3 May 2008 - Lindow 2nd XI vs Ladybridge (A)
Ahmed gets stuck in to Ladybridge
Lindow 163 All Out - Cheadle Hulme Ladybridge 106 All Out
On what was the first warm day of the season and with a much changed 2nd team skipper Kendrick lost the toss and was put in to bat on what looked like a typical good early season low slow wicket.
Openers Steve Peel and Coldwell got off to a good start and looked in no trouble until Coldwell gloved a ball that took off sharply out of nowhere. A good stand of 37 followed between the young Alex Pate and Peel until Pate was caught in the 21st over. With the score on 50 and on a pitch which was looking hard to get runs on. Ladybridge regularly changed their bowling attack looking for breakthroughs and when the Lindow middle order tried their best to inject some momentum. This resulted in Lindow being reduced to 120 for 6 off 37 overs. Luckily Peel remained unbeaten with a necessarily patient knock only to whole unluckily in the 38th over on 48. However the introduction of Ahmed at 8 and his late knock of 28 with help from the tail resulted in Lindow getting what looked like a slightly low but defendable score of 163 all out from their 45.
Ladybridge came out to bat with purpose but were held at bay by an excellent spell of tight opening bowling from Alex Pate 0-8 from his 5 overs. Ahmed got the first break through early on from the other end. From a ball driven at and caught sharply at cover, the first of 3 similar catches on the day by Sam Burrows in the same position. Ahmed’s second wicket in the same spell of LBW from a ball keeping very low was a sign that maybe 163 was going to be a good total on what was looking a slightly unpredictable pitch. The introduction of Kendrick and Coldwell saw wickets continue to fall regularly. One wicket being a bizarre catch off a ball driven hard back at Kendrick only to be parried to Calender at mid on. A good all round bowling performance saw Kendrick returns figures of 2-21-6 and Coldwell 3-8-6 but the outstanding display which help polish Ladybridge off in the 37th over for a 106, came from Ahmed with 5-35-11.5
A thoroughly well deserved 25 pts for a very good all round display from a Lindow side who hopefully can continue to show this sort of fighting form through the rest of the season.
