Spalding Town Cricket Club have reached finals day of the George Marshall T20 Cup after producing two wins from two in the south semi-final, putting their difficult Lincolnshire Premier League form to one side.
The club’s first success came against Grantham, who were dismissed for 65 inside 12 overs. Spalding’s attack took control late in the innings, with Grantham losing their final five wickets for only four runs.
Nilantha Atapattu was the leading wicket-taker with 4-19, while Walter Kinlock claimed 3-15. The target proved no challenge for Spalding, who completed a nine-wicket victory in fewer than six overs.
Kinlock finished unbeaten on 30 and opener Chris Dring made 23. The result gave Spalding an emphatic start to the semi-final round and set up a decisive round-robin match against Boston.
Vaseeharan leads a powerful batting display
Spalding’s second match brought another convincing win, although Boston made the brighter start with the ball. Dring set the tone for the visitors’ innings, scoring 50 from 31 deliveries. His half-century included two sixes and five fours.
Divyesh Vaseeharan then took the scoring on, making 61 from 34 balls. His innings contained four sixes and seven fours. Barnaby Dring added 41 from 24 deliveries, including 24 runs in boundaries.
The combined efforts left Spalding on 206 for four after their 20 overs. It was a substantial total, but Boston initially threatened to make the chase competitive. They raced to 73 without losing a wicket and then advanced to 97 for one before Spalding’s bowlers began to change the course of the match.
Kinlock finished with 2-17, Barnaby Dring took 2-19 and Vaseeharan claimed 2-40. Josh Lawrence, Jay White and William Clark also took a wicket each. Boston were eventually bowled out for 148 with one ball of the innings remaining, leaving Spalding with a 58-run victory.
Those two wins put Spalding at the top of the south semi-final mini-table. Grantham secured second place after beating Boston by 64 runs. Spalding had also beaten Ketton Sports and Bourne in the competition’s opening round.
The club’s next step is finals day, but the source report says the opposition had not yet been decided. No date or venue for the final is given in the supplied material.
Moulton fall three runs short
There was a dramatic finish elsewhere for Moulton Harrox Seconds, who came close to recording their first Division One South win since the opening day. They eventually lost to Castor & Ailsworth by three runs.
Castor & Ailsworth were a short-handed side, and Moulton captain Rob Callaby chose to field after winning the toss. The decision appeared to be working when Sam Frost produced a remarkable spell, taking four wickets for just one run in eight balls. His burst reduced the visitors from 94 for five to 100 for nine in the 31st over.
Shanaka Sumanapala had earlier added pressure with figures of 3-19. Moulton therefore appeared to have restricted Castor & Ailsworth to a manageable total, and their reply began positively when they reached 60 for two.
Jamie Juckes led the early progress with a run-a-ball 32. The match then turned when Stuart Dockerill claimed 7-19, sending Moulton into a collapse from 74 for eight. Callaby remained unbeaten on 11, but ran out of partners as Moulton were dismissed for 98.
That left them three runs short of victory, despite more than 20 overs still being available in the innings.
Second XI defeats for Spalding and Long Sutton
Spalding’s second XI also suffered defeat in Division Two South. Boston Seconds made 273 for seven, with Liam Brooks scoring 110 and Henry Riley making 66. Their second-wicket partnership produced 171 runs and established the platform for the home side’s total.
Phil Lewis was Spalding’s most successful bowler, taking 4-33 from six overs. The chase never developed, however, as Spalding were bowled out for 82.
Richard Riley top-scored with 21. Jack Sawyer made 13 and Dan Mulley scored 10, while extras contributed 16, making them the second-highest scorer in the Spalding innings.
Long Sutton Seconds were also beaten in Division Two South, losing to Newborough Seconds after being dismissed for 95 in reply to 223. Newborough’s innings was built around Joe Malton, who made 91 from 68 balls.
Callum John was the main threat with the ball for Sutton, taking 5-39 from 8.3 overs. Ali Drohan and Rob Simpson claimed two wickets apiece, but Newborough’s total proved beyond the visitors.
Sutton’s reply began with a 39-run opening stand. Rajan Sangha scored 33, while Paul Rushen contributed six. Uddyan Hansana added 23 during the middle part of the innings, but the chase then faltered.
Four Sutton batters were dismissed without scoring, and no other player passed eight. David Cope finished with 6-22 as Newborough completed the victory.
Cricket Week opens with a close win
Long Sutton Cricket Week began with a narrow three-run win against Boston on the Monday. The club followed that result on Tuesday with the first day of its cricket camps.
The same evening also featured the inaugural Big Sixes tournament. The supplied report records those opening activities but gives no further details about the camp programme, tournament participants or later Cricket Week fixtures.
