Louth CC Seconds beaten again by Broughton

Steve Wright asked for more grit and determination from his side and, after winning the toss, elected to bat at a sun-drenched London Road.

The skipper opened with Stewart West but was given out lbw in the third over despite an apparent inside edge.

When Cearnes departed for a duck the home side looked in trouble at 18-2, but young Alex Bell and West steadied the ship until the ninth over when West (25) tried one expansive shot too many and dragged the ball onto his stumps.

Bell was just beginning to find his range when left-arm seamer Clark pushed a ball across the teenager who, caught in two minds, edged to the slips where Neil Simpson held on at the third attempt.

At 52-4 the home side were in dire striates, but gritty batting from Sam Marshall and Tom Ryder rebuilt the innings, keen to avoid a repeat of the previous week when they were bowled out for 65.

They steadily took the score to 96 and both looked set for half-centuries until Marshall played the wrong line to a good ball from Parker and was bowled in the 28th over.

Supported by Dean Wright, Ryder (33) still looked in good nick and the pair added 20 runs before Ryder fell to Simpson’s sublime one-handed diving catch after Clixby found the edge.

With 10 overs remaining at 116-5, a decent total was still within reach, but when club stalwart Adam Grist failed to trouble the scorers, the Broughton tails were up.

Erratic scampering between the wickets by Dean Wright also heightened the tension on the balcony as the Wolves tail stumbled to a below-par 138 in 44 overs.

Louth made an important breakthrough in the second over when Simpson was caught behind off Ryder having already been dropped.

Russ Blackburn looked determined to score quickly and reached a blistering 19 before Ford uprooted his middle stump with a hostile yorker.

When Ryder claimed his second wicket, trapping Crawford, the visitors had amassed 47-3 in just six overs, but the scoring rate fell dramatically when first-change West clean-bowled Fish, and at 61-4 the game appeared evenly-balanced.

However, Pullen and Parker rotated the strike well despite some tenacious efforts in the field, particularly from Sam Marshall.

Wright changed tack, seeing the game slipping away, introducing young spin duo Bailey Wright and Paul Rowe.

The pair made almost an instant impact when Bailey clean-balled Parker (24), and Rowe trapped the stubborn Pullen lbw for 36 as the visitors reeled at 106-6.

But the experienced pair of Clark (21) and Glentworth (19) saw the visitors home in the 33rd over.

On Saturday, Louth travel to title-challenging Hartsholme.

Thanks to club sponsors Kenwick Park and matchball sponsor Mark Ranby.