CAPTAIN HAS CUNNING PLAN

MARKET RASEN 2nds SKIPPER ANDY RICHLEY, WHOSE SIDE ARE CAUGHT UP IN AN EXCITING PROMOTION BATTLE WITH OTHER TEAMS, PENS HIS THOUGHTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF LINCS CRICKET LATEST. WE THINK HE'S KICKING OFF WITH A BLACKADDER-TYPE REFERENCE. IN WHICH CASE, ANDY CLEARLY HAS A CUNNING PLAN ...

Lincs League 4 is tighter than a very tight thing that’s just been tightened!
With the final two weeks of the Lincolnshire League season approaching there are a number of enthralling situations throughout the five divisions, from Haxey and Barton vying for the Premier Division Crown through to Hykeham 2nds and Keelby 2nds fighting to avoid ending up in a re-election spot.
From my own perspective, the race for second place in Division Four is the tightest and, potentially, most enthralling of all of the contests still in play.
The current state of play is as follows:

Team Games Points
Broughton 2s 16 249
HLC 2s 15 185
Rasen 2s 15 176
Alford 2s 14 171

Dave Jones’ men from the ‘rec’ are deserved Champions of the division and have been a class apart for the entire season, however, only 14 points separate the next three teams and, at the time of writing, any one of these sides could claim second place and promotion to Divison Three.
Simply by the maxim of having points in the bag, Holton le Clay must go into the weekend as the favourites in this battle. Their three-pronged attack of Reece Brant (28 wickets at 15), Tom Latimer (23 wickets at 19) and Luke Ford (17 wickets at 21) has bowled consistently well all season, and with a combined economy rate of 3.50 an over for the 340+ overs the trio have sent down, sides have found it hard to dominate against them.
With the bat, Reece Brant has been HLC’s mainstay, knocking three fifties and a ton whilst accumulating 530 runs at an average of 48, to comfortably head the divisional batting averages. However, only one other player has passed 200 runs; Gary Nicholls (255 runs at 20) and HLC have missed Danny Barker since his promotion to the firsts.
Holton le Clay’s final game is at Rase Park against a Market Rasen 2nds side that have enjoyed a roller-coaster of a season and also find themselves challenging for promotion on the back of a three-pronged bowling attack. Dan Norburn (26 wickets at 14) and James Fussey (20 wickets at 16) have rarely wasted the new ball this season and they’ve paved the way for Andy Richley to bag a few wickets in support. As with HLC’s bowlers, the trio have sent down more than 300 overs at less than 3.50 an over, with 14 year old James Fussey particularly impressive in his first season in the Lincolnshire League.
Rasen’s batting has been more hit and miss, with Ivan Nash (382 runs at 42) reliable, but not scoring the weight of runs he will have expected to after his opening day unbeaten 126. Richley is the only other player to have passed 200 runs so far this season for the side as inconsistency in availability and, more importantly, application whilst at the crease has led to a number of batting collapses.
Saturday at Rase Park promises to be an enthralling encounter and spectators can certainly expect to see some quality bowling on display. At this point it would seem that the result will depend on how each side’s batsmen cope with the pressure of the occasion and there seems little to divide the sides on paper.
Away from Rase Park, Alford 2nds will be making the long trek to Hykeham 2nds, knowing that their fate is in their own hands. The side from Train Fen Holt are currently masters of their own destiny and need 35 points from their last two matches to be certain of promotion. With their final game at home against Caistor Town 3rds, it appears, at least on paper, that Alford will need to slip up this weekend in order to keep Holton and Rasen interested.
At this point readers may be sensing a certain case of deja vu, as Alford 2nds’ success in 2011 has depended on a trio of bowlers. Even more surprisingly, they comprise two seamers and a spinner. Alford ‘skipper Aaron Wilkinson (26 wickets at 17) and Sam Czornyj (25 wickets at 12) have both bowled with pace and direction this season, with Czornyj combining his wicket-taking ability with remarkable parsimony, going for only 2.74 an over. They’ve been backed up by veteran tweaker Paul Nickson (25 wickets at 11), who has rolled up a number of sides this season with his bag of tricks.
Alford’s similarity to HLC and Rasen ends there, however, as none of the men from the marsh have passed 200 runs in the league so far this season, although Tom Stephenson, Kevin White and Dave Honman are all averaging in the high 20s. Alford have instead relied on some Lazurus-like displays in the field in defending small totals and also benefit from being a slightly more experienced side than their two rival outfits.
The final twist in the tale is that Hykeham 2nds, who Alford visit this weekend, are fighting to avoid re-election and can ill-afford to lose. However, matters are further complicated by the fact that both Hykeham 1sts and Holton le Clay 1sts are fighting to avoid relegation from Division One and both play this Saturday, making selection for both clubs even more entertaining.
Whatever happens, the league’s basement division has delivered an enthralling contest in 2011 that has gone down to the wire and whilst I obviously hope Rasen come out on top, I can only wish all three teams the best of luck and that the weather stays fine for another couple of Saturdays.