Cleethorpes Sent in to a Spin as Houghton Resurgence Continues

Cleethorpes were the next opponents for Houghton Main as the first offering of a Bank Holiday double header. Unfortunately after 4 days of rain and a planning application for a dome being turned down, citing "allowing ex-Yorkshire league cricket sides to play a shot a ball" as not a good enough reason to build one, the wicket was damp and the toss would be crucial. Fortunately for the home side, Captain Brown won the toss and took approximately a microsecond to decide to bowl.

Brown had been studying the captaincy manual with intent this week, focusing particularly on the "opening with a spinner" chapter as Dylan Smythe and Usman Khan shared the new ball. Usman Khan kept the streak alive by bowling a wide with the first ball of his spell. Smythe however was on it from ball one and dismissed Max Taylor for a duck, caught well at slip by Callum Honeyman, 5 for 1.

Jordan Cook came to the crease, who may or may not have covered the Nottinghamshire logo on his helmet after queries on whether it was bought at the club shop in the reverse fixture. After facing just 5 balls however, he played a shot that no Nottinghamshire coach would be proud of, apparently unaware that the wicket was damp, Cook rocked back and attempted to pull the ball into Barnsley town centre, playing the shot far too early and being trapped LBW. After seeing two early wickets fall, the remaining opener Alexander Osmond got bored of pushing Smythe back and chipped him to mid-wicket for the spinner's third wicket. 18 for 3 became 18 for 4 when Usman Khan got in on the act, bowling Tom Rollinson for 4.

Callum Carter offered some resistance with Joe Baker, the first Cleethorpes batsmen that had attempted to play the conditions on offer, not as they thought they should be. Carter however struggled to rotate the strike, and in another instance of brainless cricket, chipped Smythe's penultimate ball to Connor Fisher at mid-on.

Joe Baker was joined by Harry Costello and the pair rebuilt well as Callum Honeyman and Michael Bates replaced Smythe and Khan. The pair added 17 before Baker was trapped LBW, potentially aiding the umpire's decision by appearing to walk after being struck on the pad. There was a half hour break as a rain shower passed through but amazingly the Houghton Main bowlers had found the fast forward button, and for the first time possibly ever, were a long way in front of the over rate and no time was lost.

Upon returning, Bates finally found someone capable of nicking the self anointed "dream ball" as Bill Kirby nicked off for 1. Joe Sands joined the entrenched Costello and showed resistance that his top order team mates had not, before being bowled by Yousaf Rehman who had replaced Bates, taking the score to 82 for 8. As the rain began to fall again, the entire home side found the fast forward button in an attempt to get through the remaining overs. James Exley bowled Jack Holmes from his first ball but as the rain got heavier, the visitor's innings came to an end on 85 for 9 from 38 overs.

Tea was taken, and time was lost before the rain stopped .Both captains inspected the square along with the umpires, and to no one's surprise following some rain, it was wet. Time was given for it to dry however and play resumed. Around an hour was lost from the game meaning the home side were set a revised target of 57 from 20 overs, once enough buttons were mashed in Play-Cricket Scorer to figure it out.

Several opinions were banded about but the usual opening pair of Michael Brown and Brent Law strode out to bat. Both men were circumspect to see off the opening pair of Baker and Osmond. The introduction of Harry Costello saw Law collect a pair of pressure easing boundaries on the pull.

After 9 overs the rain returned as Jordan Cook entered the attack. With 10 overs needed to constitute a game, Cook changed his field approximately 27 times before bowling his first delivery, which was surely just a coincidence. Eventually, his first delivery saw the limpet like Michael Brown trapped LBW for 3. Even with the wicket however, the hosts were above the DLS par score. I know this as I was asked what it was approximately 43 times per minute during the chase, even Coach Carter Heseltine had slowed his anxious pacing around at this point. Yousaf Rehman decided he was batting 3 so joined the established Law.

Both men looked more at home facing the Cleethorpes change bowlers as 24 runs were added in the 5 overs to remove any doubt from the result. In true Houghton Main fashion however, there was a little wobble before the finish line. Law and Rehman involved in a mix up with Law shouting "there's still one" following a wide down the leg side. Unfortunately there wasn't still one and a half, and Law was run out for 33 from 39 balls, appearing to be playing on a different wicket than the first innings, or potentially just applying himself better.

With the score 53 for 2 following Law's run out. Rehman went into Premier League Darts mode, replacing the need of a double to finish, with the need for a boundary to finish. With the cold, damp Houghton Main faithful having Planet Funk's Chase the Sun on the tip of their tongues (link here), Rehman was bowled for 12 from 15 balls by Jack Holmes. Danny Guest and Connor Fisher were the two new men as anyone still in their whites scrambled for pads in the Houghton Main changing room. Guest collected the 4 runs however and the target was reached with 29 balls remaining.

The second part of the double header on Bank Holiday Monday sees Houghton Main host Conisbrough.