Match Report 2xi vs Maori Oxshott

Tough win that. Maori Oxshott were a decent team, a couple of good players, and with a bit of luck, the result could have been very different. But we earned a valuable win in our quest for promotion, and for the second week running, we showed plenty of fight and ticker.

As ever, Fudgey lost the toss and we were stuck into bat. The wicket wasn’t favourable either way, it was a good cricket wicket, with something in it for the bowlers (especially with the new ball), but the bounce was true and it could be trusted.

Coley and Goldy opened up, but neither lasted long. Their opening bowler (Tahir) accounted for both, bowling with pace, control, and moving it both ways. He bowled a very impressive 12 over opening spell, without ever really offering any freebies. Coming in at 4, Matt Killner was also cleaned up by Tahir (11-3), so it was left to Fudgey and AJ to repair the innings.

Fudgey played a true captain’s knock, probably the best I’ve seen from him. With Tahir making life extremely difficult at one end, and Hussain bowling well at the other, it was tough going for a long time out there. The Wick managed to reach drinks at 25 overs without any further loss, reaching 60-3. The innings had been rebuilt, and now the Wick batsmen looked to push on.

Fudgey started to cut loose, pulling the short ball with aplomb, while playing straight to everything else. At the other end, AJ was happy to drop anchor and hold up an end. A change of bowling helped the scoring rate, as Wasim was dispatched for 27 runs from his three wayward overs, while Wheeler was treated with a similar disdain (35 off 6).

The skipper reached his fifty, offering only one chance, but given the quality of their opening spell, it was a fine effort, and a hundred looked a good thing. AJ started to find his form at the other end, driving and cutting with more authority as his innings progressed.

Alas, both batsmen surrendered their wickets to loose shots to Raja’s innocuous seamers, but having put on a partnership of 111, their job had been done. After that, only Del Boy (25) and Breakwell (13 not out) offered anything of substance, as Pinball, Harry and Leggsy all failed to kick on. We were eventually bowled out for 187 in 54.2 overs.

From 11-3 we had posted a competitive total, but once again, our effort was undermined by clusters of wickets falling in quick succession. We need to put a higher value on our wickets and stay more patient if we are to improve as a batting unit.

Fudgey had to dash to a & e at tea, so Webbo took the armband for the second session, with Whinney stepping up to fill the breach in numbers. Webbo bowled a brilliant opening spell, with plenty of pace, movement, bounce and accuracy, making scoring difficult. At the other end, Leggsy was struggling to find his rhythm and line of the previous week, but produced an absolute pearl to account for Wasim, allowing Coley to complete the most nonchalant of one handed catches in the slips. Webbo then cleaned up Malik, inexplicably leaving one of Webbo’s inswingers, much to the delight of the Wick mob “I SAID YOU BUY ONE YOU GET ONE FREE.”

Wheeler and Raja chanced their arm to put on 50 odd for the third wicket, lofting shots to all parts, intended or not. Killner, replacing Webbo, was bowling with plenty of hostility, broke the partnership, Raja pulling to the grateful hands of Unsworth.

Breakwell replaced Leggsy to instil some control to the attack. Having found a decent rhythm, JB then ripped through Maori’s middle order, taking the next 5 wickets to fall. It was a brilliant effort on a pitch that became more benign as the day went on, removing Khokhar with one of the balls of the season, heading to leg before coming back to hit the top of off.

Del had to go off after splitting open his finger dropping the most horrible of high balls, but returned to take a similar chance within an over of his return. It was a brilliant catch, and allowed Del to silence the heckling Wick mafia of Sisso, Mooray and Bartle-Wilson, who had berated the Cockney Sparra’ for his previous drop. EH!

The Maori lower order changed tack, from swinging from the hip, to blocking patiently. It was left to Killner to remove Baron with a well disguised slower ball. After 6 overs of stubborn resistance, Killner then accounted for Hussain, trying to release the pressure, but hitting straight to Pinball at silly mid off. A brilliant catch and a brilliant win.

This really was an excellent win, a tremendous team effort, with some fine individual performances. Fudgey’s knock was as important as for the context as it was the way he played, while Webbo, Breakwell (5-29) and Killner (3-26)were all near unplayable with the ball.

Stoke D’Ab up next on Saturday. It will be a close game, and we’ll need to be at our very best to complete a league double over them. But we can do it, if our bowlers bowl as they have all season, and our batsmen dig in, and bat with a bit more nous and patience.

Men of the match; Fudgey and Breakwell.