Bradshaw v Egerton
Saturday 19th June 1999
League

I'm really getting pissed off with this Summer weather. Sweating all week in an office looking out at the glorious sunshine and looking forward to the weekend. And what do we get? Dismal overcast sky's and the threat of rain. We arrived at the Rigbys to find that skipper Paul Tebay was not available due to work commitments. Neil Johnson has flown off to Greece for a fortnight to soak up the sun. (More than we've a hope of doing.) And David Morris had won the toss and decided to have a bat. With the absence of Tebay, Chris Evans was once again shunted up the order to open with Ex Egerton man Paul Stafford. Paul obviously wanted to give a good showing against his former team-mates and took advantage of some loose bowling from Cliff to get off to a good start after a strong appeal for caught behind was turned down off the very first ball. He and Evans had put on 14 when Evans played down the wrong line to Hornby and was clean bowled for 0.

David Morris was in sooner that he'd hoped but Stafford upped the scoring rate and raced to 40 out of a total of 54 when he was given out LBW, also to Hornby. His knock containing 7 x 4s and 1 x 6. Morris went on the same score trying to sweep Egerton pro Gavin Nedd. He played over the top, bowled for 7. 54 for 3. Bradshaw's two overseas players Sajid Shah and Renier Potgieter came together and the big South African layed into Nedd hitting 14 off three balls but when he tried the same tactic against Hornby he got a big top edge and Nedd took his revenge by taking a good catch. Out for 16 and 71 for 4.

That was pretty much the end of any Bradshaw resistance to Stuart Hornby. Shah went for 0, Caught by Tim Barry. Mark Gwilt, back to make up for the missing Tebay and Johnson, was out a touch and bowled for 0. Neil Hart stuck around for his 4, caught Mike O'Rourke. Andy Kilner was caught by Partington for 3. Nedd got back in on the act to bowl Myles Cunliffe for 6 when he shouldered arms and Hornby finished things off by removing the stubborn Alan Evans for 6, caught Nedd. Adam McLoughlin the not out batsman on 1. 9 wickets had fallen for 41 runs in a collapse of 1994 proportions with only two players making double figures. Stuart Hornby's 8 for 38 from 20.2 overs taking the credit but bad judgement and poor shots were the main destructive force.

With just 95 to defend Bradshaw couldn't afford to give away anything and asked almost the impossible from their bowlers. In resent games the opening bowler opposite Sajid had gone for about 4 an over early on, allowing teams to get off to a flier. In an attempt to prevent that Andy Kilner and his dodgy knees was drafted into action and did the job by going for just 13 runs in his 5 overs. It would have worked better if his 1 ball pitched too short hadn't been lofted onto the banking for 6 by Mike O'Rourke. It was Sajid from the tennis court end who got the early break, trapping Partington LBW for 0 with the score on 3. But further breakthroughs were not forthcoming as O'Rourke and Tim Barry edged their way towards the total.

It was the introduction of Potgieter that gave Bradshaw a sniff by having O'Rourke caught behind down the leg side for 22. Chris Evans diving to his left to take the catch. 40 for 2. Tony Clegg and Barry had added 25 when Evans took his second catch, this time off Myles Cunliffe. Clegg gone for 13 and 65 for 3. Potgieter struck again with score having moved on to 75. Tim Barry getting a top edge that went straight up. Evans ran forward to take the catch that was clearly his but ran straight into Potgieter coming the other way. Fortunately neither of them were hurt and somehow potgieter had managed to hold onto the ball. Barry out for 30 with 5 x 4s. In the same over Mills was bowled for 0. 75 for 5. This became 79 for 6 when another Potgieter delivery skimmed Stuart Hornby's bail off for 4.

That however was the last wicket to fall as the experienced Keith Hornby and John Sharples saw Egerton home for a 4 wicket win with 22.3 overs to spare. Things at the death were not helped by untidy bowling by both Shah and Potgieter. Not so much in line and length as in over-steping. When defending such a low total it's purely bad cricket to bowl 10 no-balls.(5 each) Other than that gripe I have to say that all the bowlers did well and made Egerton work for every run.

The 2 points gleaned from this match put a serious dent in Bradshaw's championship aspirations. Egerton's was given a serious boost by the 20 they took.