HWRCC 1xi beat Oxted & Limpsfield 1xi by 3
wickets.
For scorecard click here
Wick successfully overcame a few nervy moments to record a
win that keeps them in contention for Champions League places and with an
outside shot still of promotion. In this tight league there is plenty still to
play for.
Having won the toss maybe three times in 2009 (and not lost a
game all season), Davies bad luck continued in 2010 by winning what must be toss
#8 (out of 10). A lovely flat track and a pretty ground was supplemented by a
Summer Fair which included a live band who played Kam’s ipod collection with
gusto. Dire Straits, Take That, S-Club 7. You name it.
Wick bowled first due to the threat of weather taking hold at
some point. Nomi and Fahad put on a great opening spell – plenty of dots and
play and misses. Unfortunately two drops (one hard, one very hard) meant the
openers got away with it somewhat. A change of bowling to Day and Tong brought a
quick flurry of runs, but this was only temporary as Day beat the best bat on
the day to take a vital wicket. Kam then nabbed one on the stroke of drinks,
leaving Oxted on 80-2 from 28 overs. Slow but sure. Post drinks Kam continued to
keep a lid on progress, ending up with only 18 runs conceded from his 13 overs.
Tong at the other end kept plugging on what was really a batsman friendly track
and was rewarded when Immo took a sharp one at goolie. The scorecard shows three
decent scores 1,2,3 and not much else and credit for this goes to the
aforementioned two and towards the end a burst from Nomaan whose fast a straight
bowling brought deserved success in what has been an unlucky bowling season for
him thus far.
144ao was below par on a flat track, but credit must go to
the bowlers who kept control and were patient when needed. Also some honorable
mentions in the field to Lloydy in particular whose presence kept up the chatter
and morale in what was to be honest quite a boring afternoon in the
field.
Teas were plentiful but a little disappointing. I haven’t
eaten sandwich quarters since I was 12, but these days I need more than bitesize
sandwiches to keep me going. Thankfully the tea lady was VfM ;). 7/10 for that
alone….ask Iain.
The response started off brightly, although Nomaan will be
livid at skying one early doors. Iain joined Fin and the runs were coming at a
healthy rate, 4s/5s until two quick wickets (Tong, I and Day) putting a
temporary halt in progress. Rashid provided some stability before being
triggered. All the while Finbar was playing carefree cricket, keen to hit
through the line into the large vacant spaces in the outfield and beyond. The
fact that he pulled a muscle in his back (he’s got some back too!) makes his
performance even greater. Four huges 6s over a 5-man leg side boundary ring
speak volumes of the belief and ability of the fella. These were some big
hits.
Inevitably he fell eventually, riding his luck once too
often, but his 59 deserve the MOM (and POW) awards. JMJ and Davies then looked
to see things through. Conditions were easy and the bowling good without being
lethal, it was all about knowing the scoring areas. A period of calm followed as
the runs came but only at 3s and as the light started to fade a little the
pressure built (and the rubbish chat in the middle). Then as JMj and Davies had
decided to accelerate somewhat, the ball flew to the boundary where a fielder
managed to break his collarbone in stopping the ball. Thereafter followed a 30m
delay as an ambulance was called and the light got worse. He was fine but upon
resumption the game quickly became a bit of a shoot out. It was approaching 8pm
and with 20 needed and 4 wickets in hand, we decided to go for it and finish it
off. They brought a quicks back and JMJ fell leaing Tong, G and Davies to see
things home without too much fuss.
Ambition was the buzzword on Saturday – we showed the desire
to win the game slightly more than Oxted and were rewarded with the points. Fin
demonstrated that in abundance with his maiden 50 for the Wick
1s.
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