A CLASSIC derby match match ended with Kendal plundering an unlikely 17-run victory against daunting odds as both sides provided the Bank Holiday crowd with a thrilling spectacle from start to finish.

In the last hour of play, the Shap Road side transformed a display which had looked fatally wounded by a woeful batting collapse by inducing Netherfield into a disastrous one of their own.

Driven on by the dual seam bowling attack of Kabir Khan and Kevin Howarth, the comeback consigned opponent Marc

Hadwin's exceptional bowling effort of seven for 28 to averages fodder, aided and abetted by inspirational work in the field.

It was almost an exact repeat of last year's confrontation between the sides here - and Netherfield clearly had not learned their lesson.

The Netherfield batsmen buckled in the psychological battle of wits as the consistently accurate bowling chipped away at their confidence and placed growing doubt in their minds about the task ahead.

When the dam had been breached and potential match-winner South African Pieter Strydom had gone for 39, their unease was all too evident.

It capped a disastrous Bank Holiday weekend for Netherfield, who failed to get a ball bowled at home against St Annes on Saturday.

The club are now taking urgent remedial action to lay five new drains at the Castle End bowler's run-out, where the ground has been persistently waterlogged during the wet start to summer.

Kendal's reputation for unpredicitablility meanwhile, remains intact after they contrived to make an absolute mess of an encouraging start when inserted on the soft pitch.

Looking at ease despite his early introduction to the fray, Terry Hunte hammered his way to 67 with particularly strong pull-shots on the short boundary in his 12 fours.

The early breakthrough had arrived when Stuart Nixon removed Stephen

Cooper with a fractional edge to keeper Tommy Prime in the second over.

With the score on 30 and Hunte striking out fluidly, Martin South's unnecessary misjudged pull across the line to Nixon's perky pace was hard to understand, when staying at the crease was uppermost.

However, Simon Little quickly adopted the correct risk-avoidance course to help steer Kendal on to 100 when Hunte top-edged an attempted sweep off Strydom and the ball lobbed safely into Nixon's hands at short leg.

That third-wicket stand had produced 70, but it was to be the last highlight with the bat for Kendal as they lost their

remaining seven wickets for just 15 more runs.

Leg-spinner Marc Hadwin's googly was hard to pick and Howarth was deceived after scoring just a single and Little followed for 27 in the spinner's next over to a comfortable caught and bowled chance.

No addition to the score had been made when skipper David Fallows succumbed to a superb catch by Craig

Walmsley.

Fallows loosed a firm drive through mid-wicket just barely inches off the ground but Walmsley dived full length to his left and got both hands for an amazing catch.

Three balls later, Hadwin confounded Chris Florence, who had been unable to get off the mark and went to another pull that swished into thin air.

With seven wickets down, Kendal's innings was reduced to rubble and the professional Kabir Khan fared no better, when clean-bowled trying to sweep his way out of

difficulty.

Hadwin fully deserved to wrap up the tailenders Stuart Parkin and Mohammed Sarfraz, to embellish outstanding figures of 7-28 off 16.2 overs - and must have thought he'd written his way into the headlines.

When Netherfield replied, Kendal's seam bowlers beat the bat repeatedly without any immediate reward and it took the introduction of left-arm Richard Ellwood's spin after 10 overs to tempt Gareth White into a lofted sweep off a full toss that found Steve Cooper at backward square leg.

Ellwood's disarming bowling, tossing the ball up and giving the batsmen the taste for run-making worked a treat.

Strydom was nibbling at the bait and after driving a straight six into a garden opposite had a fortunate

let-off when dropped in the deep.

Fortunately for Kendal, the momentum swung to them when Walmsley was bowled failing to connect with a late dab.

Kendal kept the pressure on, with smart work in the field.

Strydom's prod to the covers sent Little to the ground and he flicked the ball back to the non-striker's end in a single movement to run out Chris Parry, who could not regain his ground.

Netherfield recovered to reach 76 when Howarth returned into the attack and grabbed Strydom's prized wicket.

The professional was looking to go for his big strokes but went caught and bowled for a disappointing 39 to a fine catch taken low down to the bowler's left.

The jitters began and Netherfield's last chance went when Kabir beat Graham Clarke for pace.

Four wickets went for just two runs as the tailenders were kept tied down and Netherfield were all out for 99 at 6.33pm, leaving Howarth with 4-11 and Kabir 3-33.

It was a telling fact that Kendal did not concede a

single extra when they bowled. It was their singlemindness to make something out of a bad situation that won the day.

June 2, 2003 11:00