OUTCASTS BACK ON TRACK

By Glen Sands

Outcasts got back to winning ways last on Saturday when they beat dogged Holton le Clay by 22 runs in Lincs League division one at a rather overcast Hirsts Priory.
It was the visitors who won the toss and invited Outcasts to bat first with runs being hard to come by from the start as Ian Hallam and Luke Ford kept things fairly tight. Richard Wroot had struck a couple of boudaries before he was first to go , bowled by Ford for 10 and opening partner David Hobson was next out, bowled by Hallam having made a laboured 13. Andy Lawson was caught behind by Josh Plaskitt off Hallam having made only four and at 52 for 3 the home side wer beeginning to struggle. Darren Clark and skipper Russell Fletcher then put together a decent parnership of 42 with some sensible batting , then James Rock bowled Fletcher ith a terrific delivery for 22 and Clark quickly followed , caught at mid wicket by Jack Barker off Rock again for 45 leaving Outcasts teetering on 99 for 5. It was at this stage that Andy Torr joined Gaham Clark in the middle and they went on to produce the partnership which ultimately won the game for their team. Torr was like a man possessed as he put the fielding side under great pressure with his running , although at times his batting partner was having to scurry too as the pair added an incredible 90 runs in the final ten overs , Torr ending the alloted overs on 48 not out from just 34 deliveries and Clark on 39 not out from 37 Torr hitting five fours and two sixes whilst Clark hit five fours and a huge six.
So from a vulnerable position of 99 for 5 Outcasts closed on 189 for 5 thanks to their two middle order heroes and they were able to go onto the field with great confidence that they could restrict Holton le Clay and pick up a win that would lift them back into the top four. Tom Sharpe and Jason Whiteley bowled well to the vsiting openers Dan Portus and Paul Holmes and it was Sharpe who struck first when he had Portus superbly caught in the deep by a diving Matthew Teal for 14 with the total on 20. Josh Plaskitt joined his skipper at the crease and helped move the total to 48 before he was second man out , bowled by Whiteley for 10. Despite being able to keep the scoreboard ticking over HLC were not keeping up with the run rate and were having to take ever more risky runs as Sharpe , Whiteley and then Liam McAnaney turned the screw along with some excellent fielding from the Isle side. Lewis Gash had reached 19 when he was superbly caught one haned by a diving Richard Wroot behind the stumps to give McAnaney his first wicket then came the big wicket of skipper Holmes who was caught sharply at gully by Andy Lawson off Whiteley for a well constructed 49. Jamie Farrow tried to break the shackles but he too perished when Tom Sharpe continued the high standard of catching to earn McAnaney a second victim then Danny Barker was stumped by the excellent Wroot off Whiteley for four as HLC fell further behind the required rate. The last chance for the visitors was extinquished when Ian Hallam was caught by Darren Clark off Whiteley for 25 and although they were'nt able to take all ten of the visitos wickets Outcasts restricted them to 167 for 8 at the end of their 45 overs , earning them a 22 runs victory and seventeen valuable points in their quest to climb back up the table. Jason Whiteley finished a mammoth spell of 22 overs with figures of 4 for 77 whilst Liam McAnaney took 3 for 60 from eleven which sets their team up for another tilt at runaway league leaders Scothern on Saturday in what promises to be a cracking game between two in form teams.