South Stoke 16/07/17

With a great night in Bath behind them, the Wanderers moved on to South Stoke where the match was preceeded by a bowl off for Mike Moore; having stated the previous evening that all our bowlers are rubbish because they don’t hit the stumps enough, he confidently predicted he could hit 4 out of 6!  Needless to say none troubled the stumps and 3 were declared wide!

South Stoke invited the Wanderers to play an unusual format of game.  The first innings was a T20 format and then, after tea, 3 hours of cricket in which the batting side needs to set a target and declare, allowing enough time to take 10 wickets.  This time the father/son opening pair was Bob and Tom.  Bob (18) played a sensible innings nudging the ball into the gaps while Tom (22) was in a hurry and was caught when trying to hit a full toss back over mid-on he got the bottom of the bat on the ball leaving a simple catch at the start of the 5th over.  Mike Tomms (3) was c&b and Fred (5) was LBW.  Simon scored a cover drive for 4 to collect his 10000th run, although Mike Moore failed to recognise this and only started cheering an over later.  Will (24) joined Simon and the partnership was progressing well until Will struck a beautiful straight drive which the bowler touched en route to the stumps to leave Simon (35) stranded for the second time at South Stoke in 4 years! There was time for Mark to play and miss before producing a fantastic cover drive and then play and miss to a straight one.  David (7) looked unlucky in his LBW dismissal and Pete was rooted in the crease for his LBW duck. (132 a/o in 20 overs)

Tom opened the bowling with a maiden and then Mark struck an LBW with a great away swinger that pitched on middle and straightened.  By the time the bowling changed after 6 overs the score was 18-2, Mark having a second LBW.  David’s opening spell was even more devestating (3-2-2-1) although Fred struggled to find a good line and length on a pitch that was offering little to the bowlers.  Both Mike Tomms and Pete were hit for lots of runs before the innings closed on 107-4.

After tea, the Wanderers elected to bat to build on the first innings lead of 25.  Simon and Will opened the batting and were in no mood for hanging around.  Simon was out in the 6th over for 34 with the opening stand worth 48.  Will (24) was caught soon after and Tom retired shortly after that but not before devestating the figures of the bowler who claimed his wicket in the first innings – hitting him onto the pavillion roof and nearby spectators 5 times in 3 overs that cost 62 runs.  Fred was caught on 13 and Mike M (22no) and Mark (8) shared a great stand together before Mark was caught in the covers, giving Simon the cue to call them in and declare the innings on 160-5 from 16.1 overs, setting 186 to win in 2 hours.

By the time Will and Mark opened the bowling for the Wanderers both the pitch and ball were looking really tired.  Mark again managed to find something special in getting the opening wicket.  Both bowled well and conceeded just 9 runs from the opening 7 overs. Bob managed to get some turn and claimed a breakthrough with a fortuetous LBW decision then a tiny outside edge to Simon.  The approx run rate was going uo with each tight over completed.  Then a great 4th wicket partnership seemed to be unbreakable.  Fred, Pete and Mike Tomms were too expensive and so Tom became the one to break the partnership when Mike Tomms held onto a tricky catch at mid-wicket to give the Wanderers belief that victory was still acheivable.  Simon took a running catch when Will rushed one through and then Mike Tomms clung onto a really awkward chance over his head.  With time pressing on Tom and Fred had to depart for their journeys back to London so South Stoke added some fielders for the final few overs.  The last one, bowled by David, had the hosts requiring 11 to win with 4 wickets in hand.  David bowled the batsman first ball and then the new batsman squeezed a double to square leg.  Having missed ball 3, the next went for 4 over cow corner leaving 5 from 2.  David bowled sensibly and no contact was made on the next 2 balls to leave the match drawn.

MOM: Simon – Batting and keeping contribution and 10000 runs!

Catch of the day: Mike Tomms