Cumbria County Cricket Club had a great start to their National Counties One Day Trophy competition with a win over Lincolnshire at Scunthorpe Cricket Club (CC).

 A light drizzle interrupted the warm-ups but the match still started on time. Cumbria won the toss and was elected to field.

Word in the clubhouse was that 300 is a par score on this ground, and that seemed to be borne out when the first 2 overs went for 6 then 7. Captain Michael Slack dismissed Lincolnshire’s Captain in the third over thanks to a catch by debutant keeper, 21-year old Finlay Richardson.

Not to be outdone Keswick CC’s James McGown clean bowled Lincs keeper, and their normally reliable No. 3 batsman, Tom Keast six balls later.

The Westmorland Gazette:

Cumbria’s other two pacemen took a wicket apiece with Brodie Glendinning creating a second catch for Richardson in the 15th over and Paul Hindmarch affecting spectacular destruction of the middle stump in the 24th.

Spinners Nico Watt and Matthew Siddall then took up the wicket-taking cudgels.

Siddall clean bowled two, and Watt finished with ‘purple-patch’ figures of 4 for 15 off 8.1 overs. The hosts had been all out for 172 off 39.

Cumbria seemed to be well on track when Dutton got into a rhythm in the fourth over with dot, four, dot, four… then out caught behind.

The heavens opened dramatically the moment players went off for lunch after Cumbria had faced 5 overs.

It fell to former Cockermouth CC teammates Marcus Stables and Matthew Sempill to steady the innings with a 39 run partnership.

Stabes scored 32 off 23 balls before falling to the only outfield catch of the whole match. Paul Hindmarch joined Sempill.

The Westmorland Gazette:

They were constrained from their usual big-hitting middle-order partnership by both the situation and the accomplished bowling of Mark Footitt.

Hindmarch seemed to hit his straps after several circumspect overs with two consecutive 4s off Footitt, the first of which tried to get up the steps of the rugby stand some 90 metres away.

But two overs later it was a case of ‘be done by as you did’ when his stumps were sent flying by Curtis Free, who also clean bowled Richardson next ball.

Watt did exactly what the situation required, defending doggedly for his one off 13 balls in 23 minutes. Watt’s departure brought the score to 160/7.

Cumbria needed just 13 from 13 overs. However Sempill was running out of partners.

Glendinning managed to ward off 7 balls. According to the scorecard the 40th and last over seems uneventful with Sempill scoring 4, 0, 2, 4 to secure the victory on 43 not out.

However, agonisingly, Sempill skied the penultimate ball and was only able to run two because the unfortunate fielder at deep square leg lost the white ball against the white clouds.