Produced by Cricket Statz - www.cricketstatz.com
Last updated 16-Jun-2008.
Match Report
What a game. Prob one of the best games I've played in the first team. Maybe because finally we've won a tight one!
Asked to bat, Colin and Si found that with the tight bowling, runs were difficult to come by. Both played a cracking cover drive each, before Si fell c&b falling over a little. In came Pete, straight away hitting a few crisp drives. Score moved a long to 46 when Dayer fell, top edging a long hop to square leg. What made it worse, was Pete still took 12 from the over! By this time, Pete was well into his stride, showing good restraint against a loopy but accurate slow bowler. He brought up his 50 from just 39 balls playing proper shots, no slogging. I fell run out after a 50 parnership (I got 9!). Both Pete and I ended at the same end, so I took one for the team. Better me than him! Jocky came in and looked very good. Pitch was still offering a bit and Andover started to get some control, with the slow left armer (12-2-32-0) and the opener (12-4-27-2) bowling well in tandem. Pete fell, bowled by a long hop. Then wickets fell regularly, from 139-3 from 31 overs, we should have pushed on. Matty made 32, bowled having a go then Tommy and Sean put on a crucial 17 for the last wicket. How crucial it proved! All out for 189 (46.1 overs).
We had a target to bowl at, even though we'd like a few more. However, this team fights for everything. We may not have an overseas to win games, but the bowling unit compliments each other very well. Two young guns opened up, Tom and Sean. Tom got the first breakthrough, Squidge taking a good low catch at point. Sean bowled number 3, giving him the usual send off. They then put on a 50 partnership, until Fred got the vital breakthrough. This guy looked the one player who could produce a match winning innings. Fred found his outside edge, with me taking a low catch at slip. Jewelly quickly got a lbw, followed by a runout from Tom, and another diving catch at slip from me off Jewell. They were 85-6. Then came a partnership of 69. This was ended by Clarky, Jocky taking the catch. Toole got another next over. Surely we were home, 156-8? They still had a lefty that hit some good ball. New keeper Andy Reading (Ottis) ended this with a run out in the last over. So 5 to win, 4 to draw from the last delivery. To be fair to the lad, he smashed it dead straight into the bowlers stumps. Might have gone for four, but with Jocky down at long off, probably not!
So we won by 3 runs, showed great character after last week. This was one of the best bowling/fielding displays I have been involved in. Yes we put down 3 chances, but the ground fielding was awesome, no misfields at all and some really good half stops where 4's seemed certain. Only 5 wides from the bowlers shows how much they have improved from last week's 43. Great win, must have been a bit nervy to watch. lets carry it on!!
