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Last updated 23-Jul-2009.
Match Report
Sarisbury 4ths beat Petersfield 3rds by virtue of faster run-rate. More than an hour after the last ball had been bowled, arguments raged at The Hollow as to whether the lads had a 3rd successive win - see example at the foot of page 118 of the Hampshire Cricket League Handbook for clarification.
The pitch was green and with rain forecast, it was thoroughly surprising when Petersfield elected to bat. Martin Lander and Will Jacobs restricted the visitors to 11 from the first 6 overs. Richard Azar opened with two maidens but in the 13th over, Captain Mark called Tom Farley in for his first tweakage of the day. It was an inspired change as Tom struck the stumps with his second ball, the score on 38. After a couple of lusty blows, Richard Azar lured the number 3 pinch hitter into giving David Mitchard catching practice and in the next over Matt Spicer took a high catch down the leg side off the batsman's glove to give Tom (2-29) another victim. But the captain was determined to take the battle to us, hitting three sixes, including one over the clubhouse into the car park. The 100 came up off a scrappy leg bye in the 28th over with just 3 wickets down. 8 overs later Petersfield were 116 all out. Mike Brogan turned figures of 0-20 into 4-26, and Graham Saunders, who came on originally merely to switch the bowlers round, overstayed his welcome in taking 2-18 off 8 overs. The collapse was down to good bowling and catching (Will collected a corker at long on to dismiss the captain for 41 and Matt darted onto the off side to snap a smart one-hander off Sir Mike) and real inexperience in the lower order who didn't settle in before attempting ambitious shots. The last man was adjudged run out, by about six yards, from a direct hit from Martin Lander. But what about Richard Azar: 1-4 off 5 overs (3 maidens for any interested Fantasy Cricket bosses). Also Matt Spicer, two catches and no byes, kept his best of the season.
The rain had been falling, steadily but mostly lightly, for about an hour by now and all the talk was to establish exactly what we needed to score in case the overs weren't completed. Petersfield's run rate was 2.76, and since there was no delay before our innings, the additional factor was 1.00, and so hence our required run rate was to better 2.76* 1.00 = 2.76. This equated to 56 if the 20 overs needed for a result were bowled. [Like I said, see example at the bottom of page 118....]
Captain "loads or nowt" Mark picked up a 4th duck of the season, edging to slip and scoring was tricky, the first 8 runs coming as extras (5 separate wides and 3 separate byes). Save for 13 runs off the 5th over, it was sticky stuff, the bowlers probing the batsmen like suspicious sex-starved Customs officials. Stuart Raddon clouted a six and David Mitchard played carefully with the occasional four to keep us around the 3 an over mark. Stuart was run out by a direct hit for 11 but we had already marked up 49 in the 16th over. Matt Spicer gloved a brutish delivery without troubling (but nevertheless disappointing) the scorer but Richard Azar and David took us sharpishly to 67-3 at the end of the 20th over. With heavier rain angling across the ground and puddles appearing on the pitch, all agreed to curtail play. 20 minutes later it was all over, though within 10 more minutes the sun was out! David ended 32 not out (6 fours) and Richard 9 not out.
Long after the results sheet had been signed and sealed, the Hollow brains trust crowded in cranial conundra - a defeat would have been a travesty indeed - but after some inspection it is 100% clear that we have won.
Well done both sides for a match played in good spirit, both making the effort to produce a positive result.
