It was important that MPCC got back into the winning habit quickly after the disappointment of losing to an Upton side they could have achieved so much more against.
Winning the toss, Pete Quinn put the home side in to bat on a very green wicket in perfect summers evening conditions.
With regular opener Spike Davis away on holiday, Pete took slightly unconventional decision to start with pace at one end with Carl Gabbitas paired with the slow right arm of Brian Costello at the other.
The decision worked! A variation in pace coupled with spectacular fielding from Paul Fenwick taking all three catches at backward short leg saw early wickets fall to both Brian and Carl with the hosts finding themselves 1 for 3 after only three overs!
Playing 18 rather than 20 overs gave opportunity's to other players to have a bowl and debutant Mick Booth was next in replacing Carl with Eggy taking over from Brian. Boothy started out clearly nervous under the weight of expectation playing with a 2 stone bat carry's. Having found his natural pace and rhythm however Mick had the batsmen floundering, taking the wicket of Noake plumb LBW with a peach (well, a cricket ball actually, but you know what I mean).
The following batsmen however where in for the long hall. Daz Hall and Andy Hubbard were brought in to change the attack and whilst both bowled well, neither managed to dislodge either man with Daz in particular being unlucky with a dropped catch falling in his second over.
Sensing the need for a wicket, Carl Gabbitas and Brian Costello were brought back into the attack and again the decision was rewarded as Carl took his second wicket, dispatching Lowdhams Manners for 27.
The wickets then began to tumble again as two run outs followed to see the hosts eventually finish 83/7.
The skipper stuck with the by now familiar opening pair of Daz Hall and Neil Eggleston. From the sidelines, it was difficult to pin down what was more entertaining, the flurry of boundary's from both bats or the constant battle between the pair to keep the strike!
The Lowdham attack was not up to the task with Daz and Eggy seeing off what was initially considered a competitive total in just 12.1 overs with Eggy finishing on 36* and Daz with a welcome return to form on 46*.
Overall this was a really satisfying performance, not just because of the emphatic nature of the result, but because of the manner in which we played as a team. The team were committed in every aspect of the match and the bowling and fielding were much improved. If we can continue in that form going into the next game, Woodborough have a match on their hands!
As per every week, the players involved did not make man of the match selection easy, but this week had perhaps more candidates than both. Paul Fenwick lead the way in the field with an outstanding display and Daz Hall was back to form with both a 46* and a very economical bowling display. However, having been pipped to the accolade in almost every game so far, Brian Costello's outrageous figures of 4 overs, 3 maidens, 5 runs, 2 wickets make him a well deserved man of the match.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
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