CRACKING GAME AT GRIMSBY KNOCKOUT

By Ann Boulton

Just two runs separated the teams at the end an exciting final match in the first round of the Grimsby Town CC Knock Out. And it was hosts Grimsby who finally won through at the expense of Nettleham to claim a place in the semi-final against holders Messingham in two weeks time.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, Grimsby got off to a flying start, putting on 40 off the first four overs for the loss of only one wicket – Neal Snell bowled by Will Carter with the score on 21.
Skipper Richard Antcliffe and Dan Wood added 50 before Wood went for 25 and Antcliffe and Harry Warwick put on another 45, the Grimsby captain doing the lion’s share of the scoring.
The fourth wicket fell in the 12th over with the total on 118 but the last four overs brought 51 runs thanks in part to Gary Tillison who smashed 27 off 14 balls before being run out.
Antcliffe was finally out for 87 which came off 61 balls with four sixes and six fours and Nettleham were left chasing 169 for six, Carter and Rob Cook each taking two wickets.
The Lincoln side got off to a slow start, Tillison taking a wicket in the first over and Snell scoring a direct hit to run out Cook and make it eight for two.
After four overs, Nettleham were well behind the run rate but Tom Dalton and Dan Wright set about the bowling and when Dalton was run out for 35, hit off 30 balls with a six and three fours, the score was on a par with Grimsby’s.
Wright went on to make 37 but the next two wickets went cheaply and Nettleham found themselves 127 for six.
However, this brought out Russ Binnington to join Carter and once again the board started ticking over. The introduction of Dan Wood to the attack brought the wicket of Binnington and when Carter was stumped off George Linde for 40 - which came off 23 balls with two sixes and three fours - and Jack Curtis was run out by a direct hit from Paul Taylor, it looked to be Grimsby’s game.
But Nettleham still weren’t finished as Alex Graham got together with Craig Cosgrove and some sensible batting saw the total inch up until, with five needed to win off the last ball, the batsmen could only run two to end the game on 167 for eight.
Antcliffe’s innings earned him the Man of the Match award, presented by Rob Smith whose company Solutions sponsored the game.
Cleethorpes will play Fenner in next week’s first semi-final and Grimsby take on Messingham the week after.

Grimsby Town
R Antcliffe b Carter 87
N Snell b Carter 1
D Wood c Binnington b Graham 25
H Warwick b Cook 9
G Linde c Curtis b Cook 1
G Tillison run out 27
M Cocks not out 3
L Charlton not out 4
Extras 12
Total (6 wkts) 169

Bowling: A Graham 4-0-36-1; W Carter 4-0-35-2; J Curtis 1-0-21-0; R Cook 4-0-37-2; T Dalton 2-0-23-0; D Wright 1-0-13-0.

Nettleham
R Cook run out 4
D Manby b Tillison 0
T Dalton run out 35
D Wright c Warwick b White 37
W Carter st Maddock b Linde 40
S Coupland lbw Tillison 3
R Binnington b Wood 17
C Cosgrove not out 7
J Curtis run out 0
A Graham not out 14
Extras 10
Total (8 wkts) 167

Bowling: G Tillison 4-0-16-2, M Cocks 3-0-35-0; L Charlton 1-0-21-0; P Taylor 2-0-24-0; G Linde 4-0-41-0; D White 1-0-17-1; D Wood 1-0-6-1.