Marradon Bend leads Rochdale to victory over Unsworth

The test provided by Unsworth on Saturday was difficult. Having won the toss and batted first Dale discovered that the quick wicket was providing considerable movement for Unsworth’s opening bowlers, Chris Williams and Jon O’Brien and the pair combined to get rid of both Dale openers, Jack Avery and Jon Henderson.

Landsdale and Marradon Bend prevented a total early collapse, but when Landsdale fell lbw to Ben Eckton without offering shot, Andrew Dawson, Derek Faulkner and Michael Harling followed straight away, and Dale were 66 for 6.

Bend, the Barbadian who had hitherto eschewed a Caribbean approach, gradually took charge. He found a willing ally in James O’Neill and the two put on 53 for the seventh wicket. But even then Dale were not out of the woods for the pitch had become easier paced and 119 for 7 was still a precarious position.

Enter at this point the beefy Tom Avery who bludgeoned 30 off only 18 deliveries, and with Bend now in calypso mode, the two put on 73 from 42 balls, peppering the car park in the process, and Dale’s innings ended on 192 for 7 – now an eminently defendable total.

The overs had run out before Bend could post what would have been a well-deserved second century of the season – he finished on 91 not out.

Brimming with confidence after his batting exploits, Avery soon had Unsworth on the back foot with the early wickets of Jeff Keyt and Chris Long, but Williams and Jon Wiggans gradually redressed the balance with some excellent and sensible batting.

When they had taken the score to 106 for 2, Landsdale stepped in to dismiss both with acrobatic catches off his own bowling. First, he accounted for Williams, diving low to his right to hold on to a firm drive and then, even more spectacularly, he leapt high to catch one handed a fiercely struck drive by Wiggans. Then next ball, and just for good measure, he also caught Jones, this one a simple dolly.

If Rochdale thought they were home and dry, Alex Blake had other ideas. He smote three sixes in one Landsdale over during his brave assault, and despite losing Amon Arora, remarkably Landsdale’s fourth caught and bowled victim, he took his team to within 20 runs of the target with two overs left,. 17 were required off the last.

The game came to a sudden and surprising end with three balls left. Unsworth were 12 short when O’Neill stumped Liam Richards to give Landsdale his fifth victim but their eleventh man failed to appear, curiously having left the ground early.

So, after a mixed start to the season, Dale have now found some form and the signs for the rest of the season appear encouraging.

Scores:

Rochdale 192/7 (Bend 91 n.o.)

Unsworth 180 all out (Williams 44, Wiggans 42, Blake 38 n.o. Landsdale 5/53)