Narrow defeat for Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth went down to a narrow three-wickets defeat on Saturday after a spirited comeback by old rivals Shipdham in Norfolk League Division One.

Nicholls (33) was the first to break the shackles and a flurry of boundaries saw the run rate increase markedly. The 50 mark was passed in the 16th over. Derry and Sole (48) rattled up a rapid half-century partnership.

Yarmouth were well placed at 117-2 with 15 overs remaining but Shipdham brought the Yarmouth run rate under control. Big shots unerringly found fielders and with all catches being well taken wickets began to tumble. Read took four top order wickets. Yarmouth limped to 181-7.

Yarmouth took to the field confident they had the bowling to defend the total.

Shipdham opener Hammond hit some fine boundaries. Ellis and Ruddick produced some fine deliveries but failed to find the edge and Shipdham raced away.

Taking a leaf from their hosts' book Yarmouth introduced their own swing bowlers which paid immediate dividends.

Cockrill (3-23) forced the breakthrough in his first over when Hammond (40) chipped one up to mid off. Shipdham stood at 104-3 with 16 overs remaining.

Shipdham captain Stagles was the key wicket and he had survived a chance to make his half-century. Yarmouth still needed six wickets and the home side needed 46 runs but crucially their experienced batsmen were all back in the hutch and Yarmouth were into what appeared to be a long tail.

Pyman (44) took the game away with some adventurous hitting that just evaded fielders. Dalton and Smith saw their side home, Smith smashing a six with the scores level.

Burton Arms Man of the Match: Mark Cockrill with three wickets and a well taken catch.

Great Yarmouth A at Beaconsfield took on a very youthful Ashmanhaugh A.

The hosts lost the toss, were invited to bat. Regular opener Nick Hodds was joined by the young Max Evans who was trying his hand at opening the batting in a league game for the first time. He soon departed for five, bowled by a good ball with the score on 18.

Graham Doggett (5) went in the same fashion with the score on 38.

Captain Craig Thompson and Hodds set rebuilding the innings. Hodds was by far the more dominant. However, with the score on 72 off 18 overs he fell to the swing bowling of Trimmer.

The two Thompson brothers came together and after a nervous start to his first innings of the season younger brother Mark soon found his stride and hit two sizes and six fours before chipping tamely to cover just one short of his half-century with the score on 174, a partnership of 102 off just 18 overs.

With nine overs still remaining and six wickets in hand Yarmouth were eyeing a huge total but just two overs later the captain also departed for 47 with the score on 184. However, a fine cameo from Mark Carrier (28) saw the hosts post a total of 226 despite losing four wickets in the last three overs.

The Ashmanhaugh reply got off to a bad start with Jack Noakes (8-2-24-1) clean bowling Blackburn (2) in only the third over and just a few overs later when his opening partner Everett went in similar fashion to the pace of Vickers.

Neil Harvey (12-5-15-1) put another nail in the Ashmanhaugh coffin when he took the wicket of Sanders after replacing Noakes and was unlucky not to add to his tally throughout a fine spell of 12 overs which conceded just 15 runs.

Vickers removed Knight and the Yarmouth players could sense their first victory of the season, however, the Ashmanhaugh batsmen saw a fine stand between Davies (35) and Smith (34 not out).

The game swung dramatically back towards Great Yarmouth, and with Dack bowling a very tight line and length also taking advantage of the turning Beaconsfield wicket, the match was wrapped up in the next few overs. Dack ending with figures of 4-22 and Vickers returning to take one more to obtain figures of 3-18.

Ashmanhaugh ended 125 all out and a fine performance by Great Yarmouth ended with a win by 101 runs.

Burton Arms MoM: Nick Hodds.