The game was overshadowed by an horrific injury to Mendis as he attempted to take a catch in the outfield, losing a couple of his teeth with the ball catching him in the face.
Batting first in this 35-over game, we got off to a flyer. Hope and Whitmore hit their second successive fifty opening partnership before Hope on 23, coming down the wicket, played over a straight delivery and was bowled. Zonaveld, their opening bowler looked dangerous until he pulled a muscle and had to retire.
Scott joined Whitmore and another fifty partnership ensued. However, Whitmore was finally caught well at deep mid-on, skying one high into the air, on 59. His fifty had taken just 33 balls. Mendis came in to play a magnificent innings of 63, copying Whitmore in getting eight fours and one six. His fifty took 34 deliveries, but he was finally stumped trying to play another large shot. Scott meanwhile had been bowled on 10, and quickly followed by Akhtar on 0 trapped LBW. Bielby (18) and Rashid (19) pushed the score along before Bielby was bowled, and Rashid caught leg before. Howden was also trapped in front of his stumps on 2, before a couple of good cameos by Shofiq (15) and Newton-Sawyerr (16 off 7 deliveries) left us 248-8 at the end of the 35 overs.
Thanks must go to Rashid, Bielby and Hope, who all fielded for the opposition. Hope especially nearly took a great catch with Mendis on 46.
Stockinger and Camberwell had turned up to see the game, and with the opposition down to nine men said they would bat for them. Curtis and Shofiq were again bright when they opened the bowling. Curtis (0-26 off 6) managed to turn a ball pitching on the off stump to somehow miss leg by a fraction. Shofiq was deadly. He removed both openers, the first LBW, and the second bowled by a ball that kept low. His stats were 2-2 off 3. Stockinger, batting at number three for the opposition started to play some lovely shots. It made us ask what he had been doing for us all season! He just needed people to stay with him.
Young Breavington did just that at number four, but upon reaching 16 he was bowled by Rashid (2-34 off 5), maybe pitching the ball a little short at first. They were soon four down as Rashid once again broke the stumps to remove their number five for 0. Now Camberwell joined Stockinger, and for a few overs it looked like the run rate of eight an over could be realistic.
Newton-Sawyerr, bowling steadily (1-41 off 6), had a ball keep low and Fitzharris was trapped lbw on 16. Then Howden, blond locks flowing, took control. Stockinger tried a shot too many and skied one to cover, where Whitmore held on well to the catch.
Fahey, their keeper, had batted well for his 26, taking West One over 150, but he was caught well behind the stumps by stand-in keeper Shofiq (Bielby had started behind the stumps), and then Newton-Sawyerr stretched at second slip to take another catch off Howden’s bowling. The last wicket to fall was lbw (Howden 4- 24 off 4).