Theale & Tilehurst Friendly vs Sulhamstead & Ufton 8th July 2007

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Report by Fingers

This was a significant day for the club as we put two Sunday sides out for the first time (the weather having denied us doing this last week). The team that made the short trip to Sulhamstead was a very young side and included five players making their debut in senior cricket for the club with two others having only played a couple of games each.

With such an experimental side I was pleased to win the toss and have a bowl first. Arsalan and Michael opened the bowling and kept it tight initially but couldn’t get the initial breakthrough; the only chance being created a very tough one to first slip. It was only when Chris replaced his brother that the first wicket arrived; Stiemens bowled by a perfectly pitched delivery that took the top of middle and off.

The Sulhamstead innings continued albeit slowly as Daniel and Manish took the pace off the ball; the second wicket to fall was opposition skipper Victor Thomas who was well taken by Rog at extra cover off the bowling of Manish. Perhaps Rog was inspired in his fielding efforts by not wanting to look too much like the old man of the team; after all he was giving thirty years to at least three of the team.

With Martin Booth at the crease, a man who could obviously hit the ball a long way, and wickets in hand there was an anticipation that there would be a full assault on the T&T bowling in the last ten overs. It never really came; the batters seemed prepared to play the bowling on its merits and generally the bowling was quite good. What was slightly disconcerting though was the umpire at the end of I was bowling from constantly referring to me as “young-un”; as I was twice the age of all bar one of the other bowlers I wasn’t sure whether he was taking the mick or blind; neither filled me with great confidence.

At the end of the innings Michael came back and bowled an excellent second spell and it wasn’t until the last over of the innings that the assault finally came; the 15 runs scored in the last over not exactly helping my figures. 155-3 in a straight forty over game seems an odd score; I still can’t figure out what the batting plan was. A word here for Ed who did an excellent job behind the stumps; it can’t be easy keeping to six different bowlers who you have never seen bowl in a match before; to do this with no byes was an excellent effort.

After an excellent tea Rog and Arsalan went out to open the batting. Against tight opening bowling they were initially prepared to just see off the openers; they didn’t quite manage this as Arsalan was bowled by Longman and unfortunately James followed relatively soon afterwards. With the score at 18-2 and Rog and Meady, our two most experienced batters, at the crease we needed a partnership. Fortunately they were able to deliver whilst neither of them were at their most fluent as they put on just over a hundred for the 3rd wicket. Rog scoring what must be the slowest fifty he has ever scored.

Meady was the first to go when he was caught at deep mid on with about 35 still needed. Rog soon followed and with two new batters at the crease and 19 needed off six a couple of tight overs could have put some pressure back on to us. The opposition skipper decided it was time for him to have a bowl; this decision didn’t quite have the impact that he would have hoped. During Meady and Rog’s partnership there had been some talk on the boundary that they were going along too slowly (despite the fact that they were pacing the innings very nicely). When Ed was faced with the opposition skipper bowling he showed what getting on with it meant; 19 needed off six overs became game won with five overs to spare as he hit two large leg side sixes (one breaking one of the ridge tiles on the pavilion roof); it was left to Sam to hit the winning runs off the last ball of the over.

Overall an excellent win for such an inexperienced side; hopefully as we play more games in the coming weeks we will get stronger as well.