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Do or die call pays dividends for Doyle

5/ 8/2008

MILNROW captain Nigel Doyle took the bull by the horns at Ladyhouse on Saturday and led his team to a stunning five-point win over Werneth.

With the match already reduced to 35 overs, the start having been delayed by rain, the weather again intervened and a downpour brought a two-hour break in proceedings.

At this stage, Milnrow were 86 for two from 22 overs and a finish looked unlikely. But after a mopping up operation by groundsman Chris Storey play resumed and Doyle sent his men in for a four-over thrash. They added another 37 runs before the Milnrow skipper declared on 123 for seven.

Werneth then had 30 overs, or so, to achieve their target at four an over and were slight favourites.

Thoughts of victory, though, were soon dismissed, as were the visitors, who collapsed to 30 all out. None of their batsmen was able to reach double figures, as Milnrow’s overseas amateur Stephen John was rewarded for a blistering spell of bowling with seven for 19 from 10.1 overs. And it says much for his accuracy that four of these were bowled.

John received great support from spinner Michael Baer who took a wicket with his first ball and proved unplayable. He conceded just nine runs from 10 overs, taking two wickets in the process.

Milnrow lost the toss and were invited to bat. And they made an excellent start as Vishal Tripathi and professional Karl Brown added 78 for the first wicket.Werneth professional Kabeshal Loku was brought into the attack with immediate effect, Tripathi edging him to Nathan Griffen behind the stumps.

Steven Hall’s innings resembled a sequel to ‘Death Wish’ as after four narrow escapes he snicked Loku to Griffen and was out for two.

Shortly after the rain returned and the match looked all but over. But at 6.37pm play resumed and the Milnrow batsmen perished in the search for quick runs. Brown fell two runs short of his half century as he became the third victim of the Loku/Griffen combination.

Naseem Ahmad (3) holed out going for a big hit, John (7) was bowled by Loku and Dean Lord was stumped first ball for a duck. When Mark Fraser was also stumped to become Griffen’s fifth victim Doyle called a halt to the Milnrow innings. Loku was the pick of the Werneth bowlers with five for 42 from nine overs.

The writing was on the wall for Werneth when Baer’s first ball saw John Slater caught by Brown for a duck.

And seven for one quickly became 11 for three, John taking a sharp return catch from Matthew Taylor and trapping Griffen leg before with a swinging yorker.

The responsibility for a decent Werneth reply now fell squarely onto the shoulders of Loku. But a rush of blood saw him top edge the ball to mid-wicket where Fraser took a splendid running catch.

Mark Dronsfield was given a life when Baer failed to take a straightforward caught and bowled, but it was a brief reprieve as John produced another sizzling yorker to bowl him neck and crop.

Andrew Walker and Ian Dronsfield fell in similar fashion while Andy Fink became John’s second lbw victim.

The visitors were 24 for eight. It was all over bar the shouting and Werneth’s lack of  confidence was apparent when John Taylor was run out. Fittingly, it was John who applied the coup de grace with yet another yorker, Rayman bowled for one.