2nds pass stiffest test of the season so far

This top-of-the-table clash looked to be our toughest match of the season, and so it proved. Locksbottom won the toss and elected to bat on a good-looking wicket, tinged slightly green by recent rain. The decision looked to be a good one as their openers posted 50 in 15 overs without too many scares despite sustained accurate bowling by Dru and Max. Neither claimed a wicket in their opening 6-over spells but did an excellent job building pressure on the batting side. This pressure bore fruit for the change bowlers as Locksbottom slumped from 92 for 1 to 95 for 5.

Jason Goulding in his first game back from university made the breakthrough with a short delivery which was thumped to extra cover where Lucas hung on brilliantly to a screamer. Keith Hall then took two in two, the first thanks to another brilliant catch from the other Evans boy, Max, before brother John took another two in a tight 7-over spell. 95 for 5 after 25 overs represented a great effort and commendable patience by the fielding side against Locksbottom's strong, hard-hitting early batsmen. The outfield had been slowed slightly by the recent rain and this allowed our lightening-quick youngsters to chase and intercept numerous shots which would have sped across the boundary on another day. Outwood maintained the pressure to the last with the returning Max and Dru only allowing 14 off the last 6 overs.

Locksbottom were not going to go down without a fight and Outwood were restricted to just 30 of the first 13 overs. The key was not to lose early wickets and James Malley and Keith Hall resisted stubbornly against a hostile attack. Runs were hard to come by due to the accurate bowling and a wicket that although true, had been slowed considerably by recent rain. After James departed for an invaluable 27, several batsmen got starts without kicking on and wickets fell at regular intervals. Keith showed his experience and patience throughout to hold the side together with a match-winning unbeaten 53 while Dru finished the game with a flourish to bring a hard-earned victory with 4 wickets and 9 balls to spare.

This could well prove to be a pivotal victory in our quest for promotion although the return match in August promises to be another hard-fought affair.