CUMBRIA Under-17s began their defence of the Cricket 1B County Championship Division with an agonising defeat against a strong Leicestershire outfit, writes JAMES MADDEN.

The visitors, coached by former Foxes and England bowler Les Taylor, reached their target of 82 with the penultimate ball of the match.

Leicestershire’s seemingly straightforward run chase was far from comfortable, as the hosts took seven wickets to nearly force the most unlikely of victories at Barrow CC’s Ernest Pass.

Cumbria were always going to find it difficult on a bowler-friendly pitch, crumbling to 75 all out on day one.

Leicestershire’s Harry Swindells made 51 to threaten to take the game away from he hosts as they posted a first innings total of 152, but an inspired performance from Keswick’s James McGown, who took five wickets and scored a half-century, nearly forced an improbable win.

With the hosts unable to call on the services of eight regular starters, Cumbria coach and chairman Arthur Brown gave several players who are usually on the periphery a chance to gain valuable experience. Among those given a rare start was Whitehaven bowler Lewis Keeler, who took a wicket on day one.

Brown believes facing a well-established outfit like Leicestershire is a refreshing challenge for his Cumbria players. “In total we actually had 14 players unavailable for this two-day game,” he said.

“Sedbergh needed six lads who would all have been in contention to start, so we needed to reshuffle the pack. Although we had people missing, it’s a brilliant opportunity for some of the younger lads to show off their talent”.

Taylor, who brought a near full-strength side for the game at Ernest Pass, said it was a great opportunity for players to show they can make the next level.

“They should be viewing this as an audition”, Taylor said. “It’s a good chance to look at our lads and see if they have the natural ability and the mental strength to make the step up.”

Cumbria play Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland and Scotland in the Championship Division 1B. The teams face one another in a one-day competition, as well as the two-day format, in which Brown’s team are the current champions.

Brown, who is delighted with how his side are coming on, believes three-day matches are a must if we are to see more successes like Lancashire’s Liam Livingstone.

“The most important thing in my opinion, is bringing in three-day matches for this age group,” he said. “It’s all well and good getting the experience playing limited over and two-day games but youngsters need to be able to construct meaningful innings.

“We don’t want pretty little cameos which last half an hour, we need our batsman to be able to bat for the entirety of a day.”