Heywood U11s 243-6
Norden U11s 243-8
Match tied
HEYWOOD’S young team rose Lazarus like to come back from the dead and grab a draw in a thriller at the Crimble.
With two overs to go Norden had crept into a one run lead, but they didn’t bank on Jacob Kaye grabbing a wicket to take their score down to three behind.
Norden still only needed a very gettable four runs to win off eight balls, but Kaye kept things tight and Jude Meadowcroft turned the screw in the last over to restrict them to only three runs to tie the match – it felt like a victory for Heywood.
But it started badly for the home side who batted first.
Some impressive bowling saw openers Luke Thulborn and debutant Ethan Sutcliffe out four times in the first two overs as they struggled to handle some very good line and length bowling.
But they rallied and by the end had dragged the score back from a minus 16 deficit to minus seven, with Sutcliffe contributing two solid fours.
The next pair – Joe Carter and Liam Forshaw – added a respectable 14, with the next pair, Meadowcroft and Tom Sullivan adding 10.
Abi Henson and Elliot Wilkinson were fourth in adding 11 runs in their partnership, with Kaye and Frankie Quinne putting on 19 for the final wicket – Kaye scoring an impressive 18 of those runs.
But 243 looked gettable until, that is, Heywood began to bowl.
Opener Henson’s three overs went for just 12 runs for one wicket, Carter went for only nine for one wicket in his four overs, Sutcliffe bowled one maiden over and Sullivan’s three overs for one wicket cost him just 12 runs.
But pick of the bowlers had to be Meadowcroft with three wickets for 16 off four – he’ll be lethal when he learns to stop bowling short – and Kaye with two for 14 off four.
This was a tremendous all round performance with seven batsmen not getting out and every bowler bowling a superbly well.
The team can be proud of their never say die spirit and with more performances like this they should pick up victories in the remaining fixtures of the season.
