THE 2s travelled to St Peter’s to get their season up and running.
After a mixed bag of success finding parking that wouldn’t get them fined the lads got changed and after a bit of rusty fielding drills Lewis won the toss and inserted the hosts on a slow low wicket hoping to make some early inroads.
They did just that with Michael Tutt nicking off the opening bat with about 10 on the board. Tutt and Matt Anthony kept it tight in the opening spell and their pressure was unfortunate to not accumulate any further scalps. The second wicket wasn’t far off though with their other opener who’d had a couple of lives finally succumbing to a Shibin delivery which was well-held by Will the Womble Royal! Shib nabbed a second soon after nicking off for another Sully Hallett catch behind the stumps.
At this point the opposition started to take the sting out of the game and clip the ball about for one’s and twos on a tricky deck to navigate. Chances came and went but the pair batted sensibly and got the score to 126 before the Womble got his first league wicket of the season after a brilliant spell of bowling that deserved more, another catch from the one legged wicket keeper who did a lovely job of juggling as his took the ball diving to his right. More sloppy fielding and sensible batting enabled the hosts to up the rate in the final 10 and get the score to 191-5 from their 40 overs with the ever vocal Tutt cleaning up their number 3 for a well made and patient 58. All bowlers put a shift in and on another day chances would have been taken to give their efforts more reward.
Sham went into the half way point confident that if we batted the overs we would chase down the score but also wary that it was not an easy place to score runs freely. Rob Wilkinson and Shaun Kevern strode out to the crease to get their reply underway and nudged the ball about in between some playing and missing during the tricky new ball overs to see off the opening bowlers well.
Rob fell in the 10th over to a beauty of a delivery leaving Sham at 25-1 which brought the one legged wicket keeper hopping to the crease asking anyone who’d listen if they’d be his runner. Once all in attendance had refused he got his head down and with Kevern kept the run rate ticking along with the score at 60-1 at the 20 over drinks break. Some good running (and hopping) and lusty blows from Hallett the partnership of 73 was finally broken in the 26th over with the score at 98-2 after Kevern attempted a cross batted swipe and was cleaned up for 39. In came Fingers at 4 and he and the ever moaning and hobbling youngster Hallett kept the runs ticking along with the required rate sticking between 7-8 an over. Hallett eventually was bowled for a cracking 43, made even more spectacular by his accumulation of injuries with every over that passed. Fingers followed shortly afterwards for a breezy 36 which had helped Sham get into a solid position of 8 an over required in the final7/8 overs.
By this time, Shib was at the crease and had found a couple of boundaries which kept us up with the rate. Nick was bowled by a good ball but this brought the Womble to the crease and he joined Shib and the two of them had some fun, with Shib hitting a massive 6 followed by a 4 and Kenny Cunningham would have been proud of the Wombles effortless 6 over mid wicket which took Sham to 10 required with 3 overs remaining. Will was well caught soon after but Tutt joined Shib and they got the score to 190-6 with 2 overs to go before Tutt got a good ball and was bowled. 2 to win, 10 balls left and a man for a crisis Warren Headland waddled out to the middle before batting back a full toss and leaving the next, he knew what he was doing though and the next ball played a lovely cover drive to bring the scores level and bring that man Shib on strike. Only one result of the next ball, 6 runs and the win was secured.
This result was a huge win as you can tell the step up in levels from previous divisions and a real team effort with fight and grit was needed to dig in and time the chase to perfection.
In a game where there were plenty of notable performances it was Sully who was just pipped to the Education First MOM by Shibin Abraham for a great spell of bowling followed by a monstrous innings ending 31 not out in absolutely no time. Sully will feel that he may have got it though had someone done his running for him…..Up the Sham.
