Last seasons Lincs Cup winners Tilted Barrel were handed an easy looking home tie against Division 7 SW Cricketers but it was anything but as Cricks made them battle every inch of the way to a 3-1 win.

Talk in the Cricks changing room was as to how many Barrel would score but this was dispelled by a great teamtalk from Steve Wraith and every one of them did their manager proud. Cricks lined up with a 4-5-1 formation with Liam Anderson as the lone frontman.

Barrel started off on the front foot and almost took the lead in the first minute but their forwards shot was wide of the target. Clear cut chances were few and far between and it was Cricks who almost snatched the lead when Anderson just got a foot on a cross to the far post but failed to convert. Barrel then began to show their class but were struggling to get past the Cricks defence of Karl Nuttall, Gaz Deakins, Reece Baumber and Nathan Thompson. They took the lead when the ball fell to their player on the far side of the area and he struck an angled shot which flew into the top corner.

It was 2-0 soon after when from a corner Cricks keeper Mark Smith attempted to palm the ball away but only managed to put it on the head of an incoming Barrel player who headed home. Straight from the kick off Barrel had a great change to put the game to bed when Thompson brought down a Barrel player for a clear penalty but Smith made up for his earlier error by making a fantastic double save. Firstly he dived to his right to push the ball onto the post and then with the taker looking favourite to net the rebound Smith recovered in time to make a great block before Nick Rook hacked the ball to safety.

Cricks had done really well in the first half but the second half was even better and Anderson had 2 further chances to pull a goal back. His pace was causing the experience Barrel defence all kinds of problems and early in the second half he outpaced the Barrel defence who were looking for a flag which never came. He just managed to keep the ball in play and almost scored from a very tight angle but the ball went just wide. His second chance would have been a spectacular strike but his strike from wide on the right looked to be heading in the top corner but flew just inches wide. Barrel were struggling to get past a resolute midfield of Andy Spencer, Gaz MacNaught, Nick Rook, Tez Petterson and Jason Saunby as all were working their socks off and Petterson had to be replaced by Craig Deakins. They missed a couple of great chances to make the game safe when the same player failed to find the target. Barrel finally got a third when the ball fell to their player on the edge of the area and he rifled it past Smith in the Cricks goal. Cricks continued to plug away and got the goal their performance deserved when the Barrel keeper did a "Pepe Raina" and dropped the ball allowing Anderson to score the goal he richly deserved. He also had another chance late on to grab a second but fired just wide.

Cricks can take a great deal from this defeat and hope to carry this performance into the league next week. Ref Dave Clarke had a great game too and special mention goes to Gaz Deakins who played the entire game with stitches in his forehead and a groin strain.