Cricket: Redbrook bears fruit for Rochdale

Redbrook soil has not been the most fertile for Rochdale so far this season, however, it bore the fruits of victory on Sunday when Rochdale recorded a comfortable victory against Haslingden, the visitors falling 104 runs short of Rochdale’s 258 for 7.

The roots of Rochdale's success could be found in a much improved all round batting performance in which all but one batsman made double figures.

Decent partnerships were created, including the opening one comprising of Jack Pilling and Michael Harling. Although their 41 run stand was hardly record breaking, it was solid enough to lay a foundation which the middle order built on.

Having made an undefeated 135 the day before deputising for Denton Wests, professional Ed Moore began imperiously. His first scoring shot was six over wide long on he and Ben Chapman dominated the next phase of the game.

Rochdale had been assisted by an injury to Haslingden’s opening bowler Josef Sipocz, who managed only three deliveries, and they took advantage of his misfortune.

The stand between Moore and Chapman realised 74 runs. During it the duel between Moore and Haslingden’s professional Kamran Ghulam was fascinating, and was won by Moore on account of his imaginative improvisation. Three times he reverse swept the slow left armer for four making it almost impossible for a field to be set for him. Ghulam did achieve some success though when he spun one sharply to defeat Chapman and then, out of the blue, Moore missed a straight one from the burly Jordan Shannon, another slow left armer, and was trapped in front.

If supporters were now wondering if this would be the start of the regular batting collapse, Jack Avery and Andrew Dawson provided the resounding answer – no!  They both played freely, sustaining the momentum and taking Rochdale to the cusp of 200 with overs in hand.

Rochdale's dominance was reinforced by an undefeated eighth wicket partnership of 36 from James O’Neil and Steve Oddy.

Only once has a team batting second made more than 258 to win at Redbrook.

It is a task that requires at least one outstanding performance and Ghulam hinted that he was the man to provide it. Coming in at three after the early departure of Lawrence Adlum, Ghulam, aided by Graham Knowles and Chris Cook-Martin, got Haslingden motoring.

This was a very long road to negotiate and the introduction of Will Avery into attack slowed the journey down.

He bowled Cook-Martin, and although Ghulam passed fifty, wickets began to fall regularly, coinciding with the introduction into the attack of Chris Hartley.

Haslingden’s middle order were ill-equipped to deal with his speed and Hartley fairly ripped through them. He had Sean Hunsley caught at the wicket, Oliver Lord snaffled at slip and then he effectively put the game to bed when he hit Ghulam slap bang in front with one that kept slow.

For good measure, Hartley accounted for Cameron but then incurred an umpires warning for allegedly bowling a high full toss, when in reality the ball hit the crouching Shannon lower than stump height and lbw would have been the correct verdict.

Not that Hartley, nor Rochdale, were too worried. His six overs had yielded the admirable figures of 4 for 19 and Rochdale were home and dry.

Rochdale

• J Pilling  c  Shannon b  Lord  21
• M Harling   c&b  Ghulam  13
• E Moore  lbw  Shannon  44
• B Chapman  b  Ghulam  36
• J Avery  st  Groom  b Lord  42
• A Dawson  b  HUnsley  32
• T Avery  lbw  Ghulam  4
• J O’Neil  not out 22
• S Oddy  not out  20
• Extras       24
• Total  ( for 7, 50 overs)   258
• Bowling: Sipocz  0.3  0  0  0: Hunsley  10.3  2  48  1:  Cameron  8  0  48  0;  Lord  9  2  42  2;
• Ghulam  15  3  3  70;  Shannon  7  1  41  1.

Haslingden

• G Knowles  lbw  harling  19
• L Adlum  c  O’Neil  b Oddy  2
• K Ghulam  lbw  Hartley  59
• C Cook Martin  b  W Avery  15
• S Hunsley  c  O’Neil  b  Hartley  7
• O Lord  c  Chapman  b  Hartley  0
• O Cameron  c  T Avery  b Harley  1
• J Shannon  c  Harling  b  W  Avery  11
• J Sipocz  c  J Avery  b  W  Avery   13
• O Nicholls  not  out  2
• M Groom  b  Moore  4.
• Extras    21
• Total (40.2 overs)  154
• Bowling:
• Oddy  7.2  0  29  1;  T Avery  5  0  28  0;  Harling  5  1  14  1;  14  6  48  3;  Moore  3  0  10  1;
• Hartley  6  0  19  4.