2s stay top

REPORT BY DAN SKINNER

With skipper Tim Croom unavailable (oddly sitting under the tree watching most of the game) Chris Filmer took charge of our home fixture.

The weather was good and the track looked inviting. The dry outfield meant that once the ball had beaten the fielder it was not for stopping.
The nonsensical selection mistakes of the last few weeks had been corrected and we finally had a strong team with our star player restored to the ranks form his previous role as umpire.

Filmer followed the lead of our normal skipper and promptly lost the toss. We were inserted.

Dave Latter faced the first ball and despatched a leg side full side full toss for 4. A few more glorious shots and a streaky edge meant he and partner Simon Barker had put on 18 runs off the first over. A quick bit of maths showed a predicted total of 720 off our 40 overs. Sadly only 11 runs off the next over meant we were falling behind already.

One of the Withyham openers was taken off after a few overs but the other opener was sharp extracting pace, lift and movement off the pitch. Latter got cleaned out for 36 to be replaced by Will Terry who was making his season’s debut. Barker missed a slow Yorker from the opposition first change bowler a talented cricketer called Lucy Knott.

Chris Filmer looked in good nick until feathering one of his famous late glances straight into the gloves of their keeper for 30. This was shortly after their keeper had made one of the most extravagant appeals ever seen on The Green screaming with excitement, running the length of the pitch waving his arms and reaching the umpire at the other end. Sadly the noise he heard which he thought was his teammates appealing was in fact all the other players on the pitch laughing.

Steve Horrocks joined Will Terry and after the early electric run rate they decided to give the opposition a chance and sitting on their bats for a large part of the middle of the innings. Fortunately a sledge from the opposition riled Horrocks who promptly despatched the bowler for a huge straight six. Terry went to his fifty courtesy of a dropped chance at midwicket. He ended up with an impressive 76.

Jack Feehan and Tom Mullins faced the last few overs. With the opposition quick returning and steaming in, young Mullins was not fazed and hit two absolutely glorious straight drives for boundaries.

We finished our 40 overs with a respectable total of 261 for 6.

After tea, the opposition started in a similar vein to our innings smacking 16 off Jack Feehan’s first over. Their top four batsman all looked dangerous hitting some big shots.

Jack Feehan (6-0-47-2) bowled more erratically than usual but still picked up valuable wickets including that of their star batsman with a glorious bit of seam bowling. He would have got another one if a certain match reporter had not dropped a sitter.

Harry Slevin (7-1-28-1) opened the bowling from the White Horse End and despite the presence of some big hitting batsman proved economical and unflustered.

Ben Lush (7-2-26-3) replaced Feehan and took two wickets courtesy of safe hands Filmer at mid off. His third wicket was not so impressive. Pitching the ball not even half way down the track it looped up. The batsman was confused and perhaps unsure where to hit it to. Its second bounce was in front of the stumps and the bails just about rolled off. After a brief query as to whether it was a no ball the batsman was on his way back to the pavilion. We were too embarrassed to celebrate.

The experienced pair of Horrocks (8-4-19-3) and Latter (3-0-6-1) came on and took a few wickets. One of Horrocks’ wickets was as a result of a surprisingly sharp catch in the slips by Dan Skinner, a left handed effort at full stretch. Wise heads came together and decided it was a complete fluke. Horrocks was not so fortunate when another edge found its way to Barker behind the stumps. He managed to drop it about 5 times including a few attempts at football keepy uppies.

Tom Mullins (4-2-7-0) bowled well at the end, if perhaps sending a few more down the leg side than is wise when your coach is keeping wicket.

The return fixture is next week