Two top individual performances couldn’t stop Pinchbeck from suffering a South Lincs and Border League Division Two defeat against Belton Park 2nd on Saturday.
A cracking 93 from skipper Danny Jackson helped Pinchbeck post 134 batting first, before Nick Crook took 5-20 in the home side’s reply.
However, Belton managed to make 135-7 from 44.3 overs to get over the line with three wickets in hand.
Having lost the toss, visitors Pinchbeck were thrown into bat first – and they lost key man Crook early doors for a duck after he was clean bowled by an inspired Will Helliwell (5-24).
Skipper Jackson and number three Glen Hammond (13) steadied the ship, but the latter also had his stumps removed by Helliwell having just played himself in with two fours.
James Langford (0) followed him back to the pavilion after also being bowled by the red-hot Helliwell, before Matt Kidd (5) was run out by Richard Cocks. Despite the carnage around him,
Jackson looked in superb nick. He found the rope at regular intervals and passed 50.
But the wickets continued to tumble around him, with Rob Goulding (4) trapped LBW by Andrew Sheardown (3-23) and Andrew Beeston (3) another to be run out by Cocks. Mike Knight (4) was
Sheardown’s second victim, while Alex Cole went for a duck after having his stumps castled by the impressive Helliwell.
That was a fate also suffered by Jackson, who went seven shy of a deserved century after hitting 17 fours.
Tom Busifeld (0) was the last man out, caught by that man Helliwell off the bowling of Sheardown.
In contrast to Pinchbeck, Belton shared the runs around in their reply.
Cocks made ten before being bowled by Knight (1-30), while the irrepressible Helliwell (27) top scored before getting a taste of his own medicine and being bowled by Crook.
The in-form Crook also bowled Tom Oates for 19 and had Matt Cocks caught by Tony Sheppard for just one to give Pinchbeck a whiff of victory. Jonothan O’Shea-Pilkington (17) steadied the ship, but both Oliver Stanley (0) and Zak Draycott (1) were bowled by Crook to leave the home side six down.
O’Shea-Pilkington was then cleaned up by James Langford (1-34), but Pandula Abeysekera (18 not out) and skipper Mick Coulson (6 not out) frustrated Pinchbeck and got the home team over the line.
The defeat sees Pinchbeck stay sixth ahead of next Saturday’s tough-looking trip to second-placed Boston 3rd (1.30pm).
