LUDD LIFT SNAITH TROPHY

SPECIAL REPORT By Glen Sands

Snaith Shield Trophy Final - Luddington v Goole Academy

Luddington found themselves a match winner on Monday in the shape of local lad Matthew Mellers who stepped in at the last minute following a late withdrawal due to illness, Matty going on to produce his best ever bowling figures as the Isle side won a tense Cup Final at Carlton Towers.
With three regulars unavailable due to work committments (the harvest waits for no man!) and two away on holiday, plus two on the sick list, the Luddington squad was stretched to the limit - but they rose to the task to produce a battling performance against a strong Goole Acadamy side who have proven themselves worthy opponents throughout the season.
The big-hitting Andy Lawson went cheaply, much to the delight of the Goole side, inadvertantly playing on to his stumps from a Will O'Donnell delivery, having made just three - and O'Donnell picked up a second victim when Andy Torr was also bowled, having made 10.
15-year-old Oliver Coulman then joined Jamie Belton in the middle and they gradually pieced together a third-wicket partnership of 30 as Goole continued to keep the squeeze on with some tight bowling and terrific fielding.
Belton was eventually out for 23 with the score on 52, caught by first teamer Lee Heywood off Louis Moore, which brought Oliver's father Mark to the crease to join his son. They took the total to 86 before Oliver ensures a severe loss of pocket money when running his father out for 17, and the youngster was advised not to go into the pavilion to remove his pads when he was caught behind by Ben Earl off Moore for 23 from the first ball of the next over!
Peter Tait and Russell Fletcher then produced a good partnership as they took the game to Goole, both men hitting huge sixes as they moved the score up to 117 before Fletcher was bowled by Scott Thorpe for 15 and Tait was caught in the deep by Goole skipper Louis Moore from Thorpe's last ball of the innings having made 14, Luddington's total finishing at 118 for 7.
Moore, Thorpe and O'Donnell all took two wickets each as Goole kept things relatively tight throughout.
The Goole reply saw them race to 13 from the first over, James Kerr cracking two early boundaries - but he was out to the first delivery of Liam McAnaney's spell, bowled by the left-armer who bowled a superb spell of five overs, three maidens two for seven.
Alex Fletcher picked up the prized wicket of Ben Earl with a beautiful delivery which swung late to bowl the Goole youngster without a run being added - and McAnaney grabbed his second wicket when trapping Lee Heywood LBW after he had made just four runs.
Nick Holah was batting well and along with Kevin Murphy they took the score to 52 - but then came the Man of the Match performance by Matthew Mellers who began by bowling Holah for 21. Greg Houghamestra was run out following a direct hit by Oliver Coulman without a run being added and the wheels really started to come off when Murphy was brilliantly stumped by Mark Coulman off son Oliver having made eight.
He repeated the feat when stumping Scott Thorpe off Mellers for just a single, leaving the total on 55 for 7 - and although Will O'Donnell and Ashton Nottingham combined to move the score to 71, the eighth wicket fell when Mellers produced another excellent delivery to bowl the latter for 10.
O'Donnell knew they needed boundaries to have any hope of getting close to the Luddington total, and in his attempt to do just that he skied a catch to Russell Fletcher off Mellers having scored 10 and the innings was wrapped up by the irepreible Mellers when he bowled skipper Louis Moore to ensure his first ever five-wicket haul.
So Luddington claimed the Snaith Shield for the first time with a battling performance which brought the best out of several of their younger players. Undoubtedly Mellers was the star of the show but Jamie Belton and Oliver Coulman (with bat and ball) played their part, as did Liam McAnaney and Peter Tait.
With the league title yet to be confirmed - but almost within grasp - it has been a splendid year for the Isle side in the Snaith Evening League which comes to an end on Thursday (July 30th) with a home fixture against Fishlake, their nearest rivals in the table.