ISLE LADS SIGN OFF WITH WIN

By Glen Sands, Outcasts CC scorer

Outcasts CC were certainly given a nailbiting end to their 2009 season as quite a story unfolded at Chichester Road last Saturday where the 1st team were taking on newly crowned Lincs League Division One Champions Cleethorpes 3rds, whilst the 2nd team were hoping for a surprise result over at Cherry Willingham where rivals for the Third Division title Haxey 2nds were playing their last game and were looking to gain the seven points they required to squeeze above them in the league table.

Cleethorpes skipper Paul Hewstone won the toss and invited Outcasts to bat first on what appeared to be a cracking wicket to bat on but things went pear shaped right from ball one when Jamie Belton miscued to Rob Griffin at gully off Mike Shelton and was back in the pavilion. Andy Lawson and Simon Lewis took the total to 29 before Lawson was well caught at slip by Jeff Todd off Matt Owen for 14 and when Andy Torr was bowled by a real jaffa from Shelton for just six the Isle side were in trouble at 36 for 3. Old heads were required and thats just what was provided by Lewis and club stalwart David Hobson who steadied things and they appeared in no bother as the score reached 80 but the drinks break brought a change of fortune which saw Hobson adjudged LBW to Lewis Markham for 19 who then followed up with a beauty that bounced and spun to find the edge of Lewis's bat seeing him caught by Todd at slip for 27. At 86 for 5 Outcasts once again needed to regroup and this time it was birthday boy Peter ( Spud ) Tait and Tom Sharpe who stepped up to the plate. Both younsters batted well , Tait in particular taking the game to the Meggies and with Sharpe , who hit 30 in one amazing over at the same ground in 2008, they took the score to 145 before Tait was caught by Elliott Drinkell off Ian Bellamy for 45 with a total of seven boundaries infrom his 56 deliveries.Jason Whiteley joined Sharpe in the middle and he kept the scoreboard ticking with a couple of threes that certainly tested the stamina on what was becoming quite a warm afternoon then Sharpe was caught by Drinkell, again off Bellamy, for 24 and Outcasts total stood at 164 for 7. Whiteley was stumped by skipper Paul Hewstone off Bellamy for 10 and visiting captain Graham Oxley plundered 16 further runs before edging to Hewstone off Jeff Todd and it was left to Liam McAnaney (3 not out) and Alex Fletcher (0 not out) to negotiate the last three deliveries, leaving Outcasts on 187 for 9 from their 45 overs, Ian Bellamy taking 3 for 19 for Cleethorpes although Mike Shelton's opening salvo of 2 for 23 from seven is certainly worth a mention.
After tea, news began to filter through from Cherry Willingham that Haxey 2nds had been set a target of 138 by their hosts which was felt to be a relatively comfortable chase for their adveraries but focus was brought back to the game at Chichester Road when Tom Sharpe produced a quite blistering yorker to shatter the stumps of Meggies opener Kris Richardson with just his second delivery, resulting in a five minute delay whilst a replacement stump was found.However that early break through became a distant memory as Rob Griffin and Ian Bellamy then set about the Outcasts attack with realish pouncing on anything remotely loose as they seemingly took the game away from the Isle side. Outcasts were looking somewhat ragged but once again the drinks break had an effect as Griffin, having made a terrific 61, inexplicably holed out to Simon Lewis at mid-off to give youngster Alex Fletcher a wicket and when Liam McAnaney produced a peach to bowl Bellamy for 39 the scoreboard had a different look to it as Cleethorpes had slipped to 119 for 3. Around the boundary there was suddenly something of a buzz, too, as news from Cherry reached the 2nd teamers that Haxey were struggling at 58 for 5 and with new found belief the first team on the park began to tighten up and cause Cleethorpes further problems. Paul Ridley had made 15 when he repeated Griffin's shot and was caught by Lewis off Fletcher and with the total on 147 Cleethorpes lost two quick wickets as Jason Whiteley bowled Jeff Todd for five followed in the next over by John Mansfield who was trapped LBW by Liam McAnaney who really had made a difference when he had come on to bowl. Elliott Drinkell tried to blast the Meggies to victory but was superbly caught at deep mid-on by Jamie Belton off Whiteley having made just seven then Paul Hewstone and Mike Shelton put together a mini partnership to inch the home team to within 16 of victory. McAnaney then produced another tremendous delivery, this time from around the wicket, to bowl skipper Hewstone for 13 and when Shelton tried to hit Whiteley back over his head he was spectacularly caught by a tumbling Peter Tait for seven leaving Cleethorpes nine down with a further 12 runs required. All this time 2nd team skipper Ian Fletcher had been prowling the boundary but the updates from Cherry were suddenly not happening leaving him and his team mates to chew their nails. McAnaney picked up the final wicket when Matt Owen guided a catch to David Hobson at gully, ensuring a 10 runs victory for the 1st eleven but barely had they finished their congratulatory high fives and handshakes than the incredible news came from Cherry that Haxey had slumped to 93 all out.
Frantic texts and phone calls seeking confirmation whizzed through the atmosphere and it took a good ten minutes before the result was confirmed after which the celebrations could begin.

So it has been a successful season for Outcasts CC despite a poor start for the 1sts who had to wait three games before picking up their first win after which they managed a further eight to gain a very comfortable 209 points and a mid-table placing in the First Division table. The 2nds spent the whole season in competition with neighbouring Haxey 2nds as both sides proved to be too strong for Division Three but even so it was a thrilling finish that saw Outcasts 2nds triumphant by just two points in the end in what was a real cliffhanger.
Both teams will hope to continue their good form next season.