Sleaford CC: Firsts slide to defeat at Grimsby

Grimsby won the toss and batted with openers Harry Warwick and Matthew Cliffe starting well until Cliffe (29) was bowled by Scott Tite.

Warwick (31) was then caught by Shorthouse off Tite, but Crossley and Snell batted with purpose until Crossley (25) was run out with the score on 95-3.

Snell was another to depart having made a start, lbw to Adi Sreedharan for 21, but excellent batting from Middleton (50 not out) held the innings together as Grimsby’s innings closed on 195-7.

Ian McPeake (3 for 19) claimed the later wickets and Tite took 2 for 19.

Sleaford’s reply began indifferently, losing openers Diver and Mountain with the score in the teens, and it was left to Shorthouse and Hibberd to rebuild.

This they did until Andy Hibberd (24) was caught by Crossley off Usman Aziz, and Charlie Roberts (11) was bowled by Harrison Tice.

The score became 69-5 when captain Shorthouse was caught by Cliffe off Tice for 22.

With McPeake gone for five, Oliver Burford and Sreedharan took the score past 100, but the latter was soon out for six.

Burford continued to accumulate with Cameron Hall, taking the score to 132 when Hall departed for 15.

Burford’s confident knock ended for 41, another scalp for Tice as Sleaford were bowled out for 149 in the 42nd over to give Grimsby a comfortable 46-run win and leave Sleaford ruing not batting out their full 50 overs.