Finally, a win!

So I played 2 games this weekend. Saturday, at home, against Alkborough. hadn't lost against them in 6 years leading up to this game. Won the toss, and in similar conditions to last week, bowled again. Argh, why?! Anyway, our opening bowlers haemorrhaged runs. Again. After 8 overs, when I came on, they were 50-0. My first 4 overs went for 13, bringing a semblance of calm to the game. I was brought off after 6 overs, to try and change things up, but the seam attack just got smashed around the park, so I was brought back on. I picked up a wicket in my 11th over, cleaning up the opener with an arm-ball. There was a little bit of spin, not a lot, and a bit of bounce when you looked for it, but quite low when you didn't. The opener made 73 off 96. The other lad was unperturbed, and went on to record a very well made century. The number 3 (who really wasn't a number 3 I don't think, he didn't look like he could bat a lot) played across the line to me and I cleaned him up. I bowled through, and they ended up on 221-2 off 45. I dropped the centurion off the last ball of my spell, didn't pick up the ball til late on, and it was probably the keeper's catch, but I still should have held it. My figures were 15-2-55-2, quite good considering the total innings RR was almost 5/over!

Teas were, once again, outstanding. As usual!

In reply, we lost Sam for a duck, and then Andy and Kev put on 80 for the 2nd wicket. When Kev was out for 33, Ciaran came in, and went on to score a run a ball 40. However, this is where the problems began. Their skipper is a notorious pie chucker, but also a wicket-taker. His array of full tosses, long-hops and the occasional length ball did for our batting. He ran through the middle order on his way to 12-0-56-7. I wandered in with us on 157-7. I lost Pete the next over, and Dan an over afterwards, leaving us 168-9 needing to stay 9 down, otherwise they would get all 20 points. I managed to safely navigate it, along with the Doc. I ended up 8* off 17 balls. Never in any real trouble, as I seemed to be the only one capable of not swinging across the line or playing another silly shot... So that didn't go how I planned it! On to Sunday then!

So, Sunday away at North Scarle. And it was in the middle of nowhere. Looked like a random field as well, terrible wicket. Moss on it and everything! We lost the toss and batted first. Sam was out for 10, and then Ben B followed 5 overs later for 13. Neil was out for a very hard-grafted 10, and wickets tumbled at a slow but steady rate, with me walking in at 99-6, on a hattrick ball, and 3 wickets going down for no runs. I survived the hattrick ball, and between me, Pete and Charlie, we put on 16 runs in the last 4 overs, taking us to 115/7. I got one ball that pitched full, and got up and hit me in the grille! Had no idea what was going on. Contrasting that was Ben B's dismissal, out LBW to a pea-roller! Very tough pitch. ended up 2* off 10, couldn't pierce the field!

Teas were truly dreadful, I got there and there were 3 ham sandwiches, some egg, and cheese savoury? What the hell is that?! A few bits of cake and that was it. Barely enough for 1 side, nevermind 2. Bollocks.

Got into the field, and with Ben B back, we had a feeling he could go through their batting line-up. And so it proved. With our premier quick bowler back, we ran through them like a dream. Their collapse from 11-0 to 29-9 was stuff of real, real village cricket! Ben bowled his way to figures of 8-2-10-7, and his younger brother Jamie bowled equally well to figures of 6-2-10-2. I took one catch in the field, and saved a few runs by diving about on the minefield. Dan picked up the final wicket to bowled them out for 40. In short, a well deserved win, nice to get off the mark in the wins column this year!

Only one game next week, at home to Cleethorpes 3rds, need to get a win in the Saturday league to get us going! Ciao for now! x