Stung by the Nettles

Skegness CC are still looking for their first win of the season after suffering a five-wicket defeat at Lincs ECB new boys Nettleham.
Skegness Cricket Club pictured at Mulsanne Park, Nettleham, where they suffered a five-wicket defeat against the ECB League newcomers. From the left, back row: Linda Cuthbert (scorer); Mark Chamberlain, Jamie Epton, Alistair Ainsworth, Ray Jordan, Pradeep Chanditha. Front row: Dylan Labuschagne, Cole Nelson, Tom Cuthbert, Sean Chamberlain, Richie Hewitt, Umar Farooq.Skegness Cricket Club pictured at Mulsanne Park, Nettleham, where they suffered a five-wicket defeat against the ECB League newcomers. From the left, back row: Linda Cuthbert (scorer); Mark Chamberlain, Jamie Epton, Alistair Ainsworth, Ray Jordan, Pradeep Chanditha. Front row: Dylan Labuschagne, Cole Nelson, Tom Cuthbert, Sean Chamberlain, Richie Hewitt, Umar Farooq.
Skegness Cricket Club pictured at Mulsanne Park, Nettleham, where they suffered a five-wicket defeat against the ECB League newcomers. From the left, back row: Linda Cuthbert (scorer); Mark Chamberlain, Jamie Epton, Alistair Ainsworth, Ray Jordan, Pradeep Chanditha. Front row: Dylan Labuschagne, Cole Nelson, Tom Cuthbert, Sean Chamberlain, Richie Hewitt, Umar Farooq.

The seasiders got off to a solid start with openers Alistair Ainsworth and Pradeep Chanditha putting on 59 for the first wicket, but they failed to build on this and finished well short of their desired total.

Indeed 186 proved to be about 20 runs short against a side who had been outplayed in their previous game.

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After surviving all that the Nettles’ quickies of South African Rhett Bridgens and Danny Lea could muster, Chanditha was bowled by the spin of Adi Sreedharan in the bowler’s first over. Ainsworth followed shortly after, again at the hands of Sreedharan, having scored an identical 31.

Jamie Epton put up little resistance and was bowled by James White before skipper Sean Chamberlain and South African Dylan Labuschagne steadied the ship.

The pair put on 47 for the fourth wicket before Labuschagne presented Sreedharan with his third wicket, via a Matt Smith catch.

Chamberlain and Tom Cuthbert have a history of building partnerships, but James Pickering put paid to that by bowling the Skegness skipper with his first ball.

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Umar Farooq lasted just two balls before the return of Bridgens trapped him lbw, so it was left to Richie Hewitt and West Indian Ray Jordan to carry the baton.

They put on 39 before Jordan was caught behind off Bridgens, for a top score of 41.

Mark Chamberlain had his stumps disturbed by Bridgens with the next ball, but Cole Nelson survived the hat-trick delivery.

The Skegness joy was short-lived as Bridgens removed Nelson’s stumps to make it three wickets from four balls in the 49th.

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Hewitt was left stranded on seven not out, gifting Nettleham an extra over in which to reach their goal of 187.

So attention turned to Jordan, who had earlier finished top scorer for the visitors, despite only having been in the country for four days.

He was known as a bit of a quickie, having represented the West Indies national under 19s squad. He peppered the Nettleham openers Phil Brown and Dave Manby with little success, while at the other end Chanditha trapped Manby lbw.

Smith and Brown took the brunt of Jordan’s attack as they progressed to 73 before Brown was yorked by Mark Chamberlain’s first ball.

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The seasiders were ecstatic, but Smith was joined by Nettleham skipper Jack Curtis, who played the lead role in the partnership of 87.

Smith became Jordan’s first ECB victim, but by then the score had reached 160.

Bridgens joined his skipper and they were looking comfortable until he smacked a sharp caught and bowled chance to Farooq.

Curtis saw them to a position where the scores were level, when Scott Nicholson was dismissed lbw by Chanditha.

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It was left to Tom Dalton to score the winning runs with a powerfully hit boundary off Chanditha.

On Saturday Skegness hope to bounce back from defeat when they entertain Market Deeping at Richmond Drive, starting at noon.