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Last updated 13-Jun-2007.
Match Report
Won the toss for the first time since the opener. Elected to bat on a track
that looked flat, but also a bit damp. I found out the hard way, plopping a
ball that stopped on me straight back to the bowler, 3rd ball of the game.
Sam and Ozzie started to repair things with a stand of 38 (alomost our
biggest of the season). Ozzie fell Lbw to a change bowler who showed
greater control than the openers. Tosder went next, bowled after playing
himself in. Then followed Flower, almost putting his back out (thats how
wide it was). Then came a partnership of 42 between McKeever and Sammy.
Sammy fell for a sensible 42, he played very well on a wicket that was tough
to get the ball away. Jason and Matty then put on 49 (biggest of year) in
only 6 overs. Matty was hitting the ball beautifully by this stage,
although having to run a lot due to the slow outfield. Jay was bowled in
over 40 going for a big heave ho. Matty and Danny O carried on the good
work, putting on 38 in 5 overs. Matty's 70* was a class innings, something
ha has been threatening to do all season. So 201-6 was very pleasing, with
that being our target at the start.
Our bowling was the same as always, very good. Decided to open with Danny O
along with Les. Both bowling 12 straight through, Les posibly being the
unluckiest bowler so far this year (5 drop catches), bowled 12-3-26-0 and
Danny 12-4-26-2. After 24 overs, they only had 54 on the board. Jay bowled
11 overs (4-41), although not bowling as good as he can and Robbo coming
back into the team with 6 tidy overs (2-9). Captains perogative allowing me
a couple of overs at the rabbits (1-8), Ozzie taking a full length diving
catch. A score of 132-9 from the 45 overs was painful. Shame they didn't
seam to interested in taking anyone on throughout the game! At least the
batting is slowly starting to click, 250 next week please!
Bondy
Another match report!
Hoorah! Bondy won the toss and on a strange looking surface decided to bat first, well it was a nice sunny day and he wanted to top up his tan. Unfortunately this he was able to do that due to giving the bowler an easy return catch off the 3rd ball of the game. This brought Ossie to the crease who would have been opening but for arriving a little late; but Ossie and Sam started the slow recovery on a pitch that was not coming on to the bat. Ossie was finally out in the 16th over and had shared a stand of 37 with Sam who was playing a very sensible anchor role (not his natural game, but shows he is starting to adapt his game to the situation) in trying conditions. Paul didn't find things any easier, again someone that likes the ball coming onto the bat and was out in the 22 over and the score only 56, Graham didn't fair much better but was showing signs that you could score on this wicket and slow outfield. Graham was out to a good catch by the wicket keeper off a bottom edge, again the ball didn't bounce as high as he was expecting. Enter Matt, whilst the wickets were falling Sam continued to keep one end rock solid and was starting to get the measure of the pitch and the bowling and hit the first six of the match. At last Sam had found a partner who could stay with him and it also gave Matt the chance to get to grips with the pitch. The partnership was finally ended when Sam was caught, in the 34th over adding 42 runs in 9 overs. Things were about to get interesting, the score was 114 when Jason walked to the crease and after a duck last week, managed to get off the mark with a two from the first ball he received. Both batsmen seemed to find their touch to the extent that one over yielded 20 runs. The partnership didn't last long only six overs but they scored 49 runs and in the process Matt brought up his 50. When Jason was bowled there were 5 overs left and the first words Matt said to me were 'give me the strike' probably a memory from last week, but I was happy to do that. We put on 38 and managed to get over the 200 (just), if their bowler had been able to hit the stumps from just over a metre Matt would have been run out in the last over having decided to sit down after being hit by an on drive (how's the hand). Our innings closed on 201 for 6 a great batting performance on a wicket and outfield that was so very slow.
So the second half of the match was to commence and Captain Bondy decided to open with Les and me, an inspirational piece of captaincy considering how I.d bowled last week and with my 5th ball had there opener gloved the ball to Dan behind the stumps. Les and I just continued bowl in wicket-to-wicket and the Fairoak found it as hard as our batsmen had earlier. Big shots would have to be play as they were falling further and further behinds the run rate and sure enough the pressure began to have its effect with some wild swings (that Swish would.ve been proud of). Eventually there No 3 dollied one up to mid on but Steve Roberts couldn't quite get there, 20 years ago maybe, next came a more difficult one to Teflon Dan, a bottom edge that he couldn't get. Finally a thick edge carried to Paul Tosdevin at backward point and he held on. Les bowled our overs straight through and at the end of 24 overs they were 54 for 2 and both Les and me had gone for 26 runs. Jason replaced Les and Steve replaced me what youth we have with the first four bowlers. Steve proved that a bit of experience counts for a lot and just kept the ball full and straight and waited for the mistakes, the old adage you miss I hit, and so it proved getting their No 4 LBW and bowling their opener. Having 6 overs 2 for 9, not a bad return, meanwhile Jason was whirling away at the other end getting the odd play and miss. Then Jason managed to bowl their no 6 and give himself a wicket in June almost unheard of. Matt took over from Steve but the quicker you bowled the easier it was to bat so after two overs Bondy brought himself on, and we never heard the end of it. With the fourth ball of flighted filth their batsman lofted an off drive and a flying Osgood, as graceful as a house brick took a stunning catch and promptly threw it away, luckily the batsman had walked. That wicket brought out a young lad to face Jason and give him his second wicket for June dragging on a ball from outside off stump. With the last over to go we required three wickets and Jason nearly managed to pull it off, taking two and almost taking a hat trick with the last three deliveries of the match, but their No 11 wasn't playing ball and managed to get a single. Fairoak finished with 131 for 9, overall a great team performance that everyone contributed to.
