Cricket: Familiar story as Heywood Seconds fail to make most of chances

Heywood Seconds visited Glodwick on Saturday 7 September and lost a close match in a game that reflected the team’s season.

Seemingly on top for most of the game, Heywood contrived to miss chances in the field allowing the home side to post a score that at times never looked reachable.

Then they threw away a match-winning position when batting despite the best efforts of Lee Grogan and Chris Booth.

Having lost the toss, Heywood fielded first and soon had Glodwick in trouble at 62-5, with most of the home team’s senior players back in the ‘shack’.

This left the lads from Crimble in confident mood and aiming to chase a total of no more than 120.

However, a combination of positive batting from youngsters Brown and Symonds and dropped catches from Heywood saw the home team gain in confidence and despite economical spells from Chris Kaye and Lee Grogan it was only in the dying overs that Tom Pagett managed to finally dislodge the pair, with Symonds making a fine 57 and Brown 40 in a score of 176-7.

Heywood’s reply could not have got off to a worse start with both captain Steve Evans and young opener Matt Dearden dismissed without scoring, and at 1-2 memories of last week’s sorry batting performance were rekindled.

These, however, were soon dismissed with Grogan taking a positive, controlled approach on a tricky wicket against a youthful spin and pace attack.

He was joined by Jacob Kaye and the pair set about chasing down the target. And at drinks they were well set after a partnership of 92.

However, as is so often the case, the interval brought a wicket with Grogan departing for a fine 62 – one of the best batting performances seen for the 2nds this season.

Needing to rebuild, things went from bad to worse when Kaye departed for a hard-fought 21 and Roger Smethurst came and went without troubling the scorers.

At 95-5 Heywood looked second favourites, but Chris Booth and James Mills continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over, taking advantage of the short boundaries wherever possible.

Mills fell for 13 after trying one big hit too many, but Heywood seemed still in control when Booth was joined by Dave Hilton and they continued to keep up  a run rate of five-an-over.

At this point, with only 18 needed from the last four overs, Heywood pressed the self-destruct button.

Confusion between the Heywood pair resulted in Booth being run out in what can only be described as calamitous fashion for a gritty 36.

Then, despite the best efforts of Hilton, Pagett and Zeeshan Baig, Heywood ended up needing nine from the final over and when Baig was caught on the boundary edge Heywood had yet again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Glodwick 2nd X1

• G Broadhead c Pagett b Mills 15
• T Jones c L Grogan b Mills 4
• Z McCannon c Booth b C Kaye 9
• M Parkinson c J Kaye b Baig 6
• J Brown c Smethurst b Pagett 40
• L Parkinson c Pagett b C Kaye 2
• W Symonds b Pagett 57
• M Ali not out 16
• Extras 27
• Total (for 7 wkts, 45 overs) 176
• Fall of wickets: 6-1, 28-2, 40-3, 49-4, 62-5, 138-6, 176-7
• Bowling: Z Baig 6-2-20-1, J Mills 11-2-50-2, C Kaye 14-3-41-2, L Grogan 11-1-35-0, T Pagett 3-0-25-2

Heywood 2nd X1

• S Evans b Shazad Hanan 0
• M Dearden b MSA Ali 0
• L Grogan c Broadhead b Mohammed Adam Ali 62
• J Kaye b Parkinson 21
• C Booth run out 36
• R Smethurst st Jones b Mohammed Adam Ali 0
• J Mills c McCannon b Mohammed Adam Ali 15
• C Kaye b Brown 3
• D Hilton not out 10
• T Pagett run out 5
• Z Baig c Symonds b Brown 0
• Extras 17
• Total (44.3 overs) 169
• Fall of wickets: 0-1, 1-2, 94-3, 94-4, 95-5, 133-6, 145-7, 160-8, 168-9, 169-10
• Bowling: Shazad Hanan 6-2-20-1, MSA Ali 8-0-29-1, M Z Zeer 4-0-23-0, Mohammed Adam Ali 14-2-57-3, M Parkinson 6-1-13-1, J Brown 6.3-0-22-2