RUTHERFORD'S RETURN SPARKS PROMOTION TALK AT RASE PARK

Matt Rutherford

From Andrew Richley

Whilst the weather pushed back the start of the cricket season in Lincolnshire back a week, it did nothing to dampen the spirits of Market Rasen Town Cricket Club, with the town’s cricketers receiving a timely boost to their hopes of consecutive promotions in the Lincolnshire County Cricket League.
Last week saw the signing of ECB star, and home-grown Rasen player, Matt Rutherford who will slot into the 1st XI’s top order and bolster their bowling attack as they look to build on last year’s Division Two title.
Rutherford has been playing for Rasen’s Sunday 1st XI, Captaining the side on the park and being
instrumental in their success over the last couple of seasons.
Getting the Minor Counties all-rounder to return to the Lincolnshire League from Lindum is a major coup for the club and coupled with the signing of Dale Christie, also from Lindum’s ECB side, strengthens a team that already looked well equipped at this level.
The 1st XI have also been boosted by the return of pace option Ryan Penniston, who has moved back to the area from the North West and the continued career revival of top-order batsman Liam Scales.
When the 1st XI finally manage to get on the park – which sadly now won’t be until May – the trio of
Graeme Bell, Christie and Rutherford, who have made nearly 400 appearances at ECB Premier level between them, will hope to use their experience and ability to contribute to the side’s push for Premier Division cricket at Rase Park.
This weekend Mark Robinson’s 2nd XI hope, weather permitting, to become the first Rasen cricketers to
step onto the sward in anger this season, as his youthful side take on Keelby 2nds in Division Four of the Lincolnshire League this Saturday.  With all of the Division’s fixtures washed out last weekend, the 2nds will be hoping that their second attempt at starting the season not only sees them manage to play some cricket, but also get their season off to a victorious start.
Robinson has been able to pick from a strong squad for the side’s first outing this season, with only Ryan Penniston and Simon Atkinson unavailable.  A number of the players will be looking to put their names into the frame for 1st XI selection with strong starts to the season, including the Brothers Fussey and Will Bradford. Hardy 2nd XI perennials Ivan Nash and Andy Richley will be keen to make their fourth successive year in Division Four their last for some time.
The vast, unforgiving, plains of Keelby were where the 2nds’ hopes of promotion crumbled to ashes last
season, as the visitors choked away what had appeared to be a comfortable victory whilst collapsing like
a pack of particularly cheap cards.  It is to be hoped that the side will have learned from that experience and seven of the players who folded here last year have an opportunity to make amends.
Keelby 2nds will again be relying on the nous of their sizeable pool of veteran talent and will hope to provide Andy Sharp (259 runs @ 24) with more support than he received last year.  The only other batsman who passed 200 runs for the year was Dan Mawer, who managed just six appearances with the 2nds during the
season.
With the ball; Udi Sheikh will again be the danger man.  The veteran spinner has bagged 65 wickets over the last two seasons with his flight and guile and will again be looking to lure batsmen to their doom with his looping deliveries.  Mark Wade and Bruce Roberts will provide knowing seam options, although Keelby will miss the knowledge and experience of Jim Cowie and Jerry Slater.
Twenty points are vital if either of these two sides are to look to make a run for promotion in a division that, at this time, is difficult to call.
Sunday will hopefully see cricket at Rase Park for the first time this summer, with the Sunday 2nd XI
hosting Bardney in a Major Hoult Cup group game.  Whilst the weather forecast for Sunday isn’t
tremendous, the young Rasen development side will be keen to demonstrate the lessons that they took on  board from last year’s campaign in the McKinnell’s Lincoln Sunday League.

board from last year’s campaign in the McKinnell’s Lincoln Sunday League.