HORNCASTLE v OUTASTS (LINCS LEAGUE DIV ONE)

By GLEN SANDS


For most of their game at Horncastle on Saturday Outcasts appeared to be in pole position to claim their first win of the season but once again they let things slip and eventually suffered another defeat leaving them too close for comfort to the foot of the table.
The home side won the toss and chose to bat first but openers Nick Paige and Phil Roberts found it tough against the Isle sides opening bowlers Jon Wroot and Tom Sharpe who bowled some very tidy overs indeed. Wroot.s seven over spell only conceded twenty runs whilst Sharpe's eight went for just fourteen as Outcasts kept a strangle hold on their opponents but it was Liam McAnaney that took the first wicket when he bowled Paige for eleven with the total on 43 after twenty overs then captain Russell Fletcher produced a fantastic direct hit to run out Roberts for 35 just when he appeared set to cut loose. Joe Smith was next to go for Horncastle , bowled by Jason Whiteley for two then home skipper Mick Devereux and Gareth Jones took the score to 95 before the former was well caught by Tom Sharpe off the bowling of Whiteley again for 33. Outcasts then really tied down the Horncastle batsmen and continued to take wickets , wicket keeper Rob Dixon being caught by Graham Clark off Scott Buttrick for just a couple and Loveley being bowled by thesame player for five leaving the total on 110 for 6 after 38 overs. Jones and Peter Jackson then added 23 before Jones was finally out for 27 , bowled by the ever impressive Buttrick and despite a few lusty blows from Richard Hickling who made nine before being caught by Clark off Sharpe the Isle side were happy enough to have restricted Horncastle to 147 for 9 after 45 overs , Willerton being run out ofte final delivery for just a single which left Jackson on nine not out. Scott Buttrick ended the innings with figures of 3 for 32 and Jason Whiteley 2 for 45 as in general they bowled well although a couple of dropped catches did see them conceded about 25 runs more than they ought to which ultimately cost them dear.
Richard Wroot and Scott Buttrick opened the Outcasts innings and Wroot in particular pounced on anything loose to put them on the path to a decent start before he was trapped LBW for 13 by Mick Devereux who was by far the most dangerous of the Horncastle bowlers. Devereux struck twice more to leave the visitors on 32 for 3 , bowling Buttrick for three and having Russell Fletcher caught behind without troubling the scorers. Andy Torr and Peter Tait then steadied the ship , taking the total to 73 and putting Outcasts back on track but Joe Smith entised Tait into a false shot when he'd made 15 and took a spiralling caught and bowled to set the cat amongst the pigeons again. Torr was batting suprbly cracking some tremendous boundaries as he reached a splendid 52 but he too was well caught , by Nick Paige who held on to a beauty off younster Willerton with the overall total standing at 102. Graham Clark was then trapped LBW by Joe Smith as the warning lights began to flash in the away dressing room and when Tom Sharpe was caught and bowled by Willerton for just a single things had swung completely in favour of the home team with Outcasts floundering on 108 for 7. Without a further run on the board Jason Whiteley offered a second catch of the innings to Paige who clung on to a sliding effort off the bowling of Willerton again then Devereux returned to the attack to put the final nail in the coffin as he trapped Mtthew Teal LBW for 16 and it was only a matter of time before Horncastle picked up the last wicket , that of Jon Wroot who was caught by Peter Jackson to give Willerton his fourth victim of the innings , leaving Outcasts 33 runs short of the Horncastle target.
Outcasts would like to thank Ian Fletcher & Son, of Crowle, for sponsoring the match ball but will once again feel frustrated at letting slip another potential winning position. They entertain Cleethorpes 3rds on Saturday when they really do need to sharpen up on their batting and on their catching if they are to snatch that elusive first win of the season.