Miskella bounces back with five-for
LITTLEBOROUGH’S young side showed great fighting spirit in an action packed match against Stayley that contained a seven for, six ducks, a hat-trick, a teenager taking his debut first team five-for, an excellent half century and fine display of finger spinning.
At a sun drenched Hare Hill, Clinton Perren won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to bat. There were no signs of what was to come as the two openers manoevured the ball around with no trouble at all but before you knew it, Littleborough were 23-4 and all fell to the very impressive visiting pro Hamza Nadeem.
He accounted for Pye for 10 courtesy of a good catch behind, deputy pro Holt caught in the slips for 4, Miskella yorked for a duck second ball and Hernon bowled through the gate for nought too.
This brought Gary Nash to the wicket as he and his skipper set about repairing the early onslaught by Nadeem.
The pair looked in no trouble at all as they compiled an excellent 48-run partnership with good running and punishing anything loose but disaster struck when Perren quite rightly called Nash through for a quick single but Nash was slow to react and was run out by Skuse for 17 to leave the Boro at 72-5 but should take heart from a good knock.
Perren was looking very solid at the other end but then looked on in horror as the returning Nadeem claimed a hat-trick, all bowled, as he completely bamboozled messrs Wilman, Jones and Hussain.
This brought Bentley to the crease who in the end was to be the last wicket as Knight was deemed unfit to bat.
Perren was aware of the situation and he milked the strike as he passed 50 for the umpteenth time this season as Bentley showed good application and hung around with his skipper but Perren perished as he was caught in the covers off Roberts.
This young Littleborough side should be grateful to their skipper because without his 57 what happened in the second innings would have not been possible.
Miskella and Wilman opened the attack but Miskella was quite rightly hauled off after one over as skipper Perren realised he had no runs to play with as the Stayley openers looked in no trouble at all as they reached 17 without loss.
Miskella was replaced by the English born Burnley pro Charlie Holt who was deputising for the home side with Ryan Burl away on international duty.
He may have missed out with the bat but he turned in as good a display of left arm finger spin that this writer had witnessed for many a year.
He accounted for McClachan, bowled, and Roberts, caught at slip, in a display of great guile and control.
He was fantastically backed up by the equally impressive young left arm seamer Wilman who returned excellent figures of 2-13 off his age limited spell.
Boro were back in the game as they had the visitors 25-4. Skipper Perren then produced a match-winning decision when he showed faith in young Miskella, throwing him the ball to bowl at the school end.
He did not let his skipper and his team mates down as he turned in a display that he will never forget.
He immediately accounted for Patel lbw for 11 and the dangerous Skuse for 14 courtesy of a catch by Pye at backward point in the same over and now the game was there to be won as the visitors slumped to 45-6.
Holt continued to tie the batsman down and his bowling partner took full advantage.
He then bowled the visiting pro for 11 and claimed his fourth wicket as he bowled the father of one of his idol’s, castling Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford’s father, Robert.
He found himself on the verge of his first ever first five for, but he, his team mates and the crowd watched on in horror as Jones and Hussain dropped two extremely catches within three balls of each other.
The teenager did not let this dishearten him and he eventually got his fifth wicket courtesy of a sharp stumping chance by keeper Hernon.
He wrapped up the game when he bowled Wardle and finished with excellent figures of 6-30 off 7.10 overs as Stayley were 65 all out.
The youngster was indebted to his skipper for his excellent innings that gave him and his bowlers something to bowl at and also to Holt and Wilman who both bowled excellently to and finished with two wickets apiece.