Sport A top, top performance on their Premier debut
No one can predict where Goole Town Cricket Club's ambitions lie this season, but if you gave them a mid-table finish now in their first Premier Division campaign they would take it, writes Graeme Wilson.
However they could make no better start to life with the top dogs in the York Senior League than victory at Dunnington on Saturday by two wickets in a fine all-round performance.
Chasing a challenging first-day total of 168, they got home after a few wobbles, but with good contributions down the order from the experienced cricketers they have.
Dan Murphy reports on a great day
Skipper Neil Foster won the toss and put the hosts in to bat on a pitch that was always going to be tricky to play shots on after a damp pre-season.
Dunnington openers Hamid Khan and Paul Miles took advantage of the early-season rustiness of Will Sparks and Richard Mann, who learned the hard way that they will not get away with offering too much length or width as readily as they may have last year.
Any delivery even slightly over-pitched or misdirected was driven through mid-off or clipped through square leg by the Dunnington pair, who quickly took the score to 44 from the first nine overs.
The breakthrough came in the 10th, when Will Sparks finally found the edge of Miles' bat, and Anthony Gibbins took the easiest of catches behind the stumps.
The flow of runs was then stemmed by the introduction of Steve Hicks, who produced a magnificent display of line-and-length bowling, removing ex-West Indies Test batsman Collis King for just five, and the well-set Hamid Khan for 39.
Hicks' tight spell of 2-18 from eight overs saw the tide turn in Goole's favour, and with Dunnington reeling at 71-3, the scene was set for the the familiar spin duo of Dave England and returning overseas player Ashley Hulme to get stuck in to the middle and lower order.
They didn't have it all their own way, however, as Harwood Williams and Jack Bolam took the score to 101 before Williams offered England a sharp, low return catch which was taken acrobatically by the left-armer.
Rashif Mahmood and Gareth Miles fell cheaply to England and Hulme respectively to leave Dunnington in the mire again on 112-6, before Naurman and Bolam put on a rapid-fire 40, including 16 from Naurman off one Hulme over.
The Australian fittingly picked up his man for 31, and the tail disintegrated around Jack Bolam, who finished unbeaten on 40 out of his side's 168, Hulme completing figures of 4-42 and England backing him up well with 2-46.
With time on their hands, Hulme and Gibbins set about building a platform for strong Goole middle order to build on, putting on 38 before Gibbins was caught off the bowling of Oral Blackford for 18.
Blackford, the former Carlton Towers man, then removed Kevin Murphy for four, and finally found got the better of Hulme with one that cut back into him, removing his off bail.
When Lee Hayward was bowled trying to sweep Naurman, Goole were teetering on 95-4, and captain Neil Foster was joined at the crease by Mark Holmes. They took Goole to 128 before Mahmood was re-introduced for a second spell with immediate success, removing Foster for 33 and Dan Murphy for four in his first over back.
Holmes followed, bowled by Blackford after a brief but brutal 22, and when England was castled - again by Mahmood - Goole had lost four for nine in just four overs, and were beginning to sway like a punch-drunk heavyweight.
With 32 still needed for victory and just two wickets in hand, Hicks was joined at the crease by Richard Mann.
Hicks blasted a couple of typical boundaries straight down the ground and, not to be out-done, Mann crashed the shot of the day through the covers off Mahmood.
With just nine needed for victory, Hicks drilled another four off Mahmood and then ran a long single to expose Mann to the strike once again.
With just four needed for victory, Mahmood charged in once more. The ball was right in Mann's slot, and he clubbed the opening bowler over mid-wicket for six, sparking jubilant celebrations among the Goole camp, who could rightly be proud of such an impressive start to the campaign.
There were times when the match could have gone either way, but crucially Goole won all of the game's important phases, a knack they will do well to hang on to as the season progresses.
Steve Hicks was named the Goole Times Man of the Match for his oyutstanding spell of bowling which tilted the game Goole's way after a good start from the home side.
Published on 1st May 2008 in Sport.
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