Milnrow’s young side pull off shock
MILNROW provided the first major upset of the new Lancashire League season when they trounced Rochdale at Redbrook on Sunday.
Having lost a number of players from last season they are by necessity having to field a largely young and inexperienced team but this seven wicket victory will have given them the confidence to face the rest of the season with some optimism.
Batting first Rochdale were bowled out for a paltry 92, and while the Milnrow faithful among the crowd thought the even such a low score might prove too much, the visitors led by professional Neil Hornbuckle and Max Power, cruised home with lots to spare.
The stand out performer, though, was Brad Smith, who over two spells, reduced Dale’s batting to rubble as he returned the eyebrow raising figures of 6 for 21.
Among his victims was Rochdale’s talented South African, Ed Moore, who was pouched at the second attempt by skipper, Aaron Brown, at mid off.
Dale’s batting bore no resemblance to the previous week and here they capitulated woefully on a pitch that held no terrors, but whose slowness demanded a far more watchful approach.
Only captain Michael Harling gave the impression of being able to play the conditions, but even he blotted his copybook when he called Steve Oddy for an impossible single just when the two had moved the score from a desperate 48 for 7 to a more hopeful 91.
When Milnrow replied, Dale saw a chink of light when two early wickets fell, but apart from surviving a difficult chance each, Hornbuckle and Power easily compiled a half century stand for the third.
If Hornbuckle’s dismissal, bowled leaving a straight one from Ben Chapman, caused any ripples of tension in Milnrow’s dressing room, I wasn’t evident as Jack Wynn seamlessly replaced him.
So Milnrow move on with hopes raised but with the warning that they are unlikely to meet any opponents as feeble as Rochdale were here.
As far as Dale are concerned, was this performance an inexplicable one off, or is there a fragility in the team previously that was hitherto undetected? Rochdale J Avery b Smith .............................................. 7 B Chapman b Brown .................................. 0 E Moore ct Brown b Smith .................... 1 A Dawson b Smith ...................................... 0 A Harrison ct Brown b Smith ............... 14 O Makin ct Power b Hornbuckle ........ 7 M Harling* not out .................................... 33 J Duffy b Smith ............................................ 7 S Oddy run out .............................................. 7 J O’Neill b Smith ........................................... 0 C Hartley b Hornbuckle ............................. 0 Extras ............................................................... 21 Total (all oot 36.3 overs) .......................... 92 Bowling: Smith 14 -4 21-6; Brown 6-021-1; Hornbuckle 10.3 -1- 26- 2; Wynn 6-3- 13-0. Milnrow N Hornbuckle b Chapman .................... 35 K Shipley b Hartley ....................................... 0 J Glover ct Hartley b Oddy ....................... 0 M Power not out ........................................ 27 J Wynn not out ............................................ 12 Extras ............................................................... 19 Total (for 3, 35,4 overs) ............................. 93 Bowling: Oddy 6 -1 14 1: Hartley 7-016-1; Makin 6-0- 22-0; Harling 4-2- 6-0; Chapman 8-3- 16-1; Moore 4-1- 9-0; Duffy 0.4- 0 -9- 0. Milrow, 12 points, beat Rochdale, 0 points, by 7 wickets.