Braunstone v BOTWCC 2nd XI
Saturday 21st June 2008
THE EXTENDED VERSION...
We're not sure at this stage but It's quite likely that a vast percentage of the league would have stayed at home on this weekend as the rain had fell with grim determination throughout Friday night and Saturday morning. So much so, the First XI called off bright and early and the Elite took the week off.
But, despite plenty of attempts to contact Braunstone to see if the Two's faced the same fate, no positive answer was forthcoming. So at approximately 1.30 of the afternoon clock, players had begrudgingly begun to arrive at Braunstone's soggy ground.
With ne'er a smile to be seen whilst standing there in the drizzle that showed no sign of abating, Steve Neal rightly declared that since we'd all traveled there, we were going to play a match whether we got wet or not.
And so we did.
With stand-in skipper, John Shipman, having won the toss, the Burton bowling attack opened with Chris Langham and Grant Penton. Both bowled well giving little away as always. Lanky at least did his job and took out the openers for 1 and 8 runs respectively and then took a 6-over breather. He was replaced by James Headley who put on his best performance of the season and also took 2 good wickets. Wickets were falling at a steady pace and barring the Braunstone number 5 (Croucher) who knocked a well earned 50 nobody else from the home team really contributed with any real threat.
The Shipman offspring, Sam and Tom, both also bowled as well as they have all season thus far. Each also took a brace of scalps before Chris Langham came back on to skittle out the last 2 rabbits at the end, thus calling short Adam Archer's measly 1 over spell.
Braunstone were all out for 125 in the 41st over.
We also had a potential Champagne Moment to celebrate on this day too. James Headley had hurled a quite rank long-hop that had started straight and drifted leg side. The batsman's eyes lit up, as they would, and he slapped it forcefully behind square leg for what should have been a certain boundary. No less than it deserved. No so on this occasion. Call it skill, call it talent, call it blind luck and touch of instinct. But there awaiting was a gracefully diving Ali Love who plucked the ball from the air with ease and sent the batsman back to the club house with his tail between his legs. Champagne Moment indeed, although at his age it'll be a tin of Iron Bru. Sugar free of course.
After a lovely Tea, the match restarted. In the absence of a poorly Mark Russell, Steve Neal opened with Ali Love and the pairing set to their task from the get-go. And in the face of yet more mediocre bowling from Division 4, Messers Neal and Love took it upon themselves to win the match single handedly. Runs and boundaries were dispatched to all parts and the loss of a wickets didn't look particularly likely, save for the occasional rash swipe born of impatience and hot headedness that might, on another day, have cost them their wicket.
And so, after a paltry 21 over of the 2nd innings Ali Love slapped a right good'n for 4 runs to end the game on 71 not out and Steve Neal close to a first half century of the season not out on 43. A very well done to both lads there.
So, the maximum 24 points made the trip well worth while and hopefully allows the BOTW Two's to gain some points on the rest of the league.
Well played all.
A few other points: (1) It was nice the see Rob Morley at the ground after his hip hop, I mean op. (2) Also good to see Smiddy and Simmo from the Firsts come along to watch the match. (3) We say a fond fare thee well to Sonny Warne who leaves us for the rest of the season to go to sunnier climes (no pun intended). Good luck, and we hope to see you next season where you might just get a bat if others don't hog the pitch and steal all the limelight.
MATCH STATS
MATCH SUMMARY
Braunstone - 125 all out off 40.2 overs
BOTWCC 2nd XI - 126 for no loss after 21 overs
BOWLING
C Langham 8.2-3-17-4
G Penton 8-4-17-0
J Headley 6-1-24-2
J Shipman 5-0-27-0
T Shipman 6-1-21-2
S Shipman 6-2-9-2
A Archer 1-0-2-0
BATTING
S Neal 43 not out
A Love 71 not out
Nobody else got a bat. Greedy bastards.