One Day Competition - President Cardinals vs BWU, Sydenham Park #3, Presidents, 3rd December 2016
Our first visit to Cricket HQ this season proved a fruitful endeavour, knocking over a Burnside line-up featuring a few new faces, with some normal stalwarts absent.
Ralphie won the toss – again – and fielded.
Brownie did the honours with his first ball, removing Kember caught first slip by Laughts for 5 with the score at 5. Allen went shortly after, caught behind by Waza off Ralphy, also for 5.
Dickson and Kennedy tried to knuckle down, but a green pitch that occasionally popped one was proving interesting and Brownie removed Kennedy for nine with the score at 50 in the 15th. BWU went to drinks with the score at 3/68.
As we so often do, we got the breakthrough shortly after drinks when Dickson, who’d been doing most of the scoring was dismissed by Dunny with a clean bowl(ed) for 45 with the score at 80. Jeff Roy batted especially well for 67 before being caught by Brownie off Ralphie, and a very young looking Clare chipped in 21 before being caught by Ski off Phil Walker. After a slow first 20, BWU prospered from some lusty hitting and short boundaries in the second 20, finishing on 186/6.
Of the bowlers, Ralphie 8-0-41-2, Brownie 8-1-28-2, Ski 4-1-11-0, Flem 8-0-37-0, Phil Walker 7-1-32-1 and Dunn 5-0-36-1.
Laughts and Spency got our reply under way well enough, with Spency outscoring Laughts, who departed in the 7th over caught with a jammy ‘Tui style’ catch off Kember for 6, leaving Spency on 16 at the other end, and the score at 23.
Ski plundered a quick 20 before being caught off Clare with the score at 45, and Phil Walker perished the same way for 16 shortly after drinks with the score at 98.
Enter Waza’s brother Jarrod, who rotated the strike nicely with Spency, building a picket fence punctuated by a two, before he was run out for 15 with the score at 139. Then Spency went for 82 – a marvellously elegant and at times brutally punishing innings – with the score at 143 in the 34th. Six overs to go, 44 needed, with Ralphie in and Brownie walking to the crease. No worries at all, we thought – and thought that some more as Ralphie started pumping them over cow.
But then both Ralphy and Brownie went caught at long on in the same Roy over – Ralphy for 30 and Brownie for 7, with the score at 167 and 20 still needed. Then Waza went for a duck for Syds to be eight down with 10 needed, Dunn and Fleming at the crease and Phil Barclay padding up at light speed.
At least we made it interesting. In the end, Dunny pumped a six and a four byes got us over the line for the win, and the return to BWU of the Fail Bail.
Man of the Match: Ewan Spence
Check out the scorecard from the game.