Match Report Ramsbottom 1st XI v Todmorden 1st XI – 16 July2022
TCC 268 for 5 (50 overs) RCC 207 all out (46.3 overs)
Scorecard here
“Heat put back on at Centre Vale”
A 61 run defeat at Todmorden has put us right back in the relegation battle.
On a hot day, a good wicket and lightening outfield winning the toss is important and sadly for us Grimmy called wrong and we had to take the field.
Ben Sutcliffe and Amar Ullah, the former Heywood and St Annes professional, opened the innings and gave the opposition a good start reaching 65 before Sutcliffe edged one to Dale Gabriel at slip. This brought the in form paid man Will Bosisto to the wicket and he immediately signalled his intentions by reverse sweeping Sen for four.
Both Bosisto and Ullah then took our bowlers to the cleaners sharing a 167 run stand in which they both completed a century before Ullah holed out on the deep long on boundary. Eight runs later Bosisto played on and in the end we were happy to contain the home side to 266 when a score of over 300 looked on the cards.
Although a very good score I thought the target was well within our compass to chase. What you need in these circumstances is a good start but sadly we lost JD in only the 2nd over. This brought our skipper to the wicket and it soon became clear he was carrying an injury which was affecting his running between the wickets and making him turn down runs he would have normally had no trouble making.
Nevertheless the score was moving on at a decent pace with TP in fine form until on 48 he played a loose shoot off a poor ball from Rickard and was brilliantly caught in the gully. Nine times out of ten he would have put that delivery away for four.
Sen was next in and with Grimmy he started to build up a decent partnership, albeit hampered by Grimmy’s injury. They took the score to 94 when our skipper was bowled by Bosisto trying to pull a delivery that kept a little low. When Sen fell with the score on 99 to a fine slip catch our hopes looked all but over.
What we did not want and what did not happen was for us to lie down. Harry Caton made sure of that with a magnificent knock of 72 which included three 6’s smashed right out of the ground before he was last man out with our score on 207. Harry later told me that he felt we could have challenged Tod’s total but for two poor decisions; Brad clearly edging the ball when given out LBW and Dale given out by the same decision despite reverse sweeping the ball off the middle of the bat for four (my apologies for Dale for saying it was an awful shot he got out to).
As stated before we are right back in the relegation battle plus with a cup final to come we need to ensure we have the strongest possible side available. Injuries are a concern. Tom seems to be managing his as best as possible but Grimmy’s is a worry. He is an important cog batting at number 3 and he needs to start protecting himself particularly in the bowling department.
One aspect of our batting that disappointed me that nobody seemed to take the off spinner Sutcliffe on. He bowled 13 overs just conceding 37 runs which in the context of this game was vital. When taken on he tends to only bowl a few overs.
Amateur Man of the Match – Harry Caton
