Match Report
TWIST JUST CANNOT DO ENOUGH
St Annes 225-8
Netherfield 226-6
Gerry Wolstenholme
St Annes skipper Stephen Twist did everything he could to steal a victory for his side in the Thwaites Smooth Bitter Cup tie at Vernon Road on Sunday. He won the toss, made a fine 43 from his side's 225-8 and then bowled superbly to take three wickets for 40 runs, the run tally only ruined by some superb hitting at the end by Netherfield's Grahame Clarke whose finely struck 48 not out won the game for his side by four wickets at 226-6.
The St Annes opening pair, Duncan Whalley and Charles Boucher got off to a steady start against Dale Benkenstein and Ryan Wilson so much so that they had 30 runs on the board by the fifth over. But then Boucher, 17, was bowled by Dale Benkenstein. This brought in Jimmy Adams but his stay at the crease was a short one as he edged Wilson through to Gareth White behind the stumps when he had made only six and when the total was 51-2 in the eighth over.
Whalley and Twist then scored steadily, both batsmen looking confident and hitting the ball all round the ground. They put on 59 runs in 11 overs before Whalley, a run-a-ball 46 with one six and six fours, was caught by Tommy Prime at mid-wicket off the bowling of Marc Hadwin and that was 110-3. Twist went on to make 43 from 58 balls with six fours before Hadwin induced him to try one big hit too many and the Graeme Dodds juggled the ball on the mid-wicket boundary before finally holding the catch and that was 138-4 in the 25th over.
Adam Cotton played his usual hard-hitting innings and he quickly made 36 before Benkenstein trapped him leg before wicket at 194-5 in the 35th over. Danny Hagen had made only two when Benkenstein bowled him at 202-6 and Aidan Cotton made 11 before Clement beat him for pace and rearranged his stumps at 223-7 in the final over. There was just time for Dave Taylor to make a single and for Joe Davies, who had batted well for 46 made from 60 balls with four fours to be run out off the final ball when he tried for a bye but was beaten to the stumps by the underarm throw of White. So St Annes finished on a satisfactory 225-8, a total that could have been 20 or 30 runs more if those who made a good start had just capitalised on it.
Netherfield got off to a good start and Craig Walmsley had all 21 runs on the board when Twist, leading very much by example, bowled him in the fourth over. The in-form Chris Parry and White, Saturday's centurion for Netherfield, then batted as though they would win the game without being parted as Twist alternated his bowlers, excluding Adam Cotton who unfortunately had to leave the field after suffering what seemed to be a muscle injury. Despite the St Annes pressure, the Netherfield pair added 124 runs in 25 overs before Adams bowled White for a fine 61 made from 82 balls with one six and eight fours.
Twist then struck with two wickets in one over, the 35th as he bowled Benkenstein for eight at 167-3 and bowled Parry for 64 made from 91 balls also with one six and eight fours. That was 178-4 and from looking as though they would be beaten, St Annes sensed that they could actually win the game, especially as 40 runs were required from the final four overs. Boucher then caught Rishi Girdhari at long-off from Davies for nine and it was 191-5 in the 38th over.
But no side can legislate for Grahame Clarke when he is in his prime striking form and the remainder of the game belonged to him. He struck successive sixes off Davies in the 38th over and then off Twist in the 39th over. The result was that the final over arrived with the total on 217-5. The unfortunate Davies had the task of bowling it and Clarke took a couple off the first ball, hit the second for six and a single from the third brought defeat to St Annes as Netherfield reached 226-6 to win by four wickets. Clarke's innings contained two fours and five sixes while poor Davies had gone for 75 runs from his 7.3 overs while Twist had bowled exceptionally well and was ill-rewarded with his 3-40 from eight overs.
