JOHN Huck flexed his muscle as Netherfield produced a powerful batting display to comfortably dispatch Carlisle and set-up a Bluefin County Cup clash with Kendal.

With a score of 73, Huck became only the second Netherfield player this season to hit a half century as the Parkside Road club posted an imposing 253-5 from their 40-over allocation.

In reply, Carlisle struggled to find any rhythm, routed for just 79 inside 25 overs as Saliya Saman, Mark Clarkson and Ben Phillips all claimed three wickets.

Having been invited to bat, a re-jigged batting line-up paid dividends with Phillips and Brendan Herron sharing 40 for the opening stand in 12.2 overs.

Leg-spinner Alex Raybould accounted for Phillips, caught at mid-off by Eddie Faulder for 22, with Huck joining Herron at the crease as the pair batted Netherfield into the ascendency.

The duo added 75 runs in little more than 13 overs before Herron was caught at gully by Alex Raybould off the bowling of Richard Raybould for 46.

This wicket failed to de-rail Netherfield as Huck and Saman combined to great effect, with the Sri Lankan professional smashing 46 from 33 balls against his old club.

Saman’s knock included five fours and two sixes before he was caught on the long-on boundary by Ben Purdham off the bowling of Phil Frazer.

And with the batsmen crossing, Frazer then claimed the wicket of Huck with the very next ball, bowling the 22-year-old with Netherfield 197-4 off 35.3 overs.

Huck’s knock contained five fours and four sixes, although the run-scoring onslaught was far from complete as Marc Brown picked up the baton.

Also formerly of Edenside, Brown clattered the ball to all parts of the ground as he chalked up an unbeaten 47 from just 17 balls, clearing the ropes four times.

Ben Barrow was caught at long-on by Frazer off Michael Slack inside the final over, although by that stage the damage was done as Netherfield surpassed 250.

Carlisle struggled to impose themselves with the bat as only three partnerships reached double figures, with Slack the first to go, trapped in front by Clarkson for two in the fourth over.

Clarkson then returned in his next over to induce an edge from Tom Benn, which was gathered in the slips by Huck as Nathan Dixon donned the gloves.

And nine balls later, Carlisle were 17-3 as Alex Raybould departed for 13, caught by Phillips in the covers off the bowling of Saman.

The visitors continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, Eddie Mitchell, South African professional Victor Mahlangu and Faulder all falling cheaply to leave Carlisle reeling at 37-6 midway through the 11th over.

Will Butler and Frazer added 27 for the seventh wicket before the former was bowled by Earl for 13, with Frazer caught and bowled by Phillips for 15.

Phillips, who posted 3-22 from 5.1 overs, accounted for the Carlisle tail as Netherfield recorded a massive 174-run win, with Clarkson finishing with 3-15 and Saman 3-23.