Match report ECC vs Lubenham CC at Entrecasteaux, Sunday 22nd June 2014

Victory marred by injury

Lubenham CC hail from Thorpe Lubenham near Market Harborough in Leicestershire and it was a delight to see them arrive at the Entrecasteaux ground on such a warm and pleasant day. In winning the toss the Lubenham skipper, Tom Whitehouse, chose to bat and Clifford Gregory led a strong looking Entrecasteaux team onto the field keen to get amongst the wickets.

In setting six fielders on the off side, and only three on the leg side he was expecting some accurate bowling and in this respect his bowlers duly obliged. Gregory (6-1-23-2) opened from the Garden House end and his first spell of four overs cost only 11 reuns and claimed the wicket of J.May (8) who was well caught by Murphy at extra cover. Roshan Perera (6-2-13-2) was particularly accurate and therefore inexpensive and his flattening of the wickets of batsmen number 3 and 4 left him with those impressive figures. Whitehouse (3) and Scotting (8) were the unlucky duo and Dreyer (1) now joined the resolute Read (62) who was playing with patience and control but longing for one of his comrades to hang around for more than an over.

Gregory had by now introduced Chaminda Perera (7-1-18-0) and Robin Murphy (6-3-14-2) into the attack and no respite was to be found for the batsmen. Chaminda was impressive and unlucky not to claim a wicket and Murphy, in rather swifter guise than we had become accustomed, was getting the ball to move and in such manner had Dreyer back in the pavilion with his stumps flattened. Drinks were taken after 17 overs and so tight had Entrecasteaux’s bowling and fielding been that only 43 runs had been scored.

After the drinks break Holmes(6)  joined Read and some progress was made with runs being taken off Yannick Perera (5-0-46-2) who tends to deliver one or two balls down the leg side which are waiting to be dispatched to the boundary. In such a method he did claim the wicket of R. Smith (11) who having hit 2 sixes and a four was then undone by the flight of the ball which happened to be straight – off came the bails.

Anthony Slack (4-1-13-0) had bowled four fine overs from the Football pitch end getting the ball to move both ways when in fielding at deep mid on to the bowling of Yannick, N.Smith (11) skied a ball which moved deceptively in the light breeze. Slack had misjudged it and shuffled to his left but still he was not quite underneath the ball which struck his left hand immediately on top of his outstretched fingers. He left the field cursing himself for missing the catch but the damage to his finger was very real and he had to be taken to hospital for what looked like a broken finger.

Still no one could stay with Read who played a very fine innings, prodding, driving and pulling on the rare occasion that he was given the chance and perhaps with a hint of concern Gregory came back to bowl from the Garden House end and so finally had Read caught in rather a comical display of bad calling. Read drove at a ball which went directly toward Chaminda Perera who had to move one metre  – meanwhile Gregory, perhaps he thought he was the only fielder capable of taking a catch, sprinted  ten metres to try to take the catch himself and so very nearly knocked the ball from Chaminda’s hands. The outcome was the same to the great relief of the fielding side and Read had to return to the pavilion after having scored a very stolid 62 runs.

T. Gilbert (7) was caught behind the wicket by Ed Harland off the bowling of Fergus Harrington (1-0-2-1) in the 35th over which left T.Slack (0 not out) and A.Hunt (0 not out) at the crease as the Lubenham innings closed on 138 runs. It had been an all round sound performance by the home side but with 21 extras and some generous captaining perhaps the visitors total was somewhat exaggerated.

The home side were confident that their Aussie openers, R. Murphy (22) and G. Burrell (22), would see them to a ten wicket victory but both batsmen found it hard to find the boundary against an attack that kept the batsmen on their toes. Whitehouse (6-2-16-0) and Scotting (7-0-32-1) had opened the bowling  but it was not until the second change, which saw J.May (4.3-0-23-1) bowling from the Football pitch end that Burrell in going for a straight six was very well caught on the boundary.

Chaminda Perera (64 not out) came to the crease in 8th over but the way he played you might have thought it was the 28th over. His mind was set on making runs and making them quickly. He did however take some time to find the middle of the bat as Whitehouse and Scotting had returned for their second spells conceding only 17 runs in 7 overs but when they gave way the boundary was found with rather more frequency. J.Holmes’ figures  (7-1-23-1) were not at all bad and his dismissal of Roshan Perera (1) had the home side looking over their shoulders – who was there to come?

Our number 10 batsmen of course, who in a confused state of mind, and because he can, had decided to promote himself to number 5. It was a mistake and when Gregory (0) returned to the pavilion the next over he had no one to blame but himself. Ed Harland (6) had seen off some fierce bowling and had started to flash his blade when he was well caught off the bowling of T. Gilbert (3-0-21-1) but with only 22 runs to score and 6 overs remaining it was surely only a matter of time.

And indeed the brothers in law duly obliged – Chaminda more extravagant with every ball and Shalana Karunarathnage (13 not out), who took 14 balls to get off the mark, then remembered why he was there and struck two mighty sixes to see the home side’s score reach 142 runs in the 32nd over with 5 wickets in hand.

Very many thanks to Yvonne Slack, Ann Mitchem and Charlotte Burell for an excellent lunch, also thanks to Debbie Cook for running the bar, and to Sian Crozier, who has delivered the best score book since Bob Bartlett stepped down – and finally to our venerable umpires Mike Lomax and Maurice Mitchem.

A great days cricket marred by the horrible accident to Anthony Slack – we wish him well and a complete recovery.

23.6.2014

23 septembre 2014Permalink