CLEETHORPES KNOCKED OUT

By GRAHAM HACKNEY

Cleethorpes 1st X1’s run in the ECB National Knockout Cup came to an end with a brave 89-run defeat at a powerful Sandiacre on Sunday. With Saturday’s league game at home to Scarborough called off due to the weather, Cleethorpes travelled to West Nottingham in third place in the Yorkshire league to face the Derbyshire Premier league champions. However they were dealt a number of blows overnight with paceman Jack Harrison going down with glandular fever and Yaniv Judah still feeling the effects of a sore neck. This meant Skipper James Osmond was short of all three front line bowlers as Sandiacre opted to bat after winning the toss in cloudy conditions. Osmond and spinner Harry Clewett opened the attack and started well as Clewett claimed the early wicket of Chapman in the fourth over with just five runs on the board. Rory Osmond taking a comfortable catch at midwicket as the batsmen attempted to hit over the top. With the powerplay in operation for the first fifteen overs both Osmond and Clewett found good control offering little to the batsmen. Osmond’s first six overs went for just nine runs before being replaced by Fred Lumby. With Alex Osmond replacing Clewett both opener Trueman and Notts Academy batsmen Oliver Swann started to up the tempo. Swann looked in tremendous touch regularly driving Lumby through the covers as he and Trueman began to build a commanding total. With few bowling options at his disposal Osmond turned to Paul Sunley and Bill Kirby to plug the gaps. However with the batsmen well on top both could do little to stem the runs. Trueman eventually departed for a sold 86 made of 106 balls when Kirby trapped him on the back foot with the score on 167. He and Swann had added 162 in 30 overs. The chase for quick runs was now on. Alex Osmond ran Jordison out going for a suicidal second and returned to claim the first of three stumpings to keeper Gary Cowlam as Sandiacre’s lower order proceeded to give him the charge. Swann meanwhile was steadily increasing his strike rate and completed an accomplished century in the 42nd over. He would go on to remain 115 not out in just 116 balls with 15 boundaries. Sandiacre closed out their 45 overs on 264-7 to set Cleethorpes a mammoth target. Alex Osmond had been the most successful bowler with 3/37 in his nine overs while brother James finished with 1/40. Unfortunately Cleethorpes lack of firepower had cost them with Lumby, Sunley and Kirby going for 130 in their eighteen overs.
Cleethorpes’ reply began badly with Rory Osmond trapped in front to the ninth ball of the innings so James Osmond, returning after a broken finger, promoting himself to three. Things went front bad to worse for the Meggies when Bill Kirby(11), who had started confidently, was adjudged lbw when clearly getting an inside edge. When Osmond flashed hard at McFadyean and was taken behind for 7, Cleethorpes had slipped to 32-3 in only nine overs. Eddie Carlton and Alex Osmond led a recovery with Carlton especially looking in decent form. They saw off the threat of Sandiacre’s openers and were beginning to flourish when Osmond (7) looked mortified to be given out caught behind off the faintest of edges. Charlie Tomlinson (0) followed two balls later to one that kept low and when Callum Robinson (1) was bowled the next over Cleethorpes looked dead and buried at 63-6. Carlton was inching towards a deserved half century and added 38 for the seventh wicket with Paul Sunley as the pair took Cleethorpes past the hundred. Having reached 49 Carlton hitting seven boundaries when he departed as Chapman squeezed a ball through his defences. With little to lose Sunley and Gary Cowlam went on the offensive putting together a highly entertaining half century stand in only seven overs. Cowlam especially was in destructive form smashing two enormous sixes and three fours in his 35. Sunley edged behind for 36 having hit a six and three boundaries and when Cowlam was run out backing up by the boot of Trueman the game was just about up for Cleethorpes. Clewett (9)smashed one late six before being last man to depart holing out on the boundary to draw a close on Cleethorpes’ National Knockout adventure. Cleethorpes closed on 175 all out as Sandiacre progress to the regional final to face the mighty West Indian Cavaliers.
GRAHAM HAS KINDLY SUPPLIED AN ARRAY OF PICTURES, WHICH WE INTEND TO PUBLISH LATER, WHEN TIME PERMITS. APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY.