Improving cricket side still to manage a win this season

EARL Shilton Cricket Club took on Market Harborough still looking for their first win of the season and hoping to continue the small improvement from last week.

Market Harborough won the toss and with an eye on the weather elected to field. Earl Shilton opened with Leo Cammish and Hass Ali and proceeded at a good rate against the bowling of Kevin Innes and Josh Bott but Hass fell with the score at 33, caught by Harborough skipper Joe Gordon for 15.

Cammish was joined by Liam Phillips and the pair continued at a good rate, perhaps the most memorable part was Leo hitting the top bowler Innes for 4,6 and the fact that we used all 50 overs, four in consecutive balls.

However Phillip[s was caught behind off a bottom edge with the score at 98. Shajeel Butt who had joined Leo was caught for 11 but this brought in Josh Payne and he and Cammish took the score to 158 before Cammish was LBW for another fine innings, this time of 56.

Bott had now found his form and although he lost James Lester for nine he was accompanied by skipper Kyle Chamberlain and the pair took the score to 234.

Darpan Triboan joined Bott and he managed to let Bott have the majority of the strike in the final overs such that Bott finished on a fine 74 not out with Darpan on two not out leaving a final total of 248.

We would normally say that this is a bit below par at Earl Shilton but in view of some of the collapses that we have seen this year probably represents a continued improvement from last week.

Market Harborough opened their reply with Sam Williams and Fin Clarke and lost Clarke for 0 in the first over, bowled by Kyle Chamberlain. An encouraging start.

However the next wicket did not fall until the score had reached 94 when Leonard was bowled by Josh Stock for 47. The same bowler soon had Williams caught by Darpan Triboan for 49 but Kevin Innes, who had come in on the fall of the second wicket was joined by ex Shilton player, Zain Mir, and together the pair reached the required total in the 48th over with Innes on 67 not out and Mir on 63 not out.

This was a better performance on the batting front and another encouraging bowling performance from Stock. The club hope to have a new bowler available for next week for the visit to Leicester Ivanhoe.

Elsewhere, Earl Shilton Seconds travelled to Bardon and got back to winning ways with a fine win at the Coalville side.

Batting first, Earl Shilton scored 193 for eight wickets before bowling out Bardon for 126.

This win due in no small part to the very welcome return of Phil Crouch who not only scored 40 not out adding 65 for the seventh wicket with Zak Potter, run out on 31, but Phil then went on to take six wickets for 25 runs off his 12 overs. A fine all-round performance.