Cricketweb XI vs England
@ CW Oval (1st Test)
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Cricketweb XI were playing their first test on home soil in over a year, the home crowd were buzzing with expectation as the improving nation were meeting a tough challenger in England. The visitors were coming off a pretty poor performance in the tour match versus Cricketweb 'A' while CW last played test cricket against New Zealand and comfortably accounted for them 3-0. Cricketweb XI named three debutaunts with Sean Fuller, Robert Cribb and Rob Bowen all being included in the XI, in form Green seamer Bryce Cunningham was amde twelfth man.
Andrew Strauss won the toss for England and elected to bat, Alistair Cook didn't last long as the Development Leagues leading wicket taker this season David Kennett bagged the opener for just 3, Johnathon Trott scored 11 before becoming Kennett's second victim, while Kevin Pietersen joined Strauss and the pair saw their side to the lunch break two down. The middle session of day one was disasterous for England as they lost 81/6, the wickets were spread around evenly with Sean Fuller taking his first test wicket, that of Ian Bell, while No England batsman other than Strauss and Pietersen went past 20. Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom contributed a few runs late but could only see England through to 192 all out. David Kennett took the final wicket to finish with the fantastic figures of 4/36.
Cricketweb XI's reply was exactly what you'd expect from a team full of confidence. Nearly everyone got among the runs starting with vice captain Dan Smith who made 62 at the top of the order. Andrew Cloete looked good in scoring 48 while debutaunt Robert Cribb fell one run short of a half century in his first innings. Most of the England bowlers struggled for consistency in the tough bowling conditions and with only four front line bowlers Paul Collingwood was called on to do more work than he would have liked. Rob Bowen came in and smashed a quickfire 34 and looked right at home in test cricket. Hakon Mork soon joined Mike Wilson at the crease with both batting in unfamiliar positions, the selectors were justified in their choices though as Mork returned to form batting at 7 and made a solid 95 while Mike Wilson who slid evenb further down to number 8 banged his second test century and fell for an even 100. Cricketweb XI were all out for 552 with Graham Onions taking 4 wickets.
England were pretty much gone from the game at this stage and salvaging a draw was their only hope, the top order all went in with pretty negative approaches and most paid the price of their wicket. All the bowlers thrived on lack of positivity from the English batsman and plenty of aggressive fields and bowling was the result. Ian Bell did however stand tall as the plucky number 6 withstood some excellent bowling in particular from Neil Pickup to post a well deserved hundred, Graeme Swann also looked the goods down the order and his unbeaten 80 ensured that they wouldnt be faced with the indignity of an innings defeat. Pick of the bowlers was again David Kennett who finished with 7 for the match as England were bowled out for a much improved 420, but still nowhere near enough to make a game of it.
The 61 runs required for Cricketweb XI made this game a foregone conclusion, with excellent weather around and plenty of time left it was just a matter of how difficult the English bowlers could make it, although England did lose the game they did take the scalp of Dan Smith with them as the opener threw away a chance of a not out when he was dismissed 6 short of the total. Needing one run to win veteran batsman Andrew Cloete blasted a boundary as the home team celebrated another excellent test victory. CW XI 64/1.
England 192 1st Innings
AJ Strauss 41, KP Pietersen 32, DM Kennett 4/36
Cricketweb XI 552 1st Innings
MW Wilson 100, H Mork 95, CR Butler 92, G Onions 4/115
England 420 2nd Innings
IR Bell 101, GP Swann 80*, MJ Prior 68, DM Kennett 3/81
Cricketweb XI 64/1 2nd Innings
DP Smith, SE Fuller 28*, RJ Sidebottom 1/18
Cricketweb XI won by 9 wickets
Man of the Match: DM Kennett (CWXI)
Be interesting to see what sort of role Fuller plays in the Test side. Congratulations to him, Bowen and of course Cribb 
They will really have to take their chances while Kerr is injured and it will be interesting to see who does, though one will probably be named 12th man, if it is not myself. Loving the prospect of Wilson and I being 3rd and 4th seamers.
