BELT 25/05/25

Unfortunately Plush double booked the pitch meaning the hunt for a ground was on. BELT managed to secure the Minstead ground in the New Forest but the location was too far for Tom and Stu to travel so the Wanderers played with 9 players. A time game was played with the Wanderers allowed to bat last man standing. On a bright but breezy day, BELT won the toss and elected to bat.

Foz opened the bowling with Mark at the other end. Despite a bright start by this pair, the BELT openers started to look comfortable once they got used to the extra lift at one end. Adi and Ben both put down simple catching chances before Mark was replaced by Brett who found a great line and length. The Wanderers were fielding with immense skill on a difficult hard and undulating outfield. Ben made several body stops at mid-off and Mike H was outstanding cutting off fours at gulley. Foz was chasing a ball when his foot went into an undulation, and he went tumbling and everyone felt the earth move just a bit. Mark came back, this time from the other end and a breakthrough was achieved when Adi held onto a chance at mid-on. Leo struggled at his preferred end and soon him and Ben swapped ends, with Ben looping in the in-swingers, getting the all-important wicket of the well-set opening batsman. By now Mark had left the field with a suspected hamstring injury, but the substitute fielders put their all into the cause. Brett and Foz returned to complete the innings, with Foz getting a wicket when a thick-edge looped up to Skipper behind the stumps. 212-3 at the innings close and for the first time ever Skipper did not turn to spin for the innings!

Mark (5) was only able to stand and hit and did so for a few balls before he was caught (5-1). Ben (9) was bowled in the fourth over to bring Skipper in to join Adi at 15-2. A fine partnership followed, a mix of speedy running between the wickets and some big shots out of the ground from Skipper.

These two put on 75 until Adi (26) was bowled by a superb delivery that was almost unplayable (90-3). Skipper (43) was caught on the boundary fence at the start of the last hour to bring in PW to join Leo. PW was tamely caught in the same over without score (91-5) and now the asking rate was well above 6 an over. Leo and Brett batted sensibly, playing the ball on merit but putting away anything loose, taking advantage of the lightning-fast outfield. When Leo (24) was c&b the pair had added 31 in 6 overs (122-6, 14 overs left). Mike H (0) hang around while Brett hit some sixes into the next postcode but was bowled by a straight delivery (140-7, 12 left). Foz and Brett were the last pair but had the knowledge that the last man stands so all 4 results were still on! The tension mounted as the Wanderers edged their way towards 200. Brett (55) passed fifty with another boundary but was soon out trying to play over the top and was caught (195-8, 5 left). Foz was now on his own, 18 runs required. Drama as the keeper dropped an edge that would have won the game. Then a hoick to cow-corner and indecision among the fielders and the chance went down. A thick edge to point was hanging in the air for a long time before this was also dropped and a c&b chance went begging. Foz looked totally knackered in every sense, as well as black and blue in most places, but he still had the optimism of shouting “two” when trying to take a run to mid-wicket which was never going to be two, especially with Foz doing a Roadrunner impression! The last over still required five to win and after a couple of singles, a drive over mid-on saw Foz carry the Wanderers home by the narrowest of margins!

MOM: Foz – heroic deeds at the end of a superb contest.

Catch of the day: Adi

Quote of the day: Are you having a BBQ Foz as you seem to have been tenderized