Smit impresses
THE term form is temporary but class in permanent was never better illustrated than by our professional Daryn Smit who played an innings described by an aged Walsden regular as the second best he had ever seen on the Scott Street ground.
Walsden are a very strong side who play the game very hard and are not frightened of having a chirp at the opposition.
Our young openers were subject to a lot of unnecessary barracking and by the time Kieren
Grimshaw and Nick Round were out with the score standing at 36 for 3 it looked like our miserable run of form was about to continue.
However Brad Fielding and Smit then decided that the best form of defence was attack and in a matter of four overs they took the score to 84 with belligerent batting that had the effect of silencing the opposition.
Sadly on that score Brad holed out on the boundary for 28, most of which had come in boundaries.
We then had an all too familiar middle order collapse which left us reeling on 113 for 7. With Smit seeing the ball like a football we needed somebody just to stay with him.
Dan Pyke proved that man and we were treated to a spectacular display from our paid man hitting the ball all over the ground and reaching a magnificent 111 consisting or 16 fours and 5 sixes before falling with the score on 198.
Having seen some great knocks from Smit I would put this right up there as one of the best because it was not one of his typical innings, explained by the fact he only faced 63 balls. Our tail could only then take our total to 211.
On an excellent wicket on a small ground this was a score that the home side would normally eat for breakfast. However, the Rammy boys went out and showed some real resolve. A great opening spell from Clarke and Pyke was unlucky to only result in one wicket thanks to a sharp bit of work by Harry Caton.
Grimshaw was brought on to replace Pyke and had the agony of taking a wicket off a no ball; to make matters worse he then saw there free hit dispatched for 6. Still he did get the second wicket to fall before being replaced by Smit.
In the meantime Clarkey was rested after a magnificent 10 over spell that could have easy fetched him more than the one wicket. He was replaced by Chris Round who would bowl in tandem with our pro.
This was like throwing Daniel into the lions den but the young man showed admirable courage and together with Smit, and backed up by the rest of the other lads in the field they made the opposition really fight for every run. Wickets fell at regular intervals with a brilliant caught and bowled by Smit and a spectacular boundary catch by Josh Dentith to dismiss the Walsden pro being the highlights.
When Smit took the wicket of Joe Gale with the score on 170 we looked like we could pull off a shock win. But such is the strength of Walsden’s batting line up that, with Elliot Gilford coming in a number 9, they are never beaten and from needing 10 an over for the last 4 overs they were able to reach the target thanks to his rapid 27 not out off 15 balls.
The effort that the Rammy lads out in the field was by far and away the best they have shown this season. Although we are in a precarious position in the league if we perform to that level and show more application in support for each other with the bat, we will cause a lot of problems for other opposing teams for the rest of the season.
Amateur Man of Match went to Chris Round but all of our bowlers can take a lot of credit. ● Brad Fielding helped Ramsbottom recover after a tricky start against Walsden