June 8
The standings heading into the final day of the regular season see Cricket Web Red and Cricket Web Blue tied on 37 points, with Cricket Web Green on 36. All the chasing teams are in action on the day, with the Colts the only one out of the race to the final. The Reds, Blues and Greens then play for the right to meet Cricket Web Black next week.
First innings:
Cricket Web Colts vs Cricket Web Blue, at the PDV Dome:
The Blues batted first on winning the toss, hoping to show their knowledge of the PDV Dome and score big to press toward a final berth. Pete Young and Ben Wilshere took guard in the middle and faced up to the contrasting duo of David Pares - the raw talented rookie - and Kyle Wright - the seasoned veteran and Colts captain. Both started with good control and allowed only 13 runs from the first 4 overs of the innings, but the swift running of Wilshere soon put pressure on the accurate bowling. The CW Blue openers scampered between the wickets, rotating the strike and gathering some momentum to the innings. But Pares continued to be a difficult bowler to dispatch, and he rattled off 8 overs for 32 runs in his first spell.
The introduction of Thad Bochat was timely. He replaced Wright after an expensive opening burst, and took the wickets of Wilshere and Camps in his third over. It was a sharp delivery that nipped back into the left-handed Wilshere, triggering an lbw decision, but a poor shot was the demise of Camps, flicking to midwicket for a duck. The in-form Cribb was run out for 1, and CW Blue tottered with three wickets down for 73. Change bowlers Mike Wilson and Jack McNamara continued to squeeze the run rate, bowling with accuracy and variety, as Young and DeSilva attempted to rebuild.
Frustration crept in when DeSilva was stifled, and with 18 runs and a strike rate well under 50, he skied a chance to Bochat, who accepted gleefully. Wicketkeeper Alex Crampton brought an aggressive touch to the innings, and Young accelerated in turn, striking consecutive boundaries off McNamara. He moved to 80 in dispatching a Wright long-hop, but the price of such aggression was fatal for Crampton. Young drove hard and straight, seeing the ball deflected off the bowler's foot and into the stumps at the non-striker's end. Crampton was run out for 10 and again the innings wobbled, this time at 145-5. Another wicket fell when Rob Bowen drove a slower ball back to Wright, but Young would not be distracted. He drove the medium pace of Fitzsimmons into the covers and scampered through for a single - his 100th run. Such an innings under circumstances of such incredible pressure was celebrated duly by an adoring crowd.
The right-hander then accelerated in scoring 27 runs from his next 16 balls. Sean Fuller stepped away to the legside and tried to launch Bochat over the top, but succeeded only in supplying a catch to the man at long-off. One boundary stood out in Rhys Williams' cameo of 9, then Pares took his first wicket, miscuing a slower ball to the deep. And Wright finished the innings with a stunning 50th over, bowling four brilliant yorkers to the well-set Young. Only 2 runs came from the over, including a single resulting from a dropped return catch. The insatiable Young was 136 not out - his fourth hundred of the season and his career, and a new career high.
Cricket Web Blue were limited to 239-8, leaving a large task to the bowlers to reserve a spot in the final.
Cricket Web Blue 239-8 (50 overs)
PE Young 136* [159], BL Wilshere 26 [41], MW DeSilva 18 [40]
T Bochat 3-47 [10]
Cricket Web Green vs Cricket Web Red, at the CW Oval:
The second big showdown of the day, Cricket Web Red played host to Cricket Web Green with a point separating the teams and both vying to race Cricket Web Blue to the one-day final. The day started well for the Greens, winning the toss and getting first use of a balanced pitch so common to the Oval. David Kennett returned to the team for the Reds, but struggled for rhythm and started with a wide. He was the better of the new-ball partnership, however, as Dave Watt was inconsistent in line, despite bowling with good pace. The entry of Kingsley Clapham to the attack brought no greater control, worrying Haakon Moerk, who folded his arms roughly after Malone cut a wide first ball from the left-armer to the boundary.
Clapham's first over cost 11. The Greens began to assert more positive intent and attacked Reddlapalli when was brought in from the other end. Malone's half-century cost 50 balls, and he raised it in a 10-run opening over by the second change. Clapham momentarily pulled things back with the thin edge of Lezama when he had 27, but Nick Scott pulled a long-hop for four, a ball later. The right-hander pummeled Reddlapalli over midwicket for six, and the subsequent call of "noball" further depressed the home crowd. Four more boundaries came from the next two overs, and at the end of the third powerplay, CW Green were ideally placed on 125-1.
Crucially, Chris Dwyer beat Malone with a quicker ball, ending his final regular season innings on 70 from 69 balls. Dwyer proceeded to exhibit excellent control, and the game slowed down greatly, to the advantage of CW Red. Scott scored a single off Kennett - his 50th run - holding the innings together like a seasoned veteran. Andrew Garven played carefully at the other end, and the platform was improved to 207-2 by the end of the 40th over. Garven celebrated the arrival of the final stretch of the innings, lofting Clapham over cover point, extraordinarily, for six. Moerk recalled Watt urgently for an improved burst after his first 6 overs cost 29 runs.
The fast bowler responded with a wicked lifter which Garven fended through to his opposite number. And as Martyn Corrin stated intent with an effortless six off Clapham, Scott perished too to Watt's short attack. Another spiteful short ball lobbed to Dwyer off the glove, and Scott was out for 77. Cleverly enough, Watt used a full-length delivery to trap Ben Read for 1 at the end of the same over. Corrin was unperturbed, instead smashing Clapham for a second six over long-on. Two more wickets fell to Watt amidst the carnage at the other end, including that of the dangerous Corrin, caught for 23. The fast bowler finished with 6 for 46 from his 10. But he bowled his bowled his last over, the 48th, ensuring that Kennett took the charge of the 50th. His day was uneventful to that point, but the wicket of Cunningham for 4 was some recompense for persistence. Xavier Rose was then run out to end the innings, enticingly placed at 275 all out.
Cricket Web Green 275 all out (49.4 overs)
NG Scott 77 [91], RJ Malone 70 [69], AJ Garven 46 [58]
DJ Watt 6-46 [10], CR Dwyer 1-35 [10]
Second innings:
Cricket Web Colts vs Cricket Web Blue, at the PDV Dome:
Cricket Web Blue made superb use of the new ball and fashioned an increasingly difficult task for the Colts in their search for 240. Matt Smith shaped the ball into Shan Jasotharan and struck him on the pad, firmly in line with offstump. Sharing the new ball, Liam Camps found the outside edge of a Simon Fitzsimmons offdrive, and the openers final innings was ended for 6. Runs came relatively easily to Chris Butler as he looked to recover the shaky start, though he could not find the boundary. Quick and thoughtful between the wickets in Butler's 25-ball stay, it was an error of judgment faulted in his demise. A poorly conceived single and a brilliant piece of fiedling by bowler Ryan Dunn resulted in a fatal direct hit.
And when Pooja Bharat tried to cast off the shackles imposed by the CW Blue seamers, she skied a catch to the willing Rhys Williams at extra cover. The collapse was complete for the moment when Camps inspired another slip catch. This time Mark Hopgood was the victim and Cribb the catcher, smartly to his right. The demands of the chase - 5.50 required run rate - matched with the score of 53-5 for a sorry circumstance for the Colts. But in youth there is always hope, and Griffen and Wilson returned to the basics of a fighting recovery.
There were runs on offer, though mostly singles with scattered loose balls. But the batsmen made sure to make their time in the middle count, constructing a partnership of maturity and sensibility. In particular Griffen, playing only his second game, looked to have the measure of pacing such an innings. After settling in with care for his first 47 balls, scoring 26, he launched forth, attacking the spinners and displaying great plamement in doing so. In a 7-ball span between Williams and Cribb, Griffen scored four boundaries and an enormous six. The ball needed to be replace from his maximum effort, and he later pushed it to midwicket for a single, then raised his bat for a maiden fifty.
Dunn returned to the bowling crease and struggled with noballs and wides, as the Blues looked to be coming undone by the looming partnership. Even the fielders felt the jangle of nerves, most evident when Crampton dropped Wilson off a Fuller legcutter. The allrounder later swept the ball to get to fifty, and Griffen slashed Williams past point - a noball - for another boundary later in the over. Against Sean Fuller, in the 42nd over, Griffen charged down the pitch on consecutive occasions, and twice clubbed the ball down the ground for six. It was a stunning over too, as Fuller also struck the pad on three occasions, though none of his fervent appeals were upheld.
Relief finally came at the hands of Matt Smith, or rather his fingers. He bowled a clever offcutter and Griffen scooped the ball to Young at long-on. The earlier centurion dove forward and held on well. Griffen was out for 83, a fine innings. The promising batting of Bochat did not pay on this day, and he was caught behind off Smith without scoring. Always the glory-hunter, Camps returned to the attack with the tail exposed, claiming the final 3 wickets in his path. The first of them was Wilson, lbw for a very good 62. The Colts crumbled to 221 all out, of which Camps took 6 for 30.
Cricket Web Blue 239-8 (50 overs)
PE Young 136* [159], BL Wilshere 26 [41], MW DeSilva 18 [40]
T Bochat 3-47 [10]
Cricket Web Colts 221 all out (48.3 overs)
J Griffen 83 [87], MW Wilson 62 [97], CR Butler 20 [25]
LA Camps 6-30 [9.3], MJ Smith 3-52 [10]
Cricket Web Blue won by 18 runs.
Man of the Match: LA Camps
Cricket Web Green vs Cricket Web Red, at the CW Oval:
There was never a moment when the full house at the CW Oval doubted that the Reds would chase the competitive heights of 276 posed by Cricket Web Green. They were in full voice before the first ball of the innings, and louder still when Luff pulled that ball for four. An 11-run opening over was a perfect start to an intriguing final act of the season. It signified to all involved that this game would be an intense contest and it did indeed unravel as such.
Matt Luff flattered throughout his innings of 14, but played a shot too many against the new ball, bowled through the gate by a pacy Cunningham. Xavier Rose was not quite as impressive as his partner, so he gave way to Josh Forner for the ninth over of the innings. The young man bounded in to Kenny Dobson and fired a toe-shattering yorker, which neither yorked the batsman nor shattered his toe. It did, however, entice an appeal for lbw, and a successful one at that. Enter Rob Dauth, the enigmatic middle order batsman with a flair for flair. It was not long before he rattled off a booming cover drive against Cunningham, and almost sooner still that he collected a boundary for it.
With Sean Bennett more intent on rotating the strike, Dauth allowed himself to be expressive and aggressive in stride. The partnership moved along at sufficient pace that the required run rate never strayed far from 6 per over. And Dauth transformed himself into a half-centurion with a late cut to his 58th ball. Further irony was stated as Bennett played the same shot, admittedly to an entirely different pace of bowler, to raise his half-century later on. Out of necessity, Cunningham was recalled. He presented the umpire with some work by hitting Bennett's pads thrice in two overs, but found no luck in the response. And the runs continued to come.
So Garven returned to spin, this time in the form of Halsey. The move paid immediate dividends, after Dauth and Bennett gathered 8 runs from the first 4 balls of the over. Lezama held a good catch behind the stumps to send Dauth off, gone for an excellent 88. CW Red's newfound problems were compounded by a weak push of Bennett back to Malone, out for 66. The captain was joined by Jamee Gray - in and out of the team all season - with a required rate of almost 7 and a succession of allrounders waiting in the wings. The Greens were in full voice over the next few overs, desperate for another breakthrough and appealing vociferously for every incidence of ball on pad.
The most attractive wicket opportunity fell to Halsey, however, and in turn the ball fell out of his hands. Gray took a single instead. As he crashed Rose over point in the following over, collecting another boundary in so doing, and it seemed that all cricketing fate would favour CW Red on this day. A miserable day for Rose to that point then got significantly better with the inside edge of Gray's bat, and then a good safe catch by Lezama. Fortunes were then flopped with Mørk's reeling offstump, bowled for 36.
Dwyer and Reddlapalli - both yet to score - faced a challenge of 29 from 24 balls and with memories of the recent batting collapse against CW Blue still fresh. But the Green bowlers seemed prepared to gift the game to CW Red, especially Rose, who continued to struggle with his line and was easy to dispatch. After 10 runs came from his 9th over - the 48th - CW Red needed 12 from the final two. Forner was charged with the task of bowling the pressure-filled 49th, and gave up just 5 singles in doing so. Onto the final over and 6 balls and 6 runs stood between the two teams. Rose - boasting 9-0-59-2 to that point - allowed 3 singles from the first 4 balls. Reddlapalli then took strike with the Reds needing 4 from the final 2 balls, having heard that the Blues won at the Dome. He backed away to the legside and flashed hard at a full toss, edging the ball fine. Ben Read charged around at third man and fielded brilliantly to restrict the scoring to two. So again Reddlapalli faced off against Rose. The fast bowler delivered a full delivery, reverse swinging into the pads, and Reddlapalli inside edged the ball to the legside. While Malone swooped across and fielded, the batsmen crossed for one run. A tie.
For both teams the result was the worst possible, particularly given the success of CW Blue. In splitting the points, the Blues were elevated to second place and granted a chance to compete in the final. A classic match, but a disappointing finish in a grander scheme.
Cricket Web Green 275 all out (49.4 overs)
NG Scott 77 [91], RJ Malone 70 [69], AJ Garven 46 [58]
DJ Watt 6-46 [10], CR Dwyer 1-35 [10]
Cricket Web Red 275-6 (50 overs)
RJ Dauth 88 [92], SA Bennett 66 [90], H Mørk 36 [31]
XPA Rose 2-62 [10], RJ Malone 1-29 [5]
Match tied.
Man of the Match: RJ Malone
Scorecards:
Cricket Web Colts v Cricket Web Blue, PDV Dome
Ball by Ball
Cricket Web Green v Cricket Web Red, CW Oval
Ball by Ball
