Shildon suffered a six wicket defeat against Stokesley 2nd XI after a difficult afternoon with the bat saw the hosts dismissed for 110.
After losing the toss and being asked to bat, Shildon made a reasonable start with captain Greg Upton, who top scored with 29 from 26 balls, striking five fours and a six. However, wickets fell regularly around him, with Loyd Horner making 6 and Bret Upton departing without scoring.
From 38/2, Shildon quickly slipped to 43/5 as Aayush Lekhwani, Upton and Thomas Wickins were removed in quick succession, leaving the home side with plenty of rebuilding to do. Farhan Ali provided some resistance with 17 from 25 balls before Adam Bayles and Phillip Garbutt helped drag the total towards three figures. Bayles showed patience to finish unbeaten on 15 from 48 balls, while Garbutt contributed 14, including three boundaries. Shildon were eventually bowled out for 110 in 44.2 overs.
Defending a modest total, Shildon needed early wickets and Farhan Ali gave them some hope with two wickets during his four over spell. Jawad Shirzad also picked up a wicket, but Stokesley were able to keep comfortably ahead of the required rate. Ali finished with 2/36 but Stokesley ultimately reached 116/4 from 18.3 overs, completing a six wicket victory.
It was a disappointing result for Shildon, with the damage largely done during the batting innings. They head into a double next weekend needing to win both games to have a chance of promotion. They face Darlington at home on Saturday, before travelling to Middlesbrough for a rearranged fixture on bank holiday Monday.
The 2nd XI also endured a difficult afternoon away at Middleton St George, falling to a 138-run defeat after the hosts posted an imposing 220/7 from their 40 overs.
Middleton won the toss and elected to bat, with Shildon finding wickets difficult to come by despite some disciplined spells. Darren Waites was the standout with the ball, returning an excellent 3/23 from eight overs, including a maiden. Kate Ibbertson also picked up two wickets for 34, while Vinnie McCormick and Finley Abbott claimed a wicket apiece. Andrew Clegg produced the most economical spell of the innings, conceding just 31 from his 10 overs, including two maidens. The hosts were nevertheless able to build a substantial total as they closed on 220/7.
Shildon’s reply never really gathered momentum, with early wickets immediately putting the visitors under pressure. Nathan Lawson made 4 before Rob Marquiss fell without scoring, while captain Andrew Clegg offered some resistance with 14 from 20 balls.
Wickets then continued to fall regularly. Ben Moseby made 9 and Matty Franklin 6, before Darren Waites battled for 11 from 32 balls. At 63/8, Finley Abbott provided Shildon’s strongest resistance, carrying his bat through the latter stages to finish 19 not out from 36 balls. However, there was too much left to do and Shildon were eventually dismissed for 82 in 26.3 overs.
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
