Monday 4th February
Cricket Web Green v Masters XI
CWBCC Stadium
Scorecard
Ball by Ball
The spin duo of Cricket Web Green took turns unsettling the Masters XI batting, but it was the batting of Chris Raftery that proved the difference in a tight affair at the CWBCC Stadium. Coming to the crease with scores of 2, 4, 0 and 3 in his last four innings, Raftery battled for 137 balls to score 64 crucial runs after CW Green looked to be throwing away a second innings advantage.
From the start there was drama at every twist and turn of the match. Nick Scott played solidly enough to lay a platform for the CW Green first innings, scoring 63. But the middle order struggled against the spin of Warne, and from 117-2 CW Green lost 6 wickets for 68 runs. There was fight in the tail, in the persons of Bryce Cunningham (45) and Xavier Rose (23 not out), but CW Green were all out for a disappointing 222 after winning the toss. The fighting signs of CW Green were then emphasized with the ball in a bizarre final session.
Rose had Ed Smith caught by McNamara for 9 and three balls later McNamara dropped the simplest of chances off the bat of Hinds. The following over he made right his wrong, bowling Hinds comprehensively before he had improved on his 18. Damien Martyn came to the crease and poked at his first ball, beaten, then nicked his second to a fourth slip. Some stunning irony then transpired as Rose dropped Inzamam off McNamara's bowling and at stumps the Masters were struggling at 58-3. The irony came full circle when Rose bowled Inzamam for 20 to start the second day. Halsey then went to work and had the Masters XI struggling at 128-8. As in the first innings, however, the tail fought back. Shane Warne notched a chancy half-century and Heath Streak scored 26 not out, so the scores were level when Halsey got Rankin for his five-for.
It was a whole new game at the start of the second innings, so Anthony Lezama and Rob Malone took their time and batted through to the third morning. Built on an opening platform of 94, CW Green moved strongly to 223-4 largely through 65 from Scott. But just before tea he was caught off Klusener and the innings threatened to unravel with the struggling Raftery in the middle. The young man lost his partner Dubb-Lynch quickly but received good support from Bryce Cunningham, who played one of the most cautious innings of his career in contributing 39. The innings was wrapped up quickly on day four, but the Masters XI faced the tall task of chasing 342 amidst showers.
The innings quickly began to resemble the first, as the seamers removed the openers and then the middle order was dominated by legspin. This time Halsey was wicketless through 11 overs, but Martyn Corrin bowled twice as many and took 5 wickets. His victims included the key wicket of Brian Lara, who disappointingly lofted a catch to McNamara at mid-off. On this occasion he made no mistake in holding onto the catch. After Benkenstein went for 48, Klusener and Geraint Jones threatened another revival, albeit with several chances offered. But when the latter was caught at midwicket for 23, the Greens looked in control once more. Jones stood out with a fighting 52 unbeaten, but the Masters XI fell 94 runs short.
Cricket Web Green 1st innings 222
NG Scott 63, DY Dubb-Lynch 45, R Malone 39
WB Rankin 4-55, SK Warne 3-42
Masters XI 1st innings 222
SK Warne 55, DM Benkenstein 37, BC Lara 30
TC Halsey 5-28, EAP McNamara 2-42
Cricket Web Green 2nd innings 341
NG Scott 65, CP Raftery 64, R Malone 49, A Lezama 48
WB Rankin 5-95
Masters XI 2nd innings 248
GO Jones 52*, DM Benkenstein 48, DR Martyn 33
M Corrin 5-81, XPA Rose 2-34
Cricket Web Green won by 94 runs.
Man of the Match: WB Rankin (Masters)
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Cricket Web Black v Cricket Web Colts
Pickford Reserve
Scorecard
Ball by Ball
Cricket Web Black returned to their home turf high on confidence and with an unbeaten record in first-class cricket this season. They failed to beat Cricket Web Red last time around, but sought to put things back on track against the Colts. Instead they were met by an inspired Kyle Wright, eroding Black confidence with every blow of his match-winning 10-wicket haul.
It was a Colts team with no fear that attacked and overcame every strength of CW Black, winning before day five lunch by an innings and 13 runs. Wright started his fairytale display by winning the toss and putting the Blacks in on a bouncy pitch with a heavy soaked outfield and cloud cover. It was the obvious decision, but the manner in which his bowlers rose to the occasion was a pleasant surprise. Wright himself took four of the first five wickets to fall in a score of 119-5. Alex Blackman was the one constant until Blake Donald arrived at the crease. When he was out for 92, the sixth wicket stand had added 107 runs and the Blacks looked back on course for a decent total. Dave Richards led the tail end support for Donald, and CW Black scaled the heights of 301 all out. Wright led his team off proudly with 6 wickets to his name.
The Colts went to the crease full of confidence despite the CW Black revival. That positive mentality translated to a dominant batting display throughout the remainder of the day. Griffen and Rai gave the bowlers few opportunities in their partnership of 88. And after Rai was caught behind for 40, Griffen soldiered onward chancelessly to another fine first-class hundred. For the first time this season the CW Black bowling attack was made to look impotent. Richards eventually bowled Griffen for 103, but CW Colts went to stumps on 223-2.
All the hopes of a Black comeback hinged on the performance of Richards. He was the pick of a poor attack and initiated the first breakthrough of day three - Butler out for 47. Quickly after he had Towns caught at short leg for 63, lifting Black spirits greatly for the moment. CW Colts trailed by 32 runs then, but led by 42 when next the Blacks celebrated. Shan Jasotharan (51) unsettled the bowling attack once more and gave way to Mike Wilson who did much of the same. Wilson recaptured the form of his younger days, stunningly composed throughout his innings of 106. He gained the steady companionship of Will Kerr (63), who batted 178 balls and hit just one boundary. With every over the Colts negotiated they further dented the morale of their opponents, and when Wright declared at 540-7 it left CW Black with the enormous task of overcoming a deficit of 239.
The better part of two days remained, and 12 overs were due to be bowled before lunch on the fourth day. Only 11.5 of that allotment was managed, as Dan Smith succumbed to his opposite number for 18 two balls before the scheduled end of the session. CW Black gained relief as lunch was taken before the completion of the over, but they found life no easier for the rest. Wright continued to shift gears expertly, finding movement off the same surface that the Black attack floundered on. His historic contribution shaped up with the wickets of Cloete and Blackman with consecutive deliveries immediately after lunch. Wright charged in to bowl the hat-trick delivery and threw his hands in the air when Armstrong pushed awkwardly at it. The ball flew off his outside edge into the waiting hands of Griffen - the centurion - but somehow he managed to fumble and dropped the chance.
Wright was briefly disheartened, though he quickly picked up his head and smiled once more. Armstrong offered another chance off Weber, but his luck ran out when he received a sharp yorker from Nick Hancock and was trapped lbw. The heart had been ripped out of the CW Black lineup in quick time for the second time in the match. A quiet audience watched on as Ashley Arnold and Ash Chaulk fought to inspire a miracle. The latter was the 10th victim of Wright in the match, caught for 10 hooking to fine leg, and it was evident that there would be no miraculous salvation.
Arnold was the last true resistance, bowled by Weber for 90 and trudging off the field slowly with that realization. The Blacks fought until stumps and lived to fight on day five. But there was no denying an innings defeat. Thomas dropped a potential 11th wicket for Wright, and Weber had the distinction of claiming the final wicket in the following over.
Cricket Web Black 1st innings 301
AJ Blackman 92, BC Donald 76, DP Richards 32
KS Wright 6-82, MW Wilson 2-42
Cricket Web Colts 1st innings 540-7 dec.
MW Wilson 106, J Griffen 103, DP Towns 63, WA Kerr 61, S Jasotharan 51
DP Richards 4-96
Cricket Web Black 2nd innings 226
AR Arnold 90, NA Borcich 23
TV Weber 4-35, KS Wright 4-81
Cricket Web Colts won by an innings and 13 runs.
Man of the Match: KS Wright (Colts)
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Cricket Web Blue v Cricket Web Red
PDV Dome
Scorecard
Ball by Ball
Cricket Web Red rose from the depths of a 108-run first innings deficit to overwhelm Cricket Web Blue by 7 wickets. At the back end of the revival, Rob Dauth scored a wonderful hundred at the lead of the run chase. Dauth scored 117 not out and CW Red chased the required 275 with great ease and a day to spare.
The Blues batted first after winning the toss and made short work of the Red seamers early on. Mamesh clipped the first ball he saw over square leg for six and Amir's first 2 overs cost 32 runs. When Mamesh clouted Watt for a ninth boundary, he raised his half-ton from only 20 balls. Such flamboyance saw him on his way to 63 when he got carried away and top-edged a cross-batted swipe to be caught a long-on. The score was then 78-1 in the 10th over, and it soon became 90-2 when Stephen Young was run out for 5.
Wickets fell regularly throughout the innings, though runs also flowed briskly in between. CW Blue looked to be in trouble at 171-5 but Robert Cribb remained at the crease and gained the assistance of Rob Bowen in a partnership of 151. For the second consecutive innings both batsmen got fifties and both moved into the 90s with relative ease. On 92 Cribb flashed an Amir delivery into the lap of Gray at second slip and a ball later Bowen played the ball into his stumps off a back foot defensive shot. Watt claimed his third wicket of the innings and rounded the innings off with a fourth the following morning - CW Blue all out for 358.
CW Red lost the heroic Aseem Sharma, bowled by Demeza for 2. After the early distress Mork and Dauth elevated the innings to the comfortable position of 135-1. Shortly before tea Demeza dropped a return catch off Mork when he had 42, and it would prove a very costly miss. Dauth was out shortly after tea for 71 and the innings eroded swiftly at the end opposite Mork. But the captain was solid enough to score 86 and assist his team to 250 all out. The Reds still trailed by 108 runs and started poorly again with the ball. For the second time in the match Mamesh hit his first ball, again facing Amir, for six.
The score was 14-0 after an over but Watt triggered a sensational fightback with his first delivery. Watt bowled Pete Young for 7 and Mamesh ran himself out for 12 immediately after. The surface remained excellent for batting, but the Blues bizarrely fell away to a succession of loose strokes. CW Blue were struggling at 123-8 and the Reds were circling for an exceptional kill. Adam Collins (25) and Manan Shah (21) displayed enough spirit to initiate a partnership of 38 for the ninth wicket, and one that appeared crucial at the time. CW Blue were finally out for 166, setting a challenging target of 275.
Sharma fired three goodlooking boundaries in a score of 23, but Demeza bowled him for the second time in the match, giving way to another century stand for the second wicket. Again Mork failed to bring up his hundred, instead nicking through to Mamesh on 75. The Reds still needed a tricky 68, so Gray played an excellent innings in support of Dauth. He scored 7 boundaries in an innings of 39 but was out with 7 still needed. David Kearsley took his place at the crease and handed the strike over to Dauth to secure a crucial victory for CW Red.
Cricket Web Blue 1st innings 358
RGEWS Cribb 95, RF Bowen 92, T Mamesh 63, PE Young 45
DJ Watt 4-70, KR Clapham 3-69
Cricket Web Red 1st innings 250
H Mork 86, RJ Dauth 71
AAA Collins 4-31, SE Fuller 2-35
Cricket Web Blue 2nd innings 166
LA Camps/AAA Collins 25, S Young 23
DJ Watt 4-32, CP Thompson 3-15
Cricket Web Red 2nd innings 275-3
RJ Dauth 117*, H Mork 75, JR Gray 39
TJ Demeza 2-82
Cricket Web Red won by 7 wickets.
Man of the Match: DJ Watt (Red)