Norden reach final of the Lancashire Cricket Foundation knockout

Norden travelled to Netherfield on Sunday 4 August for the semi final of the  Lancashire Cricket Foundation knockout. 

Norden’s hopes of reaching the final were slim at 4pm, after they had scored just 116 runs in their innings.

Just over two hours later blue smoke rose into the Cumbrian sky as Norden’s supporters celebrated an amazing victory, with Netherfield all out for 99.

As the scores suggest it was not a wicket for runs, and Norden quickly found this out as they slipped to three for three.

Josh Tolley was caught off his sixth delivery faced, without scoring, then Joe Humphreys was bowled by Bevan Small for one.

Small struck for the third time when he saw Harvey Fitton edge a delivery to Lewis Edge behind the stumps.

Twelve runs were scraped before Dominic Humphreys attacked a delivery from Matt Jackson, missed, and heard the sound of falling timber.

The disbelief on the faces of Norden followers was accompanied by despair as Lee Crabtree was trapped leg before by Isaac Medhurst, and it was 28 for five.

Thankfully for Norden, Greg Butterworth and Jake Sandham featured in a stand of 62. Butterworth scored 38 off 56 deliveries before being rapped on the pads by Lewis Richardson.

Sandham went two runs later (39 off 73) leg before to Marc Hadwin.

That made it 94 for seven,

Hashum Malik steered Norden to three figures but was then run out for 11.

Sami Waheed was stumped for five and Chris Humphreys was caught to make it 116 all out, a total which had not looked possible at one stage.

Could Norden pull something out of the fire? The interval saw some saying there was no chance, and some expecting a similar type of innings on a difficult wicket.

The reply was hardly under way when Dom Humphreys took a catch to end the short innings of Ben Barrow.

Finlay Richardson went leg before to Chris Humphreys, and it was 12 for two.

The balance then swung again, but with the total on 35 the backbone of the Netherfield line-up suffered a shattering blow.

Bradley Earl was bowled by Malik, and home professional Bevan Small was bowled by Chris Humphreys.

Josh Dixon fell to a catch by Chris Humphreys (45-5) and there was hope for Stags after all.

Lewis Edge and Lewis Richardson featured in a stand of 30, but Jake Sandham broke it up by bowling both, and the end was in sight.

Joe Denham was run out, Isaac Medhurst was bowled by Sandham, and Marc Hadwin went leg before to Malik to spark Stags celebrations.

 

Norden

J Tolley c Dixon b Small 0
J Humphreys b Small 1
H Fitton c Edge b Small 0
J Sandham lbw Hadwin 39
D Humphreys b Jackson 4
L Crabtree lbw Medhurst 4
G Butterworth lbw Richardson 38
H Malik run out 11
S Waheed st Edge b Medhurst 5
C Humphreys c Small b Medhurst 1
J Harrison not out 2
Extras 11
Total 116
Bowling: Small 9-1-32-3; Jackson 7-2-9-1; Medhurst 6.2-2-13-3; Hadwin 9-0-33-1; Denham 3-1-18-0; Richardson 2-0-6-1.

Netherfield

B Barrow c D Humphreys b Sandham 0
F Richardson lbw C Humphreys 4
B Small b C Humphreys 22
B Earl b Malik 5
J Dixon c C Humphreys b Malik 2
L Edge b Sandham 13
L Richardson b Sandham 13
J Denham run out 5
I Medhurst b Sandham 6
M Jackson not out 6
M Hadwin lbw Malik 0
Extras 23
Total 99
Bowling: Sandham 9-1-30-4; C Humphreys 9-2-24-2; Malik 5.5-1-25-3; Butterworth 5-2-13-0.

 

The other semi-final saw Darwen 106-7 beat Horwich RMI 105.

The final will be at Heywood Cricket Club on Sunday 8 September.