Pimm has spectators gasping in amazement as Norden bounce back

Norden Cricket Club

Norden bounced back from a defeat at the hands of Crompton to defeat Glodwick in a JW Lees Pennine League match on Saturday.

Skipper Simon North hit 81, and Hashum Malik took six for 28, but perhaps the highlight was a stunning one-handed diving catch by Steve Pimm.

Norden made a solid start on a tricky wicket which sloped from side to side, but with 83 on the board Michael Price was bowled by Mark Whitehead for a grafted 21.

Harvey Fitton was bowled by Franco Lenhardt five runs later, but there were never any real signs of a collapse.

Runs continued to flow on the smallish ground, and wickets started to fall following the introduction to the home attack of professional Rehan Rafiq who eventually spun his way to four for 48.

North was his first victim, trapped leg before, but he was tamed by Ash Gowers and Steve Pimm.

Gowers played what could be described as an anchor role, while Pimm was more attacking until, when on 26, he stepped out to attack a Rafique delivery, missed, and was sharply stumped by Michael Bing.

Martin Smith tickled a Rafique delivery into the hands of Bing, but Greg Tattersall and Gowers then increased the run rate with a bright partnership of 65, ended when Tattersall was bowled by Lenhardt for 23.

Norden also lost the wickets of Hashum Malik and Nicholas Fairchild in a late push for more runs, and when the overs ran out Gowers was still there on 45 and Norden had totalled 251 for eight.

Glodwick opened their reply with Lenhardt and the hard-hitting Abdul Chand.

The former quickly departed for four, but Chand blasted three sixes before he took on the first delivery from change bowler Hashum Malik, tried to hit the moon, and saw Price take the catch on the drop.

Bing and Rafique looked set for a reasonable partnership until Malik continued his run through the batting by bowling Bing for 19.

Ur Rehman was next to go. He hammered a shot to just central of point and saw Pimm take a magnificent catch which had spectators gasping in amazement.

Apart from Whitehead, who finished 31 not out, it was tumbledown. Malik went on to his six for, overseas amateur Nicholas Fairchild picked up his first wicket of the season with a return catch, and Martin Smith rounded it off by shattering the stumps.

Norden

S North lbw Rafiq 81
M Price b Whitehead 21
H Fitton b Lenhardt 5
A Gowers not out 45
S Pimm st Bing b Rafiqe 26
M Smith c Bing b Rafique 4
G Tattersall b Lenhardt 23
H Malik c Whitehead b Lenhardt 9
N Fairchild lbw Rafique 0
D Bebb not out 1
Extras 36
Total (for 8 wickets) 251
Bowling: Ali 9-1-58-0; Lenhardt 15-0-64-3; Whitehead 7-1-42-1; Parkinson 6-0-37-0; Rafique 13-1-48-4.

Glodwick

A Chand c Price b Malik 34
F Lenhardt c Gowers b Hartley 4
R Rafique c and b Fairchild 28
M Bing b Malik 19
A Ur Rehman c Pimm b Malik 2
M Whitehead not out 31
M Parkinson b Malik 3
B Heap b Malik 6
C Longley b Malik 0
J Symonds c Gowers b Price 6
A Ali b Smith 4
Extras 11
Total 148
Bowling: Hartley 7-1-29-1; Smith 3.5-0-43-1; Malik 13-3-28-6; Fairchild 9-0-37-1; Price 2-1-5-1.