BRACEBRIDGE HEATH 2NDS v OUTCASTS - LINCS DIV ONE

BY GLEN SANDS

With just three games remaining of their somewhat curtailed season Outcasts continue to search for their first win of the summer and despite showing some commendable spirit against promotion chasing Bracebridge Heath on Saturday they came up short of what in the end was an insumountable total.
It was the Lincoln side who took first knock on a belter of a track and runs came quite quickly although Outcasts were able to keep Bracebridge in check by taking early wickets. Nish Makwana was first to go , edgeing a catch to wicket keeper Richard Wroot off the pacey Tom Sharpe for nine then his opening partner and skipper Karl Stubbs was caught at gully by Andy Torr off Graeme Fletcher for twenty and the home team were 39 for 2. harpe then produced a terrific yorker to bowl Andy McDowall with the overall score having reached 45 and when Matthew Teal trapped Ryan Watson LBW for 17 Outcasts were in a good position with the opposition on 67 for 4. However as the heat of the day began to rise Bracebridge's middle order pair of David Whapplington and James Wright began to take command of the game , albeit after somewhat shakey starts from them both. The longer they stayed  at the crease the quicker the run rate rose as Outcasts skipper Russ Fletcher looked to switch his bowlers in an attempt to break what was becoming a threatening partnership. It was Scott Buttrick who eventually struck when bowling Wright for an excellent 37 with the total at 141 and he picked up his second wicket of the innings soon after when trapping Josh Lee infront of his stumps for seven leaving Bracebridge on 168 for 7. By now however Whapplington had really begun to find his form and with ever growing confidence he went on to bat Outcasts out of the match with a fantastic array of boundaries which included a couple of big sixes. With Ross Carnelley at the other end he piled on the agony for the Isle side , bringing up histon with the second maximum and with three overs remaining in the innings home skipper Karl Stubbs chose to declare on 254 for 6 , giving his side an extra three overs in which to get the ten wickets they needed for a full twenty points victory. Whapplington ended on 113 not out and Cannley on 23 as they put together an unbeaten seventh wicket parnership of 86 whilst for Outcasts the bowling figures were not the best of reading although Tom Sharpe and Scott Buttrick did pick up two wicketa apiece.
To their credit Outcasts battled hard in response to such a huge total and almost managed to pick up their full quota of batting points with some gutsy and at times thrilling performances. Mark Coulman was looking good before he was out to a quite stunning catch by wicket keeper Karl Stubbs of Matt Knights having reached 19 then fellow opener James Glew was caught infront of his stumps by Camron Hall for ten leaving the visitors on 38 for 2. Scott Buttrick dropped anchor whilst Andy Lawson went on to produce one of his special innings as he blasted the ball to all parts. No bowler was safe as the big man played an aggressive but measured innings and the total rose quickly to 9before Buttrick was adjudged to have been stumped by the livewire Stubbs off John Kerridge for ten. Lawson brought up his deserved half century and appeared set to go on towards three figures only to be well caught at deep mid off by Josh Lee from the bowlig of Kerridge again having scores an exceptional 72in just 62 deliveries. That brought Andy Torr to the crease to join the out of form Richard Wroot and that poor trot continued when Wroot was caught by Kerridge off Josh Lee for six leaving Outcasts on 142 for 5. Te aim was to try and reach 200 as quickly as they could then to reassess their objectives but they continued to lose wickets despite keeping the scoring rate going. Skipper Russell Fletcher was bowled by the returning Matt Knights for five then Matthew Teal hit a quickfire 12 before he was bowled by the other opening bowler Cameron Hall but all this time Andy Torr was rolling back the years with a vintage display of the batting art and the 200 target was getting closer. Sadly for Torr and his team it was not to be as he mirrored the shot played earlier by Lawson and was caught by Josh Lee in the deep off Callum Hall for an terrific 42 and the innings soon drew to a close when Jason Whiteley was caught behind , although he had broken his run of ducks , and Graeme Fletcher was last man to go , bowled by the lively Knight , leaving Outcasts five runs short of that 200 mark. Knights finished the innings with 4 for 48 and Hall 3 for 31 as Bracebridge collected the full twenty points they required to keep up their hopes of a quick return to the Premier Division.
So once again Outcasts failed to win and remain deep in trouble at the wrong end of the Division One table. Things don't get any easier for the Isle side either as they take on another promotion chasing team on Saturday at Hirst Priory , namely Scothern , after which they will have just two more matches in which to avoid the drop , against Louth 2nds and Bracebridge Heath again.