Cricket: Five-match run ended by superb bowling display
MARSHALL HATCHICK TWO COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIP, Division One, Ipswich & East Suffolk 183 Exning 163: EXNING were not able to extend their run of five unbeaten matches on Saturday when they travelled to the east of the county and not unexpectedly, bearing in mind their historical fallibility on the wide expanses of Chantry Park, they returned home with a 20 run defeat at the hands of Ipswich & East Suffolk in a match dominated by the fragile genius of the home team's Mark Sproats.
Batting first, the home team were soon in trouble at 5-2 and then 37-4 after 20 overs due to the persistent seam trio of Mark Geeves, Daniel Baigent and Kent Tomsett.
However, Karl Mildenhall (34) brought about the shoots of a recovery and although another wicket fell at 71, Sproats provided the big-hitting innings which was needed to overcome the slow scoring outfield.
Dealing only in sixes, he clubbed eight maximums in a destructive innings of 61 while scoring the majority of the 74 runs added while he was at the crease.
With the slow bowlers somewhat hampered by a damp ball after a rain induced delay of 25 minutes, the seamers stuck to their task and although the tail wagged, the visitors were not dissatisfied when the hosts were dismissed for 183 in the 49th over, leaving Exning 51 overs for their innings. Geeves and Baigent caused the early trouble with2-40 and 3-37 respectively, leaving Tomsett to get amongst the middle and lower order taking 3-51.
Exning's reply was soon in trouble with the loss of their first wicket in the opening over but Richard Ford and Tim Catley put together a recovery of 47 for the second wicket and then in partnership with Craig Estlea, Ford saw the score to 83-3.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Sproats then showed his bowling prowess as he dismissed Ford for 41 from a smart caught and bowled chance and when Mildenhall grabbed two further wickets in the middle order, Exning were in trouble at 99-6. Despite this, Christopher Lomas repelled all that the bowlers could throw at him, but he received scant support until the tail enders, Andrew Longfield and Baigent struck some much needed boundaries to take the score tantalisingly close to the target.
Exning's hopes were burst however, when the Sproats/Mildenhall attack finally cleared the tail for a total of 163 leaving their side with a 20 run victory. Lomas was left high and dry on 33 while Sproats (5-50) and Mildenhall (4-26) basked in the glory of the adulation from their team-mates.
This Saturday, Exning return to their own surroundings when they finish the first half of the season by welcoming Abberton to the Park in a match commencing at 1pm while on Sunday, they travel the short distance to Mildenhall to renew local rivalries in the second round of the Greene King IPA Suffolk Cup; the match commencing at noon.
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Division Three
Sudbury II 192-9 Exning II 180
THE Exning second string were also involved in a close finish when they played host to their Sudbury counterparts at the Park and ended up just 12 runs short of the target of 192-9 set by the visitors.
Louis Brooks with 53 was the mainstay in the Sudbury innings and seven other double figure scores added substance to the total while the Readman brothers and Mike Pursell bowled to keep the score down to managea0ble proportions.
Ben Readman and Pursell finished with 4-56 and 2-32 respectively, and although Sam Readman managed 3-53, Exning's cause was not helped when he had to be withdrawn from the attack with a pulled muscle less than halfway into the innings.
Exning's reply centred largely around Matthew Catley, guesting for the second string having returned from a business trip to the USA only minutes before the start of the match. He figured in a second wicket stand of 73 in partnership with Nigel Lomas but when he was dismissed for 86 with the score at 114-3, none of the middle order took the necessary responsibility to drive the innings to the winning post.
Five double figure scores gave an indication of what the middle order could achieve, but persistent bowling from Alan MacDiarmid (3-23) and Ben Reece (4-42) worked their way through the order to see Exning finally dismissed for 180 to grab a victory which seemed unlikely just 20 overs earlier.
On Saturday, Exning 2nd XI travel to Ipswich to take on St Margarets in a match commencing at 1pm.
This will also mark the midway point of the Division Three season.
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HUNTS COUNTY BATS SUFFOLK LEAGUE
Exning Sunday IX 155-7 Sudbury I 158-3
EXNING'S woes continued when Sudbury completed a weekend double at the Park by walking away with an eight-wicket victory with over 10 overs to spare.There was a sprightly opening from the home side when Andrew Longfield's somewhat unorthodox style of batting flummoxed Billy Moulton-Day especially, with nine boundaries being hit in Longfield's entertaining 39 before he was dismissed at 57-3.
The innings then centred around a more patient knock of 55 not out from Peter Woods, scoring his first half century in Exning colours, as he shepherded the 40 over score to 155-7 against the attack of Charlie Thomas (2-21), Moulton-Day (2-44) and for the second day, Alan MacDiarmid with 2-26.
The target proved to be of little concern as Peter Siegert (44) was the main partner in an opening stand of 55 and when he was dismissed at 61, a third wicket partnership of 87 between Adam Mansfield (50) and Jandre Coetzee (42 not out) saw their team to the cusp of victory. Fifteen-year-old Ryan Shepherd claimed Mansfield's wicket as soon as he had reached an entertaining half-century, but James Smith brought the game to a summary conclusion with a boundary to take victory for Sudbury by seven wickets.
The Sunday XI take a break from their league miseries this weekend with the Suffolk Cup being played.
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GIBSON CUP
FULBOURN and Worlington played out a closely fought and entertaining match last Thursday with Worlington just prevailing by the close margin of one wicket with one ball to spare.
Fulbourn batted first and scored 112-7 with the Worlington reply looking to be well on course at the halfway stage of their innings.
However, the Fulbourn bowlers persisted and aided by some excellent catching, Worlington's skipper, Paul Marston, was left to take his team over the line by the narrowest of margins.
Worlington will now figure in the final on July 2 where they will meet the winners of tonight's (Thursday) semi-final to be played at Exning Park between Weston Colville and Fordham, the match commencing at 6.15pm.
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Weather for Newmarket
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -5 C to 1 C
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