BROUGHTON BEAT LUDDINGTON IN BROUGHTON EVENING LEAGUE

BY GLEN SANDS

2012 Champions Broughton gained their first win of the new season on June 5th when beating Luddington by 38 runs and it was their talented wicketkeeper batsman who proved to be the difference between the teams with a classy innings of 39 as they posted a total of 117 all out.
Neil Simpson was first to go for Broughton when Liam McAnaney brilliantly threw down the stumps from near the boudary leaving him out of his ground and out for eight which brought Brett Fish to the crease to join opener Robbie Glentworth. There was then a swashbuckling partnership of free hitting that took the total to 48 before Glentworth was caught by Graeme Fletcher off Jon Wroot for 30 but that heralded the arrival of Nick Dobbs who immediately began to show his great ability. Fish was out for 20 with the score on 89 to a catch that would have tested anyone as it went so high , bowler Wroot holding his nerve when pouching it , then Luddington fought back as Wroot quickly picked up two more wickets. He firstly had Shaun Clark caught by Jamie Arrowsmith for one then bowled Craig Hallbut it was Liam McAnaney who took the all important wicket of Dobbs who was caught in the deep by Arron Curry having scores 39 in just 25 deliveries including two towering sixes. Wroot finished his spell by bowling Lee Stothard earning himself terrific figures of 5 for 33 then Liam McAnaney took centre stage as he wrapped up the tail , taking 4 for 21 as Broughton closed on 117 all out , Tom Morwood ending the innings on 9 not out in only his second ever competitive match.
Luddington made the worst possible start to their response when Russell Fletcher was out in the first over , bowled by Shaun Clark , but Scott Buttrick joined skipper Andy Lawson in the middle and without anything spectacular they took the score to 32 before Buttrick was brilliantly stumped by Nick Dobbs off Robbie Ward for 10. Jamie Arrowsmith scored three before he was bowled by Clark but the big wicket fell when Lawson was bowled by Craig Hall having made 35 in what was for him a somewhat tempered performance. Mark Fletcher batted well throughout the rest of the innings but Ludd were just not able to find that one big over that might have given them the momentum required to threaten the Broughton score. Hall went on to pick up 4 for 11 from his three overs as Luddington ended on 79 for 8 which meant that Broughton climbed above them in the table.
Next up for Luddington is a home fixture against Scunthorpe Scorpions whilst Broughton head over to Barton who like them gained their first win on June 5th against Normanby Park.