A day delayed due to the completion of the Charity Series, but here it is.
Cricket Web Red v England A
at CW Oval
A splendid encounter at the CW Oval ended in the tourists drawing first blood on tour, but the Reds put up a spirited fight against the odds. England A won the toss, and Vikram Solanki chose to bat on a fine CW Oval pitch, and looked confident of a big score when Cook and Bopara passed fifty without being seriously threatened by new-ball bowlers Watt and Edmunds. However, expansive shotmaking against Borcich saw England A crash to 83 for 3, and after a quick 40 from Ed Joyce the tourists succumbed to Dave Watt's reverse swing and sledging. They were 173 for 8 at one point, but bashing from Kabir Ali, Chris Tremlett (who was top scorer with 47) and James Anderson ensured a total of 262. Anderson then took two wickets in the first four balls, holding a return catch from Stedman before Feeney was caught at third slip.
Kenny Dobson and Rob Dauth started the rebuilding effort, with Dauth hammering 63 off 58 balls before smashing a short ball from Gareth Batty down the throat of Ravinder Bopara at deep mid on. What followed was a classic Red batting collapse: no one could hang around with Dobson, as Tremlett and Anderson feasted on wickets, and Red lost seven wickets for 67. Dave Watt then thumped 15 to take Red to 207, but still 55 in arrears. He then dismissed Alastair Cook for 4 with a beautiful inswinger, and when Borcich had Bopara and Joyce out in quick succession, Reds hoped for something more. Not so. Vikram Solanki played a restrained innings of 31 with Robert Key, and though Watt and Edmunds had the tail out cheaply, England A still totalled 246, with Key unbeaten on 137.
The chase did not look exciting when Anderson had Stedman, Feeney and Dauth all caught in his opening spell, but the Reds fought back thanks to a number of dropped catches from the tourists. Another half-century from Dobson, along with gritty innings from Jamee Gray and Marc Robbins, had Red in a potentially winning position at 206 for 5, needing just 85 for victory, but Tremlett's brace of wickets meant all hopes rested on Gaurav Nayak to hit the winning runs. Nayak, who had not played first class cricket for Red all season, tried to stand up, and took a standing ovation when he passed 50. However, his innings took a sad end as a mistimed pull shot found its way to Kabir Ali's outstreched hands for 51, seven short of his career high, and Ali and Tremlett cleaned up the tail as Red were all out for 246. In the end, a credible performance, but rather far from a winning one.
England A 262 all out
Cricket Web Red 207 all out
England A 246 all out
Cricket Web Red 246 all out
England A won by 55 runs
Man of the Match: James Anderson
Edit: As the WA game went along as planned, the tour schedule will be adhered to from now on.
Lots of positives.
] I seem to like those pesky England 'A' batsmen... Last time A's were in England they took a battering by myself/rose/dk from memory. 
