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Last updated 09-Jun-2009.
Match Report
Sarisbury 4ths did a real job on their third opponents of the season, Bedhampton 3rds, to record a third victory and lay down a marker for the rest of the season. It was the most convincing of wins, clinched before half past five and if ELO produced a classic in the 1970s with 'Roll over Beethoven' this was the 2009 classic 'Roll over Bedhampton'.
Captain Mark proved he's not always a hopeless tosser by winning it for the first time in three, electing to field on a warm afternoon. Mike Edwards was sliced through the slips twice in his first three balls as 10 came off the first over. That was the high water mark for the visitors though as Martin Lander stemmed the tide with a brilliant spell of 1-8 from his 6 overs, moving the ball around considerably to deter the batsmen from trying anything too rash. But it was Dr Mike, fighting the pressure of being top rated Fantasy Cricketer, who picked up the first two wickets despite not quite hitting the heights of the first two games. Martin took the 3rd wicket as Bedhampton slid to 29-3. The visitors dug in and accumulated runs slowly against Richard Azar and Will Jacobs as a 4th wicket partnership of 42 took the score to 71 in the 25th over. By now Mike Brogan was into the attack and signs of impatience were appearing in the batsmen. Sir Mike then decimated the visitors with 6 wickets for 8 runs in 23 balls - two bowled, one caught and bowled, a stumping for keeper Mark Hansford and catches for Martin Lander and Lewis Mitchard. Richard Azar chipped in by clean bowling a tail-ender in his last over to finish with a stingy 1-21. But it was Sir Mike who led the side off to great applause from both sides with final figures of 6-16, taking his season's figures to 12-46. We have now bowled out three sides for a total of only 275 runs.
With only 89 required, this should have been a formality and Captain Mark and Stuart Raddon duly delivered the 10 wicket victory and the maximum 24 points before the scheduled drinks break. If tea at the Raddons is anything like the superb scone-fest fare we were delighted to consume today, it's no surprise that Stuart decided to deal in boundaries rather than run up and down the pitch too much. To near-silence from the demoralised fielding side, apart from one loud appeal for a catch behind, Stuart hit 10 fours in a season's best 47 not out with Mark (29 not out) denying his partner a half-century only by hitting the winning boundary. It is true that some of the bowling was on the rank side of ordinary, but you still have to score the runs, and it was more than puzzling why Bedhampton never employed a fielder behind square on the leg side as Stuart continually pierced the long leg boundary.
Again the bowlers were brilliant, the fielding was good and the two batters did what they had to do in great style. So early did the match finish that I was back at The Hollow to see virtually the whole of one innings as the 2nds also maintained their 100 per cent record.
