Lindow's promotion challenge on a knife edge
A strong Lindow team played host to Alderley Park on Saturday. The away
team captain won the toss and put Lindow into bat on a bowler friendly
track.
Lindow openers Wild and Baltrop made a watchful start, moving the score
to 20-0 after 10 overs, before Wild (14) was bowled by a grubber.
Wickets began to tumble as Lindow's batsmen began to lose concentration,
often being too aggressive in their method. Before long Lindow were
reeling. Coldwell and Burgoyne put up some resistance, although when
both batsmen were removed Lindow struggling. The ever improving
Blomfield (25) was joined at the crease by Hurricane Hoyle (24no). This
pair moved the score on with refreshing ease, with some bludgeoning
strokes. In particular Hoyle smashed one delivery onto the aerial of a
nearby house. Blomfield was unlucky to be given out bowled when no-one
was sure how a bail had been dislodged. Next over Ahmed was adjudged to
be LBW (by our very own Dave Kendrick!), leaving Lindow on 130 all out
from 41 overs. The pitch was certainly bowler friendly, however, most
Lindow batsmen would admit that their performances on the day were well
below par.
Alderley also began their innings cautiously although this was due to
tight bowling from Taylor and Ahmed (10-4-17-1). Alderley's opening
batsman, assisted by the rest of the top order moved the score on to
100-3 with a series of edges through slip and gully, until the rain
began to fall too heavily leaving both captains with no choice but to
leave the field. With little to no chance of victory Lindow sportingly
agreed to resume play when the weather conditions had slightly improved.
Coldwell, Kendrick and Peel made early inroads, on a now very wet track,
to give Lindow a slim chance of victory. However, this was not meant to
be as Alderley's tail moved the score on to 131-6 with 7 overs still
remaining.
In summary this was a poor performance from Lindow and a massive
improvement is needed in the last 4 games to secure a promotion place.
This was yet another example of Lindow paying the price for not using
their full overs allocation.
