THE CRICKETER VILLAGE CUP ROUND-UP: Round Two

The second round of the Village Cup has been and gone. There were plenty of big scores and bags of wickets taken, some players managing to do both. Below is a round-up of some of the standout ties of the round

Not quite as easy as 123

Cleator 286 for 6 bt Read 247 by 39 runs (Cumbria & N Lancs)

A high-scoring game which left the most impressive performer of the day on the losing side. Cleator were solid in their innings with two half-centurions and only one the eight batsmen used failing to breach 20. A required run-rate of 7.15 was helped largely by Ian Clark – hero of the 2013 final and father of Surrey’s Jordan and Durham’s Graham – finished the innings off with 69 not out from 27 balls.

Read’s reply didn’t start smoothly, soon finding themselves 24 for 3. The fall of the third wicket brought keeper Thomas Turner to the crease. Things escalated quickly after that. While none of Turner’s subsequent partners helped add many more runs to the total, they did allow him to belt it to all 32 points of the compass. He reached his fifty after 33 balls, with his side six down at this point. He then took only 13 balls to score his second fifty. The 75-run stand between Turner and No.8 Elliot Lowes saw the latter score 10 in 15 balls.

In the finish, Turner ran out of steam just before he ran out of partners. He was eighth out with the score on 208. He had scored 123 from 55 balls with 10 fours and nine sixes to his credit. There was a bit of a stand between the 10th-wicket partnership of Andrew Turner and Sophia Turner, but Read were all out for 247, falling 39 runs short.

Another 123 in vain

Woodhouses 192 for 8 bt Croston Sports 191 by 2 wickets (S Lancs, Gtr Manc & M’side)

It wasn’t a good day to be scoring 123. Sam Marsh had rescued his side as Croston batted first. Batting at No.4, the three batsmen above and below him all fell for single figures and it wasn’t until he was joined, when on 52, by No.8 Jake Parsons (25) at 85 for 6 that any sort of partnership could be formed. The 95 runs they added gave Croston a fighting chance, with Marsh falling for 123 from 88 balls.

The Croston bowlers had taken inspiration from Marsh, and set about dismantling the Woodhouses top order, reducing them to 43 for 4. It took a repair job from the middle order to firstly stabilise the innings and then march on. Ryan Sloan’s 43 from 30 balls at No.5 started the counterattack and a calming 39 not out from 59 balls from No.7 Andy Wolstenholme managed to see Woodhouses home. An invaluable 20 not out from No.10 Mikey Dean helping Wolstenholme along the way. It must have been gutwrenching for Marsh, and the Croston opening bowlers who had got them back in the hunt.

If you want something done properly…

Crossflatts 122 bt Streethouse 74 by 48 runs (W, S Yorks & H’side)

Streethouse bowled beautifully to Crossflatts. Opener Scott Bland soon had them 12 for 3, and finished his eight overs with figures for 4 for 6. He was ably backed up by Connor Fisher, who mopped up the innings, also taking four wickets, conceding 17 runs. Nine times out of 10, you would back your batsmen to keep up their end of the bargain.

The chase was one of the 10 percenters. The first wicket fell with the score on 2. Then 10 for 1 became 10 for 4; 34 for 5 was just around the corner. This time it was Alex Bradbury who had bowled beautifully. His 4 for 20 tearing a hole in the Streethouse engine room. The innings steadied though. Opener Kevin Marshall had made 59 (after he had changed his bat), while Rome burned around him. He had virtually single-handedly got the score to 73 for 5. Even if he were to perish now, he had given the lower order a good chance of creeping home. Marshall did soon perish, he had already lost one partner, making it 73 for 6. By the time he had gone, it was 73 for 7. The final three wickets fell, with only one of those 49 runs had been added. Streethouse were 74 all out, with one man on 59, no other scores in double figures and a misely single extra to boost their total.

There can’t have been many players who have scored 80% of the team’s runs, and those poor Streethouse opening bowlers will have not believed their eyes as their good work was unravelled in 21.2 overs.

Elsewhere…

It was business as usual for the 2018 champions Folkton & Flixton as they kicked off their 2019 campaign with a thumping 10-wicket win over Heslerton. Richard Malthouse scored 89 not out as they chased down Heslerton’s 144 for 8 unscathed.

It was a family affair in the Cambs & Norfolk group as father and son opening pair Neil and Billy Yarnham put on 216 for the first wicket for Overstrand versus Coton. Father Neil scored 103 and son Billy finishing not out on 91. Neil wasn’t done for the day however, he claimed 5 for 28 in the field and with it the GM Performance of the Round award for Round Two. Neil’s cousin David also took four wickets.

Round Three of The Cricketer Village Cup takes place on May 26