Chapman sinks
ROCHDALE’S opening batsman Ben Chapman blasted a magnificent 140 at Redbrook on Saturday when his team beat local rivals Littleborough by a whopping 191 runs.
Dale posted 330 for 6 – a record in a home game, and then restricted Boro to 95 for 4 after their victory target had been reduced to 286 on account of a couple of interruptions by the rain.
And the added bonus for Dale was they were awarded the full five points, Boro having been docked three overs for a slow over rate.
But this game was all about Chapman. The burly all rounder, in his first season at Rochdale, had already impressed with his attacking stroke play, but in this game he was at his belligerent best.
He crashed the third ball he received from, Ryan Miskella, for four and from there on was untameable.
He drove, cut and pulled with equal ferocity, and shared century partnerships, first with fellow opener Jack Avery and then professional Henry Cooper. If Boro had had a white flag, they’d have waved it.
Chapman smote 18 fours and three sixes in his run a ball innings and just when he seemed certain to break the club’s amateur batting record (Peter Wilcock’s 156) he pulled MIskell hard, but not high enough to mid wicket, and Clinton Perren took the catch over his head. Rochdale J Avery c Hernon b Jones ............................. 47 B Chapman C Perren Miskella .................. 140 H Cooper st Hernon b Hussain .................. 43 K Aughey c Eadsforth b HUssain ................. 0 A Dawson not out ........................................... 36 D Faulkner b Miskella ..................................... 23 O Maken b Hussain ............................................ 3 M Harling not out ................................................ 5 Extras ........................................................................ 3 Total (for 6, 50 overs) .................................... 330 Bowling: Knight 9 1 48 0; Miskella 13 1 81 3; Kershaw 5 1 33 0; Jones 8 0 59 1; Bentley 5 0 42 0; HUssain 10 0 63 3. Littleborough C Perren not out ............................................... 57 G Nash c Aughey b Highton .......................... 8 R Miskella run out ............................................ 11 M Hernon c Aughey b Makin ......................... 9 H Hussain b Makin ............................................. 1 R Knight not out .................................................. 0 Exras .......................................................................... 9 Total ( for 4, 36 overs) ..................................... 95 Bowling: Bux 9 0 36 0; Highton 9 0 3 17 1; Makin 9 3 21 2; Harling 7 3 16 0; Cooper 2 0 3 0. Rochdale, 5 points beat Littleborough by 191 runs on revised run rate.
Mind you, Boro can point to the absence of their professional Ryan Burl in mitigation. Burl arrived with leg injury, but believing, mistakenly that he could run it off, he took the field only to retire from the game after two overs. How Littleborough missed the control his bowling would surely have exerted!
Ryan Knight, Littleborough’s Australian opening bowler appeared to possess a threat, troubling Avery with his pace at the start of the innings, but once he had been resisted, their attack was exposed.
After Chapman’s dismissal, he was third out on 259, the scoring rate fell somewhat until a late innings flourish, led by Andrew Dawson took the total past and beyond the 300 mark and out of Boro’s reach.
Littleborough’s reply, in stark contrast, was forgettable. With no chance of victory they settled on 36 overs of batting practice and the resultant torpor was reminiscent of the tiresome draws that limited overs cricket was supposed to eliminate.
Perren, often a thorn in Rochdale’s side, made a half century, but it was probably the least inspirational of his career and the game drifted into the sunset.