Bears push Papplewick all the way
July 2, 2008 – 7:13 amCRICKET: PAPPLEWICK PUSHED ALL THE WAY
from the Nottingham Evening Post
If ever there was a game to highlight that nothing can be taken for granted in cricket, then this was it.
Two hours in, title chasers Papplewick and Linby appeared to be cruising towards a victory before tea.
Instead, visitors Cuckney fought back determinedly and to such an extent that a pulsating match went right down to the very last over.
Phil DeFreitas’ Papplewick did come through to win in the end, as expected, to keep their title challenge firmly on course as they drew level on points with Caythorpe at the top.
But Cuckney showed just why they have competed so well in their maiden season in the Notts Premier League. A number of sides promoted to the top flight of club cricket in the county have found the grade too hot to handle.
But Will Butler’s team feel they can be a match for anyone - and with some justification on this evidence. In overcast conditions, Cuckney won the toss and chose to bat first on a decent-looking wicket, but were soon in trouble.
Despite the absence of opening bowler Luke Fletcher for Papplewick, pulled out by Notts to allow him to rest, the wickets quickly began to tumble.
Opener Richard Stroh (4) was trapped lbw by Jim Rhodes with the score on six and it was 15-2 when Butler (1) nicked Charlie Dagnall to wicket-keeper John Wakeling. Next to go was Kunal Jogia (13) who edged Richard Hodgkinson behind.
A slight recovery followed, led by Dan Brown’s patient 39 off 103 balls. But when he and Alex Lloyd fell in quick succession to Kosala Kulasekara, Cuckney looked down and out at 68-5.
Teenager Tom Ullyott and Richard Logan, on Northants’ staff, clearly had other ideas. At first it was slow going and Ullyott survived a strong lbw shout from Hodgkinson.
But as the pair became established the trickle of runs became a flow and then, in the last few overs a deluge. Ullyott, who has already had a trial with Derbyshire, is primarily in the Cuckney team for his spin bowling.
But the 18-year-old, nicknamed ‘tea bag’, proved he can stir it up with the bat as well. Striking ten fours, Ullyott raced to a Notts Premier-best of 77 not out from 68 balls, leaving a flagging Papplewick attack dumbfounded.
Equally effective was Logan, ten years his partner’s senior, who struck 59 from 63 balls, including three fours and three maximums. The final assault saw one over from Charlie Dagnall go for 19 and from looking as if they would not even reach one batting point, Cuckney ended up with four and a defendable target.
Their belief they could pull off a shock was heightened when Stroh was rewarded for a tight spell with two wickets in as many balls. First Graeme Roberts offered a regulation edge for Elliot Hind to take the catch and then he accounted for Tim Clarke with a lifter that gloved his victim.
That brought DeFreitas to the crease and Stroh thought he had his man first ball to complete a hat-trick, only for his close leg-before shout to be turned down.
At 7-2, Papplewick badly needed a skipper’s knock from their former England player and they got it - but only after he had been shelled by opposite number Butler at square leg from the bowling of Logan before he had got off the mark.
In partnership with left-hander Wakeling, they saw off the opening bowlers and gradually guided their side out of the woods.
As Cuckney’s back-up bowling proved to be not as threatening, DeFreitas cashed in with a series of boundaries. He also smashed Ullyott out of the attack with successive sixes shortly after moving to a confident fifty.
But the dismissal of first Wakeling and then DeFreitias gave the visitors a renewed sense of hope. First Wakeling played on trying to pull the returning Stroh to end the stand at 127 and then DeFreitas skied Andy Stephenson to Jogia at mid-wicket.
The hosts needed 33 off the last six overs and when Kulasekara lofted Logan to Ullyott, a final twist seemed possible. However, requiring 14 off the last two overs, Taimoor Khan (34 not out) struck spinner Steve Randall for a decisive six and then completed the job with a boundary from the first delivery of Logan’s final over.
It was an intelligent knock from the number six who, by all accounts, had only just made it into the side because of his lack of form
“It was a very good game and I was very impressed by what I saw from Cuckney,” said a relieved DeFreitas. “I think they will beat some of the top sides.
“I’m hoping that we don’t have to go there on the last day of the season needing to get a result to win the title because they are a danger to anyone. I felt if Taimoor Khan stayed in and with the maturity of Daggers (Charlie Dagnall) we were always likely to get home.
“We needed a boundary off the last over from the spinner but TK went one better by hitting it for six. He has had a rough season so far. He has played okay but he has not scored any runs and he badly needed that.
“It was not one of our better performances but if you can win when you are not at your best that is a good sign.
“That is the third 100 partnership in a row between Wako (John Wakeling) and myself, so we are pretty happy with that. It came at an important time because their quick bowlers were bowling well.”
Papplewick have gone close to the title before in recent years, but DeFreitas believes 2008 can see the club take that next step. He said: “Last year there was quite a lot of rubbish going off with players not happy they were not being picked and others not happy with where they were batting or because they were not bowling.
“In a team sport you need togetherness and now we have a good team spirit and we enjoy being with each other.”
Fellow captain Butler had mixed emotions having seen his team almost skittled but then having come so close to pulling off a shock.
“It was a good game and I thought we did well to stay in it after being 68-5,” he said. “The drops were massive especially the one by myself when DeFreitas was on nought.
“Had any of those been taken then it would have made a real difference but after that we were always up against it.”
While Butler is intent to guide Cuckney to a top-half finish this season, the club also has one eye on the future.
From next season the club will have use of a second ground adjacent to their current one from where they intend to run a third XI (currently playing at Worksop College) and a new fourth team. That will complement the already well-established cricket centre that has enabled them to develop a flourishing youth set-up.
The success of that can already be seen in that four teenagers were in the side and only one player, Stephenson, was over the age of 28.
Butler added: “I’m pleased with our progress over the last few years. When I first came we were quite well down the Bassetlaw League, but we have built a team.”
