CAPTAIN BUNN LEADS WAY

HAXEY 2nds v MARKET RASEN, LINCS LEAGUE DIVISION TWO

By Andy Richley

Market Rasen Town Cricket Club 1st XI headed west again, looking to follow up last weekend’s win at table-toppers Messingham 2nds with victory at Haxey 2nds, but found the villagers in determined mood. Committed efforts in the field from both sides and two indifferent batting performances led to neither side dominating the encounter and Rasen grateful to head home with a three wicket win and 19 points.
Rasen won the toss and elected to make first use of a track that, in spite of the week’s rain, was hard and true. Simon Bunn and Karl Bierlein opened for the visitors and the Haxey batsmen found life hard from the off with Bierlein, in particular, tying the batsmen up. Rasen’s skipper made the breakthrough, getting the wicket of Steve Ryan who had been looking to take the run rate above one an over and could only hole out to Tom Corden at mid-on. The next over saw a sharp stumping by Mark Robinson, off the bowling of Bierlein, to remove Aaron Moody and Rasen were rolling, with Bunn removing Scott Barlow to reduce Haxey to 13 for 3 in the 13th over.
Haxey were in need of their middle order to dig in and Graham Skelton and Lewis Mann did precisely that. Whilst the pair never looked completely comfortable, they both unleashed some fine shots in between some stolid defence with Skelton, in particular, unfurling some punishing shots. The diminutive right-hander wasn’t afraid to take the aerial route, as evidenced when he sent Simon Bunn straight back over his head and into the corn-field for a maximum. Lewis Mann was finding scoring more difficult, but with the pair at the crease Haxey could look towards posting a defensible total.
Gary Bierlein was introduced into the attack in the 24th over and immediately unsettled Skelton. His second over saw Haxey’s number three attempt to play against the spin and he could only send the ball straight to Ivan Nash at mid on for 37, reducing Haxey to 69 for 5 with twenty overs to go. With the lower order now exposed, Rasen looked to run through the home side but found Lewis Mann in obdurate mood and he was ably assisted by a wagging Haxey tail.
Will Bradford came on to replace Karl Bierlein. The young seamer bowled at a decent pace and with some movement to end Gary Mann’s resistance, trapping the Haxey ‘skipper LBW. Paul Johnson joined Lewis Mann and changed the whole tone of Haxey’s resistance, putting bat to ball vigorously to race to 22 out of a 29-run partnership with Mann. The return of Simon Bunn saw Johnson’s resistance ended and when the Rasen skipper dismissed the watchful Lewis Mann, as ninth man out for 26, Haxey’s end appeared nigh.
Such thinking, however, did not account for Damien Hughes, who proceeded to flail his way to a joyous 15 not out and, with support from M. Garner, boost Haxey to 133 for 9 from their 45 overs. Simon Bunn finished as the pick of the visiting attack, taking 5 for 54 from 15 overs. With the late runs and some dropped catches, it was a surprisingly dispirited Rasen unit that contemplated the spread laid on in Haxey’s well-appointed pavilion and that slight hangover appeared to carry on into Rasen’s reply.
With Haxey fired up from their lower order ‘biffing’, the home side went hard at Rasen’s opening pair; Jon Stephenson and Gary Bierlein. Both Paul Johnson and Aaron Moody bowled tight, aggressive lines, with Moody bowling at a decent pace and, initially, Rasen found runs hard to come by. Frustratingly, if not surprisingly for followers of his form this year, Stephenson found his innings cut short just as he threatened to dominate. Having unfurled a couple of lovely on drives and taken 10 off the first three balls of a Paul Johnson over, the opener found his stumps splayed as he came too far across his wicket and was bowled behind his legs for 16.
Gary Bierlein also failed to ‘go on’ having made a start and found himself Moody’s first victim, caught behind for 13. Youngsters Tom Corden and Darren Salmon set about settling things down, with both timing the ball beautifully and looking quite comfortable until Corden was unfortunate to fall for 16, caught behind off Damien Hughes when there was perhaps a rather large hint of thigh pad. The wicket left Rasen 57 for 3 and the game in the balance.
Shrugging off the situation and the vital importance it had to Rasen’s promotion hopes, Darren Salmon continued serenely on his way, cutting and driving the ball with authority. Ivan Nash dug in at the other end and whilst he struggled to survive, with many of his runs coming via his outside edge, the pair – who both started the season in the 2nds – consolidated and gradually started to take the game away from Haxey.
With eighteen runs required and plenty of overs left Haxey turned to Aaron Moody to pull them back into the game and the youngster delivered, ending Darren Salmon’s fine knock, caught behind for 40 and then pinning Nash LBW for 27. James Needham took a simple return catch to send Tom Bradford back and when Mark Robinson attempted to smear Moody over cover, only to pop up a spiralling catch, Rasen had lost four wickets for ten runs and were 126 for 7 with only seven overs remaining.
Unfortunately for Haxey, Karl Bierlein rose to the occasion and led Rasen over the line without further delay or drama, with the win sealed in the 41st over. The victory for Rasen, coupled with Grimsby 2nds defeat of Messingham 2nds means that the Rase Park outfit now lead Lincs League 2 by a single point. All of the main protagonists in Div 2 (Rasen, Messingham 2nds, Grimsby Town 2nds and Caistor 2nds) have three games left to play and whilst the denouement to the division promises to be thrilling, it also means that two of the four sides who have dominated League 2 this season will miss out.