Northcliffe ruin Pemberton’s day with shock win away from home

With Pemberton having a lot to play for and Northcliffe trying to keep finals hopes alive, it would be the away team who would ruin a big day for Pemberton Cricket Club.

In evergreen Brendan Peet’s 250th game for the club, Northcliffe won the toss and chose to bowl, hoping the conditions would provide a bit of movement with the new ball.

Northcliffe got off to a hot start, thanks to Dan Bayman (3-23) who struck twice early, the second being the big wicket of Gary Mills (0), with Bayman taking a sharp return catch low down off his own bowling.

Ashley Gunning (4-25) continued Bayman’s good work with his first wicket for the club in his first game.

At 3-14 Pemberton needed to consolidate, and milestone man Peet (12) provided some of that.

He hung around with Peter Bamess (76) to take the score to 52 before he was bowled by Peter Smith (1-36).

Bamess was batting sensibly, playing each ball on its merits and putting them away when they were in his zone.

Unfortunately, he just couldn’t find any long-term batting partners to stick with him.

He was bowled by Gunning with the score on 125 in the 37th over, and Northcliffe were able to restrict the home side to 9-150.

Bayman and Gunning were the main wicket takers, with seven between them, but the bowling unit as a whole worked together well, with everyone having a good economy rate.

Northcliffe’s chase got off to a solid start, with openers Wayne Smeathers (16) and Jason Treasure (35) putting on 49, going at just over the required run rate.

But when Peet had Smeathers nicking behind to Bamess, one wicket led to three. Peet followed up with the wickets of Treasure and Dean Mcgregor (14) to have Pemberton back in the game with Northcliffe at 3-79.

Tobyn Fitch-Rabbitt (52 not out) and Bayman (47) came together and batted with maturity, working the ball into gaps and keeping the scoreboard ticking over enough to stay with the rate.

Good bowling from Pemberton meant the game never got away from them, but the longer the Northcliffe partnership went on, the more comfortable the batters looked.

Bayman fell just short of a well-deserved half century, bowled by part-timer Nick Geuer (1-20).

But by that time Northcliffe had passed Pemberton’s total and Fitch-Rabbitt was able to open his arms and play with much more freedom, getting his maiden half century for the club and batting with the form he had shown in the nets.

Northcliffe finished their innings on 4-186, taking a bit of joy out of Pemberton’s celebration for the impressive milestone of Peet.