Carlton - newly promoted - have found the going tough since earning promotion to Division One while Goole are seemingly enjoying the division’s calmer waters following a disastrous 2017 campaign which resulted in relegation from the Premier League.
However, the hosts would have fancied their chances of pulling off a shock when dismissing Goole captain Kevin Murphy and Ashton Nottingham with only 30 on the board having asked the visitors to bat first on a pitch that took spin from the outset.
Tom Collins and off-spinner Matthew Torn continued to keep a lid on the scoring but Ben Shelton and Ollie Ounsley soon began to redress the balance of power with the former laying down his marker with a couple of brutally-struck pulled sixes over the midwicket fence.

Ounsley, meanwhile, maintained his sparkling early-season form as the pair combined to produce match-defining partnership of 101 which left Carlton skipper Robert Holah scratching his head as his side desperately strove for a breakthrough.
Holah got his wish when Mark Holmes forced Shelton into offering a return catch on 77 and when Declan Eastwood fell to the same bowler moments later, Carlton sensed the door might still be ajar.

Ounsley ensured it was soon closed, though, producing a mature innings of 68 to take Goole towards the 200 mark before Ben Earl gave a welcome reminder of his quality when producing a sparkling late burst of 41 that was laced with class.
While Ounsley preferred to hit hard down the ground, Earl was all innovation and following two perfectly-placed sweep shots for four, found the midwicket boundary with an extraordinary snap of the wrists that landed the knockout blow on the home attack.
In reply to Goole’s 231, Carlton got off to the worst possible start when losing Henry Bayston in the first over, the opener beaten by a sharp inswinger from Richard Mann and adjudged LBW.

At the other end, Guy Richardson was quickly settling into his work and when he bagged the key wicket of Tom Collins – bowled via an inside edge – the hosts were in big trouble.
Richardson soon had another wicket to his name when cutting short Torn’s counter-attacking innings of 17 and he would claim his third moments later when wrapping Scott Woffenden on the pads plumb in front.
Sandwiched between those wickets was the dismissal of Layton Hallam, the right-hander guiding an outswinger from Mann into the hands of Shelton at gully who caught expertly to his left.

With the hosts reeling at 55-5 and the game all but gone, Murphy finally allowed Mann to take a breather following ten overs on the reel in the punishing heat and Holah and Holmes began to steady the ship, the latter appearing in good touch until finding Murphy at short midwicket off the bowling of Craig Mainds.

Holah battled on to make 31 before he was outfoxed by the excellent Ben Lamb whose ten overs would cost only 17 runs.

James Knibb offered some late resistance for the home outfit but when Richardson returned, matters were quickly put to bed.
The all-rounder - who was taking time away from his GCSE revision to play in Saturday’s clash – earned another LBW decision when jagging one back into the pads of Nicky Holah and he celebrated his maiden first team five-wicket haul when doing the same to Knibb soon after – Carlton all out for 145.

Two captains shared a warm handshake at the end of the match, Holah no doubt pleased with the effort and application his young side displayed in the face of a strong Goole unit but it was one of Murphy’s youngsters who stole the show, Richardson’s 5-26 just reward for an excellent start to his maiden season in first-team colours.
For Goole, they head into the bank-holiday weekend in buoyant mood, the likes of Ounsley, Shelton and Earl suddenly starting to deliver on their untapped potential in a side full of confidence and playing some very good, attacking cricket.
It’s still early days, but Murphy and co might just have the makings of something special here.