v Ifield

A damp squib…..

So after a relentless and extended pre-season campaign, we finally got to kick off our league season, with the new look 4th team chomping at the bit to play some competitive cricket. First game under the tenure of Skipper Brotherton, was top at home, great! By 1.47pm we were 13-5, even better!

So it went something like this; the deck was damp, the toss was crucial, Ifield won it, we had to bat, we didn’t bat very well, and then played dominoes with our top order. A wag of the tail did follow however, and with Eddy, Kyle, Tom and Max all chipping in, and Chris ‘YOGI’ Howick’s unbeaten stand at the end, we managed to limp through to 102 all out and even managed to get past drinks, which at one point was in the balance. I think its fair to say we didn’t apply ourselves particularly well in challenging conditions and a lack of knuckling down, grafting and digging in, meant that the game was gone at the half way stage.

To the credit of the players and the bowling unit, a spirited and committed 3rd quarter of the game, saw the Bensons make a fist of it, and when Ifield took drinks after 20 overs, they were 45-5, and an unlikely miracle looked genuinely possible. However, the canny, if not particularly likable ifield captain came to the crease and along with their talented no7, Zak Mohammed, eased any Ifield nerves and they crossed the line with no further casualties to win by 5 wickets.

In summary, we were undercooked, starting the season against a side who had already taken maximum points from their first 2 games and were match sharp. However, the game was in all intents and purposes, decided on the toss of a coin, with conditions being very beneficial for the side winning the toss. Finally we won one quarter out of 4, so we need to make sure we are competitive for longer periods in future games and give ourselves solid foundations by playing better cricket. Despite all this, there were a number of positives with debuts for at least 6 players, a 5 year high score from Chris Howick, some exciting seam bowling from Kyle Masters and a very positive and dynamic team spirit.

So next week, who are we playing, oh, Ifield away, revenge anybody…..?

Result –Lost by 5 Wickets
Points – 6
MOM – Chris Howick, for his 29* and a very impressive spell of seam bowling up the hill.