Lovelace leads the way in Woodhall win
WOODHALL Spa, sponsored by Sills and Betteridge, returned to winning ways in fine style with a comprehensive victory over Louth on Saturday.
The margin was a massive 177 runs and a maximum 20 points moved Woodhall to within two points of fourth placed Sleaford.
Woodhall’s marvellous score of 288-8 was based around outstanding batting from Ricky Lovelace, Sam Evison and Jack Hughes.
Louth, though, paid the price for some indifferent bowling while they dropped Lovelace and Evison early in their innings.
Skipper Jack Luffman went with the score on 39, well caught in the covers, but a second wicket partnership of 115 between Lovelace and Evison set a solid foundation.
Lovelace dominated the partnership and he dealt viciously with any bad deliveries. He reached his fifty off 74 balls and scored the next 40 off just 28.
He eventually fell to a catch on the cover boundary for an entertaining 90 which included 14 boundaries.
His departure allowed Evison to take control and he did not disappoint as he reached a well managed half century.
The run rate continued to be up tempo as Dan Hegarty and Dan Milgate played positively in good partnerships with Evison.
In the final stages of the innings, three Woodhall batsmen fell to lbw decisions, giving Louth captain Andy Carrington an unlikely hat-trick.
Evison was the first of the three but his 62 had pushed the team total to 250 and a fantastic exhibition of stroke play and innovative hitting from wicket-keeper Jack Hughes kept the runs flowing as he made 47 not out off just 29 balls received.
Louth’s reply never got going and the biggest partnership was 27 for the sixth wicket. Woodhall’s bowling attack lacked Connor Parsons due to a work commitments and Matthew Sargeant and Luke Smith who were both carrying injuries.
Replacements Charles Wright and Matt Haslam were outstanding as the pair claimed three wickets each and the former also pulled off a fine run out.
Wright, in fact, opened the bowling with Ben O’Brien and he took the first two wickets, courtesy of catches behind the wicket and at first slip by Hughes and Luffman respectively.
His run out came next and then O’Brien cleaned up the next two batsmen to leave the home side tottering on 58-5.
Woodhall were briefly held up but Wright returned to the attack to claim his third victim and it was left to Haslam’s guile, expertise and experience to finish off the innings and complete a thoroughly deserved victory.
The maximum points should have boosted Woodhall’s confidence for next Saturday’s clash against league leaders Haxby at Jubilee Park.
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Weather for Horncastle
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 8 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: North west
