KMCC win thriller with the help of the cricketing gods
A game which ebbed and flowed on a scorching August saturday between the leagues high fliers Newby Hall and relegation favourites KMCC eventually ended with the underdogs extending their unbeaten run to four games and kept alive their slender dreams of avoiding the drop. Kirkby won the toss and elected to bat and despite the openers being regularly tested by the excellent opening attack the decision was vindicated in a 97 run stand between C H-C who eventually succumbed to the off spinner on 36 and Cat posting his second consecutive 50. However with the score on 121-1 and a significant total in the offing the wheels fell off the Kirkby batting in the last 15 overs of their innings in familiar style for this season as the score subsided to 154-9 with one ball remaining. To the consternation of the Pickles / Kirk family in occupation at the crease a point was denied when an in swinger from Uffindall was adjudged to be hitting the leg stump in one of the few decisions to go against KMCC on the day. 154 all out at tea and another nil pointer in the offing?
In recent weeks however the Kirkby team seems to have regained its stomach for a dog fight and when Duncan struck twice early in Newbys response followed by two Goldie wickets and the most dubious of run outs Newby were struggling on 38-5. They are not in the upper regions of this division for no reason however and a fight back was on the cards when Kirk jnr bowling with the expertise of his father on this ground all those years ago made a vital breakthrough to maintain the upper hand for KMCC. Cat then showed his mettle with the ball of the day to dismiss the otherwise unruffled Uffindall and when he struck again one ball later (again to a lucky decision) the game seemed up at 68-8. However with two Aussies at the crease you can never say the game is up (just ask Nasser) and with Chris Lane taking on the role of Andy Bichel and pummelling the ball to all parts it seemed as if defeat would be wrested from the jaws of victory - . When the openers Duncan and Goldie were recalled with the score on 125-8 with umpteen overs to spare it was still anyones game. Duncan struck immediately and the pendulum swung once more and when Lane miscued a Goldie delivery into the ionosphere Cat found himself underneath it and with full responsibility to wrap the game up. The call of "Cat's, Goldie's, one of you" from an overexcited Wookie helped to clarify the position but the catch was claimed with ease and Kirkby had won against all the odds. The dream remains alive despite a win for Pateley elsewhere and for one night at least the Kirkby players could celebrate a famous victory.
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