Thoresby triumph despite Bin Nasir
by Paul Barker, 11th August 2005

Sometimes when a situation looks hopeless, a little bit of inventiveness and common sense can make even the most difficult problem simply drift away. This is what happened in the Mallen Trophy Quarter Final match between second division Pilsley and division 1 league leaders Thoresby Colliery who met at the Mansfield Hosiery Mills ground The Fieldings on Wednesday evening.

How this came about is quite simple. Neither side could agree on a Sunday date because of league commitments so they agreed to play on a neutral ground which was central to both sides and also to perform under the highly successful 20/20 rules which has become so popular in the national game.

What a good idea! I must say it was far better than tossing a coin and it must also give the Bassetlaw Cricket League thoughts for the future of what is primarily an ailing competition.

The match started at 5.30 p.m. and finished at 8.00 p.m. which is just about ideal. Neither side wasted any time with constant needless field changing and the match itself was a credit to both teams who played it in the most sporting manner imaginable.

However as previously stated this format could be a winner for this competition. Jim Mallen was without question one of the finest Bassetlaw League chairmen that has ever been and it is a dreadful waste that this competition has been so poorly supported considering that it is named after someone who gave so much for the league.

It could well be that there are these days numerous Sunday competitions which get in the way so it would make sense to run this in the 20/20 mode possibly on a regional style basis in the early rounds in mid-week and then be thrown wide open towards the end. It might well encourage more teams to enter and it would certainly hold the Mallen name in the reverence that it deserves if the competition encouraged more teams. It is only a thought, but surely anything is better than the lukewarm response that the competition receives at the minute.

Pilsley batted first and Andy Keighley and the Pakistani run-machine Saeed Bin Nasir got them away to a cracking start with the latter savagely blasting anything off line to the fence with total disdain. Keighley was dismissed with the score on 41and from this moment on wickets fell steadily to the accurate Thoresby attack.

However Bin Nasir who has scored 427 runs in his last two innings in the league for Pilsley continued to dominate the bowling and nobody was any threat to this superb batsman. He went on to reach 92 which included 13 fours and 3 sixes before top edging a catch which was gratefully accepted with four overs still remaining.

Skipper Steve Drury hit an enormous six onto the pavilion roof but the final total of 145 for 8 was probably a shade disappointing when one considers Saeed’s contribution.

Zimbabwean David Irvine and Nigel Burkitt stormed away to a lightning start for Thoresby before Michael Thompson bowled the latter who had made 19 out of the first 21 runs scored. Naeed Ahmed and Shailesh Patel fell cheaply and at this stage Pilsley must have felt they had a more than reasonable chance of pulling off a shock win.

The late arrival of skipper Martin Cheshire however provided Irvine with the partner he needed and a host of big sixes from the Zimbabwean had the score racing upwards at a tremendous rate. Cheshire was finally out for 20 but Irvine with 5 sixes and 2 fours and a fine overall innings of 67 n.o. saw his side home on 146 for 4 with two overs to spare.

Needless to say Bin Nasir also contributed with the ball taking 2 for 24, but the Pakistani star was a disappointed man when I spoke to him in the club house afterwards. He said that he felt he had played a not very good shot which led to his dismissal when his side needed him to be there at the end of the innings. He felt another 30 runs might have made a world of difference and his attitude shows what a perfectionist he is. Saeed is a superb player and a tremendous sportsman into the bargain and the Bassetlaw League has been honoured to witness such a wonderful performer over these last four years.

In addition to this the two umpires Messrs Gerry Graney and Howard Walton would like it to be known that they applaud the Pilsley skipper Steve Drury for his magnanimous action in providing four substitute fielders for Thoresby, as owing to traffic problems several of their players were late in arriving. They also wish it to be known that they applaud both sides for the sporting way in which they played the match. Who could ask for more.

A final word of thanks to Mansfield Hosiery Mills who hosted the match. Their facilities and officials provided a venue that is second to none and must be without doubt the best in the Nottinghamshire Premier League. This was a night to remember and one can only hope that the powers that be look at this format and seriously think about running the competition on this basis. This venue would also be an ideal one to host the final at also.