Final reward for Kendal (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Final reward for Kendal

11:46am Friday 24th August 2007 in

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KENDAL won through to the Thwaites League Cup final with a five-wicket win over Carnforth in a rain-affected semi-final at Shap Road on Sunday.

The draw gives Kendal the right to stage the shpwiece, which will be against St Annes, on Sunday week, September 2.

Kendal skipper John Trewenneck won a vital toss and surprised no one by asking Carnforth to bat upon a wicket that had suffered from Friday's incessant rain.

Water had seeped under the covers to make one end very wet while it was virtually bone dry at the other end.

The problems facing the batting side were soon evident as Carnforth crumbled to 16-5 after seven overs, giving themselves a mountain to climb in the match.

Stuart Parkin started the bowling onslaught when he struck with his first ball, in the second over of the afternoon, to bowl Darren Moore for one.

Kendal's Australian professional Graeme Aldridge then produced a stunning four wickets in 13 balls as the visitors saw the top order sent packing.

Wicketkeeper Ikram Ullah played a big part as Ryan Nelson was caught behind off Aldridge for one.

The professional then followed up with wickets in successive balls in his next over to get rid of B. Hornby in the same manner and have Rick Forsyth trapped leg before, both without scoring.

Carnforth denied him the hat-trick but A. Hornby gave Ullah his third catch behind the stumps, again off Aldridge, for three with Carnforth in deep trouble at 16-5.

Carnforth skipper Atiq-Ul-Zaman and his Pakistani professional Irfam Fazil did their best to pull the side round with a face-saving sixth-wicket partnership of 63 that lifted the score to 79 in the 21st over.

Kevin Howarth, operating as first-change bowler, then broke the stand as he had Fazil trapped leg before for a precious 25. Two runs later Ul-Zaman followed as Aldridge made a diving catch at deep mid-wicket off Ben Simm's spin bowling.

Even so, Kendal were thwarted from wrapping up the innings quickly as Carnforth's tail wagged, with Adam Cowperthwaite, causing his former club some trouble with a spirited knock of 25 batting at No. 9 as the last three wickets contributed 49 as the teams played on in the rain to complete the innings at 130 all out.

Aldridge took the bowling honours with his 4-9, while Simm took 2-27 and Howarth 2-39.

A resumption was delayed because of the weather and when play began again the umpires set Kendal a revised target under the cup rules of 104 to win and they could afford to lose seven wickets in achieving it.

Ullah gave the home side a lightning start to the innings, hitting 30 out of 40 on the board by the sixth over when he was caught behind off Cowperthwaite.

Eight runs later, Carnforth struck another blow when Tony Yasin followed, Cowperthwaite (2-26) bowling him for eight.

At 48-2, there was still a bit of work to be done but Terry Hunte continued his vibrant form with an unbeaten 37, including two sixes, which with Howarth's supportive 15, swept Kendal to 104-2 with one ball shy of 15 overs to spare.