Last wicket pair pave way for win (From Prestwich and Whitefield Guide)

Last wicket pair pave way for win

10:23am Thursday 30th July 2009

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STAND turned on the style as they got back to winning ways on Saturday with a resounding 109-run victory over Woodbank in the Lancashire County League.

Woodbank skipper Ryan Senior won the toss and chose to field on a damp, green wicket, a decision that looked to have paid off with Stand losing three wickets with only 25 runs on the board.

Professional Amila Weththasinghe was back in the dressing room and things were looking bleak.

But Stuart Catterall and hard-working opener Lee Chadwick — who was making his seasonal reappearance in the first team — got the innings back on track doubling the score to 53 before Chadwick — who played some excellent driven boundaries — was removed, caught at silly point for a gutsy 18.

The Stand wicket was not one of the best the team had played on at home this season, and it was a struggle to score runs on it.

Senior was bowling an excellent spell from the Hamilton Road end and he picked up his fifth wicket when Catterall was dubiously adjudged leg before for 22. Stand then collapsed and lost four more quick wickets to leave them toiling on 75-9, with the visitors well on top.

Nobody could have predicted what was about to happen next as Andrew Sharp was joined at the crease by last man Jack Bond.

With 13 overs left the pair decided they were going to bat through the overs and try to reach three figures, even if meant blocking out maidens.

In fact, they instigated one of the greatest partnerships ever witnessed at the ground, and probably the best last-wicket stand seen there, as they made batting look easy on a wicket that was beginning to dry out in the sunshine.

Sharp took the leading role, hitting the bad ball for four, whilst blocking the rest, before Bond got his eye in and took over the mantle.

The pair batted right through, adding a partnership of 79 (a new league last-wicket partnership record, breaking the previous one by nine runs), to more than double Stand’s final score to 154.

Both men hit 44 runs, Sharp’s coming from 59 balls and including seven fours and a six, and Bond’s coming in 40 balls which included two fours and two sixes.

The visitors left the field dejected and Stand were firmly in the ascendancy, despite a commendable effort from Ryan Senior who bowled all day at one end, returning figures of 9-63.

Woodbank’s reply soon turned into the Weththasinghe show once again as the pro bowled excellently early on and made the breakthrough by removing Wayne Griffiths for eight as he plucked a stunning one-handed catch off his own bowling.

Carl Sutcliffe was also back in the wickets as he claimed two scalps.

The pro then removed Hamnett thanks to a smart catch at slip by the reliable Penchion, before danger man Senior (14) fell to an amazing diving catch by Catterall in the covers to leave the visitors in all sorts of trouble at 35-5.

Weththasinghe, who had claimed figures of 3-30 from 10 overs, then blitzed the Woodbank lower order, taking five wickets in 11 balls, firstly trapping Leech (7) lbw, before skittling the last four men to bowl them all out for just 45 and finish with season-best figures of 8-30.

The following day Stand were 113-3 at home to Roe Green when the match was abandoned due to rain.

Weththasinghe hit a quickfire 39 before being caught behind and Chadwick finished unbeaten on 34.

On Saturday the first team travel to Cheetham Hill on Saturday, with the seconds at home.

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