Cricket: Rochdale tie with Burnley in dramatic game at Redbrook

Excitement abounded at Redbrook on Sunday when a dramatic game between Rochdale and Burnley ended in a tie.

This was a match Rochdale entered believing that nothing but victory would keep alive their hopes of  featuring in next season’s Lancashire League first division.

Although they had bowled and fielded with highly admirable spirit those hopes, with two balls to go, appeared to have been scuppered.

The scores were level on 145 and Bunrley were eight down when Stephen Brunt, who had helped his captain Daniel Pickup put on 17 runs for the ninth wicket, attempted to slog Ollie Makin over the top and was bowled.

Makin’s next delivery, the last of the game, gripped and bounced and last man Cole Hayman could only shovel the ball back in the direction of the bowler who retrieved it and lobbed it to Ben Chapman who had run up to the stumps.

A perfect tie. Both teams bowled out on the same score on the last ball of the match.

The upshot is that the nine points gleaned by Rochdale means that matters are in their still in their own hands – just - but nothing other than victory, and probably an emphatic one, against co contenders Nelson at Redbrook next Sunday will do.

Rochdale’s season has been characterised by batting collapses and here they found themselves at 40 for 3 and in grave danger of subsiding once more.

Captain Mike Harling and Chapman have rescued their team before this summer and their 50 run partnership laid the base for a profitable later innings run harvest.

Once Chapman had gone, wickets began to tumble and they quickly fell to 116 for 7.

Derek Faulkner hung around long enough to lend Harling some support, but he departed on 139 and then the innings ended in a blink with Harling edging the pacy Hayman behind four short of what would have been a richly deserved half century.

It quickly became apparent this was to be no easy run chase for Burnley. Harling yorked the experienced Chris Holt in the fourth over and Chapman soon snaffled  Matthew Roberts off Steve Oddy at slip.

Former England batsman, Owais Shah found batting particularly against Oddy no easier, but despite numerous plays and misses he managed to survive.

Liam Bedford, meanwhile had given the impression that long term occupancy of the crease was not his remit and after he had somehow eked out 25, an other aerial shot, this one a top edge off Oddy finally went to hand.

40 for 3 soon became 43 for 4 with Dale back in the driving seat.

Then a 50 run partnership between Shah and Chris Burton swung the game back the visitors’ way. However, Shah was still unable to dominate and he played and missed repetitively.

He managed to see off Oddy though, the veteran bowler have completed his maximum 15 over spell, but Oddy’s replacement, Chapman completed the job, nipping one away just enough to miss the bat but off stump.

Joe Marshall was quickly trapped in front by Will Avery and when Chapman accounted for Joe McCluskie Burnley were 103 for 7and on the brink.

Burton found more substantial support from Pickup and these two edged the total to 128 before Burton middled one but straight to Nick Kelly who leapt high to hang on.

The equation now was 18 off 3 overs which became 11 off two.

Brunt thundered Makin to the cover boundary in the last to bring the scores level but then came that breathtaking finale.

Rochdale

A Dawson  b  McCluskie  11
A Rodgerson  c Burton  b Hayman  0
N Kelly  b  Holt  19
M Harling  c  Burton  b  Hayman  46
B Chapman  lbw  Holt  29
A Harrison  c  Burton  b  Shah  0
O Makin  c  Burton  b Shah  1
H Hussain  b  Holt  6
D Faulkner  b  Hayman  9
W Avery   not  out  4
S Oddy  c Shah  b  Hayman  0
Extras  20

Total  48.4 overs    145

Bowling
McCluskie  6  1  21  1
Hayman 10.4  0  38  4
Pickup  5  3  10  0
Holt  15  5  26  3           
Shah 12  0  43  2

Burnley

L Bedford  c  Rodgerson  b Oddy  25
Holt  b  Harling  2
M Roberts  c  Chapman  b  Oddy  0
O Shah  b  Chapman  27
D Brown  lbw  Makin  2
C Burton  c  Kelly  b  Chapman  43
J Marshall  lbw  Avery  1
J McCluskie  lbw  b Chapman  8
D Pickup  not out  18
S Brunt  b  Makin  12
C  Hayman  run  out  0
Extras  10

Total : 50 overs,  145

Bowling
Oddy  15  6  34  2
Harling 6  2  8  1
Makin  13  0  46  2
Chapman  10  1  41  3
Avery  6  2  12  1

Rochdale and Burnley, nine points each,  tied.