CAISTOR 3rds ROMP TO VICTORY AT RASE PARK

By Andy Richley, Market Rasen 2nds

Market Rasen Town Cricket Club 2nd XI played their last home game of the 2010 season in front of a sparse, but knowledgable Rase Park crowd on a typically sunny early September afternoon. Local rivals, Caistor Town 3rds, were the opposition for a Rase Park outfit who hadn’t lost a game at home since May Day and both teams approached the match with an eye on their 2011 campaigns. This season has seen improved fortunes for both sides, with Caistor bouncing back from last year’s relegation from Lincs League 3 to, at the very least, keep themselves in the promotion hunt until the last game of the season and Rasen 2nds putting in a solid mid-table season, after 2009’s brush with re-election.
Rasen won the toss and, somewhat suprisingly in retrospect, chose to bowl. Rasen opened with a mix of pace and spin and the tactic worked well at the River Rase end, where Luke Richards’ accurate off-spin stymied Nathan Davies and the aggressive Ryan McKitton. Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well at the other end, where a succession of seamers failed to stem the flow of runs, let alone ask questions of the batsmen.
McKitton opened his account with a crunching cover drive for four and cracked on from there. Whilst there were a few lofted drives that were near fielders, no genuine chance was given as the opener breezed to the fifth 50 of his Div 4 campaign. Timing the ball effortlessly and strong off both the front and back foot it was easy to see why McKitton has scored the volume of runs he has in 2010. Nathan Davies dug himself in for the duration at the other end with a watching brief and the pair had put on 73 in 13 overs before McKitton fell, caught and bowled, to Andy Richley for 52.
Having dismissed the danger-man for less than his average, Rasen looked to tighten things up and with Luke Chambers’ looping, left-arm spin initially baffling Peter Jacob, he and Richley pulled Rasen back into the game. Chambers trapped Nathan Davies LBW for a gritty 13 to leave Caistor 96 for 2 and with Dave Gowshall content to play himself in, Rasen reached the halfway point with a tenuous toe-hold on the game.
Unfortunately, Gowshall took a liking to Chambers after the break and both he and Jacob tucked into Dean Richards’ first spell with gusto to take the game away from Rasen. The pugnacious Gowshall punished the home attack with a brisk 41 as the pair put on 65 for the third wicket in quick time. The re-introduction of Richley stemmed the flow of runs and induced a middle-order collapse, with Gowshall skying a catch to cover, followed by Peter Jacob missing out on what would have been a deserved half-century for the youngster, steering the ball to gully for a fine 47. When Tim Brown was then gobbled up by Luke Chambers fine, low catch at slip, Caistor had fallen to 166 for 5.
With the game in the balance Matthew Brown (26) rallied the lower order and, with help from Will Jacob and a hard-hitting cameo from Alex McKitton (18), took the visitors to an imposing total of 223 for 9 from their 45 overs. Dean Richards closed out the Caistor innings with a double-wicket maiden, but it was too little, too late for the home side who, with the exception of Richley (6 for 37 from 14 overs), failed to execute consistently with the ball.
In spite of Caistor’s imposing total, Rasen’s batting was, on paper, more than capable of giving the Brigg Road outfit a run for their money. However, Alex Warmoth (3 for 18) and Tim Brown (2 for 14) proved too much for the home side’s top order, as the young lineup turned in a callow performance to be bowled out for 56 within 22 overs. Warmoth bowled with pace and aggression and the left-armer started the ball rolling, getting a ball to cut back and castle Dean Richards. Tim Brown, in contrast to Warmoth, bowled full and straight at a decent pace and wasn’t kept out of the action long, bowling George Fussey.
Once that man McKitton pouched Rob Chamberlin and Richley off Warmoth and Brown respectively, the writing was on the wall for Rasen, who were then further reduced to 21 for 5 when Warmoth bowled Luke Richards. Only a combative cameo from Luke Chambers gave the scoreboard anything approaching respectability as Caistor turned to the wiles of veterans Ernie Allison (1 for 16) and Terry McKitton to wrap things up. This McKitton duly did, his nouse being too much for the home side’s lower order as he picked up 4 for 7 to keep Caistor’s promotion hopes alive with an 167 run win.