Barnard Castle CC
AT one point on Saturday, Barney were well out of the game, then they were back in it, then out of it, then in it, then out of it, then in it again. And after all that it ended in a nerve-tingling draw. It must have been the reappearance of the sun, driving everyone a little crazy.
The upshot of the first match of the summer played under clear blue skies was that Barney kept second place in the NYSD League, but missed the opportunity to close the gap on Hartlepool who remain 35 points ahead.
In a sense, Barney should be grateful for what they got against a weakened but determined Marton side.
They finished seven runs short of victory with one wicket in hand thanks to a wonderful, last ditch innings from Rob West, making another decisive intervention late in the order.
He finished on 43no from 35 balls with three fours, two sixes and six rapidly run twos. It followed a breezy contribution from Karl Carver whose half century ensured they stayed in touch.
West, surely pressing for promotion up the order, always looked in control, and after dragging Barney back into contention only with two balls left did he settle for honours to be even. Marton might have felt hard done by but considering their depleted resources a draw might have been the limit of their aspirations at the start.
Barney would have liked the idea of chasing 194 to win on a typically blameless pitch which appeared to become easier for batting, if that were possible. It should have been much less but for conceding 30 runs from the last two overs. Of those 21 came off Karl Carver, who until then had been a model of economy.
On the other hand, Marton had reached 82-0 and 120-1 without fuss, or being put under pressure. The bowlers never threatened against Lee Hodgson and Johnny Spillane, both still dangerous if not as prolific as in their days of being national club player of the year and league player of the year.
It is to Barney’s credit that they kept at it and in the spin trio of Carver, Finn Usher and the returning Richard Watson gradually took control.
The first wicket partnership was ended with a spectacular catch by Owen Peddelty running 15 yards from deep square leg and diving forward to take a catch two inches from the ground. It embodied Barney’s athletically superb fielding this season in which almost everyone is playing their part. Although Marton put on another 38 they never looked quite so assertive and it was no surprise when they lost three wickets for four runs. A slight recovery was followed by another fall of quick wickets.
Barney and their followers were no doubt congratulating themselves on a job well done well done when the experience Jonathan Pickard took a hand. He hit 4,6,6,4 from Carver on successive balls of the 49th over.
Barney started surely but slowly. The openers never looked in danger but nor did they rotate the strike enough. It was always likely to tell later on if they got out.
James Clarkson went first after a considered innings, lbw for the third time in six league innings. James Quinn went the same way fourth ball and disaster struck when the key man, Samarth Seth, was run out.
Seth looked in threatening mood and was surveying the scene menacingly for Marton when Peddelty called him for a quick single, eager to give him the strike. Trouble was the ball had gone directly to a fielder. Seth was well short and with poor Peddelty gone soon afterward Barney were 61-4 which was soon 84-6.
Carver at last found an able accomplice in Watson and the pair cannily nudged up the score. When Watson had a rush of blood pulling a rank bad ball to square leg in came West to take over.
An improbable victory began to beckon until Carver, with a quietly impressive 51 from 77 balls was lbw to one that kept low. West refused to settle for a quiet life, however, and hit two booming sixes to keep hopes alive. It was hanging by a thread now and there it stayed.
Marton
J Spillane c Peddelty b Usher 45, L Hodgson b Bousfield 48, R Cotterill lbw Watson 20, A Wardell c Usher b Carver 17, C Lethbridge c Dixon b Watson 0, F Hussain c&b Watson 10, J Leadbetter c Usher b Carver 0, J Pickard not out 33, T Hustwitt not out 11, Extras 10, Total (50 overs) 194 for 7
Bowling: J Bousfield 9-1-31-1, R Dixon 6-0-33-0, K Carver 15-3-47-2, R West 3-0-21-0, F Ussher 6-0-25-1, R Watson 11-0-34-3
Barney
J Clarkson lbw Wardell 21, O Peddelty c Hodgson b Hussain 26, J Quinn lbw Wardell 0, S Seth run out 9, K Carver lbw Hussain 51, F Usher c Hustwitt b Hussain 2, J Bousfield st Platford b Hussain 5, R Watson c Williams b Hustwitt 18, R West not out 43, P Merryweather c Spillane b Hussain 2, R Dixon not out 2, Extras 9 Total (50 overs) 188 for 9
Bowling: A Wardell 14-5-36-3, J Pickard 15-4-36-0, Faizan Hussain 11-0-71-4, T Hustwitt 6-1-17-1, L Hodgson 4-0-27-0
Match drawn
Barney v Saltburn,
Macmillan Cup
A thrilling match ended in victory for Barney when they scored the single then required from the last ball. In chasing a target of 161 in 20 overs, they were indebted to a couple of wides, from one of which they ran, and the determined batting of the late order.
The most spectacular innings came from Samarth Seth whose thunderous 79 took only 45 balls and included seven fours and five sixes. When he was caught on the long-on boundary, however, there was work still to do. Josh Bousfield, aided and abetted by Rob West, did it, adeptly, hitting boundaries, running like fury.
Three were needed from the last ball. A wide was bowled, a single was also run. One needed. It came with a gleeful hit over the infield.
Saltburn had set a solid total with runs from the top order in which captain Ben Ainslie played the leading role with a commanding 63 from 48 balls.
Saltburn 161-5 (20 overs, B Ainslie 62, S Ushan 47, R Gibson 36, T Merryweather 2-28); Barney 162-6 (S Seth 79, J Bousfield 25no)
Barney won by four wickets
Newton Aycliffe v Barney II
AN opening partnership of 102 from only 15 overs sealed Barney’s four wicket victory against Newton Aycliffe on Saturday. Ian Swinburn and James Alderson, making a welcome first appearance of the summer, matched each other stroke for belligerent, if contrasting stroke.
Although they were out in quick succession, Barney romped to 180-5 in 29.2 overs and had the 20 points in the bag and fourth place in Division Two.
After losing three early wickets, with Tom Brooks prominent, Newton Aycliffe mounted a recovery through Sam Telford and Adam Gittins. But Theo Truss settled into a spell which mixed wicket-taking and hittable deliveries and Aycliffe lost their last six wickets for 44.
When Swinburn and Alderson got swiftly down to business with six sixes between them it was fairly straightforward for Cameron McKnight and Truss to do most of the rest.
Newton Aycliffe 176 all out (46.3 overs, A Gittins 58, S Telford 39, T Truss 4-32, P Stanwix 2-30, T Brooks 2-51); Barney II 180-5 (29.2 overs, I Swinburn 66, J Alderson 40, T Truss 24no, C McKnight 23, J Layfield-Carroll 4-41)
Barney won by five wickets
Barney II v Northallerton
Readman Cup
An acrimonious match finished in last ball victory for Northallerton.
Although scores were level and they ran one run short they advanced to the Readman Cup semi-finals by virtue of losing fewer wickets.
It was a match marred by petty incidents of gamesmanship and poor sportsmanship.
Both sides no doubt played their part to the consternation of umpires but on two occasions Northallerton batsmen who had been dismissed advanced towards Barney fielders instead of making their way off.
It was a distinctly poor show which took the edge off a superb finish and it deserved reprimand.
Barney 109-8 (20 overs, I Swinburn 28, A Bainbridge 26, R Watson 19, T Hart 4-23); Northallerton 109-6, C Roberts 45, T Merryweather 3-33)
Northallerton won on fewer wickets lost
