MEGGIES WIN SEASON'S OPENER

By Graham Hackney

Cleethorpes’ batting will have to improve over the Bank Holiday weekend as they face probably their two hardest home games of the year in Scarborough on Saturday and Champions York on Monday. Both game start at 12 noon with spectators most welcome and refreshments available in the clubhouse. Cleethorpes 2nds also have a double-header, travelling to Horncastle on Saturday and Barton Town on the Monday. The 3rd X1 are without a game this weekend, while the 4ths travel to Outcasts 2nds.
Sunday sees the North Lindsey League X1 open their defence of the title with a home fixture against Appleby-Frodingham (2pm start). Alex Osmond leads the Academy X1 away at the picturesque Brocklesby Park.

Cleethorpes 1st X1 got their 2010 Yorkshire League campaign off to an exciting start with a tense 22-run victory over a youthful Yorkshire Academy side at Chichester Road on Saturday. Boosted by New Zealand International Peter Fulton, who arrived on Friday, Skipper James Osmond won the toss and elected to bat in glorious spring sunshine. Fulton opened the innings with Bill Kirby but having made just one was beaten by an excellent yorker from Hargreaves to disappoint the Cleethorpes faithful. Kirby was joined by Eddie Carlton and the pair set about rebuilding the innings with a patient 56-run second wicket partnership. The Academy bowlers were finding conditions to their liking as Carlton was repeatedly beaten outside his off stump. Kirby pounced on anything loose and looked most impresssive pulling Ashraf for successive boundaries. Having taken the total to 64, Carlton departed for 14 bowled attempting to inject some impetus into the innings. Academy spinner Randhawa was extracting bounce and turn as Alex Osmond found it difficult to keep the scoreboard ticking and perished for 7 to leave Meggies 96-3. Kirby passed fifty with a glorious cover drive but was next to go chipping the ball to midwicket having hit seven boundaries in his 132-ball inngs of 74. With Cleethorpes struggling to post a total Skipper Osmond(11) joined Charlie Tomlinson but he went in identical fashion to Kirby as a disappointing chip to midwicket left them 129-5 as Academy's spinners began to turn the screw. Tomlinson had two lucky escapes as chances went begging while James Windeatt, making his Cleethorpes Yorkshire league debut showed a rare sign of aggression when depositing Hughes over the ropes for the inngs only six. Hughes had his revenge next ball when Windeatt (13) was adjudged to have gloved a ball to the keeper while Tomlinson (20) soon followed driving to cover. The innings began to subside and at the close Cleethorpes had tailed away to a disappointing 165-9 in their 55 overs. Randhawa had bowled impressively throughout to pick up 6/51 in 18 overs for the Academy.
With quick wickets needed to have an chance of victory, Cleethorpes opened up with Andy Ellis and Jack Harrison. Despite a few early scares Academy had reached 25 before Ellis induced a sharp gully catch from Windeatt to claim the first scalp. Geldhart and Amjad then added 40 for the second wicket and were threatening to take the game away from Cleethorpes. The introduction of Alex Osmond though soon brought dividends as Amjad was dismissed lbw before Geldahart was run out by Fulton attempting a suicidal second. With Harry Clewett bowling in tandem with Osmond the runs began to dry up as Cleethorpes applied the pressure. Clewett dismissed Hughes thanks to a fine slip catch from Fulton and Osmond had Girling adjudged lbw soon after as the Academy innings faltered. With the Academy tail resembling rabbits caught in the headlights Fulton replaced Clewett in a move that was to prove a masterstroke from the Cleethorpes Captain. In his first over he removed the belligerent Hargreaves lbw for 28 who looked the one Academy batsman that could steer his side home. Coad soon followed courtesy of an Alex Osmond catch and with just 23 runs required for victory Fulton bowled Ashraf to complete an unlikely win for Meggies. Fulton finished with fine debut figures of 3/9 in 4.4 overs, while Osmond had ripped out the middle-order with 4/45 in his 19-over spell.
Paul Sunley’s 2nd X1 could not build on last weekend’s convincing win over Alkborough in the Lincs League Premier, as they fell by 37 runs to the same opponents away last Saturday. They bowled much better this week to restrict a strong batting line-up to 174-9 in their 50 overs. Pick of the attack was Richard Griffin with 4/23 in eight overs while Rob Brice (2/41 in 12) and Stuart Harvey (2/40 in 13) kept Alkborough in check. Kris Adams made a welcome return for Cleethorpes but remained wicketless as his six overs went for just 14. In reply Rob Griffin (21) and Yaniv Judah (23) got Cleethorpes off to an excellent start adding 50 for the first wicket. However, once both departed in quick succession the innings fell away and they were bowled out for just 137 in the 45th over. Only Brice with 20 had threatened to bring the game back Meggies way.Cleethorpes take five points from a game they will feel they could have won.
Paul Hewstone’s 3rd X1 began there defence of their First Division crown away at Nettleham 2nds last Saturday and fell to an agonizing 3-wicket defeat with Nettleham’s number eight hitting the winning runs off the final delivery. Cleethorpes had posted a challenging 197-9 in their 45 overs. Their stand out performer was Indy Hayre who hit a superb 89 balazing the ball to all parts. He received good support from Skipper Hewstone (29) as the pair laid the foundations with a century fifth wicket stand. Young Ryan Harrison (19) again showed good promise opening the innings. Despite reducing Nettleham to 40-4 Cleethorpes' bowling was proving wayward with Nettleham fifth wicket pair also racking up a century stand. Mike Shelton has claimed three early wickets before the game started to slip away. The introduction of John Mansfield swung the game back as he also picked up three wickets before Nettleham claimed victory in the final over. Mansfield finished with excellent figures of 3/29 in 7 overs with Shelton 3/37 in 8. Simon Taylor bowled wel early on and was unlucky to finish with only 1/54 in 14 overs. Cleethorpes claim 7 points to open their challenge for the title.
The 4th X1 slipped to their second league defeat of the season going down by 5 wickets to Alkborough 2nds at the Stamford Club. Having posted a decent 190-9 in 45 overs, the villagers wasted little time in racing to their target in 36.3 overs. Mike Chamberlain hit 59 when opening for Cleethorpes and received good support from veteran Will Abe who hit 35 and Josh Latimer who made 27. An inexperienced attack saw Ben Marris open the bowling for Cleethorpes, while the pick of the bowlers was Ian Mansfield’s 3/20 in eight overs. Young spinners George Hawkey (1/55 in 12.3) and Max Robinson (1/48 in 9) showed up well for the Meggies as Kris Richardson’s side pick up six points.

Graham's picture above shows Peter Fulton being welcomed to Chichester Road by James Osmond (left) and Paul Hewstone.

Below: The bails drop off as Peter Fulton claims the tenth wicket against the Academy on Saturday, followed by Cleethorpes players mobbing overseas professional Peter Fulton after completing a tense victory.