Produced by Cricket Statz - www.cricketstatz.com
Last updated 30-Jun-2008.
Match Report
What a lovely ground Pylewell Park is. Looks like a typical forest ground, nice little pavilion tight boundaries and a hard but mossy looking pitch. Fred won the toss and gave us a chance to set a decent total. Colin and Si opened up, getting to grips with a pitch that started to go through the top quite early. They ticked it along quite nicely against a bowler similar to Halfacre last week. Kitcher bowled tidily, seaming the ball around, but unlike last week, offered a few four balls. Colin fell first to a decent slip catch, via the keeper (24). Si was next out after making a nice 31, driving and pulling really well. Matty J fell to Kitcher, probably the best nut he bowled all day, and when a big spinner bowled Pete we were at an interesting 115-4 from 25 overs. Then came the vital partnership between Sammy and I. We put on 80 in under 20 overs before I was run out for my maiden 1st team 50 (59). Acceleration was due now, Sam and Ottis both falling in the last couple of overs, which included our only 6 from Freddie. We felt 220 was a good total, although I feel we could have got more. They believed they could chase it, so game on!
So with Tom away, Matty opened up with Sean. Too many loose balls came early on, so Fred had to bring himself on. Sean finished strongly, 7 overs for 25 (19 after the first 2). Jewell replaced him and struggled, 3 overs going for 18. Then came Keith. I have to say, it.s the most relaxed I.ve seen him for a long time, and he done exactly what a few of us thought he.d do. Take crucial wickets. He broke the opening stand of 93 finding the outside edge with me gobbling it up for my 10th catch of the season. He then grabbed the 2nd, having no.3 caught at deep long on by the cool Dayer. Jewell was brought back after Fred had had no luck and duly bowled the dangerous looking opener (47). This lad looked decent, but it was a big ask for him to win the game himself because they didn't have much after him. Keith then grabbed 2 more, going past Robbo in the all time wicket list for the 1sts. Fred came back to grab 3, including the final wicket, Sean got a well deserved one after his decent opening spell. However, this was after Keith had got his 5th wicket, his 3rd 5 wicket haul for the 1sts.
I think I haven't seen Keith bowl as well in an outdoor game. He fully deserved his personal best figures, as he just built a lot of pressure, bowling in a great partnership with Jewelly (15 overs for 40 runs). Good team performance, so let us kick it on another gear. I think this is the next challenge for our young team.
