Arthington finally beaten after failure in the chase
Arthington 2nd XI – 131/8 40 overs | 149/9 – North Stainley 2nd XI 40 overs |
Andrew Stoddart: 44 Martin Dickinson: 24 | Vince Greaves-Newall: 6-1-19-6 Andrew Stoddart: 10-4-23-1 |
It is some feat to gain promotion and then go six games unbeaten in the following season and Arthington’s 2nd XI may even have forgotten what defeat feels like, so they must not be too disheartened to see their outstanding winning run come to an end on their travels to North Stainley. Set a mediocre target, the visitors were unable to reach the 150 runs required for victory, falling 19 short.
Martin Hings had also had selection headaches as several of his regular players were whisked up to the 1st XI for the weekend so opted for his tried and tested formula upon winning the toss, choosing to bowl first. However, for the second week running, Joe Seaborne and Martin Finn could not make early inroads in their first spells as North Stainley’s opening pair established a 52-run partnership.
In the end, it took the introduction of Hings himself to make the first breakthrough as he finally beat the batsman’s defences and dislodged the bails but though he and Andrew Stoddart both kept the flow of runs to a minimum, another 51-run partnership was formed. Where several bowlers had tried and failed, Vince Greaves-Newall’s bowling succeeded in some style. Fresh from a five-wicket haul in the previous fixture, the Arthington all-rounder went one better this time around, picking up six towards the back end of the North Stainley innings.
His first wicket was the most crucial, breaking the established partnership with a ball that went in between bat and pad to rattle the timbers. The home side’s number four then holed out to cow corner where Martin Dickinson took a good catch. Not satisfied with removing one of the set batsmen, Greaves-Newall then knocked over the other as the bails hit the floor once again.
There was a brief pause in the procession of wickets falling to Greaves-Newall as the returning Martin Finn also got in on the act, beating the bat and leaving the stumps in pieces. It was the former that helped himself to the next three, however, with another bowled, an LBW and a faint edge through to Dave Howard. For the second match in a row, Arthington’s all-rounder has returned incredible bowling figures, requiring just six overs for his six scalps on this occasion. Andrew Stoddart took the final North Stainley wicket to fall and the hosts ended their innings on 149/9 after the 40 overs.
The bowling side of the game has been the 2nd XI’s forte for some time though the asking rate of 3.75 per over should not have been as imposing as it eventually proved. Andrew Stoddart and Martin
Dickinson opened the Arthington innings but scoring at just shy of four runs per over was clearly not part of their plan as they played out the first ten overs for only twelve runs. Running between the wickets was a clear problem, highlighted by a bizarre moment where Dickinson played a shot down the ground, ran nearly the length of the pitch, turned around after seeing Stoddart unmoved and made his ground once again. It would surely have been easier to run a single between the two of them.
After crawling along to begin with, things improved slightly as the innings reached its halfway stage with Arthington even being ahead of where the hosts had been at the same point. The break, however, caused the downfall of Dickinson for 24, including 4 fours, as he was bowled.
Vince Greaves-Newall combined with Stoddart for another 35 runs, but the scoring rate had still not picked up to where it needed to be and there were already signs that the game was getting away from the visitors. The usually positive Greaves-Newall could not breach the infield with regularity and was eventually dismissed for 15 via a catch and the same fate would befall Martin Hings whose run of good knocks came to an end as he could only manage three.
After Stoddart was caught attempting a boundary, the score had reached 102/4 and overs were fast running out. Though the Arthington opener managed the highest score of the match, the 103 balls required to get there hardly helped the away side’s cause. Breaking the habit of occupying the crease and attempting to increase the scoring rate a little earlier would no doubt have been to Arthington’s benefit. There were 6 fours in Stoddart’s innings of 44.
Arthington had not given up but it was difficult for the remaining batsmen as they had little time to play themselves in, instead being forced to take risks from the outset. As a result, Mohammad Faiyazuddin, Jo Nash, Joe Seaborne and Trevor Lobley were all bowled for single figure scores taking the score to 117/8.
Martin Finn and Dave Howard made a fist of it in the final overs but the scoring of more than a run a ball that both managed had come far too late in proceedings to make a difference and Arthington found themselves out of overs, still 18 runs short of the North Stainley total. Final score 131/8.
Slightly numb from both the cold weather and the defeat, Arthington must reflect primarily on their batting performance as the reason for their first defeat of the season. There have been warning signs in previous matches, but they have managed to get over the line on those occasions. The opening pair absorbed more than two thirds of the deliveries yet scored fewer than half the required runs between them and made the chase much harder for the batsmen to come. Credit must also go to North Stainley for a good display in the field.
The defeat is only a papercut in Arthington’s season and the 2nd XI still boast an impressive record and remain at the top of the division six table. Their next match will be another test when they travel to third placed Upper Wharfedale.