DAN, THE MAIN MAN

By Glen Sands

Outcasts gained a valuable 20 points at Grimsby Town last Saturday which opens up a gap of 35 points between the clubs now - and Outcasts have a game in hand on their East coast rivals.
It was the Isle side that batted first at Augusta Street with Andy Lawson and Simon Lewis opening their innings and with Lawson at his beligerent best they soon raced to 37 before he was caught by John Coverley off Dan Wood for 25 , once again being undone by a slower delivery. Jamie Belton wasn't at his most fluent and he was second man out when bowled by the wiley Richard Evans for six when Outcasts had just reached 56 - and despite cracking a four and a six off James Watkinson in quick succession Andy Torr was soon back in the pavilion having been caught in slip by Nigel Fanthorpe off Watkinson for eleven.
The visitors needed to steady the ship and that's just what happened as Lewis and David Hobson put on 41 runs for the fourth wicket - then Hobson was caught by wicket keeper Tom Lehman off Andy Hardy for an excellent
27. Lewis had been in from the start but with the total on 126 he succumbed for 29, well stumped by Lehman off Adam Warick and suddenly Grimsby were in with a chance of bowling Outcasts out relatively cheaply. Skipper Graham Oxley was out to the very next delivery , well caught by Dan Wood and it took a tremendous knock from Peter Tait to revive the innings as he stepped up from the second team to produce a very important batting display. Tom Sharpe was the seventh wicket to fall , out LBW to Andy Hardy for nine with the score on 135 but Liam McAnaney stuck around with Tait to take the total up to 175 before Tait was bowled by Watkinson the ball after he had brought up his half century with his tenth boundary. Macca was caught behind off Lee Charlton without a run being added having made just three and the innings closed at 176 when Joe Tonge was bowleed by Charlton in the final over setting Grimsby a tough target given their recent form.
The Grimsby reply couldn't have got off to a worse start as Tom Sharpe produced a superb yorker to bowl Nigel Fanthorpe with his first delivery but his son Adam was joined by Dan Wood and they both took advantage of any ball around their middle and leg guard to move the score on to 23 before Fanthorpe junior was bowled by a terrific inswinger from Liam McAnaney having reached 15. Lee Charlton was next at the crease but it was Wood who was threatening to take the game away from the visitors with a tremendous batting display. He punished anything remotely loose and with Charlton playing second fiddle at the other end Grimsby quickly moved to 70 befor Simon Lewis took a good catch in the covers off the bowling of Alex Fletcher to send him back to the hutch for eight. Harry Warwick had made just four when he became Fletcher's second wicket , caught at backward squre by man of the match Peter Tait and when John Coverley was out second ball to a catch behind the wicket by Graham Oxley off Andy Torr Grimsby were floundering on 80 for 5. Wood was joined by skipper Andy Hardy and almost immediately brought up his half century and with Hardy offering good support they took the total to 113 before Simon Lewis took an excellent caught and bowled to remove Hardy for 20 just as Outcasts were beginning to fear a Grimsby revival. Wood had batted superbly but Outcasts cleverly began to allow him a single and concentrate on the batsman at the other end and their ploy worked well as Tom Lehman soon became seventh man out , bowled by Lewis without opening his account. Wood was becoming quite frustrated as the Isle side kept him away from the strike and the returning Tom Sharpe then had Warwick caught by skipper Oxley for two to leave Town on 126 for 8. Richard Evans appeared to offer good support to Wood but then played a rash shot at a Lewis delivery and was tremendously well caught in the covers by a diving Peter Tait and despite a late blitz of ten from one over from Wood Outcasts wrapped up the victory when Tom Sharpe and David Hobson combined to run out number eleven James Watkinson as he desperately tried to give Wood the strike. Wood batted really well for 85 not out but in the end he ran out of partners with Simon Lewis picking up the excellent figures of 3 for 21 from seven very tidy overs.
So the Priorymen continue to move away from the drop zone and are now well placed in mid table after their fifth win of the season. They travel to Scothern on Saturday looking to make it half a dozen which would surely see them safe in Division One for another season.
Outcasts 2nds continued their promotion push despite missing several key regulars who were either drafted into the first team or unavailable through work committments. They batted first against Hibaldstow and made what they felt was a disappointing 129 all out, Darren Clark top scoring with 39 whilst Russell Fletcher hit 35 not out before running out of partners, but they then bowled Hibaldstow out for 61 thanks chiefly to Jonathan Wroot who ripped through the top order when taking the first four wickets to fall, then Matthew Teal took 3 for 14 as the visitors were bowled out in just 15 overs, earning Outcasts another 20 points and allowing them to close the gap on neighbouring Haxey 2nds to just 22 points.
The two sides meet each other this Saturday in what could well prove to be a decisive match for the destination of the Championship pennant. It promises to be a very interesting fixture.