30th May

Kirkby Lonsdale  97  Shireshead & Forton  98/4
Shireshead achieved a much needed win at home against Kirkby Lonsdale on Saturday.  David Jack (1/17) removed Jim Kettlewell (2) and although Tom Battarbee (0/15) again bowled well, Steve Williams (29) and Phil Pease (27) took the score to 61 in the 22^nd over without further loss.  Tom Jacques, with his third ball, induced an edge from Pease, and with no addition to the score Phil Oliver removed Williams.  Whilst Sutton (16) chanced his arm, there was no real resistance as nine wickets fell for 36 runs in 17 overs.  Jacques took a season’s best 6/20 and Oliver 3/17, the last five wickets falling for five runs.

Tom Battarbee (14) and Tom Jacques (44) proceeded to add 52 in ten overs, and although the improving Nathaniel Bateson (2/38) and Pease (2/13) each claimed a couple of scalps, Michael Armstrong (7 not out) and Robert Charles (10 not out) ensured victory with more than thirty overs remaining.

Cartmel 141/ 7 Shireshead ‘A’ 144/ 6
The evidence of tyre tracks from the midweek race meeting, and recent dry weather, made fielding conditions uncomfortable at Cartmel Park.

Winning the toss on a thick dry grassed wicket the home skipper elected to bat first. The Cartmel openers Hadwin (12) and Harvey 23) began cautiously facing the young attack of Matthew Jones (0/13) and Matthew Liptrott (0/14).The breakthrough came from first change bowler Joy Arun, as he trapped Harvey lbw. Joy (5/59) in his first season for Shireshead swung the ball excessively, which at times was difficult to control. With the ever dependant control of Alan Moulsdale 2/46) the home team’s innings limped along at two runs per over .A sixth wicket partnership of 32 where the scoring came mainly from Woodburn (35no), and 23 from Anderson in a seventh wicket stand, took the attack to the visitors bowlers as sixty runs were scored off the last eleven overs.

The Shireshead reply began bizarrely with the first ball sailing over the batsman’s head for five no ball extras, and the fourth ball going for four over throws in an attempted run out. An opening stand of 54 from Sam Hilton (21) and John Coates (43) put the visitors in control. The loss of Simon Harrison (8) and Joy (0) briefly gave Cartmel hope with Unsworth (3/28) doing the damage. Simon Moulson (21n/o) and Malcolm Taylor (16) put the innings back on course, and after the dismissal of Taylor only 23 were required. The arrival of Sam Clarkson (9) saw him greeted with bunny and rabbit comments that were silenced when the young wicketkeeper dispatched the home skipper onto the racecourse for a maximum. The visitors completed a comfortable victory in the 34th over gaining 15 points.