Rasen's Graeme Bell and Dale Christie.Market Rasen’s Sunday XI have been enjoying a good run in the McKinnell’s Lincoln Sunday League Premier Division, having ascended to 2nd place in the table on the back of eight straight wins. Only a solitary loss at Boston’s Mayflower Sports Ground back in May blots their 2010 copy-book, but that game, along with two lost to the weather, means that the Rase Park outfit continue to play catch up to reigning Champions Cherry Willingham, despite having beaten them twice in 2010.
Last Sunday’s foray down the A46 to Scothern saw a strong Rasen outfit given a scare by the villagers who, fresh from their victory over Lindum the week before, didn’t hesitate to put Rasen in on a sporting track. Gangly seamer Joe Peatman and ex-Rasen star Jon Heath opened the bowling for Scothern in their contrasting styles. Peatman, as one might expect from someone standing head and shoulders above your correspondent, extracted plenty of lift and bounce from the wicket and bowled at a lively pace, inducing Graeme Bell to top-edge a hook straight to fine-leg. Jon Heath’s spin opened from the other end and his unorthodox action stymied Rasen’s usually attacking line-up, taking 1 for 29 from his 10 overs.
Whilst Heath was tying things up at one end, Dale Christie was grabbing as much of the strike as possible and was only too happy to attack. With Peatman dropping short too often Christie was only too happy to deposit him in the grain silos beyond the leg-side boundary, seemingly at will.
The introduction of Scothern ‘skipper, Johnny Drabble (3 for 34), turned the game on its head. Whilst Christie continued serenely on his way, smiting the ball to all corners of the picturesque ground, including one mighty six into the roof of the mansion off the bowling of Heath, which dislodged four or five tiles, Drabble dismantled Rasen’s top order. Bowling full at a lively pace, he castled Gary Bierlein with a delivery that scudded through at ankle height and then had Matt Rutherford caught behind first ball. Heath then snaffled Lee Chambers before he’d got going to leave Rasen in real trouble.
Christie continued on his merry way and found a willing accomplice in Laurence Scott. The young ECB star was fresh off a gritty 16 the day before at Lindum and found the bowling to his liking again, looking comfortable from the off. Having steadied the ship Christie, who had been given a couple of lives by the home side, finally perished, castled by Drabble for 72 out of 105. Scott tried to keep things going, but Rasen’s lower order imploded around him and led to his demise, caught at long on for 29 trying to grab what runs he could before he ran out of partners. Rasen were eventually dismissed in the 34th over for 131 which was well below their expectations at the start of the game.
With few runs to play with on the fast-scoring ground and knowing that they couldn’t afford to lose, Rasen turned to Graeme Bell and the paceman didn’t disappoint, tearing down the hill to terrorise the batsmen from the off. The first ball of the innings saw Jon Heath well caught behind square on the off-side by Christie as he top-edged a short ball that he’d been attempting to pull away to leg. The same combination accounted for N. Pearce, with Christie accepting a fine slip catch low to his right.
With Matt Rutherford whirling away at the other end Scothern’s batsmen were given no quarter as Rasen pushed home their advantage. Bell continued his remarkable spell, with Sam Naughton well caught at mid-on by Joe Stephenson, as he attempted to fetch a short ball from off-stump and failed to catch up to it. Bell’s next three victims were all castled, as the stumps were sent flying and Rasen turned the screw.
Bell’s penultimate wicket saw Christie back into the action, as the left-handed P. Lawson fell to a remarkable slip catch by the opener. A full-pitched, fast delivery from Bell saw Lawson do well to get an edge on it and Christie flung himself to his left from first slip and took what would have been third slip’s catch at ankle height.
Joe Peatman and J. Smith were the only two Scothern batsmen to come to terms with Rasen’s attack. Smith dug in and could only watch from the far end as wicket after wicket fell. The opener was the eighth man out, bowled by Simon Bunn for a stoic 9. Joe Peatman flung the bat with abandon as he racked up 22, only the third batsman in the match to reach double figures, before he too was cleaned up by Bunn.
Fittingly it was that man Bell who finished things in the 19th over, getting Matt Ballard to edge through to the ‘keeper to finish with 8 for 15. From having been on the brink of a chastening defeat at tea, Rasen had pulled off a remarkable win, thanks to an intense effort in the field and the excellent performances of Christie and Bell.
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