Weston Ho!

Just a few brief notes on the Weston Colville game during my temporary exile. We were just completing the work on the wicket when the Westons arrived at Coton Rec. In the light of the result perhaps we should be doing less! The weather was not looking too promising and, judging by the reactions of the Weston players neither was the wicket. How wrong they were. I figured that they had talked themselves into a collapse so putting them in was the right thing to do. We had after all dismissed them cheaply on their wicket and there was an air of optimism in the dressing room.

It was a very different looking Weston squad than we had seen the first time around and this led to some conjecture that they had loaded their team with 1st XI players. Subsequent research showed they hadn’t but that didn’t make it feel any better.

As we prepared to start the heavens opened and delayed the start. I have seen in other match reports that we have had some sunny days at the Rec but I haven’t played in any of them yet. This was to prove the only weather delay and it gradually got better through the day.

Neil opened the bowling with new recruit Courtney Henville and struck in his first over when the opener pulled the ball straight to Mitch Haynes at square leg. So far everything was looking good. Courtney bowled some killer deliveries mixed with some nervous beamers and wides. Neil – talking a break from his cross country hike – pounded in. Further breakthroughs were not forthcoming as Rob juggled the bowling in search of wickets.

Rob, Scotch, Adam & Richard all tried their luck and we did end up taking 5 more wickets while Weston piled on runs at almost 7 an over. Richard took 3, assisted by an Alastair stumping and good catches from Mitch and Sam. Sam was having an infuriating time in the field as the ball passed him in the air just out of catching ranges on multiple occasions. I thought of placing fielders one yard either side of him as the ball would have been straight to them every time.

Scotch grabbed two wickets: catches from Adam and Rad. Meanwhile Weston’s opening bat completed a not out century: just 100 more than he had scored in the first game and that was probably the key difference in them reaching 269-6.

After some fine teas courtesy of Adam we followed up with our worst batting since the opening day of the season.

Alastair was first to chipping a simple catch and then Richard attempted a suicide run to a ball that was in the wicket keeper’s hands.

Thereafter it was a procession of wickets. Sam went to a wild swing and Gabriel to another simple catch before Adam and Neil effected something of a recovery. Mitch smashed a loose ball straight at cover and it was left to Courtney to secure a second batting point with a top score 22 in 11 balls. We ended up 170 short for our worst defeat of the year.

The other results combined to leave us 6th, clear of the relegation spots. With 3 of our remaining games being against the teams below us it is going to be a tight ending to the season again.