By Yet another below par performance by Cleethorpes Cricket Club saw them extend their losing run in the 4 Probate & Wills ECB Yorkshire South Premier League.
This latest defeat, at the hands of bottom club Hallam, was by a margin of 50 runs and saw them slip another place in the league table to 9th.
Injuries also appear to be building up with Jordan Cook, the clubs leading wicket taker, suffering a fall while bowling which resulted in him being carried off and taken to hospital for examination. He will now await the results of a scan which will detail how badly he has damaged ligaments and determine how long he will be out of action.
Cook joins the clubs top run scorer, Louis Kimber, on the treatment table. Kimber suffered a reoccurrence of his knee trouble before Saturday’s game and had to call off. The Cleethorpes Club will be hoping for a quick recovery because his presence at the wicket was badly missed on Saturday.
With young Max Taylor again acting as cover for Kimber Cleethorpes opted to bat first at Hallam after winning the toss.
All of their bowlers were made to work hard without success as Alex Hughes and young South African Andre Bradford piled on the runs. Without taking any risks they brought up the 50 in the 17th over, and were still together when 100 appeared on the board 11 overs later.
Hughes was first to reach 50 after hitting 6 fours and one six. Bradford soon followed, reaching his half century from 99 balls, two more than Hughes had faced.
There was still no joy for the Cleethorpes bowlers, despite a number of changes. In the 37th over 150 appeared on the scoreboard and a final total approaching 300 was envisaged.
However, 3 runs later Hughes fell to a catch in the Gully after hitting 71. As so often happens after braking a stand a second wicket followed. Basheeru Walters returned to the attack and uprooted Bradford’s wicket after the opener had reached 60.
An accurate throw from Alex Osmond then ran out Vikram Singh before Walters claimed a second wicket when he trapped Nick Dymock leg before.
Cook then suffered his unfortunate accident when beginning his 10th over, but his departure heralded a remarkable collapse by the home side. Walters and Alex Osmond, who had replaced Cook, cleaned up the remaining wickets inside two overs From 153 without loss they had stumbled to an all-out 225 inside 12 overs. Cleethorpes were left wondering what could have been had they to dismissed the openers early and exposed the fragile batting line up.
Opening bowler James Smedley had Cleethorpes struggling to score when he started his spell with 5 maidens. Wickets then started to fall, Robert Heyes getting the first, before Joe Cooper and Smedley gained success in consecutive overs leaving the Meggies in serious trouble at 22-3.
Callum Carter aided the in-form Tom Rollinson in pushing the total to 48 before he was bowled in Charlie Bourne’s second over.
A partnership between Alex Osmond and Rollinson offered Cleethorpes renewed hope as they mastered the attack which was constantly changed in an attempt to break the stand. However the 5th wicket partnership reached 50 shortly before Cleethorpes brought up the 100.
Rollinson completed his half century, his second in succession, but with the total on 119 Osmond was dismissed after making 30 from the 71 run partnership. Worse was to follow when Walters went first ball and with the Meggies being a man short at 119-6 prospects of picking up any bonus points, let alone victory, looked remote.
Joe Baker proved an adequate partner for Rollinson as they pushed the score to 148, just ten runs short of the first bonus award of two points, before the latter was caught after making 65 with six fours.
Lee Charlton (13) made sure of those couple of points before Baker was last out, after making 26, and Cleethorpes on 175 as Hallam celebrated their first win since the opening day of the season.
Contact Gi Grimsby
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