Match Report

Question: Is a great match still a great match when you lose? A well known local cricket aficionado who'd watched a North West Cricket League match earlier and called in to Clifton for the last hour, was amazed at the difference in quality on show, but when you lose a 'curate's egg' of a match, that you should have won, that takes the edge of the compliment.

It's difficult to ascertain what the main factors of the defeat were, but being a bowler short on the day was a glaringly obvious ingredient in Bradshaw being able to amass 239-7, with Richard Dempster having led the way with his 3-56 and Sam Dorsey providing the catching standard with three good catches. Other catches went down though and there was a general lacklustre feel to the fielding and bowling as the visitors, seeking to escape the bottom three, put together a series of decent partnerships in the warm sunshine. However, as the players dragged themselves off for tea, there was still cause for optimism on a feather bed wicket against the side with the lowest net run rate in the league.

Joe Settle and Max Meyer then quickly perished to shots that they'd rather forget, before Sam Dorsey (Pictured) and Ryan Ayres put together a partnership of near perfection, that lacked only one thing, the big push at the end and the three or four big overs that would kill the game. That said, a partnership of 162 with Sam completing his second century of the season and Ryan 78 in 97 balls, was a wonderful example of league cricket at its best. As for the final push, a requirement of 50 with eight wickets in the tent, eluded them as did the 'big overs' that would have sealed the game. 

Here, we have to give massive credit to the Bradshaw bowlers, who bowled a tight, nagging line and length with only one of their 50 overs going for more than ten runs. As a result the remaining batsmen huffed and puffed their way to delivery number 49.5 with a six required to secure a tie. In fairness, that would have been cruel on Bradshaw, who seemed, to use football parlance, to 'want' the win more than we did and deserved their win, which, although not quite lifting them away from a relegation spot, will have given them immense confidence for the remaining games. 

As for Richard's men, the news that the top four all  lost was a further dagger to the heart when you consider that ten points from the last two sub-standard  performances, would have elevated them to within two points of Edgworth and set up an epic clash next in week's meeting. Going back to the overall standards in this league, it's doubtful that any other league can boast such a division where anyone can beat anyone else, with the possible exception of Woodbank who haven't won a league game all season. This, however, is the same Woodbank that progressed to the Final of the Derek Kay Cup on Sunday by virtue of beating top of the table Edgworth. You couldn't make it up.....except perhaps in the Premier Division of the GMCL.