Pinkneys Green
Sunday September 21 at Pinkneys Green Strollers won by 154 runs Strollers 276-3
(40 overs; Oliver 105no, Millar 69, Wall 29no, Harry Mangham 25, Travis 17, Rogers 10no)
Pinkneys Green 122
(28.2 overs; Hodgson 4-2, Harry Mangham 2-7, Rogers 2-28, Broster-Turley 1-19, Dela Rue 1-38)
While observing the first innings at Pinkneys Green you
would have been forgiven for thinking you were sitting on the famous ramparts
in Galle swatting bothersome mosquitos and complaining about the oppressive
humidity as each bowling change brought yet another leg-spinner on.
The Strollers opening partnership of Blair Travis and Hector
Millar were understandably cautious in
light of Pinkneys’ subcontinental tactics, taking their time with an attractive
pull by Hector over square leg for four the only traditional opener’s shot on
display in the first 10 overs. Blair fell for 17 to a crafty quicker delivery
from Archie ‘the spinning spice’ Fennell in the 10th over.
Rather than continuing this circumspect approach, Glen Oliver
came to the crease and took the game to the opposition, galvanising Millar in
the process.
Few chances were given as the two played gloriously for the
better part of 20 overs putting on 119 for the second wicket with Hector
getting to his first Strollers 50 with a deft poke for one. Millar eventually
succumbed to a neat ball from the tidy line and length bowling of Naresh,
caught by Alex Fennell, bringing Harry Mangham into bat.
Mangham and Oliver oscillated between smacking Ian Hann
(another spinner – modality unclear) around the park and playing cautiously to
initially Naresh and then the quick opener Oli Fennell.
Glen went through the gears reaching his third ton of the
year in the 36th over and was subsequently retired injured, only for Mangham to
get caught and bowled in the next over, out to the first ball of the spinning
spice’s second spell having put on 77 in the process.
The two new batters, Steve Rogers and Rob Wall, were
unperturbed by this wobble, with Steve coming down the wicket to his first ball
and Wall scooping and reversing like a man who has watched far too much
Bazball.
Playing like a man who could not be bothered to run for
singles, Wall smacked the ball to all parts including an eye catching six onto
the roof of the club house. These two renegades put on 40 in four overs taking
the Strollers to a daunting total of 276-3 off their 40 overs.
After a tea spent watching the end of the England v Ireland
T20, the Strollers took to the field, opting for a slightly more traditional
swing and seam approach given we were playing on a lovely summer’s day in a
pretty little village north of Maidenhead.
Freddie Broster-Turley and James ‘the Lord’ Dela Rue opened
the bowling well, piling on the pressure with Freddie bowling Naresh in his
second over.
James Hemmings and Will Heyes built a rather ominous partnership
with Heyes wielding every Saturday cricketer’s bat of choice – the Chase. He discovered
the middle of it immediately and found some real rhythm despite the neat
bowling.
As the worried glances multiplied the Lord finally broke
the partnership, having Heyes brilliantly caught by Wall behind the stumps.
Steve, having been brought on the over before, then took Hemmings in a tidy
caught and bowled before claiming Sid
Iyer the very next ball with a salmon-like leap across the pitch.
The Strollers seized the initiative from here on, bringing
on a leg-spin demon of their own in Harry Mangham, who took two quick wickets
in successive overs before Jim Hodgson was thrown the ball.
He bowled an exceptionally neat maiden for his first over;
a sloppy, by his standards, two-run over for his second; then smelling blood and puncturing all life out of
Pinkneys in his third, which was a brutal triple-wicket maiden.
He clean bowled three batsman and backed it up with the
final wicket of the match in his fourth over, bowling out Pinkneys for 118 and
ending with match figures of 4-2 off 3.2 overs.
All in all, it was a textbook victory for the Strollers
with Glen’s ton, Hector’s first Strollers 50 and Jim’s demolition the key
highlights with the only damp squib being Blair’s failure to get to the
landmark 1,000 runs for the season, falling just 33 runs short.
With one domestic and two international games to go, his
wait continues…
Capt: Blair Travis. Wkt: Rob Wall.
Match fees: Simon Brodbeck. Match report: Harry Mangham.
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