BRIGG BLOG STUMPED BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Current public transport arrangements left Brigg Blog (and possibly others) stumped earlier this week.
In many areas of the country it would be simple enough to board a bus or train to make a 25-mile journey between two significant town to enjoy a full day out.
But that was not the case for Brigg sports fans keen to use public transport to watch our Lincolnshire county cricket team host Norfolk at the impressive Chichester Road Ground in Cleethorpes on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday - July 11, 12 & 13 (play starting at 11am).
With no direct trains operating between Brigg and Cleethorpes on ANY of these days, Brigg sports followers were totally stumped on Sunday, and then found themselves on a sticky wicket on Monday and Tuesday.
The JustGo 'on demand' bus service (introduced last September) does not operate on Sundays and so could not be booked to take Brigg cricket fans to Barnetby to catch a connecting train to Cleethorpes.
It was possible to board a Brigg-Barnetby (Hornsbys) bus early enough on Monday and Tuesday morning to get a train but there was no service back to Brigg from the railway village in the evening.
JustGo operates on Mondays and Tuesdays but not after 7pm. So the only option was to leave the cricket ground in Cleethorpes well before close of play to get a train back to Barnetby in time to board the last Hornsbys service back to Brigg late in the afternoon.
We know one Brigg resident who used Hornsbys service to Barnetby station, took a train to Cleethorpes and then made an early afternoon return by rail to Barnetby to catch the last bus back to town.
Brigg Blog was intending to do likewise but decided against it, as a day at the cricket should mean exactly that - not having to miss many important overs.
People are often encouraged to leave the car at home and support public transport. But this example demonstrates why such advice (in support of the local carbon footprint) is not always a practical option.
Had watching Lincs v Norfolk in Cleethorpes been viable, Brigg Blog would have published full details of public transport arrangements in advance of the three-day fixture.
For more than 130 years there were passengers trains along the Sheffield-Cleethorpes line via Brigg and Barnetby which ran seven days a week - successively reduced until, in 1993, they only operated on Saturdays (sadly still the situation today).
Subsequently, an excellent Stagecoach 909 hourly express bus service linking Grimsby, Brigg and Scunthorpe with South Yorkshire came into operation. But it didn't last long and is now just a happy memory for those who found it very useful.
Brigg is well-served at present by buses to and from Scunthorpe, but getting to other destinations is not so easy.
The bus service linking Brigg with Lincoln was withdrawn in December 2019, while the Brigg-Barton bus made its final run in late August 2020.
JustGo - serving North Lincolnshire - was launched on September 7 last year.
Find out more about this service and what it offers here...
Its 'service zone' covers all North Lincolnshire but not neighbouring districts (Cleethorpes being in North East Lincolnshire). But it is useful for local journeys.

Lincolnshire's only championship home match of the 2021 season in the north of the county saw them lose by seven wickets to Norfolk over two innings, with some play being lost to wet weather. Match report below courtesy of Chris Keywood.
Hopefully by next July, when we expect Lincs to play another county game at Cleethorpes, public transport provision in Brigg will have been improved so it's possible to travel from Brigg and watch ALL the play over THREE DAYS. There have been repeated calls for more trains to serve Brigg on more days of the week than Saturday.

PICTURED: Cricket at Cleethorpes, the resort's station terminus and JustGo buses on Cary Lane, Brigg.

Lincolnshire began their National Counties Eastern Division One campaign at Cleethorpes where they welcomed Norfolk. The visitors won the toss and elected to field in what appeared to be bowler friendly conditions. Lincolnshire’s opening pair of Joe Kendall and Championship debutant, Jaden Fell, however proved this not to be the case and with watchful approach and good running between the wickets put 50 on the board in the first hour. They continued in this manner and reached a century opening stand in the twenty-eighth over. Fell was first to be dismissed for a fine 64 off 116 balls, including eight fours. Kendall fell almost immediately for 61 off 103 balls, including seven fours. Thereafter wickets fell at regular intervals with only Sam Johnson (34) making any score of note. Lincolnshire were finally dismissed in 74 overs for 237, with Norfolk’s Ryan Findlay taking 5 for 87. This was a well below par score after the fine start by Kendall and Fell.
Norfolk’s innings commenced in similar fashion to that of Lincolnshire’s with openers Arthurton and Reynolds putting on 72 for their first wicket before Curtis Free dismissed Arthurton for 44. By close of play on day one Norfolk had reached 117 for 2, with the game in the balance.
Rain delayed the start on day two but once play got underway Lincolnshire struck quickly reducing the visitors to 160 for 6. Norfolk’s run rate fell to around one per over as they battled to stay in the game. Ryan Findlay held the lower order together before Mark Footitt removed him for 49. Norfolk batted out their 90 over allocation to finish on 238 for 8, just one run ahead. Adam Tillcock’s long spell of 40 overs gave him final figures of 4 for 86.
Lincolnshire closed the day on 76 for 2 and with the game in the balance it promised to be an interesting final day, with all results possible. Disaster struck for Lincolnshire almost immediately when play resumed. From 83 for 2 Lincolnshire lost six wickets for the addition of only two runs. The destroyer in chief was Norfolk’s fast medium bowler, Andy Hanby, who achieved a hat-trick, all of which were caught by wicket-keeper Jack Robertson, to leave Lincolnshire on 85 for 8. They finally stuttered to 101 all out, Hanby taking 6 for 32 and Brett Stolworthy 4 for 38. This had been a collapse of mammoth proportions and the Norfolk pacemen had put them firmly in control. Norfolk required 101 for victory and Lincolnshire needed early wickets. At 21 for 2 there was a slight chance of saving the game but despite a further wicket falling it was not to be as Norfolk reached their victory target for the loss of three wickets.
The visitors took 22 points from the match and Lincolnshire 5. Lincolnshire’s next three day Championship fixture sees them travel to West Bromwich to face Staffordshire commencing on Sunday, 25 July.