OUTCASTS v LOUTH 2nds - LINCS LEAGUE DIV ONE

BY GLEN SANDS

What a difference a week makes! Outcasts had dominated the game at Louth on June 8th when they beat them by over a hundred runs but Louth gained their revenge just seven days later when they picked up a full 20 points by easing to a well deserved 46 runs victory at Hirst Priory in a match kindly sponsored by Hunters Estate Agents.Louth were invited to bat first on a cloudy afternoon that might have been more suited to bowling rather than batting but the visitors made a terrific start as Mike Searle and John Medler scored freely. They put on 50 for the first wicket before Searle was bowled by Graeme Fletcher for 13 which brought wicket keeper batsman Henry Tye to the crease to join the impressive Medler. They took the total to 75 only for Tye to go for 10 , caught at slip by John Stokoe off Fletcher again but if Outcasts thought they were going to make inroads into the Louth batting they had to think again as Zeeshan Ahmed strode to the middle for the first time in a while following an injury lay off. Medler brought up a well constructed half century as they put on 73 for the third wicket , aided by some mediocre fielding from the home team then Medler was trapped LBW by spin bowler Scott Buttrick for 69. Mark Duell was another to be pinned infront of his stumps , this time by Graeme Fletcher and when Jamie Johnson was caught by wicket keeper Peter Tait off Buttrick it appeared that Outcasts were fighting back into the game. However Ahmed was really beginning to find his form and along with Liam Taylor proceeded to add an unbeaten stand of 72 , both players playing some excellent shots. Ahmed took his score past fifty , then the total went past 200 as Louth took complete control , finishing the innings on 222 for 5 and leaving Outcasts with a huge task if they were to repeat their win from a week earlier. Graeme Fletcher finished with figures of 3 for 58 and Buttrick 2 for 47 , they being the only bowlers to take any wickets.
Outcasts reply got off to a dreadful start as they quickly found themselves floundering on 13 for 4. Oliver Coulman was first to go , caught by Henry Tye off the impressive Phil Burrell who was to be a thorn in the Isle teams side then Andy Lawson was caught by Ahmed to give Burrell his second wicket. Ed Brindle bowled John Stokoe who played on and Andy Torr was fourth out when he guided a catch to Mark Duell off Burrell having scored just four runs. Scott Buttrick and Peter Tait steadied the ship for a while with a stand of 45 until the former was trapped LBW by the rampant Burrell and Russell Fletcher became his fifth victim when he too chopped on with the total on 84. Tait was batting well and he scored his third half century of the season as the home side briefly rallied. Sadly for him he then picked out John Medler off the bowling of Niall Illingworth having reached 54 , leaving his team 96 for 7 and it looked like it was only a matter of time before the game would be over. Tom Sharpe and skipper Liam McAnaney took the total to 113 before Sharpe was bowled by youngster Illingworth for 12 but Louth were then held up by a highly entertaining period of play from number ten batsman Jonathan Wroot who blasted the ball to all parts with a display of fierce hitting that saw him make 27 from just 21 deliveries including two sixes and three fours. He eventually went , caught by Mike Searle off Robbie Dwyer having put on 49 with McAnaney to earn the Priorymen three unlikely batting points. McAnaney and Graeme Fletcher took the total to 176 with Macca in particular playing some exquisit shots but he was eventually out for 24 when edging to the keeper off Dwyer as Louth wrapped up a well earned maximum points victory. Phil Burrell was undoubtedly the pick of their bowlers finishing with 5 for 42 from fifteen overs but it has to be said their fielding was that much sharper throughout the Outcasts innings.
So the good form shown by the Isle side of late was brought to an abrupt end by a Louth side who were better in all departments and Outcasts will have to wait for a couple of weeks before getting this sluggish performance out of their systems and it wont be an easy one on June 29th as league leaders Broughton are their next opponents at Hirst Priory.
It was a bad weekend all round for the club as their 2nd team suffered a 3 wicket defeat at South Kelsey , leaving them a little nearer the foot of the Third Division table.