2s lose at Locksbottom

After last week’s game was lost to the weather, Bearsted 2s returned to action away at Locksbottom. The opposition were placed just above us in the League.
Their pitch is in fairly good condition but the table has been raised up over the years so takes a bit of getting used to, with sharp inclines for the bowlers to reach the crease.
The Locksbottom skipper was proud of his record of hardly ever winning the toss. However he was unaware how simply appalling our own beloved leader is at tossing. Locksbottom duly won and decided to bat.
With an array of bowling talent available we opened with Steve Benjamin and Jack Feehan. Feehan struggled with the Everest like approach to the wicket and should have worn crampons. His first four overs went for 16 runs though. Benjamin however was proving harder to get away.
Ben Lush replaced Feehan and bowled some great deliveries. It was though, his poor deliveries that got the wickets, courtesy of catches by Mullins and Filmer.
It looked like Benjamin would end wicketless but with his penultimate delivery he decided to copy Lush, bowled a long hop which was carefully guided into the hands of Latter in the gully. He finished with remarkable figures of 9-4-9-1.
Slevin (6-0-27-1) and Latter (9-0-29-2) both bowled well with Slevin having developed a bit of pace this season to go with ability to swing the ball. Horrocks was not perhaps as tidy as usual, although he did show remarkable accuracy with one leg side delivery that caught keeper Pearce in the nether regions, splitting his box down the middle.
The opposition struggled to score freely but were saved by an excellent innings from their No5 Verma, who scored a fine 76 not out. Although clearly tiring at the end of his innings, he cajoled his partners into running aggressively. With our field perhaps set too deep they turned several likely singles into twos.
Locksbottom finished 154 for 7 off their forty overs. An excellent bowling performance but perhaps we had allowed them twenty runs too many. The fielding was safe, and included a tidy run out by Croom.
After tea, Croom and Tim Lush opened the batting. The Locksbottom bowlers all bowled well, with their skipper standing up behind the stumps to most of them.
Croom played on for 12 and Lush chased a wide ball feathering a catch behind for 10. Latter came in next and fell to a stunning one handed catch at midwicket for 15. Filmer was caught behind for 16.
Scoring was tough with accurate bowling and a long boundary with slow outfield. In addition the wicket started playing up with variable pace and bounce.
Pearce was in next and battled hard but his timing was not as fine as usual. He was eventually out caught at midwicket for 17. With his cheeky grin and batting cap placed askew on his head he reminds some commentators of Richmal Crompton’s Just William (youngsters please Google him, although we are legally obliged to inform you that other search engines are available)
Tom Mullins played some nice drives before lofting one to long on.
Horrocks (15) and Benjamin (1) both holed out. With the run rate increasing we were forced to play risky big shots and the opposition were taking their chances.
Ben Lush departed for a duck trying to smear their leg spinner over cow corner, followed shortly by Harry Slevin who was l.b.w.
We were bowled out for 116. It was a rather depressing score. Whilst it was never easy, several batsmen got in but did not go on to make a big score and we never pressured their fielders with our running between the wickets.
Next week we take on St Lawrence at home.
Sadly, following complaints from the skipper (a.k.a the useless tosser, Welsh sheep fancier) about repeated jokes made at his expense, your match reporter has been temporarily suspended by the club.