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Boro compound Milnrow’s misery

1/ 7/2008

IN a match reduced to 25 overs per side, Littleborough completed their third consecutive win at Milnrow on Sunday, writes Mark Wilbraham.

Boro owed their victory to an excellent batting display which saw them race along at more than six runs per over to post an impressive score of 165 for six.

Milnrow needed a good start to have any chance of passing that total, but they were pegged back by tight, accurate bowling which eventually saw the visitors win by 55 runs.

Littleborough’s intentions were clear from the off as Rudi Keiser and Curtis Maguire passed 50 inside the first seven overs.

Keiser had a lucky escape when he was caught off a no ball, but he made the most of this let-off with a series of lusty blows to the boundary. Maguire was also batting well, but he became the first man out thanks to a superb catch by Nigel Doyle. Maguire seemed to have cleared Doyle at mid-on, but the fielder stretched into the air and took the ball one-handed before falling dramatically to the ground.

Gary Hulme joined Keiser in the middle and he soon picked up the pace of the game with boundary strokes and quick singles. However, he failed to pick Greg Jennings’ line in the 16th over and saw the top of his off-stump clipped to leave Boro on 91 for two. Keiser brought up his 50 with a big six over square leg in the next over, the third consecutive innings in which he’d passed the half-century mark.

Kamran Hussain also found the bowling to his liking, and in the 20th over he pummelled poor Jennings for 22 runs, made up of a six and four fours. The Littleborough professional had reached 44 off only 20 balls when he became the third man out, caught at point off Nigel Doyle.

Keiser followed in the next over for a fine knock of 62, caught by Dean Lord off stand-in professional Dave Bernard. The Boro innings had stuttered a little and although they lost Bill Williams and Andy Rodgerson in the final over, a score of 165 looked more than enough.

Milnrow’s task looked even harder when Steven Hall hit Phil Deakin to Jamie Roche at mid-off in only the third over.

Vishal Tripathi and Nadim Ahmed steadied things for the next four overs, but they were struggling to penetrate the field as the required run rate escalated to more than eight per over. Tripathi’s impatience eventually got the better of him when he bottom-edged Hussain to Bill Williams and in the next over Bernard was also caught by the wicket-keeper off Deakin.

At 30 for three, the home side’s cause already looked lost, but Ahmed and Stephen John frustrated Boro for the next five overs.

Ahmed had scored only 12 despite being at the crease for 10 overs when his innings came to an end, Hussain taking a good low catch at mid-off to leave Milnrow on 56 for four.

John was realistically Milnrow’s last hope and a couple of big hits for six slightly raised the expectations of the home support. However, he tried one big hit too many in the 20th over and saw his stumps shattered by one that kept low from Hussain.

New batsman Mark Fraser hit his first ball for four, only for Hussain to produce an identical ball to that which removed John next delivery.

Milnrow were now 96 for six, and in the next over Dean Lord became the seventh man out when his powerful lofted drive found Roche on the long on boundary. Jennings was then bowled by Rodgerson in the 23rd over after picking the wrong line to sweep. Steve Dryden and David Bebb saw out the last couple of overs, adding five more runs to the total as Milnrow finished on 110 for eight.

On Sunday, Milnrow lost out against Oldham at the Pollards, falling to a five-wicket defeat. Greg Jennings scored 42 as the visitors totalled 159 from their 20 overs. Stuart Moore did most damage, taking five for 52.

In reply, Oldham knocked off the required runs with ease, Nick Maree (45) the pick of their batsmen.