Fragile Papplewick pay the price for batting slump

Fragile batting, particularly in the middle order, cost Papplewick and Linby dear as they slid to a disappointing defeat at home to Wollaton in the Notts Premier League.
A quick single for Papplewick's opening batsmen Sam Orgizovic and Pete Bhabra.A quick single for Papplewick's opening batsmen Sam Orgizovic and Pete Bhabra.
A quick single for Papplewick's opening batsmen Sam Orgizovic and Pete Bhabra.

Put in, Papplewick appeared to be going nicely as openers Pete Bhabra (22) and skipper Sam Ogrizovic (32, three fours) took them to 60 for the first wicket.

But it proved to be a false dawn as the hosts ended up mustering only 145-9 from their allotted 50 overs before Wollaton eased home in reply with four wickets and more than five overs to spare.

Papplewick began the day above the visitors in the table and looking to mount a challenge for the top five.

A classy stroke from the Papplewick and Linby skipper, Sam Ogrizovic.A classy stroke from the Papplewick and Linby skipper, Sam Ogrizovic.
A classy stroke from the Papplewick and Linby skipper, Sam Ogrizovic.

However, the writing was on the wall as soon as the Bhabra-Ogrizovic partnership had been broken by first-change bowler Zain Latif (3-29 in 12 overs), who bowled them both.

The next four batsmen in the order, James Taylor, Jack Blatherwick, George Blatherwick and Tom Bowers, contributed only six runs between them and, before you knew it, Papplewick were reeling on 81-6.

Harry Ratcliffe (22) and Ben Bhabra (14) dug in resolutely and tried hard to rescue their side. But in truth, the bowlers had the upper hand by now, with Nayyar Abbas (3-16 from 12 overs), like Latif, also weighing in with a three-wicket haul from a fine spell.

Without the help of 37 extras, including 28 wides, Papplewick’s final total would have been even more modest, so their bowlers faced a mountainous task after tea.

To his credit, the evergreen Jim Rhodes refused to accept defeat and bagged a couple of early wickets on his way to figures of 2-19 from 12 overs to give the home team hope.

However, Wollaton recovered in the hands of opener Karl Glendenning, who made a patient 55 (seven fours) from 111 deliveries, and Nayyar (27, three fours), who helped him share 65 for the third wicket.

Glendenning then featured in another important partnership, worth 44 for the fourth wicket, with Tim Young, who added 26, including three boundaries, and Wollaton were soon bearing down on their target.

Glendenning finally fell to Pete Bhabra, caught by Ogrizovic, but Nicky Kirkwood’s unbeaten 13 saw the visitors home without any more scares.