Old Glossop Extinguish Dinting Fire

An Old Glossop team deprived of several regular players rose to the challenge posed by fellow mid-table outfit Dinting on Saturday, and made it six wins in a row in a highly competitive 3^rd Division. The OG faithful were expecting fireworks from this derby clash, and they were not to be disappointed in what was a fiery encounter.

Old Glossop began the afternoon without the equally fiery Matt Parker, who had decided to pay a visit to Fireman Sam in Manchester with young son Ellis. However, consolation was found in the return of Matt’s cousin Tony “Big T” Parker, following his equally (if not more) embarrassing sojourn to Soho on the previous weekend, when he experienced the live extravaganza that is camp 80s stars the Pet Shop Boys (sorry Ant, had to include it). The long-awaited unveiling of Dinting old boy Chris Lawton, following his controversial trek up the High Street, generated further excitement – the crazy keeper was to play a major role in deciding this match.

Dinting briskly arrived at Old Glossop’s Manor Park Road base, the coin was tossed, and the OG boys found themselves fielding.

As the ball was tossed automatically to old Rhino head, some of his teammates wondered aloud whether he would be able to perform without the octogenarian encouragement he had received at Hadfield the week before. The veteran Twist immediately sought to prove them wrong, finding his notoriously tight line (for those who don’t know, he is equally tight at the bar). However, it was opening partner James Wright, who had been tossed the cherry in the absence of Fireman Matt, who made the early breakthrough, clean bowling the crafty Acomb senior for 1 with a peach in the fourth over of the match. Dinting’s Jim Brotherton and Paul Bridge then asked the Old Glossop bowlers some serious questions, but Twist and Wright were up to the task, containing the two batters with some clever bowling. Fun was indeed had in the mean-time, as Wright, waiting to bowl, asked reliable slip and chief Pet Shop Boy Tony Parker to “go west a bit”. Big T was not impressed.

The Dinting score had ticked on to 48 when Wright struck again, removing Brotherton for 31 with more than a little help from Lawton, who took an excellent catch behind whilst stood close. As Bridge continued to offer resistance, the Dinting floodgates began to open. Twist finally lit the blue touch paper with three quick wickets, including that of the obdurate Bridge for a well-made 29. The human Rhino even managed to leap high to claim a terrific caught and bowled, the likes of which has not been seen at Old Glossop since the days of the legendary Peter Greenhalgh.

Mitchell eventually replaced the tiring Wright, who had produced an excellent spell of bowling at the Pyegrove end, accounting for both openers whilst returning figures of 2 for 32 from 14 overs. With Twist rampant at the other end, the Old Glossop captain immediately found his mark, as the two veterans conspired to wrap up the Dinting innings. As Dinting struggled towards a final score of 69, Twist claimed his fourth wicket of the match, leaving him to boast of his 4 for 35 from 18 overs. However, as has proven the case so often this term, it was Mitchell who stole the show, finishing with the incredible figures of 4 for 2 from 5 overs. Wolf Parker was heard to exclaim, “69 – what a nice position!”, in a rare display of humour from this most serious of cricketers.

The bowlers had each done their jobs, and had surely put Old Glossop into an unbeatable position. However, with senior players missing due to holidays, this was no foregone conclusion. Just as he had done at Hadfield a week earlier, captain Mitchell would have to shuffle his pack in order to ensure that his team had enough batting with which to complete the task at hand. During the interval, it did not go unnoticed that Fireman Matt had returned from Manchester to lend his not inconsiderable vocal support to the OG batters.

In the continued absence of Jon Wright, brother James was again called upon to open the batting, following his impressive display on the previous Saturday. Steve Allcock set the ball rolling with a nice 4 smashed through gully off Suthern’s opening over. However, the in-form opener was quickly dismissed by Butterworth, playing across the line to a swinging delivery and therefore gone for 4.

Big T strode confidently out to join Wright in the middle, and to the amazement of the enthralled crowd, it was Wright who began to put the Dinting attack to the sword. He drove Suthern for two straight fours and then heaved Butterworth into Mick Cuthbert’s garden for what was, for Wright, a mighty 6 (his first for seven years). As Parker began to flex his muscles at the other end, it became clear that this match did not have long left in it.

Seeking a change of fortune, Dinting brought on their quicker lads. However, Wright seemed to enjoy this even more, seeing off a solitary over from Thomasson with two excellent fours through cover and point respectively. The make-shift opener finally fell for 30 with the score on 58, caught by Phil Acomb off the bowling of son Darren following what Tony Parker correctly described as a “lazy shot”.

With Wolf Parker now ready to help his cousin seal the match, Wright felt that he’d done his bit. Wolf cut a lovely four through point, and then left Big T on strike with Old Glossop requiring only 2 to win. The OG lads knew what was coming, as Tony heaved a crushing 6 onto the Manor Park Road roofs, and then performed his customary “celebration” – motioning to ‘shoot’ the ball with his bat! Tony finished the match unbeaten on 29, in what was a welcome return to form for him.

However, the star of the show was undoubtedly James Wright, whose confidence had appeared to be lacking only weeks earlier. Fireman Matt may be the self-proclaimed “Veteran All Rounder”, but the eldest Wright brother must surely be pushing him for at least the second part of that label. And it later emerged that Matt faces competition not only from within his own 2^nd team, as Dave Donnelly returned from the “Home of the Hawking” with news of a 5 wicket haul.

It was indeed a strange, but pleasing, weekend for the inhabitants of Old Glossop!