Joy of six for Town’s on-song under-13s

SIX OF THE BEST: Nobody is in better form than Spalding Town under-13s. They are pictured after their sixth win on the trot. Photo supplied

Red-hot Spalding Town under-13s continued their wonderful winning streak with an impressive win over Billingborough under-13s last Thursday night.

It’s now six Border County Cricket Association Lincs Under-13 East League wins on the trot for Town’s young guns, who remain top of the table.

Town won the toss and batted first, with regular openers Paddy Harrington and Jon Manton starting carefully against accurate Boro’ bowling.

However, run machine Harrington (14) was well caught driving to leave Spalding on 18-1 after four overs.

The home side kept up the pressure with Ellie Stanley bowling a maiden to leave Spalding on the same score after five.

Ed Lanning and Manton started to rebuild and took the score to 37 in the ninth over, before Lanning (8) was caught trying to hit one over the top.

Wicket-keeper Ethan Lawrence was next in and injected some urgency into the batting, hitting two boundaries in a quick-fire innings of 11 before he was out.

Matt Dowling then clubbed a boundary before being superbly caught and bowled by Sam Duncan and Town were struggling at 75/4 in the 14th over.

However, Manton eventually retired for a well-made 30, while Jack Patrick (15) and Tom Wide (4 not out) took the score to a competitive 106-5 when the overs ran out.

Billingborough began confidently with Cameron Castleugh and Ellie Stanley taking the score to 42 in the eighth over.

Spinner Tom Wide made the breakthrough taking a return catch off Stanley (7). Castleugh retired on 32, but the home side looked well placed on 71-1 after 14.

Needing 36 to win from six overs, Manton bowled home skipper Ollie Chessum for 12 during a wicket maiden which made the equation 36 off five.

Jack Patrick followed this up with a wicket in the next over, but the home side continued to find the boundary with ten runs coming from the 19th until Jack Sawyer claimed a wicket thanks to a catch by Harrington.

That left Boro’ with a target of 13 to win from the last over, but Matt Wilshire kept his nerve to bowl a rapid and accurate final over to help Town get over the line by a narrow margin of seven runs.