Blood, sweat and tears
Reporter: Lake Garage CLL by KEITH McHUGH
Date published: 15 June 2009
Photo: Chris Sunderland
NOT OUT: Oldham bowler Abid Fasil-Masih appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of Norden professional Jean Symes. PICTURES by CHRIS SUNDERLAND
OLDHAM’S lack of bowling options was cruelly exposed by a rampant Norden outfit at The Pollards on Saturday.
But the home side hardly helped themselves by dropping a string of catches during their 132-run defeat at the hands of a team likely be challenging for the Lake Garage CLL title come the end of the season.
Oldham professional Mel Whittle toiled in the heat for 25 overs, but his team-mates failed to back him up, spilling seven chances — some difficult, others not so straightforward.
And Whittle was not the only bowler to suffer. Abid Fasil-Masih, who bowled 20 overs, also saw opportunities squandered as Norden were continually let off the hook and allowed to reach 266 for seven.
In reply, Oldham were bowled out for only 134, promising young spinner Oliver Makin taking five for 37 and professional Jean Symes collecting three for 21.
Having taken first guard, Norden made the most of their good fortune. Steven Firth and Symes shared an opening stand of 110 and, although Whittle and Fasil-Masih did their best to apply the brakes, Norden were always holding the aces, with Sykes (79), Harvey Fitton (41) and Firth (39) steering them into a powerful position.
Oldham did manage to reduce Norden to 208 for seven, but an unbeaten eighth-wicket stand of 58 between skipper Dexter Fitton (28) and Paul Morrell (23) took the game away from the home side, who never really entertained realistic hopes of chasing down such a big total.
Paul Thompson was the first Oldham batsman to go, caught at mid-wicket with the score on 20, and 12 runs later worse was to follow when Nick Maree’s mistimed pull flew straight to mid-off.
Skipper Chris McDonnell and Fasil-Masih added some stability to the innings with a third-wicket stand of 25, but Oldham were way behind the required run rate and it was inevitable that wickets would fall once the batsmen tried to make up lost ground.
McDonnell holed out to Harvey Fitton on the mid-wicket boundary, Adnan Shafiq was caught at cover by Morrell and Rod Moran was snapped up behind the stumps by Nick Brierley.
There was an inevitability about the rest of the game with a succession of batsmen losing their wickets in the vain run chase, but at least Ben Fletcher and Craig Joy put a smile on the faces of home supporters with a spirited last-wicket stand of 28.
Fletcher was last man out, stumped for a breezy 24, while Joy was unbeaten on 10.
Makin was the clear pick of the bowlers and will be a major threat for Norden as he develops his skills. If there is a more promising spinner in the CLL, I have yet to see him this season.
As for Oldham, they simply cannot afford to drop their catches given their lack of fire power with the ball. Plenty of fielding practice this week, lads.
