Fine win for spirited Beccles A

Beccles A 231-8 (23pts) beat Cromer A 230-6dec (9) by two wickets in Norfolk Alliance Division Five.

Asked to bowl first on a good looking pitch the Beccles bowlers responded in just the fashion skipper Clarke was looking for after being taken apart the previous week.

Fisher and Harber bowled tight lines and Fisher took two early wickets before the score had reached 20. South African Lithins started to build his score. Aldridge replaced Fisher and bowled his best spell of the season and the match was delicately poised at 57-3 after 16.

Cromer first team player Battrick, with Lithins, added 130 in the next 17 overs. Clarke asked Terence Hunter and Tony Wright to take the pace of the ball and only 28 runs came from the next eight overs.

With Lithins out for 110 the score was 230-6 with three overs to go when Cromer surprisingly declared.

Puxley was out before reaching double figures again, Clarke had the scoreboard moving but Barber and Thorpe were out in the 12th over at 53. Clarke (38), T Wright (14) and G Wright (7) were out before the 20th at 90-6.

New player Andree Harber began positively and with Hunter (eight) took the score to 130 after 30 overs. Harber found a new ally in Aldridge. They batted beautifully with glorious ground shots and quick singles. In the 42nd over they had taken the score to 183 when Aldridge was out for 21.

Alex Wright, aged 14, and Harber took on the challenge of 47 runs off the final six overs. The Cromer fielders were now quiet, realising what a mistake their captain had made with the declaration and could only watch as Harber and Wright started to smash the ball out of the ground.

Both batsmen looked full of confidence and they reached the target with four balls to spare, Harber finishing unbeaten on 69 and Wright on 22. A fantastic win for Beccles, galvanised by an excellent team spirit throughout the game.

Bob Knights Family Butchers MoM: Andree Harber.