SNAPE LIFTS LITTLEWICK
Fine knocks by Mike Snape and Mark Hassall helped Littlewick Green beat Wooburn Narkovians in the Julian Cup on Tuesday. Littlewick were beginning to falter at 44-3 after being asked to bat first at Wooburn, but all-rounders Snape and Hassall put their side in control, sharing in a stand of 49 in good time.
The Berkshire League Premier Division side finally made a testing 144-5 off their allotted 24 overs, and Wooburn always struggled to keep up with the run rate. Wooburn skipper Stuart Savage kept his side in with a chance with a hard-hit 46, but when he had to retire under the Julian Cup rules after batting for 12 overs, the Narks needed 24 off two overs, and this proved too much as they ended 12 short on 132-9.
Tim Latham was largely responsible for this. Not always a front line bowler, the off-spinner opened from one end and took 3-28 from his eight overs. It was an excellent effort and again confirmed how successful a tactic opening with a spinner can be in the competition.
Latham had also opened the batting, and gave Littlewick a bright start. He hit some cracking boundaries in his 27, and at 40-1 after nine overs the Green were well placed. However, Phil Day found a good length, and with Ian Cuthbert picking up a couple of wickets, the visitors were reduced to 44-3. Hassall and Snape did the rebuilding work, and gradually increased the tempo with some splendid straight hitting.
After Hassall was out for 28, Snape took over the scoring mantle, despite suffering the recurrence of a severe groin strain, which forced him to use a runner, and prevented him from captaining the side in the field. Snape signed off with a big six before he had to retire on 33, and Adrian Hurley (15*) and Richard Thrift (11*) kept up the momentum as Littlewick took 67 from the last seven overs to make 144-5.
Facing a target of virtually a run a ball, Wooburn started steadily. Paul Cooper (12), Ian Cuthbert (19) and Dave Smith (10) took them to 37-1, but then there was a sudden collapse as Littlewick produced some fine work in the field. Hassall scored a direct hit to run out Cuthbert, and then pouched a full-blooded hook shot to dismiss Smith. However, the start fielder was Mike Elsam, who took a remarkable one-handed catch running backwards to dismiss Cooper, as well as two more smart catches in the deep, to leave Wooburn in trouble at 65-6.
Savage then played a captain\s innings, and he was given good support by Karl Turner and Day (17). Needing 88 off the last eight overs, Wooburn did well to keep going, with Savage hitting some fine shots. However, when he had to retire at the end of the 22nd over, his side\s hopes faded. Chris Symonds bowled the penultimate over, running out Matt Curtis in the process, and 19 off the last over from Hassall was always in the miracle category.
By an interesting coincidence, the bowling figures for both sides were almost identical in terms of runs conceded, and in fact the 12 run winning margin was accounted for in the difference between the extras. The Green now take on Marlow, beaten finalists for the last two seasons, in the third round on Tuesday.
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