Roddison has Retford in a spin as Whitwell fightback for dramatic tie

just over an hour before the start the club’s roller was marooned in the centre of the field, but with its slow removal was at the polar opposite of almost all batsman on show, where 20 wickets fell on a blameless surface for 238 runs.

Whitwell were first to bat and Shaw took two boundries off the first over from veteran Broadley (3-46).

But things began quickly to slow as Retford tightened the screw with some good tight bowling.

Wheatley (13) and Pritchard (21) wrested some control and, at 59-2, Whitwell were solidly positioned, but some fairly ordinary middle order play and two or three decisions that seemed to favour the bowling side saw Whitwell slip to a fairly undefendable 119 with Aqib Afzaal 5-31 with his off spin.

Heath (1-37) had brought a large band of followers to see him take the new ball and they were not disappointed as he and Pritchard both got edges through to the excellent Wheatley behind the stumps to leave Retford 31-2. With the score at 55-2 16 year-old leg spinner Roddison (6-27) was introduced.

He then produced one of the most effective spells of leg spinning seen at Whitwell for at least a generation.

He had Bull LBW for 14 and former test star Usman Afzaal (43) caught superbly at first slip by Kovacic with score at 98-3.

With a little over 20 runs required Whitwell still seemed out of the contest, but Roddison would not let up and, ably supported by Shaw 2-31, Whitwell kept making strides into the Retford batsman, who incredibly found themselves 107-9.

There followed an incredibly tense 30 minutes cricket as Groves and Bates inched Retford towards the winning line.

At 117 a chance was missed at first slip. There were several huge LBW decision turned down and, at 119, Roddison struck for the sixth time and the game was tied.

On a day where there were eight LBW decsions there was always going to be some dissatisfied batsman, but when the dust settles both sides should remember they were involved in a great game of cricket and one when a young leg spinner put a marker down to whole of the Bassetlaw league.