Towse and help him get the team to 200.
As it was, Towse finished unbeaten on 62 off 55 balls – and I can’t help thinking that perhaps the man to have formed that much-needed partnership with Towse was Scott Crane who, because of the length of South Holderness’s batting line-up, came in at 11 but who perhaps should’ve come in after number 8, Craig McFadyen, was run out……. But, hey-ho……. Laurence Wilkinson, coming on third change, finished with figures of 8-0-26-4 on his way to a Man-of-the-Match performance.
It wasn’t a shocker of a performance from South Holderness by any stretch of the imagination – in last season’s opener against the same opposition we witnessed some truly lackadaisical and gormless bowling! But the team was definitely a little bit underdone and slightly flat: the batsmens failure to put together at least one meaningful partnership in the final stages of their innings (the partnership of 38 between Towse and Riley was the innings’ highest) cost them what may well have been a match-winning total; and then the bowlers lacked the discipline to grab the minimum of a winning draw that was there for the taking.
So, not for the first time, it’s a losing start to the season. But there is plenty of promise in this team – and plenty of time for the players to show it.
The 1st XI travel to Brandesburton next week to take on an historically solid batting side. The bowlers will need to up their game in order to play their part in getting South Holderness’s season up and running.
By Keiron Metcalfe
Visit: southholdernesscc.play-cricket.com
And on Facebook too: www.facebook.com/southholderness.cricketclub
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AND NEXT WEEK: Following their setback last Saturday at Middle Lane, at the hands of Hill Top CC, South Holderness CC outfit travel to the Rial compact ground to tackle, former fellow Pennant Alliance old rivals in Brandesburton CC. The visitors will be hoping that skipper Rich Ingram and their all rounder and new signing Stuart Towse, will be repeating their first match batting form, coupled with the bowlers bettering just the three wicket taken in the first match.
The An Xl take on fellow locals Skirlaugh CC at Middle Lane, Hedon on 10th May, with a 1.30pm start in a Third division Eastern Conference encounter, of 40 overs apiece.
The home side obtained the full 30 points as Pelican CC were unable to field a team last week, in east Hull.
By Malc Ripley
