Leek vs Whitmore.
Leek won by 6 wickets.
The fourteenth round of the season takes me back to Highfield to watch an important fixture at the bottom of the table.
Leek slipped to a disappointing defeat at Moddershall last weekend and have dropped to 10th in the table following Porthill’s victory against Eccleshall. They sit 55 points above Whitmore, who are their opponents this afternoon. Leek are having a very up-and-down season. They’ve won 5 matches this season but lost 6, with 2 draws. They have lacked consistency this season, and just when it looks like they’re finding some form, they put in a bad performance and lose all the momentum they’ve gained. They will not want to taste defeat today and get involved in a three-way scrap for survival as the season continues. A win today would pretty much dispel all fears of relegation. Leek comfortably beat Whitmore by 8 wickets when the teams met earlier in the season during the pink ball segment.
Whitmore, on the other hand, really do need to win this match. They secured a fantastic morale-boosting victory on the road at Hem Heath last week that could kick-start their season. They’d suffered 6 consecutive defeats in the league since they beat Longton on the 30th May, and it was beginning to look like life back in Premier B next season was a nailed-on certainty. A third victory in the league today doesn’t get them out of the bottom two, but it will close the gap on Leek. With Porthill finding some recent form of their own, they’ve climbed away from the danger zone and face struggling Longton today with the chance to make it 3 victories in a row, so today is a very important game for Whitmore in their quest to avoid the drop.
Leek won the toss and elected to bowl in humid conditions that should offer assistance for their seamers.
A sweetly timed drive down the ground from Ryan Roberts went all the way to the boundary in the opening over. Tom Mouton beat Yumeth Athauda’s forward press in the next over and knocked over his off stump to leave Whitmore 4/1. Moulton beat the outside edge a further three times to complete the over as he started superbly. Roberts clipped a full ball from Moulton through the vacant square leg for his second boundary in the 4th over.
The Whitmore batters were being very patient against the disciplined Leek new ball attack of Josh Hudson and Moulton. They were rotating the strike well, and they made their way to 18/1 after 8 overs of tight bowling from the home side. There had been numerous plays and misses because of the movement through the air and off the wicket, but it was nice to see the visitors digging in and not trying to force the issue in the tricky conditions.
Kieran Carr took a good low catch at 1st slip to remove Aaqil Mohideen in the 10th over when Mouton found his outside edge with another fine delivery to leave Whitmore 20/2. A crisp drive through extra cover brought Roberts his 3rd boundary in the next over when Hudson overpitched. Rory Corden found Roberts’ outside edge in the 15th over, but the ball ran away to the third man boundary to move the score to 42/2.
Roberts’ patient innings of 28 was ended by Corden in the 17th over when he played a loose shot outside the off stump. The resulting edge ballooned up off Alex Mellor’s gloves and gave Moulton a simple catch at 1st slip as Whitmore fell to 44/3. Hasnain Mazhar drove his first ball from Corden immaculately through extra cover for a boundary as he got off the mark in fine style. Anis Raza then induced a false shot from Fraser James in the next over as the visitors lost their 4th wicket. Raza threw the ball up, and James went for a big slog sweep but could only top-edge the ball high into the off side where Hamaiz Mahmood took a simple catch at short extra cover to leave the visitors 48/4.
The 5th wicket pair of Mazhar and Danyal Hussain began steadily rebuilding the visitors’ innings. They ran smartly between the wickets as the Leek bowlers continued to offer very little. Raza was wheeling away with his left-arm spin from the scorebox end and had only conceded 6 runs from the 6 overs he’d bowled thus far. Hussain got a leading edge off Moulton when he attempted to work a delivery through the legside in the 25th over, and a very difficult catch was put down by Raza at mid-off. He ran in and dived away full length to his left-hand side, but he was unable to complete the catch. Four leg byes rounded out the 27th over before Mazhar drove Raza down the ground off the back foot when he dropped short in the next over as Whitmore reached 79/4 at the drinks break.
Mazhar got a life straight after drinks when he skied Matt Morris to mid off where a simple catch was put down by Corden. A fine lofted drive from Mazhar, which went straight over Raza’s head, and ran away to the boundary before the spinner pinned him LBW for 24 two balls later to leave the visitors 86/5. A full toss from Morris was belted through the leg side by Hussain for a boundary in the 31st over. Saad Qureshi slapped a low full toss straight to Mahmood at mid-wicket, where he took a sharp catch to give Morris a bonus wicket two overs later as Whitmore fell to 91/6.
Hussain brought up the 100 for the visitors from the final ball of the 37th over when he advanced down the wicket and drove Morris for his second boundary. Raza’s excellent 13-over spell from the scorebox end yielded figures of 2/19 with 5 maidens as he showed superb control. Hussain cut the final ball of the 39th over powerfully behind point for his third boundary as the score moved to 104/6. Morris took a superb diving catch off his own bowling to end Hussain’s stubborn innings of 20. Hussain drove a low full toss firmly back at Morris, but he was alert and dived full length to his right-hand side to complete a fine catch as Whitmore lost their 7th wicket with 107 on the board.
Bilal Hussain lifted Jack Bowcock over mid-on for his first boundary in the 42nd over. Hussain cut Morris over backward point when he dropped short in the 45th over before Matt McAll picked up the second boundary of the over when he drove past mid-off when the off-spinner overpitched to move the score to 125/7. Hussain flat-batted Bowcock for six over cover in the next over before he edged past keeper Mellor for another boundary as 10 runs came from the over. McAll swept a low full toss from Morris to the legside boundary in the next over as the 8th wicket partnership continued to grow. It had now added 32 valuable runs for the visitors, and it was beginning to frustrate Leek.
Rory Corden returned to pick up the wicket of Hussain for 23 when he holed out to Morris on the long-off boundary in the 48th over as Whitmore were reduced to 139/8. McAll picked up his third boundary when he helped a high full from Morris over short fine leg in the next over. Dilesh Gunarathne swung Mouton away through the legside for back-to-back boundaries to begin the 51st over as the visitors went past 150. McAll found the boundary twice in the next over when he first cut powerfully through point before a leg lance beat the fielder on the fine leg boundary as the score moved to 163/8 with three overs to go.
McAll drove the final ball of the penultimate over through extra cover for his 6th boundary as the visitors began the final over on 176/8. Moulton bowled Gunarathne with a toe-crunching yorker to begin the over. Only two singles came from the next four deliveries before he bowled Oliver Johnson with the final ball as Whitmore were bowled out for 178. McAll finished unbeaten on 34 as he marshalled the lower order superbly. Whitmore recovered from 91/6 to post a competitive total on a wicket where the new ball moved around prodigiously.
Whitmore will be happy with their score, but it could have been more. Four of their batters got to 20 and couldn’t push on to make a really telling contribution. Moulton was excellent up front with the new ball and returned to polish off the tail as he finished with figures of 4/33 from 12 overs. Corden and Morris shared 4 wickets between them for the home side, but they were expensive, and Leek must feel that they could have bowled Whitmore out for fewer than they did. Raza’s left-arm spin was probing as ever, and he finished with superb figures of 2/19 from his 13 overs. 179 will be a tough chase for the hosts, knowing that victory would almost banish all fears of relegation.
A mix-up between the Leek openers occurred in the first over of the chase when Mahmood pushed into the legside and set off for a quick single. Mahmood and Morris then collided, but Mazhar running in from square leg couldn’t gather the ball quickly enough, and the single was completed. Mahmood nicked McAll just short of 2nd slip in the next over as the home side’s eventful start continued. Morris clipped sweetly through mid-wicket when Gunarathne strayed onto his pads for the first boundary of the chase in the 3rd over. Mahmood found the legside boundary twice in the next over when he first launched McAll over mid-on before he slog swept him over mid-wicket when he attempted to pull his length back.
McAll bowled Morris with a fine delivery in the 6th over that hit the top of the left-hander’s off stump as he looked to drive through the offside to leave the home side 14/1. McAll was finding some good rhythm from the scorebox end, and he went past Moulton’s outside edge three times in the 8th over as he hammered away at good line just outside off stump. Moulton drove handsomely through extra cover as he got off the mark with a boundary in the 10th over before Mahmood flicked Gunarathne to the fine leg boundary in the next over when he strayed onto his pads to move the score to 26/1. The left-arm seamer finished the over off with an absolute snorter of a delivery to Mahmood from around the wicket that bounced and left him.
McAll picked up his 2nd wicket in the following over when Mahmood skied a catch to point, where Mohideen took a simple catch. He was looking for a big shot into the legside from a delivery that wasn’t really there to play. Moulton drove powerfully down the ground for his second boundary when McAll overpitched in the 14th over. A third boundary for Moulton followed two overs later when he again found the gap at extra cover. He struck a towering 6 over mid-wicket three balls later when McAll drifted onto his pads before he cut the final delivery powerfully behind point for another boundary as Leek moved to 50/2.
Moulton found the boundary twice in the 19th over when he cut short balls from left-arm spinner Johnson to the cover fence as he moved to 34*. Mellor struck two boundaries in the 23rd over off Mohideen. The first was a delightful clip through mid-wicket before he smashed a low full toss past mid-on to move the score to 70/2. Danyal Hussain prevented a third boundary from the over when he made a fantastic diving stop on the square leg fence when Mellor swept hard. Moulton launched Bilal Hussain down the ground for a one-bounce four to round out the next over.
A drive over mid-off from the bat of Moulton rounded out the 26th over with a boundary as the home side moved to 82/2. He advanced down the pitch and smashed a full toss past Mohideen for another boundary in the next over. Moulton reached his 50 in the 28th over with a lofted drive over extra cover that ran away for his tenth four to go with a six. It had taken him 63 balls, and it had been a great exhibition of stroke play. He’d added an unbroken stand of 65 with Mellor for the 3rd wicket as the home side reached 92/2 at the drinks break.
Gunarathne began with a wild delivery after the drinks break that beat keeper James and ran away for 5 wides. Mellor found the third man boundary when he ran a ball through the vacant slip area later on in the over as the score went to 103/2. Moulton edged the final ball of the 30th between James and McAll at first slip, and the ball ran away for 3 runs. He chopped the first ball of the next over away to the third man for his 11th four as the game was starting to get away from the visitors. Gunarathne threw the final ball of the over down the legside, and it beat the diving James to run away for four byes.
Hussain dropped a return catch off Mellor in the next over when he couldn’t get his right hand down quick enough to complete the catch. It had been the first chance that the 3rd wicket pair had offered during their fine stand. A splendid on drive from Mellor brought him his 4th boundary to round out the 33rd over as the 3rd wicket stand went to 94. Moulton absolutely nailed a square drive to the point boundary in the 35th over to move the score to 128/2. The sweeper on the boundary only had a few yards to move to stop the boundary, but he had no chance. It was a fine shot to bring up the 100 stand for the 3rd wicket.
Gunarathne beat Mellor’s outside edge three times in the 37th over as the visitors desperately strived for a breakthrough. Mellor found the boundary for the 5th time in the 39th over when he cut Gunarathne effortlessly behind point to move the score to 138/2. A drive through extra cover brought him another boundary in the next over as he moved to 41*. Moulton drove powerfully down the ground once again as he picked up his 13th boundary later on in the over when Mohideen overpitched. Leek now required just 31 more runs to win with 15 overs remaining.
Moulton survived a big LBW shout off the bowling of Hussain in the next over when he played forward. McAll returned to claim his 3rd wicket when Mellor chipped tamely to cover, for 41, where Johnson took a simple catch as Leek lost their 3rd wicket with 148 on the board. Mellor had added 121 with Moulton for the 3rd wicket in what surely should be a match-winning stand for the home side. Moulton drove Hussain sweetly through extra cover for another boundary to start the 45th over as the score moved to 154/3. He drove Hussain down the ground for a couple of runs in the 47th over, before he lifted the left-arm spinner over mid-on for a boundary to take the score to 162/3. Hussain trapped him LBW next ball for 86 when he attempted to work a delivery into the legside.
Sam Slater drove McAll through the covers off the back foot for his first boundary to start the next over before he clipped him through mid-wicket for the second boundary of the over, bringing home side to within 9 runs of victory. Carr lifted McAll over mid-off for a one-bounce four before he finished the match with another drive down the ground as Leek secured a comfortable 6-wicket victory. Moulton’s fine innings of 86 was the glue that held everything together for the home side. He batted for 154 minutes and faced 125 balls, striking fifteen fours and a six in his patient but excellent knock. He showed all of his experience and skill to guide his side to the brink of a crucial victory before finally being removed by Hussain. This was to go with his tremendous 4/33 in the first innings as he put together a stellar all-round performance to all but see Leek to safety now this season.
Whitmore huffed and puffed, but they couldn’t blow the Leek house down in the end. McAll rotated his bowlers throughout as he tried desperately to break the stubborn 3rd wicket partnership. He finished as the pick of those bowlers, claiming 3/52 from 13 overs of toil. Unfortunately for Whitmore, there wasn’t enough from the rest of their bowlers, and they’ve got a mighty job on their hands if they’re to avoid the drop now this season. They’ve slipped 66 points behind 10th-placed Leek after today’s defeat, and with only 8 rounds of fixtures remaining, they look almost doomed.
Leave a Reply