This was Nocton’s fourth game of the season but the first home game. Our pitch is notoriously boggy and we asked the league if we could delay home games until mid-May – thankfully they agreed. We lost the first game to Old Lincolnians but went on to beat Owmby and North Scarle in some style. Last season the new captain Dylan Garfoot skippered the team really well, winning promotion on the way, but his own form with the bat was a bit mixed. Not so this year. He is already top of the batting rankings in all divisions with over 320 runs in just 4 games with scores of 54, 77, 87 and 106.
Last Sunday we hosted close rivals Billingborough and batted first. Dylan and David Franklin opened the batting again hoping to emulate the previous week’s opening partnership of 126. Billingborough could find no way past David’s stubborn defence or Dylan’s fearsome hitting power but eventually the partnership was broken on 98 when David was caught. Mikey Atkinson came in next and he, too, has been getting among the runs this season. He and Dylan put on 54 for the second wicket until Dylan reached his century and then fell for 106. Mikey’s steady, stylish 29 kept the innings together until, when the 40 overs were completed, Nocton were 203 for 6.
This always looked like a match-winning total on our unpredictable wicket. Billingborough made steady progress towards the target but kept losing wickets at steady intervals until they were all out for 174 leaving Nocton comfortable winners by 29 runs. All the bowlers made a contribution and Mikey Atkinson continued with his tight, economical bowling surrendering just 15 runs in his 10 overs.
[Report and images courtesy of Jonathan Sides]
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Plate 1 - Dylan cuts another boundary – no need
for the fielders to chase this
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| Plate 2 - David Franklin on the attack |
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| Plate 3 - Mikey Atkinson pushes the ball through the covers |
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Plate 4 - This was a massive 6 from Dylan. It was
in the air for several seconds, cleared the boundary
(and the sheep), bounced off the shipping container roof
and went into the far field. The game stopped for several
minutes while Billingborough players were looking for the ball
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Plate 5 - Dylan, a left hander, tried a reverse swipe
and fooled all the fielders
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Plate 6 - The skipper acknowledges his
team mates’ appreciation of his 100
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Plate 7 - Mikey Atkinson “taking aim”
as he approached his delivery stride
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| Plate 8 - Dylan takes the first wicket, clean bowled |
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| Plate 9 - Mikey claims his first wicket of the innings |
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