CLEETHORPES v SHEFFIELD COLLEGIATE

Pictures and report by Graham Hackney, Cleethorpes CC

Cleethorpes' Bill Kirby pulls to the midwicket boundary

Graham Hume appeals unsuccessfully for an lbw decision

 Collegiate's Sayed sees his off stump demolished by Graham Hume of Cleethorpes

Graham Hume wraps up the Collegiate innings by bowling Pearson.

Cleethorpes 1st X1 finally got their Yorkshire league campaign of to a flying start with an emphatic nine-wicket win over a youthful Sheffield Collegiate side at Chichester Road on Saturday. The blustery conditions helped keep the showers at bay as Skipper James Osmond won a vital toss and promptly inserted Collegiate. New South African Professional was handed the new ball along with veteran Andy Ellis and the pair wasted little time in tearing into Collegiate’s batting order. Ellis was first to strike in only the fourth over having Hancock edging behind were James Osmond held onto a sharp chance. Hume followed up in the next over shattering Webber’s stumps as the South African ripped a delivery through his defences to leave Sheffield 8/2.  The pair were keeping a tight rein on the batsmen giving them very few scoring opportunities and a burst of three wickets in as many overs was to decimate the scorecard. Lister played on unfortunately to Ellis while Varley played tamely at Hume to offer a simple catch to Tomlinson at cover. When Street fell similarly to Ellis the following over Sheffield had been reduced to 22/5 in only the tenth over. Moroney and Moore showed a little resistance as the pair added 19 for the sixth wicket but once Hume bowled both Moroney and Sayed in the 17th over the writing was on the wall. Moore (17) then played all round an Ellis delivery and he was first to a five wicket haul bowling Watson in his next over. Hume was not to be outdone as he emphatically bowled Pearson to leave Sheffield on a pitiful 49 all out. Ellis finished with an impressive 5/22 in 11 overs while supporters would have been more than impressed with Hume’s 5/23 in 11.2 overs on Yorkshire league debut.

The teams decided to turn round immediately instead of taking an early tea and Bill Kirby and Charlie Tomlinson soon started eating into the target as they set about the Collegiate attack. Kirby pulled Sayed for successive boundaries through midwicket in the third over while Tomlinson smashed Watson to the cover boundary three times in the fourth over. Having raced to 27 in only five overs, Tomlinson (16) fell to a sharp catch at first slip to off-spinner Street but Rory Osmond (9 not out) and Kirby (20 not out) ensured there were no further mishaps as they carefully negotiated the final twenty runs to take Cleethorpes to victory in only the 14th over. The final run even coming courtesy of a no ball.