CUMBRIA CCC beat Lincolnshire and the weather to secure a home Quarter-final.
With maximum eight points from the group stage, Cumbria CCC are through to the National Counties One Day Trophy quarter-finals again.
Lincolnshire won the toss and elected to bat. Given forecasts of light rain from 2pm and lightning storms from 5pm, Cumbria would have elected to field first anyway. At the start of play the sun was breaking through low, and in places ominous grey, clouds. The outfield was damp and slow.
A light, veering breeze across the pitch did little to alleviate the heavy, damp atmosphere. With overhead conditions aiding some lateral movement captain Michael Slack (Carlisle CC) opened the bowling from the River Greta end, conceding only 2 runs from his first over.
Ed Moulton (Chorley CC) then had Tom Keast trapped lbw with his very first delivery of the season for Cumbria. 10 balls later the visitor’s top scorer Ben Wright skied one off Slacky over Sam Sharp (Cockermouth CC) at mid-wicket.
Sharp wheeled around and set off in hot pursuit. Miraculously he grabbed it to put Lincs on 10 for 2 off 2.5 overs. In the seventh over the pressure on Lincs continued when keeper Finlay Richardson (Kendal CC) pouched an apparent feather off Qundeel Haider.
An agonising wait - then the umpire’s finger went up to give Slack his second. First ball of the 8th over Moulton fired one in to send Drew Sylvester’s middle stump flying, leaving the two outer stumps flashing red in a very gratifying manner.
Eight balls later Slack struck the pads of Jack Timby to send him back to the hutch and leave Lincs teetering on 22/5 off 8.2 overs.
Moulton took another two wickets in the tenth over with Jordan Cook caught behind and Pranav Pothula bowled. At 23/7 off 10 overs the hosts seemed ready to finish things off.
However, batters 8 and 9, Joe Pocklington and Josh Knapton, mounted an admirable rearguard action to take their team to 54/7 off 20 overs. Next over Pocklington dabbed one towards mid-wicket and started to run.
Matthew Sempill (Cockermouth CC) launched himself forward, gathered the ball mid-flight and scooped it to Richardson in one smooth action to effect a run-out. Lbws by spinners Nico Watt (Carlisle CC) and Matthew Siddall (Cockermouth CC) put Lincolnshire all out for 65 off 25.2 overs.
After a short break, James Bowman (Penrith CC) and Sam Dutton (Furness CC) came out to open the batting for Cumbria. Debutant Bowman, having had a very late call-up a few hours earlier owing to Freddy Fallows (Kendal CC) falling ill, got straight off the mark with a quick single.
Bowman and Dutton took the hosts to within a shot of the total required, scoring 62 off eight overs. As light drizzle started in earnest. Bowman (27 off 23 balls, 4 X 4s, 1 X 6) went for another boundary to finish things off but was caught by mid-off. Ben Walkden (Newton-le-Willows CC) struck a four off his third ball to secure an emphatic win for Cumbria.
The win gives Cumbria a home quarter-final. This will be on Sunday July 2 (11am). The venue will be announced on Cumbria CCC’s website, Facebook page and Twitter.
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