Grimston beat reigning champions in opening game

Grimston CC begun their 2023 season with a challenging fixture against last year’s champions, North Runcton.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Mark Tilbrook gave first-team debuts to two new faces – Dave Persey who has signed from Beaminster CC in Dorset, and Oscar Prescott in his first season of adult cricket.

Adam Ward stood in as a last-minute replacement for Charlie Collison, who was injured having been kicked in the knee by a cow.

Opening batters Liam Kellegher (10) and Adam Ward (40) began proceedings with a measured partnership, calmly building an innings until Kelleher was bowled by James Booth.

Other standout performances for Grimston were Mark Tilbrook with 50 runs, and Harry Ward with 30.

Malik Carrol was North Runcton’s premier wicket-taker, with three wickets for 26 runs.

Grimston posted an impressive total of 198 runs.

Captain Sam Major opened the batting for his 2022 championship winning side alongside Alex Piggot, who was caught-and-bowled by Harry Ward.

Major top-scored with 45 runs, while Sam Leishman added 32 and Jamie White with 20.

High-pressure fielding from Grimston kept the run-rate low, with North Runcton held to 148 runs from their allotted 40 overs.

Reflecting on a rare away win at North Runcton, Mark Tilbrook was delighted with the intensity in the field from his side, saying: “We batted well, but the game was won in the field today, with our younger players working particularly hard.

“North Runcton are a great team with a lot of talent and they will be pushing for another league championship this year.”

Grimston are next in action on Sunday for The 8:56 Foundation, raising money for men’s mental health in a charity match against a Lee Calton XI.