Kendal keep T20 hopes alive
Kendal kept alive their hopes of qualifying for T20 finals day when they defeated local rivals Netherfield by 6 runs in an exciting and superbly contested encounter at Parkside Road.
Kendal pro Ross McMillan and Stuart Parkin were the Kendal heroes as they set up what could be a crucial encounter with Barrow on Thursday at Shap Road.
Barrow have won their opening two group games and will reach the T20 finals if they defeat Kendal on Thursday.
But a Kendal win would throw the group wide open with next week's games (Kendal v Netherfield on Tuesday 22 July and Netherfield v Barrow, TBA) to follow.
McMillan opened the Kendal innings, hitting a superb 58 in his side's 141 for 7.
Ross McMillan enjoyed another all round game for Kendal |
McMillan then took 3 for 18 late in the innings after he had been astutely held back by captain Ikram Ullah.
But it was Parkin's devastating spell of 5 for 22, including the crucial wicket of Netherfield pro Callum Ferguson for 56 that tore the heart out of the home side's reply as the were bowled out for 135 in the last over.
Ikram Ullah and McMillan posted 41 for the first wicket before the Kendal captain was bowled by Marc Hadwin's first ball of the match.
McMillan and Kevin Howarth then added 56 until Howarth was superbly stumped off a wide by John Huck from Chris Miller's off-spin.
Miller then accounted for McMillan, victim of a caught and bowled to leave Kendal 99 for 3 in the 14th over and also accounted for Terry Hunte as he finished with 3 for 22.
Chris Miller takes a return catch to dismiss Terry Hunte |
Hadwin collected two late wickets for a return of 3 for 28 but Oliver Killinier and Gareth Ashburner helped set a target of just over seven an over.
Despite losing skipper Chris Parry to his first ball, caught by Killiner off Ben Simm, Netherfield looked set for victory as Simon Little and Callum Ferguson added 68 for the second wicket.
Though Little fell to a well judged catch in the deep by Howarth Ferguson reached his 50 in the 12th over with a rasping square cut boundary off McMillan.
Callum Ferguson made 56 for Netherfield |
But Parkin struck twice in the next over, having Ferguson caught on the boundary by Ashburner and following up by bowling Ben Haddrick.
In Parkin's next over Craig Walmsley was bowled for 13, leaving Huck with the task of seeing Netherfield home. The talented teenager struck two sixes in his 21 until he was superbly caught by Killiner on the mid-wicket boundary off Parkin off the last ball of the 19th over.
Stuart Parkin took 5 wickets for Kendal |
McMillan entered the attack late and his pace was devastating in the fading light. The South African claimed the wickets of Hadwin and Ryan Wilson in his final over as the task of scoring ten from the last six balls proved too much for the Netherfield tail-enders, a superb game ending in the gloom at 9:11pm.
