20/05/2026
On a windy — but thankfully sunny — evening, Isel made their first home appearance of the season at Costa Del Baggrow against a very handy Rockcliffe side.
After winning the toss, skipper Matt Eden made what proved to be a very smart decision to bat first. Conditions were far from easy, with the thick outfield holding the ball up and making quick singles more wishful thinking than reality.
Despite a positive start, wickets began to fall as Isel looked to keep the scoreboard moving. A Coe upped the ante working hard running a few twos to build momentum before eventually falling, while K Potts managed to bat with a freedom that both sides struggled to find. Late contributions from the Harper brothers helped push the total on to 60 and give Isel something to defend on a slow scoring pitch.
In reply, Rockcliffe found scoring difficult early on thanks to some excellent spells from R Harper and M Hodgson, with an early wicket setting the tone. Tight bowling through the middle overs by Eden and Potts combined with some sharp fielding kept the pressure on throughout, including a brilliant catch from A Harper off the skippers bowling. Behind the stumps, T Potts was outstanding, letting very little past him and helping keep things tight right until the end.
The game went right down to the wire, but unfortunately Rockcliffe managed to reach the target with just one ball remaining.
MOTM this week was Kyle Potts (with Alistair Coe running him close!) for an all round performance including runs and a very important top order wicket. We forgot to take his picture though so he doesn't get a fancy poster like Joe last week 🤣
A tough result to take, but another match full of positives, effort and plenty of signs that things are coming together nicely. Onto next week… where, knowing village cricket, absolutely anything could happen. 🏏☀️💨
