Thrilling Spalding Town clash abandoned at the death

ALL-ROUNDER: Charlie Kearns did well with bat and ball on Saturday.

Spalding Town’s final home game of the Lincs ECB Premier League season against Louth was abandoned due to bad light on Saturday.

It was a tame end to an otherwise riveting clash at the Memorial Field, with Town needing just one more wicket to prevail and Louth requiring just 17 runs for victory.

Having lost the toss, Spalding were put into bat and made 182 in their 49 overs. Thivanka Rajaratne made 50 for the hosts, while Nuwan Jayasena added 40, opener Warren Nel chipped in with 23 and Charlie Kearns cracked 20.

Andy Carrington (4-61) and Amila Wettasinghe (3-44) were Louth’s star pair with the ball, while Arran Brindle (2-30) and Tom Corden (1-45) also took wickets.

Louth’s reply was slow and steady, with England ladies’ international Brindle the mainstay with a methodical 55. Graham West (32) also made a handy knock, but Henry Charlton (3-23), Kearns (2-34), Nuwan Jayasena (2-57) and Rajaratne (2-51) steadily chipped away with wickets.

But, with just numbers ten and 11 to dismiss at the death, Louth walked off with the light deteriorating – denying Town the win they felt was on the cards.

Lincs ECB Premier League results: Market Deeping 178-8, Bourne 180-5 (Louth 72); Grimsby 173 (Bandara 5-68), Woodhall Spa 177-3 (Bandara 63); Billingborough 145, Lindum 149-4 (Bansal 50); Sleaford 193 (McIntosh 81), Bracebridge Heath 130 (Smith 6-26); Market Rasen 152, Skegness 154-4 (Houghton 88no); Spalding 182 (Rajaratne 50), Louth 166-9 (Brindle 55) – match abandoned, bad light.

South Lincs & Border League: Premier Division: Belton Park 155, Bourne 2^nd 84; Skegness 2^nd 111, Woodhall Spa 2^nd 112-6; Welby 138 (Baxter 5-31), Boston 141-3 (Croom 55); Stamford Town 153 (A Birch 67), Moulton Harrox 139; Grantham 212-9 (Mudie 50, Fell 99), Lindum Ramblers 151 (Peters 5-13); Long Sutton 79, Sleaford 2^nd 80-7.

Division One: Baston 146 (Moeed 5-8), Boston 2^nd 147-8; Friskney 48 (Lowndes 6-19), Market Deeping 2^nd 51-2; Woodlands 260-5 (Satari 59, Narayunan 73, Azeer 81no), Long Sutton 2^nd 134; Billingborough 2^nd 186-8, Spalding 2^nd 155; Grantham 2^nd 141 (Bates 52), Cavaliers 142-8; Market Deeping 2^nd 249-9dec (McDougall 74), Boston 29 (Brown 5-7) (Sunday).

Division Two: Grantham 3^rd 163 (Donnellan 74), Burgh & District 127; Lindum 3^rd 259-3 dec (Bauer 116no), Spalding 3^rd 125-9; Freiston 109, Timberland 58; Belton Park 2^nd 107, Pinchbeck 84 (A Sheardown 5-28).