CLEETHORPES CC maintained their unbeaten record in the Yorkshire ECB Premier League with an eight-wicket home win against Hull.
In what turned out to be a festival of runs at Chichester Road, the visitors won an important toss and instantly elected to bat in bright sunshine.
Fred Lumby opened the bowling alongside Graham Hume, and soon made two early breakthroughs for the Meggies.
Appleyard pulled Lumby's fifth delivery to square leg, where Indy Hayre to took a fine tumbling catch – while Hull skipper Wilkinson feathered an edge to wicket-keeper Tom Keast two overs later.
At 11-2 the Humber side looked in deep trouble, but they were rescued by a marvellous stand of 206 as opener, Peter Shally, and Tim Dimaline both produced superb centuries.
Shally was particularly brutal on South African Hume – repeatedly smashing him down the ground and square cutting through point.
He took nine boundaries off Hume's first seven-over spell as Cleethorpes skipper, Alex Osmond, struggled to find a working combination.
Shally reached his fifty in 51 deliveries, and completed his ton in 114 balls as Hull passed 200 in the 36th over.
Dimaline offered great support, taking 62 deliveries for his half-century before the returning Hume finally gained revenge, bowling Shally (106).
The visitors' middle order then subsided, with the final 16 overs of their innings producing only 67 runs as the Meggies fought back.
Dimaline passed his century in 146 balls, but only Jack Harrison – the ex-Cleethorpes player – proceeded to reach double figures as Hull closed on 283 for nine.
Hume led the way with four wickets, while captain Alex Osmond picked up two for 62 and Lumby two for 52.
The Meggies' reply got off to a patient start, with opening pair Bill Kirby and Rory Osmond keen to have a good luck at the Hull attack.
The first boundary did not arrive until the fifth over, but the Cleethorpes duo gradually began to accumulate and reached 50 in the 16th over.
Rory Osmond, in particular, was beginning to grow in confidence and reached 44 when he departed to a fine edge through to wicket-keeper Shally, with the score on 83.
Yaniv Judah's arrival gave the run-rate an injection, as he and Kirby began to find the boundary with growing consistency.
Kirby reached a well-deserved 50 in 74 balls, as the pair added 84 for the second-wicket, before Judah was stranded and run-out for 26.
Alex Osmond promoted himself to number four, and made his intentions known immediately with some crunching shots through mid-wicket.
With the required run-rate soon dropping, the pair added a quickfire century stand – in only 84 deliveries – as the Meggies took control of the match.
The captain reached his half-century in only 34 balls, with Kirby reaching a second successive hundred – including 16 fours and a six.
Alex Osmond finished the game in great style, reaching 82 not-out with Kirby unbeaten on 111, as Cleethorpes took the six points with five overs to spare.
