The third league fixture of the 2021 season saw Entrecasteaux make the arduous journey from the Var to St Vallier to take on our old enemy Beausoleil, in this always keenly fought fixture. A light cloud cover suggested there might be some assistance for the bowlers but when Gregory again lost the toss it was of course Beausoleil who took advantage of the conditions.
Entrecasteaux certainly struggled with the bat, Edwards (9) being caught at deepish gully when clearly frustrated by the slow pace of run accumulation. This has to go down to some accurate bowling by Beausoleil, indeed after 6 overs, when Edwards gave up his wicket the total was only 19. Fernandez (4.2-1-13-1) and Salem (5-0-22-1) had proven to be more than a match and the pressure they applied led the early dismissal of Edwards.
Yannick Perera (24) and Chaminda Perera (36) then had a 44 run partnership which must have been fun for this father and son team. And on occasion it was Yannick showing his old man how it should be done when striking a 6 off the bowling of Rizwan (4-0-36-0). When Yannick fell, in similar fashion to his opening partner, to the bowling of Vijay (4-0-2-17) in the 14th over and the total 63 there was then a mini panic, with wickets 3 wickets falling for 15 runs – Chaminda being well caught at extra cover off the bowling of Vijay and Kochieyan (1) and Unnikrishnan (2) being caught at mid on and first slip from the bowling of Siyad (4-0-2-10) and Livera (11) being the first of Raphael’s (3-0-13-4) four victims. It is not that they are diificult or fiercesome deliveries, but they are apparently very effective, probably best described as long drops, having been bowled high and slow and therefore almost falling vertically. Whatever, Raphael’s technique is damaging, after Livera went he had Randhava (0) stumped, Gregory (0) caught and Harland (6) caught, all back in the pavilion with hardly a whimper. Indeed had it not been for the power of Nawroz Mangal (44) the Entrecasteaux total would have been meagre. After a shaky start he found the measure of bat on ball and hit a very impressive 6 boundaries and one which cleared the ropes, and looked certain to score his maiden half century for the club before holing out to mid off.
The Entrecasteaux innings had amassed a total of 160 runs and when the visitors took to the field they must have been confident of victory and indeed it was an altogether more competent performance in the field than the previous week. We saw on a number of occasions a 6-3 offside/legside split of the fielders, which was possible as the bowlers kept to their line and length. Gregory (5.4-2-12-3) was on fire, removing first Shalana Karunarathnage (0) and then number 3 batsmen Redwan (3). Kochieyan (4-0-5-0) was again effective but wicketless and no bowler would complain of figures like that. And when they were replaced by Livera (5-0-28-1) from the mountain end and Edwards (6-0-32-4) from the village end the pressure was constant. Edwards in particular was getting movement both ways and he had top scorer Kalith Fernandez (26) well caught at mid off, Sayed (24) leg before wicket, Vijay (4) bowled and Raphael (0) bowled.
Beausoleil were by now getting light of batsmen and when Mangal (2-0-13-2) had Siyad (22) bowled whilst tring to hit the ball to the mountain, and then Salem (4) brilliantly caught by Sebastien Livera at mid on it was all over but for the quenching of thirsts. Beausoleil had been dismissed for 123 runs and so Entrecasteaux won comfortably by 37 runs.
Many thanks to Maurice Mitchem for officiating behind the stumps.
Entrecasteaux: Clifford Gregory, Brad Edwards, Yannick Perera, Chaminda Perera, Sebastien Livera, Mohamed Kochieyan, Prasanth Unnikrishnan, Nawroz Mangal, Satpal Singh Randhava, Ed Harland, Andy Fife
Umpire; Maurice Mitchem