Blisteringly hot conditions welcomed the players as they strolled onto the pitch at 11.36 hrs for a scheduled start of 11.00 hrs. It must surely have been a tactical move by the visitors who having again won the toss decided to bat.
Whatever it was it failed due to some rather impressive bowling. Gregory (5-0-27-3) would admit himself that the bowling of an extra over via wide deliveries is not a good idea on such a hot day but he did manage to take opener Roshan’s (9) wicket by flattening the stumps in the fifth over, quickly followed by Kalith Fernando’s (1) to a superb catch at the wicket by Satpal Singh Randhava in the seventh. In these efforts he was ably supported by Mohamed Kochieyan (7-1-25-1) from the football ground end who, in his first spell was unable to claim a wicket, despite some vociferous claims for leg before, but our stalwart umpire, Maurice Mitchem, remained resolute and his hands stayed in his pockets.
The first drinks break was taken after just 12 overs, with the score on 41 for 3, in this 35 over league game with Shalana Karunarathnage (7) having been well caught at deep extra cover by his nephew Yannick Perera off the bowling of Sebastien Livera (5-0-30-1).
There was a decent fifth wicket partnership of 43 between Vijay (14) and Shami (33). Shami in particular was strong on anything short of a length which he cut or pulled with determination until he finally fell in a great spell of spin bowling from Chaminda Perera (6-0-18-1) whose change of flight and speed of delivery presented the batsmen with the kind of pressure which invokes an error. Vijay fell soon after, caught and bowled by Ian Stuart (6-0-38-1). Samirra (1) was run out in a school boy error when his partner called for a single to a misfield bu Chaminda at cover point. Chami was only fooling with the batsmen and when they fell for his bait he whipped round, gathered the ball and returned it like an exocet for Satpal to smartishly whip off the bails.
When Imran (2) was bowled by Yannick Perera (3-0-16-1) it seemed to be all over but for the shouting but yet again Entrecasteaux contrived to allow a 67 run partnership to be made with gay abandon, this time for the ninth wicket. Naseen (36) and Rahul (45) smote all and sundry to the boundary, forcing Gregory to bring back his opening bowlers to steady the ship. Rahul eventually falling to a well taken catch by Kochieyan at deep mid on, and Kochieyan himself finally claiming the wicket he deserved when Satpal had Naseen caught at the wicket. Ubeynath (0 n.o.) carried his bat and the Beausoleil innings closed on 181 runs in the 33rd over.
Gregory asked Satpal Singh Randhava (51) and Yannick Perera (15) to open the response and despite having just spent 2 hours in the frying pan Randhava went about his business with ferocity, hitting the first 3 deliveries of the innings to the boundary, two dots and a single gave him the strike for the second over, but this time he was only able to hit the first two deliveries to the boundary. So after 8 balls the score was 21, all to the bat of Randhava. Not to be outdone his partner Yannick was none too shy to put away anything loose, he probably does not yet have the polish of an accomplished opening bat but he certainly has the power. He fell in the 9th over to the bowling of Kalith Fernando (4-0-52-1) after the opening bowlers Imran (4-0-21-0) and Naseem (3-0-26-0) had proved ineffective. Entrecasteaux’s score at the end of the 12th over was already 92, Yannick was replaced by Chaminda Perera (64 n.o) after the openeres had partnered for 63 runs, just what the skipper had ordered.
Satpal fell in Fernando’s second over, caught at mid on with the score on 80 and so it was that Perera C and Ian Stuart (29 n.o) drove and hooked and cut the ball to every boundary, accumulating 102 runs in a partnership that gave the home side an eight wicket victory. Comprehensive but rather a waste not to see so many gifted batsmen given the chance to exhibit their expertise. That the target was attained in the 19th over gives you a clear understanding of how ruthless the batsmen had been, and the chance to reflect on what might have been.
Entrecasteaux XI: Clifford Gregory, Satpal Singh Randhava, Yannick Perera, Chaminda Perera, Ian Stuart, Nawroz Mangal, Prasanth Unnikrishnan, Sebastien Livera, Mohamed Kochieyan, Ed Harland, Michael Howarth.
Maurice Mitchem – umpire