REMEMBERING BRIGG CRICKET CLUB'S RARE TIED MATCHES DOWN THE DECADES

Last Saturday's Gary Smith Testimonial Match at Brigg Recreation Ground, which ended in a tie with both teams totalling 121, set us thinking about other Brigg Town Cricket Club games which produced this rare kind of result since the present club first took to the field in 1974.
The 1979 season saw Brigg Town relaunch a second team, following a four-year gap. It played in the North Lindsey League - now a Sunday-only competition but then still seeing plenty of Saturday games.
This campaign produced a 'true tie' - both teams being bowled out with the scores level - rather than a tie, defined as the team scores being equal but without all 20 wickets having fallen.
Brigg 2nds journeyed into the Isle of Axholme to play Belton in an early season encounter in 1979.
The outfield grass was lengthy and conditions were damp with a large area of standing water inside the boundary, which didn't help run scoring.
However, there was no excuse for Brigg being bowled out for only 44, with one of the Belton bowlers (nicknamed The Crab because of his unusual action) proving particularly effective.
Mal McCullagh (perhaps better known as a local footballer) and young Steve Frankish then bowled very well for Brigg who managed to dismiss their hosts with the scores level.
The resulting 44-44 read more like a rugby score!
We have to fast forward to the early years of this century (2002/2003?) for something similar involving Brigg 2nds when they hosted North Thoresby at Sir John Nelthorpe School in an August bank holiday fixture.
Thoresby having been bowled out in this Lincolnshire League Division Five fixture, Brigg levelled the scores (with some overs in hand) when their last batsman was given out leg-before wicket to produce another 'true tie'.
No panel-appointed independent umpires appeared - a real rarity in those days. So the captains had to organise their own team members to take turns officiating.
We played in both these games. However, in a Brigg Town career spanning 30 seasons until 2004, we can't remember any other 'true ties' involving the club's three weekend teams or the two sides it ran at different times in midweek competitions.
In complete contrast to Brigg 2nds which had the 'true tie' at Belton in 1979, that season's Brigg first team won five games by the widest possible margin for a side batting second - 10 wickets - during a real purple patch. All the runs required for victory were scored by the Brigg opening batsmen; no-one else was required to visit the crease!
Our archive picture shows this Brigg team following a late season match. The then club president agreed to come down to Sir John Nelthorpe School to take a picture to record Brigg winning the Lincolnshire League Division Three championship with only two defeats during the campaign. However, when he showed up at the appointed hour with his camera, victory had already been secured and the players had changed out of their whites.
Back row, from left to right: Glenn Lowe, Dave Robinson, Nigel Fisher.
Middle row: Bob Goulby, Col Mumby, Ross McFarlane.
Front row: Barrie Briggs, Dave Whitehead, Gary 'Gig' Smith (who played in the Gary Smith game last weekend), Graham Hunt and Allan Kemshell (who recently took part in a Brigg cricket reunion with the Town Mayor).
We recall that other squad members were present for this game but some had already left the ground. Dave Foster, a notable all-rounder, could well have been among them. And possibly the other Hunt brothers - Keith and Martin.
Donations are still be received following last weekend's match at The Rec. All proceeds will be donated to the Stroke Society.  Among the veterans who came to Brigg to take part last Saturday was seam bowler Tai Hussain - his forename being pronounced 'Tie'.