"IN ALL my time of playing and watching cricket, the first few overs of Norden’s innings were the most brutal I have ever seen."

Those were the words of umpire Phil Ramsbottom after Hashum Malik and Jean Symes had launched an early blitz on the Ashton bowling with a barrage of sixes.

The partnership was broken with the total on 69 when Symes was caught on the boundary, and all but a handful of those runs had come in boundaries.

Umpire Ramsbottom added: "I know Woodhouse Lane is not the biggest of grounds, but some of the sixes were huge – they were enormous."

Symes hit two big ones in his 33, while Malik blasted nine fours and seven sixes before falling to a catch when on 93. By the time Malik departed to a standing ovation Norden had scored 161 of the 209 they needed to claim a four-point victory.

From then on there was a bit of a tumble, but the target was reached with six wickets down and plenty of overs in hand.

With rain forecast for later in the day, Norden quite rightly asked Ashton to bat first after winning the toss, the aim being to get them out then knock off the runs before the weather closed in.

But things did not exactly go to plan as Ashton proved stubborn in the face of some, at times, off-key bowling to run up a decent score of 208 for nine.

John Selby and Montcin Hodge put on 31 before Harvey Fitton bowled Selby for 20.

Norden gained another breakthrough five runs later when Zane Arthur trapped Bhatti leg before, and with 66 on the board Asix was leg before to a delivery from Ollie Makin.

It got even better for Norden with the score on 83. Siraj Kadodia top edged a delivery from Symes and watched Harvey Fitton take a comfortable catch as he got under the dropping ball.

Opener Hodge was still there and proving a thorn in the side, and he got good support from Morspin Abid.

They took the total up to 141, and Hodge was only two short of a half century when he missed a delivery from Arthur and was stumped by Nick Brierley who was standing up to the pace man.

Abid was out seven runs later, leg before to Arthur, and Imran Yousaf bagged a duck – bowled by Arthur.

Symes took a return catch to dismiss Zafar Zaman for nought, and Norden looked on for a maximum return. But Aqueel (23), Matthew Krammer (13 not out) and Martin Lees (17 not out) denied The Stags.

Umpire Ramsbottom was quite right in his description of what followed as Symes and Malik destroyed the bowling.

Zaman bore the brunt as his two overs went for 35. Asix ended the partnership when he had Symes caught for 33 on the long-off boundary, but Ashton had no answer to Malik who reached 50 in the ninth over with a huge legside six.

Maybe there would have been another six when Malik attacked a delivery from Hodge, but he didn’t get hold of it and was caught at cover by Asix.

Fitton played a textbook innings of 42 before being bowled round his legs by Yousaf, and Norden then slipped a tad. Steve Firth was caught for four, Nick Brierley was leg before to Yousaf for 25, and Ollie Makin was out for nought.

Paul Morrell rounded off the win with a four.