Barrow v Lymm Oughtrington Park CC 1st XI on Sat 17 May 2008 at 13:30
Lymm Oughtrington Park CC Lost 11 Points
Lymm made the trip to Barrow on Saturday looking to consolidate after last weeks easy win at home to Chester CO.
Drizzly conditions saw a delayed start with the game reduced to 82 overs from the outset. When the inclement weather finally abated, Skipper Knowles, was invited to bat first on an understandably wet wicket.
The Barrow opening bowlers, took a while to get into their stride, and the Lymm opening partnership took toll of some loose deliveries to get off to a flying start. However, the Barrow bowlers eventually got into a groove and scoring became increasingly difficult a seaming wicket. The Lymm openers, Knowles and Garner, both fell in quick succession with the score around 40, and with Oakes and McIntosh both fresh at the crease and struggling to get to grip with conditions, the scoring rate dropped considerably. When McIntosh was out for a solid 32, Scholes arrived at the crease, and not for the first time this season injected some much needed attacking intent into proceedings. When Scholes fell for a typically swashbuckling 36 it was feared that Lymm might end up with a below par 140. However, with wickets left in the pavilion, his loss was not as detrimental as first feared, and Lymm managed to maintain some acceleration to the innings. First Wright, then Miller provided support to Oakes, who by this time had upped his tempo after a typically circumspect start. When Oakes fell to a good catch in the deep for 33, it was left to Miller to secure the 7th and 8th batting points as the team passed 155 with a flailing cut to the point boundary. Lymm finished on 160-6, a more than competitive total given the soggy state of the playing surface.
An analysis of the Lymm scorecard shows a well balanced one, with all batsmen reaching double figures. Unfortunately, none were able to kick on to that half century, which is so often critical in compiling match winning scores. Being hyper critical, perhaps this is an area that the Lymm batting line-up should focus on for future success.
As the new ball was tossed to leading wicket taker Scholes, Lymm were in buoyant mood, in the knowledge that early inroads to the Barrow top order were on the cards. However, when the opening batsman was dropped at gulley off the first ball of the innings, the tone for what proved to be a horribly depressing afternoon was set, as the Lymm fielders succeeding in spilling a string of chances (some more difficult than others).
Give quality players chances, and invariably they punish you. Here was no different, as the two most dangerous Barrow batsmen compiled a 100 partnership, both after being dropped when in single figures. This proved to be the winning contribution, and although Lymm briefly dreamt of an astonishing turnaround after a late rally, the result was never truly in doubt. When the winning runs came courtesy of yet another miss-field, the game was given the ironic end which it deserved!
The sombre post-match mood in the dressing room was evidence enough that the players knew they had let themselves down, and it’s plain that further work in training is a necessity. However, this self criticism must be tempered slightly by the fact that constant rain throughout the Barrow innings had meant that the ball had become very wet, and conditions had become exceedingly treacherous under-foot. With fielders, bowlers and batsmen slipping and sliding at regular intervals, player safety was certainly an issue, and there must surely have been a case for the game being abandoned. However, with both teams in with a shout of victory until very late in the day, the umpires and players alike must be applauded for seeing the game through to a result.
In a strange twist of fate however, Lymm now find themselves under the threat of a points deduction for slow over rate, which seems ridiculous given the prevailing conditions during the second innings of the game! Constant rain ensured that the ball had to be dried with towels after every delivery. This combined with the fact that the slippery nature of the ball made it almost impossible to bowl a spinner for any meaningful spell (further evidenced by the fact that Barrow’s West Indian finger spinner gave up bowling spin after 2 overs in drier conditions!), meant that a slow over rate was an unfortunate inevitability.
Up to this week, Lymm have rattled through their overs at a rate of 18/hour, so it’s hoped that logic prevails, and Lymm are not penalised for staying out in difficult conditions in order to see a game through to a conclusion!
Lymm Oughtrington Park CC 1st XI Batting
160 for 6
Barrow Bowling
Barrow Batting
161 for 6
Lymm Oughtrington Park CC 1st XI Bowling
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Umpire :
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Scorer :
C Bradshaw