The Treasury Valuers were welcome visitors to Hobbs Lane for this week’s Sunday game which was played out in beautiful sunshine with the ground looking a picture.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bat on a new track on the edge of square meaning a short boundary to the car park side. Clarkson and Edmunds began well picking off the bad ball and rotating the strike meaning they reached 60 off 10 overs before Steve Owen had Clarkson caught by Guy Fisher (the first of 3 good catches) for 30. Bowling in tandem with his dad, Kieran accounted for the other opener and bowled accurately, proving a handful to all the batsman taking 2 for 22 off a full 8 overs bowled in 2 spells. Steve also showed masterful control (1/17 off 6). The score only advanced to 87 off 20, but Maplestone and Yeo then took charge against the slower bowlers, Yeo retiring on 50, whilst Maplestone fell run out on the same score attempting to recover his ground whilst backing up too far. Pete Halladay collected the striker’s push out on the off side and had the presence of mind to collect the ball and outrun the non-striker finishing off the manoeuvre with a dive at the stumps ball in hand.
But that partnership had taken the scoring rate back over 6 an over and the lower order took the Valuers to 222 for 6 after their 40 overs.
Barrow needed a good start, and got it thanks to in-form Ben Skuse who brought the timing from the close of Saturday’s knock into Sunday with some lovely shots through the covers With Guy Fisher in support 44 off 9 was solid enough but then Guy fell. Oscar Livesey followed soon after, following a mix up. The middle order then contrived to get in and get out.
Mick Hardy then fell first ball, stumped off Coombs leaving him on a hat trick. He eventually took 5 for 23.
This only served to bring the Owens together again, this time at the crease at 84 for 6, both playing positively, with Kieran making a fluent 20 and Steve, apparently forgetting himself, advancing up the wicket to deposit the ball in the field at the Fox and Goose end for, he says, his first career 6. Now on 23 Steve threatened more violent assaults on the bowling only to be miraculously caught at slip flashing at a wide one and being caught by a fielder who put his hands in front of his face to protect himself and then fell over gleefully clutching the ball.
The family partnership of 42 gave much needed respectability as Barrow slid to 136 all out. Steve was nominated man of the match for Barrow. The opposition then all joined us for a well earned, and cooling drink and we look forward to playing again next year.