CRAIN HALF CENTURY CANNOT SAVE GRASSMOOR

GRASSMOOR WORKS CC 155 ALL OUT MANSFIELD CC 172 FOR 9

BASSETLAW AND DISTRICT LEAGUE 1 AT BARNES PARK

24 JUNE 2023 --- 1PM

BARNES PARK GRASSMOOR WORKS CC V MANSFIELD CC

Mansfield Cricket Club lifted themselves off the bottom of The Bassetlaw and District League One table with this 17 run victory over Grassmoor that earned them a second success of the 2023 season.  On a wicket that saw the ball not coming onto the bat it had been a struggle and how they were grateful for the match winning contribution of Jake Hyatt [49*] coming in at number 8 and somehow moving the score on with a speed his colleagues had struggled to achieve.  At the close he was just one short of a half century from 44 balls and including half a dozen 4's'

CRAIG DAWES PICTURE BEFORE IAN BRADLEY IN THIS BLOG

So for just the second match of the cricket season it was a welcome return to Grassmoor and armed with new camping chair an afternoon of frustration endured on a warm day the wicket proved difficult to score runs from with both sides struggling to get the ball of the square.  It must have been as annoying to the players and was especially true when you saw free flowing players struggling to time their shots with any confidence.  However at the end of the day this was to be ultimately a poor day for the home side as their Nottinghamshire visitors took full advantage to secure a hard won victory.

IAN BRADLEY IN FULL FLIGHT

As ever a warm welcome was offered during the afternoon from all at the club and it was good to be back watching some cricket on a sunny day.  The visitors would have arrived with hope of a second win but for Grassmoor who start their second season in league one there was a need to start to get some wins on board to move into a mid table position and this fixture would have been one of those targeted.

DAVID SPENDLOVE AND CARL BOWLING CATCH UP ON THE NEWS

Mansfield lost opener Raymel Adams [1] with the score on five and this brought the Jamie Spencer [42] to crease and a steadying took the score onto 61 before three quick wickets moved the game into the favour of Grassmoor.  The first was that of Spencer caught by Adam Bedford off Toby Burgess this was followed by a superb forward diving catch from Bruce Shiels to dismiss Yasser Shafi [1] off the bowling of David Spendlove and the third wicket in this spell was when Burgess bowled Ben Wright [12] the score had slumped to 63 for 4. 

DAVID SPENDLOVE GRASSMOOR WORKS

A steady fall of wickets saw captain Azeezuddin Shah [21] and Aaron Ferry [16], as aside to Hyatt being the only two other players in the second half of the visitors innings to reach double figures.  Twenty two runs were put on for the final wicket and the positive stroke play of Hyatt got Mansfield to a total that looked way off their attainment level earlier in the afternoon.  Grassmoor had appeared to let this one get away but you still hoped that the target of 173 was reachable.

TOBY BURGESS TAKES A BREATHER

Strangely then Burgess and Spendlove both went for five an over but had three wickets in the bag each, with Luke James showing two wickets in his eight over spell from the Birkin Lane end.  The other wicket was snapped up by Ian Bradley and Craig Dawes delivered half a dozen overs for a miserly nine runs.

TOBY BURGESS DELIVERS

The usual leg stretch out down to the country park still allowed for a comfortable pitching of 'the seat' before the Grassmoor openers took to the pitch to formulate their reply.

TOBY BURGESS GRASSMOOR WORKS

The reply started cautiously and shakily when Carl Bowling [2] was bowled by Spencer and it allowed Adam Bedford to join opener Mark Crain at the crease and anticipation was high for a speedy move of the scoreboard.  But both were struggling with the pitch and non more so when Bedford [11] was caught by Christo Cyriac off Shafi.  Luke James [2] was soon to follow him back to the pavilion but the arrival of David Spendlove [16] slowed the fall of wickets for a while, but when he went off the bowling of Mansfield top scorer Hyatt giving the second catch to Cyriac [C].  Ian Woolven [1] was bowled by Adams who was finding his danger spot on this wicket.

WATCHING THE BALL

The dropping of Crain in the 23rd over to a skier gave hope that this could be the turning point if the opener could bat through like the previous week the home side could get home.  Sadly this wasn't to be the case when he tickled on down the leg side to the keeper Aaron Ferry from the bowling of Rajesh Patel.

THE EXPERIENCED EXECUTIVE ENCLOSURE

A difficult spell now for Grassmoor with the players still there to get over the line could they reach the 173?

DAVID SPENDLOVE HITS OUT

Grassmoor keeper Dale James [32] tried to do a Hyatt and hit out to try to get the home side to the target but Adams was having non off it dismissing Dawes and Bradley bowled for ducks in consecutive balls and a tentative play and miss from Burgess saw the ball drifting just past the off stump was enough to deny the spinner a hat trick.

GRASSMOOR TOP SCORER MARK CRAIN

With Burgess [1] dismissed shortly afterwards with Adams disturbing his stumps it was left to Shiels [8*] and Adams [D] who did their best with just over four an over required they got neared until going for a second run off the third ball of over 43 and the the latter was run out after a valiant effort to secure a much needed victory.

IAN WOOLVEN STUMPS DISTURBED

A strange game to watch free flowing it was not but a hard fought for and deserved victory for Mansfield as Grassmoor came up short even after the efforts of Crain and Adams [D] in their reply.  It will now be important for the Barnes Park side to start to pick up points to keep away from those bottom positions

RAYMEL ADAMS JUST MISSING OUT ON A HAT TRICK