This was the first visit to New Longton since their admission
to the league last year. On a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the high
80’s, with Plank on holiday the skippers duties were undertaken by Mick Ord,
who called incorrectly and Len were put into bat on a hard track but with quite
a lot of grass on.
Backpotter was reunited with Sonny Weather, and a steady
start saw Sonny Weather take the majority of the early runs and he amassed 20
before succumbing to a ball that came back to bowl him. Enter Chainsaw,
refreshed from a three-match absence, who clearly forgot where his leg stump
was. The answer was lying down!
Sore Knee joined the backpotter and immediately lifted the
quickie onto the roof of the pavilion at third man with deliberate uppercut.
The partnership was beginning to flourish when Sore Knee spooned the ball to midwicket
and the innings looked rocky at 70 for three. Enter the Higher Walton Express
still in a Stella haze. A period of consolidation saw the score move on with
Backpotter upping the ante, and Higher Walton Express trying to see the ball.
Then an out burst of aggression from the Higher Walton Express saw the ball
flying to all parts of the ground from all parts of the bat! This was
accompanied by ever increasing shouts instigated by Sore Knee (Diplomatic Attaché)
of “Hit da rahbeesh!”
He took fourteen off
one over and then tried to pummel the ball to the boundary again only fall in
sight of his first fifty for the first XI. Backpotter was still going steady on
41 as Clubber joined him at the crease. He played some exquisite cuts for four
until the Backpotter struck and removed him, having not run anyone out with Gleave
in the States; he broke his duck for the season.
The score was moving
on rapidly and there was even a brief discussion of a declaration! In the final
few overs, Weather profited from customary dabbing and eventually with two very
pacy bowlers and this week's Junior Rob Southworth left a declaration was made
on 209 for 9. Backpotter out for 74, accumulated in a very steady fashion.
An immediate breakthrough in the first over of the New Longton
innings as AAC got one to come back and keep low to bowl the opener, and Len
were on a roll. Then a thin edge to Clubber saw the removal of the other opener
and Dorito clean bowled the number four.
The New Longton no 3 was going to be aggressive and played a
variety of shots around the wicket and was dropped by AAC from a firm on drive,
severely bruised fingers the result.
Sore Knee replaced the Dorito and an eventful first over as
he had the dangerous looking no3 caught at slip by Dorito and followed it up
next ball by clean bowling the Captain. The hat trick was avoided but he was at
it again with a short ball that the batsman could not get out of the way of and
Clubber completed the catch. The rails were off and New Longton on the ropes at
66 for 6. The Higher Walton Express was introduced to the attack and struggled
to find his length, and some dogged rearguard action from the opposition. Then
Sore Knee struck again with the help of a stunning catch from Backpotter at
backward square leg who caught the ball diving backwards and to the left. The
Chairman Three Pint was ecstatic on the boundary, and prepared himself for a
news conference.
The innings was wrapped up by the Higher Walton Express, who
promptly departed to Manchester for a Saturday sesh. New Longton were all out
for 90. Another win, and off the bottom as this took Len above New Longton, a
superb all round performance with contributions from everybody on the day.
Len 13 pts New Longton 2 pts
Backpotter 74 Higher Walton Express 45, Sore Knee 20, Sonny
Weather 20, Sore Knee 5 for 18, AAC 2 for 30, Higher Walton Express 2 for 20