Minor Counties action at last

Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln

Posted by Tony Hutton

Sunday 5th June - Minor Counties Knock out - Lincolnshire v Norfolk at Bracebridge Heath.

As I have often said before the problem with being a supporter of Minor Counties cricket means travelling long distances. Here we are over a month into the season and I have not yet seen one game due to bad weather and other problems.

Today was a real dilemma, should we go west to Kendal to see Cumberland or east to Lincoln to see Lincolnshire. The two places are exactly the same distance from Leeds, so a difficult decision. Having missed out on a trip to Penrith where Cumberland's last home game was abandoned without a ball being bowled, I was inclined to go west.

However the weather forecasters suggested temperatures might be higher and even some sunshine in Lincolnshire, so after much deliberation we headed east. I had not visited the Bracebridge Heath ground before. It is situated only about two miles south of the City of Lincoln on top of a hill at Cross O'Cliff Court.

It is in the grounds of the Lincolnshire Ambulance Service Headquarters, which was formerly a hospital and very scenic, surrounded by trees, it is too. The facilities were first class and despite a north easterly breeze the weather proved excellent, with plenty of sunshine, until it cooled down later in the day.

There was nothing at stake in the game as neither side could qualify for the quarter finals of the one day knockout. However it turned out to be a fascinating high scoring contest which went to the last over.

Norfolk batted first and were soon 16-2, then 43-3 and some people began to think of an early finish. Help was at hand in the form of Trevor Ward, once of Kent and Leicestershire, and a young man of 18 I had never heared of before Sam Arthurton.

They put on a partnership of 127, with Ward getting most of the runs with powerful boundaries and Arthurton playing very much a supporting role. Ward was the first to go, when the nervous nineties struck again, caught behind for 93, which included nine fours and five sixes. Wickets then fell with great regularity and Norfolk slumped from 170-3 to 218-9. Arthurton was still there having reached fifty but the real fireworks were still to come.

The last five overs of the Norfolk innings brought no less than 72 runs, of which the number eleven, Warnes, scored only two. Arthurton hitting at everything now, reached his century in the penultimate over (no nervous nineties this time). In the final over he really cut loose and hit 4,6,6,4(no ball),6,dot and 4.

The general feeling seemed to be that Lincolnshire without two of their regular batsmen, Atri and Dobson, would struggle to get near the final total of 290-9. This was reinforced when experienced Matthew Dowman was out early on, well caught by that man Arthurton again. Dan Birch, formerly of Derbyshire, was joined by James Morgan (possibly the former Yorkshire Academy player). They put on a partnership of 73, before Morgan was out for 17.

Birch played his usual pugnacious role, hitting the short balls well and taking the attack to Norfolk, but when he was out for 53 (eight fours and one six), Lincolnshire seemed up against it at 89-3. Young Karanjit Bansal, who has played for Notts seconds came in at number four and was joined by captain Cook (Paul Cook that is).

This pair then put on probably the decisive partnership of the match - 136 before Bansal was caught for a grafting 55. Cook had played the major attacking role and while he was there Lincoln seemed to be in with a chance. But believe it or not he bacame the third person this week I had seen dismissed for 97, well caught by the veteran Ward off part time bowler Caswell.

Wicketkeeper Burford and spinner Osman soon followed and at 276-6, young Conrad Louth took control and his 30 not out took the home side to victory with a four and a single off the first two balls of the final over. A tremendous game of cricket which kept the substantial crowed riveted to the end despite the increasingly cold temperatures of the later stages. A great advert for Minor Counties cricket and excellent entertainment.

LATEST FIXTURE NEWS

On Wednesday 8th June Leeds Met University will be at home to Northumbria University at Kirkstall Educational CC in the quarter final of the University Trophy knock out, starting at 12.30. The winners will have a home semi-final the following Wednesday, then a week later the final will be played at the Parks, Oxford.

Leeds Met ladies side have a long journey to play Exeter University on Wednesday for a place in the Lord's nursery ground final on 27th June.

Despite the rain at Kendal yesterday, Cumberland's Duckworth/Lewis victory has given them the runners up spot in their group and they qualify for the quarter finals, in which they will play Herefordshire at Brockhampton on Sunday 19th June.