OUTCASTS MAKE LEADERS WORK FOR VICTORY

By Glen Sands

Outcasts went into this top of the Lincs League div one table clash against leaders Scothern with a markedly different team to the one that had won so well against Broughton a week earlier but that should not be used as an excuse for such a lacklustre showing that saw them pick up just three points.
Scothern won the toss and invited Outcasts to bat first and new opening pair Graham Clark and Scott Buttrick batted well to put on 58 for the first wicket before Buttrick was out to a terrific slip catch by John Drabble off the bowling of skipper Ian Brown for a well constucted 33. Sadly for the Isle side that signalled a slump that saw them lose wickets at regullar intervals to the slow bowling of Richard Johnson and Ian McGowan. Andy Torr was actually the second wicket to fall , another slip catch victim to Brown , this time Johnson holding on to the ball but then came the fated slow stuff from McGowan and Johnson himself and the Outcasts batsmen were just not able to curb their enthusiasm to try and belt the ball to the boundary which proved the downfall of nigh on every one of them. Graham Clark sent a steepling catch to wicket keeper Steve Bett off Johnson having reached 27 then Andy Lawson repeated the shot and was caught in the deep by Drabble off McGowan for six leaving his side on 80 for 4. Skipper Russell Fletcher was next to go , caught by Bett off McGowan again for ten with the total still the same. Peter Tait made two only to become the next batsman to try to hit the ball over the ropes and come unstuck in the attempt and wickets continued to tumble as Outcasts slumped to 104 all out , McGowan taking 6 for 18 and Johnson 2 for 22 as the " slowies " bamboozalled their opponents !
To their creidt Outcasts refused to simply lie down and they put up an splendid performance with the ball that forced Scothern to fight for every run. Jonathan Wroot took two early wickets , those of opener Drabble and number three Johnson then Jason Whiteley nipped out a further two thanks to an excellent catch by James Smith and an LBW decision that lef the visitors on 65 for 4 and when Liam McAnaney trapped J R Drabble LBW it was 65 for 5 and very much game on ! Callum Pearse and ols hand Ian McGowan counter attacked well for Scothern , taking the total to 90 before the former was caught by McAnaney off Graham Clark and they still required seven to win when McGowan edged a catch to Andy Lawson off Whiteley for 26 but skipper Ian Brown was on hand to hit the winning boundary to leave Outcasts to rue their batting performance that had it produced an extra thirty or forty runs might well have given them a great chance of pulling off a victory that would have seen them close the gap on the leaders.
Sadly it was not to be and they will now head to their next outing away to South Kelsey hoping to improve their batting if they are to enhance their promotion aspirations!