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All-round team effort

13/ 5/2008

NORDEN claimed their first win of the season on Saturday, and it was all down to a great team effort.

Professional Jean Symes scored 60, and there were runs from most other batsmen, the exception being skipper Nick Brierley who later claimed five victims behind the stumps.

Ollie Makin took three wickets as Unsworth collapsed to 98 all out in reply to Norden’s 242 for seven, but the wickets were spread.  Symes took two, Phil Collinson one, Zane Arthur two and Harvey Fitton one – the prized wicket of home pro Wayne Madsen.

Symes and Hashum Malik got The Stags off to a great start.

Malik played a more guarded innings to those we have seen from him in past seasons, although he did hit a huge six in the fifth over, high and beyond the distant legside rope. Symes looked sheer class as he played almost every shot in the book, and in the ninth over he smacked three consecutive fours through point.

It was runs in the sun, but with 82 on the board Malik was trapped leg before by Madsen for 30.

Seventeen more runs were added before Symes played a poor shot and offered an easy catch to Sharif, and when Brierley was caught behind by Sam Barlow the game had turned somewhat.

Steve Loster had started slowly, but he played some nice shots as he got into his stride, a stride which ended when he fell to a good catch by Madsen. The scoring had slowed following the departure of Symes, but Greg Tattersall and Collinson set about rebuilding the innings.

The rate was not spectacular, but they kept the board ticking over, and there were plenty of overs in hand.

Collinson eventually went for a well made 23, Tattersall was bowled by Eddie Shah for 22 and Steve Fern went the same way for eight.

By the time Fern made his way back to the pavilion, Norden had edged past the 200 mark. The rest of the innings belonged to John Fawkes and Ollie Makin who showed scant respect for the bowlers.

Makin hit a straight duckpond six on his way to an unbeaten 26, while Fawkes made his way to an unbeaten 23 and Norden finished on 242 for seven.

Unsworth suffered an early blow when Sharif went for a tight run and was given run out after Collinson had swooped on the ball and scored a direct hit on the stumps.

Enter the dangerous Madsen, and exit Madsen after 11 runs when he snicked a rising delivery from Fitton and was taken by Brierley behind the stumps. Arthur had bowled superbly well without success, but he was rewarded when overseas amateur Love went to a catch by Fawkes who got under the drop from a skier.

Paul Entwistle was next to go, caught Fern, off Arthur, for 20, and you could sense Unsworth knew they were beaten.

It was just a case of Norden mopping up, as Unsworth were never going to last out the remaining overs.

Symes chipped in with his two wickets, one of them well caught by Collinson, Collinson had Alex Blake stumped, and Makin induced two catches and a stumping at a personal cost of only six runs.