Bride Vale 10/07/22

The Wanderers elected to bat on another dry and loose pitch in Little Bredy.  David opened the innings with Matthew, who was on debut.  Both were prepared to have a go at the bowling, with Matthew using the lofted drive to good effect.  It was Matthew (30) who was first out with one effort not clearing the infield sufficiently.  James took a while to get accustomed to the unusual playing surface but began to make runs once he settled himself.  David (16) was caught brining Leo to the crease.  Leo (11) combined well with James rotating the strike and handling the variable bounce with maturity, before he was bowled.  Mike H (3) made an appearance for the Wanderers and got onto the score sheet before offering up a simple catch.  Tom (20) hit some lusty blows before he, too, was caught forcing the pace.  All the while, James was accumulating runs while wickets fell around him.  Ben (3) was the last wicket to fall leaving Foz (2no) to guide us to the tea interval with James still there on a masterful 84 not out.  227-6

Simon provided tea and then the Wanderers set about the 10 wickets required for victory.  Both Ben and Leo bowled with the required accuracy creating difficulty for the batsmen.  The opening 8 overs yielded just 7 runs from the bat but crucially no wickets.  Matthew was unfortunate to be carted away a few times but length was key.  Foz bowled from the pavilion end but hit the batsman on the helmet twice off a length in his first over.  David replaced him and suddenly the game took off.  David was causing all sorts of problems with the ball gripping and lifting or going straight on and occasionally turning.  David was taking wickets for fun and this included the danger man with a ball that did so much it could have danced around the stumps before taking top of middle.  By now Foz (2-36 from 11) was back on, this time from the tree end, and was hitting good areas with a catch and LBW to his name.  However it was David who was devastating with the ball and he took the 9th wicket to create the nail-biting finish the game deserved.  Despite all the effort, the Vale hosts held on for a draw, on 110-9.

MOM: David with a lifetime best 7-38 and equal 2nd best all-time Wanderers bowling figures.

Catch of the day: None recorded

Quote of the day: This pitch looks quite lively!