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Last updated 29-Sep-2009.
Match Report
Sarisbury's Rose Bowl indoor 'B' team lost their opening match of the winter season by a solitary wicket.
Batting first, Colin scored steadily while Reevsy struggled a bit and never really got going. After 2 overs we only had 13 on the board; this had improved to 45 off 5.1 overs when Reevsy was stumped for 8. Four runs later Colin was trapped LBW by the excellent Dickinson, whose match figures of 3-1-11-1 included a wicket maiden, a true rarity in the indoor game. Robbo and Keith batted really well together, rotating the strike and running well, and Keith eventually retired, bringing up his 25 with the only six of the game. We finished on 121 for 2, around 10-20 runs short of a good total at the Rose Bowl but certainly defendable.
Keith opened the bowling and bowled the no. 2 with his 4th ball, getting his usual amount of turn and sticking the ball straight on through the gate. Les's first over only went for 6 (including his only wide), and then Keith took a blinding C&B with the last ball of his 2nd over. We had Vospers at 18 for 2 off 3 overs and were starting to look favourites. However, the change bowlers failed to live up to the promise shown by the openers and we gifted Vospers far too many wides and any pressure they were under was lifted as the run rate was matched for them without them having to put bat to ball. The 3rd wicket came in the 8th over with the score on 74, the ubiquitous Keith coolly throwing to the correct end to run out the no.4 after opener Charrett had retired. Robbo took 2 quick wickets, trapping the no.5 LBW and clean bowling the returning Charrett, and with the score on 102 and only 1 wicket remaining and 2 overs to go, the game had swung back our way a bit... however it was not to be, John Knight - who earlier had umpired on the absent duty 'A' team's behalf - kept his head and knocked off the required runs with 3 balls to spare, aided - inevitably - by 4 wides.
It sounds like a close finish, but really we should have won this one with ease. We bowled 43 wides to Vospers' 27. Some were so wide that 3 runs turned into 4 or 6, 'keeper Colin having no chance of getting anywhere near them. Occasional slack fielding also allowed runs that shouldn't have been possible.
On the plus side, we got into a position where we could have won a game defending a modest total. Wides aside this was not a bad performance; if we cut them down this will be a good season for the 'B's.
