'AWNIOGO': KIDSGROVE (H)**

Sunday, June 4

STAFFORDSHIRE CUP, ROUND 2

At about 8pm on Sunday, June 4th there were three pieces of news: one good, another bad, the third both good and bad, depending on your point of view. The bad news was that we had lost our University match against Warwick (allowing them to recover from 21 for 5 to 139 all out with us contriving to collapse from 78 for 2 to 119 all out in pursuit). The good news was that, in my absence, Moddershall had won the Staffordshire Cup encounter with Kidsgrove. The final piece of news was that I became available to play against Newcastle in the Talbot Cup quarter-final, which is good news for Smudge and Newcastle but bad news for Moddershall! 

As in the previous week’s washout, we had won the toss and inserted. Our seamers all did a steady job, with Billy and Cokey conceding only 23 runs each from their 9 overs. The pick of the bowlers, however, was Mauler who bowled his ration for just 20 runs, picking up the wicket of his latest self-proclaimed ‘bunny’, Andy Johnston, in the process. At 117 for 5 Kidsgrove were struggling, but some late slogging from Stefan Read boosted the score to a respectable 207, a total which contained no fewer than 30 extras. Read, particularly brutal against Addo, made 62 off only 31 balls, a knock that included four gigantic sixes.

Our reply began dreadfully with both openers, Addo and Barry, dismissed cheaply as we slumped to 7 for 2. The balance was partially redressed by Harv and Mauler, but by the time they had both been shot out we were down, if not quite out on 81 for 4 from 27 overs.

We desperately needed a good partnership to help us claw our way back into the game; better than that, we got a stupendous stand that won us the match. It was those two stalwart lefties, Bully and Seth, that combined their unique and very distinct talents to add 127 runs in only 17 overs to see us through to victory with a full over to spare. Hawkster crashed a season’s best 83 not out from only 92 deliveries, stroking 5 fours and 3 sixes in the process, whilst Drew put on his fudging head and pushed the ball into the gaps to score an unbeaten 47 from 55 balls. A measure of his concentration lies in one very revealing statistic: he only hit one boundary in his entire innings.

Apparently Mauler got a touch rowdy in the bar afterwards, repeatedly asking the question “Is there anybody here from Kidsgrove?” at about 15,000 decibels whilst sporting a grin as wide as the North Staffordshire coalfield. There wasn’t. 

MODDERSHALL WON BY 6 WICKETS 

KIDSGROVE 207 for 8 (45 overs) 
S Read 62, D Wellings 43
MODDERSHALL 208 for 4 (44 overs) 
A Hawkins 83*, A Heard 47*, J Myatt 36