CLEETHORPES AT ROTHERHAM

Randhawa watches as he edges past Cleethorpes' James Osmond.

This last ball boundary collected Cleethorpes an additional point.

REPORT AND PICTURES BY GRAHAM HACKNEY


Cleethorpes 1st X1 unbeaten run in the Yorkshire league was brought to an abrupt end on Saturday when they narrowly failed to chase down a challenging 166 in 35 overs against a strong Rotherham attack in poor conditions on Saturday. They arrived in Rotherham under leaden skies with heavy drizzle falling and this was to prevent play from starting until 2.30pm with the match reduced to 35 overs a side. They had been forced to make late changes to their side with Yaniv Judah and John Zielinski both going down injured with Ryan Harrison and John Mansfield called up as replacements. Rotherham won the toss and elected to set a target with bowling conditions difficult with the wet ball. Overseas Graham Hume made an immediate impact trapping Moorehouse lbw with only the fifth delivery of the match as he and Andy Ellis produced miserly opening spells. Rotherham’s first boundary did not arrive until the 10th over when Randhawa finally broke the shackles to twice drive Ellis to the cover boundary. Hume struck again in the 11th over with debutant John Mansfield taking a steepling catch at midwicket from a mistimed shot from Stuart Guy to leave Rotherham 29/2. A patient half century stand between Randhawa and Simon Guy looked to be putting Rotherham in a strong position before Alex Osmond removed both in quick succession. Once again Rotherham were forced to rebuild with overs ebbing away. The turning point of the match was a forceful fifth wicket stand of 65 as Lowe and Smith took the attack to Cleethorpes with Osmond plundered for four sixes. However they would later rue two golden chances that would cost them at least thirty runs. First Charlie Tomlinson dropped a skier from Lowe with the score on 109 and would then hit the next two balls for boundaries. And then Skipper James Osmond missed Lowe with a sharp legside stumping before he smashed the following deliveries for successive sixes. This took Rotherham to their closing total of 165-5 with Lowe bowled by Osmond for 42 (33 balls) while Smith remained undefeated on 35 in 29 balls. Osmond took some late punishment to record 3/51 in nine overs with Hume 2/49 in ten.
Cleethorpes were in need of a positive start and Bill Kirby and Tomlinson found it as the pair peppered the boundary with a superb opening stand of 41 inside seven overs. Tomlinson had been particularly forceful to anything pitched up but departed having struck 24 in 18 balls as he edged Yorkshire’s Ben Sanderson behind. Sanderson would soon strike again as he claimed Rory and Alex Osmond to successive deliveries with Rory unfortunate as he appeared to get an inside edge before being adjudged lbw. Paul Sunley lead a brief revival with Kirby adding 32 before Kirby was undone by a superb delivery from Randhawa whose offbreak turned square to clip Kirby’s off stump. Kirby fell four short of his fifty having hit a six and four boundaries in his 59-ball innings. Hume (3) , Sunley (24) and James Osmond (7) all fell in the gloom in the vain chase for victory before young Ryan Harrison (18) smashed the final delivery to the boundary to at least give Cleethorpes the consolation of an additional bonus point.