After winning the toss Cottenham decided to make use of any possible moisture in a pitch that looked decidedly green and put Coton into bat. However someone forgot to tell the Cottenham bowlers that to make good use of the pitch, the ball needs to land on it!!! Coton's openers Chris Cooke and Neil Sparnon seemed to have little trouble working the ball and runs came at more than 4 an over. Perhaps the runs were flowing too easily as a mix up in the calling led to Sparnon being sent back by Cooke. With a turning circle akin to the QE2, Sparnon was left high and dry as a rapier throw from Jack Upton ripped leg stump clean out of the ground. George Speller strode purposefully to the wicket buoyed by a high scoring innings vs Remnants in midweek. Cooke continued to score with nonchalant ease whilst Speller ably supported and Coton passed 50 runs after 11 overs.
Cottenham realised they needed a bowling change and Nick Davies certainly delivered. Spinning it both ways and generating more bounce than either opening bowler, Davies proved too much for Speller catching him LBW on the front foot. Cooke found himself a more than capable partner in Dave Hale. Who despite some early scares from Davies relished the opportunity to despatch the Cottenham bowlers to all corners of the ground. Cooke reached his 50 as the sun beamed down relentlessly. Asked if he needed a cloth to wipe away the sweat, Cooke replied "I need a bucket"..........Pre-season training in the Plough didn't prepare the team for this. Flagging in the "Tenko" conditions, Cooke holed out on 69, leaving Hale to pick off the bad balls. Allison gave Davies his 2nd wicket and when Hale was bowled by Richards on 40 runs, the Coton innings began to stutter. Kaye fell cheaply whilst Messrs Norton and Bradbury dug in as run scoring proved difficult. East steadied the lower order as Paul Bradbury hit his first four in 3 seasons. Alas the glory was short-lived as he holed out soon afterwards. Dave Scotcher and Ed Darling didn't trouble the scorers. Coton all out for 171 in 40 overs.
Following some good banter at Tea and Rad's Razzle audition
(see picture), Coton set about bowling Cottenham out. If ever there was a game of 2 innings this was it. Maybe it was overhead cloud cover or the good length being served up to the Cottenham openers Brett and Griffiths, but neither of them lasted long. Speller swung the ball like a yo-yo and took the first 2 wickets, whilst Cooke exacted significant bounce. When Cundell was Feng Shui'd by Cooke, Cottenham were in disarray. It was left to Davies, surely Cottenham's best player, to try and put a semblance of a Cottenham innings together. When Coton Skipper Richard Allison decided to give the opening bowlers a well earned rest, Cottenham were 20-4. It did not get any easier for Cottenham as Neil Sparnon "bent his back" and had Shadrack hopping at the crease. After alot of "chuntering" from Shadrack and a Pontingesque outburst, directed at A East, the Cottenham bat was in the hutch when he popped up a "dolly" to East. Justice served.With Sparnon relishing the extra bounce in the pitch, apart from a pee roller that dismissed Davies, it was left to Coton's new master of spin, Dave Scotcher aka the Care Bear, to clean up the tail. With 4 wickets for 12 runs, it was certainly Care Bear's best figures. Cottenham all out for 66 runs. Coton victory by 105 runs.
Highs:
- Chris Cooke's majestic 69 runs
- Dave Scotcher's career best figures of 4 -12
- 10 Coton players and our 12th man (well done Mitchell) in the Cottenham pub afterwards
- 2 "close in" catches from A East
- Swingin' all the way home
Lows:
- The lower middle order and tail scored only 20 runs between 7 players - NETS PRACTISE THIS WEEK GUYS...........PLEASE. :)))
- 6 dropped catches - mmmmm need I say anymore?
- A Crazy, Drunken Woman in the Plough afterwards.....we could not shake her......
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