Cricket Web Black v England A
at Pickford Reserve
They all knew it.
From the moment Season X Champions Black entered the pitch at Pickford, having been unserted in murky weather, with an untried opener, against an England A bowling attack that had sliced through everything CWLand had, they probably knew challenging was futile. That was the only explanation to the meek first innings performances. Sajid Mahmood got two wickets in his opening spell, the crucial ones of Fitzsimmons and Blackman, and wickets then fell with amazing regularity. It didn't help that Dubb-Lynch and Benjamin both were run out, and all five England A bowlers got wickets, as Black collapsed to 118.
The fielding effort was even worse. After conceding a lead before the first day was out, Cricket Web Black should have capitalised on two big morning chances - instead, Vikram Solanki wrote his name in along with Robert Key on the Pickford honours board, as the two registered blazing centuries. Rikki Clarke joined in on the fun, making 90, and both Read and Plunkett got fifties before a benevolent Solanki realised there was no more point in batting on, and declared - the lead a mammoth 489.
With three men down for 82, one each to Mahmood, Plunkett and Batty, the Blacks resorted to mindless slogging, with Ash Chaulk getting 73 before playing on to Jamie Dalrymple - whose marathon 15-over spell of spin yielded one for 61. His figures took a beating when Callum Thompson joined Colin Benjamin at the crease - the two put on 165 in an entertaining, if futile, evening's work, and Thompson smashed 99 before getting an outside edge to a delivery from Plunkett - thus ruining his chance of a ton. Black eventually managed 325, a solid total, but never anywhere near making England A bat again.
Cricket Web Black 118 all out
England A 607 for 8 declared
Cricket Web Black 325 all out
Cricket Web Black lost by an innings and 164 runs
Man of the Match: Vikram Solanki