Produced by Cricket Statz - www.cricketstatz.com
Last updated 03-Nov-2009.
Match Report
Something of a magical mystery tour this season for the 4ths but it was a case today of here comes the sun as they needed little or no reply to see off Emsworth 3rds at Turnpike. Arriving back from holiday yesterday, all seemed settled before panics surfaced over even fielding an eleven, but that was at least one more than the visitors who have suffered a miserable first season in Regional South East 4.
Martin Lander opened on the money with a maiden but we knew it won't be long before the first wicket against the table-propping visitors, the striker failing to get back for a second run before Ian Street whipped off the bails. Emsworth needed help but instead Martin Lander wouldn't let it be with two wickets in two balls to sink Emsworth to 16-3. A couple of hard chances went down but both Rob Clinch and Tim Cooper were to make up by snapping up ones later in the innings. Mike Brogan's run of seven successive maidens started as Emsworth mustered only 4 runs from overs 12 to 21. Rob Clinch's hands came together to break the 4th wicket stand of 19 (71 balls) and suddenly Emsworth couldn't buy love or a run, Mark Callow shooting out two nowhere men in his 2nd and 4th overs. Whereas some matches this season have been a long and winding road, there was no fixing a hole today as Sir Mike's dear prudence resulted in his 7th maiden also producing two wickets with a clean bowled and an lbw. Amidst the carnage the diminutive 14 year old, who to Rob Clinch's delight was the smallest player on the pitch, was easily the visitors' best player, though hardly receiving a little help from his friends, before falling for 23 as the last of the 9 wickets as Tim Cooper added to Emsworth's misery with a tidy take behind. Sir Mike's fantastic figures of 7-7-0-3 dwarfed even the excellent ones of Martin Lander 6-2-16-2 and Mark Callow 4.3-1-13-3, supported by Ian Street's tight spell of 8-3-18-0 first up. I should say well done too to the lads who supported the bowlers with good fielding, Grumpy Mark Callow, venom at the ready, unable to spout off about any misfield in the innings.
During the turnaround I said I've got a feeling we'd win this one and it was just a day in the life of Mark Hansford (21 not out) and Stuart Raddon (26 not out) to improve on their run tallies and averages to overcome Emsworth's total of 48 within 33 balls. Not often in my life have I seen such a one-sided contest and there was a grim inevitability once we broke the opening pair, very few twists and shouts on the way to 24 points before the 4 o'clock chimes rung. Mike Brogan might have been frugal with his bowling but was more than profligate with some fine teas served after the match. Then all that was left was for me to drive my car across the universe to The Hollow to see the 2nds tidy up a not-so-close-as-it-sounds 10 run victory.
Promotion may still be a mathematical possibility after this mis-match but certainly well out of our hands going into our visit to Purbrook next week.
