Lancashire League: Storm clouds gather as Lee's men crash (9 June 1997)

9 June 1997

Storm clouds gather as Lee's men crash

Lancashire Evening Telegraph

¥ Enfield 114-9, Ramsbottom 118-4

Brian Doogan reports

AS dark clouds hovered, Shane Lee echoed the accompanying thunder.

Everyone in the Enfield dressing room lowered their heads and held their breath.

They knew their performance had fallen short of required standards.

"We had a stern chat about it, yeah," confirmed Lee after Enfield posted a total of 114-9 which Ramsbottom comfortably surpassed in the 31st over.

"Everyone has got to look at their own game.

"It might be a bit egotistical to say it, but if I don't get in the runs we don't seem able to make a good enough score.

"And for a side that is used to having a bowling pro for the last several seasons, that is simply not good enough.

"There seems to be a lot of talk out there but it's pointless if no-one is doing their job.

"Before the game we do a session where everyone has to throw the ball in quick and the best gets a quid.

"I think we may have to up that to a fiver!"

Enfield's fielding did indeed let them down and the concession of 27 extras considerably eased Ramsbottom's task.

"It definitely took the pressure of us," agreed Ramsbottom professional Chris Harris.

But it was with the bat that Enfield surrendered the game. Only two players made it to 20, and with Lee falling to Harris and the quick-thinking of wicketkeeper Richard Hevingham, the home side's fate was sealed.

Instrumental in Enfield's misery was Nick Riley whose four wickets arrived in a deadly eight-over spell, eliminating Mark Whelan, Warren Eastham, Tafiq Khan and Neil Holmes in rapid succession.

Mick Devenney was brilliantly caught at long on by Gary Dyson who ran 15 yards to his right to clasp the ball.

Two overs were lost to rain but the match was lost as soon as Enfield went for tea.

The sole hiccup for the visitors was the loss of Harris for a paltry four, bowled by a Lee in-swinger to give the Australian revenge of sorts for his own dismissal.

A captain's innings by Ian Bell, who dispatched six fours, did much to eat away at the target.

But Enfield made it easy, dropping catches, fielding sloppily and failing to exert even the slightest hint of pressure.

"When you're defending 114, every mistake is exacerbated," said Harris.

"The pressure is very much on the fielding side.

"We did the job we had to do. "If the professional is going to go out cheaply, it's better doing it in a game like this where the total is not substantial.

"I'd have been a lot more concerned if we needed two hundred odd.

"The win leaves us well in contention, we're well in touch and the mood is confident."

That is definitely not matched at Dill Hall Lane.

"I'll be asking everyone down at training on Tuesday night to define their role," added Lee.

"Everyone has to know what's expected of them."

While Ramsbottom maintain a stern challenge for the Lancashire League title, the task for Enfield is to put stern words into practice.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)