Full Fixture Information

Result Descriptiom

Stonor 195-9 vs EMCC 145-7

Man of the Match

Ali Wheeler - Double wicket maiden 72no

Champagne Moment

Tim Lawrence effortless 4 through mid-on

Teddy Bear Moment

Any of Mark Davis's 3 or 4 drops

Full Match Report

The teams convened on a sunny afternoon for a timed game at the picturesque Bedales pitch.

Andrew won the toss and elected to field. Ali Wheeler opened the bowling and struck twice in his first over for a double wicket maiden. The second of those two wickets was the dangerous Justin Jones who has scored quite a few runs in this fixture in recent years.

It was as good a start as we could have hoped for and Ali followed up with another maiden and finished his stint with figures of 4-2-4-2. At the other end Wayne (5-0-39-0) struggled to find his best line and length. Be that as it may, at the end of the 8th over Stoner were 31-2 and it might be thought the decision to field was in the process of being vindicated.

Stoner?s Blackborn and Waller mounted such a good recovery that by the fall of the next wicket the score had moved on to 134. They were most generously assisted in their efforts by a dropping performance of really awful proportions. The score book records 7 dropped catches, it may have been more. Waller, who scored 51 was dropped on 15, 39 and 40, Blackburn (76) on 33, 39 and 59.

No wonder the bowlers took matters into their own hands and after a mixture of clean bowleds, lbws and a stumping the innings was declared at 195-9 after 36 overs. T Lawrence (10-2-39-2), Jacob Roland (4-0-33-0), M Davis (6-0-35-1), J Wheeler (4-0-24-2) and J Haslet 3-0-16-2. That looked a chasable target and represented a creditable comeback by the Meon.

Let the numbers describe how we went about it: after 5 overs we were 19-4, and 41-5 after 10, Ali batting number 1 must have wondered what on earth was going on as he watched Ian (Golden duck), Andrew (1), Mark (0), Oli Cooke (0) and Josh (1) depart, each one culpable in one way or another for their dismissal. Four of the names in that ignoble list were also responsible for 6 of the drops. Let their identities and the extent of their butter fingeredness remain a secret known only to those who were present.

24 overs later the match ended in a draw, East Meon 145-7 from 34, for which Ali (72 no.), Tim L (24) and Jacob must take all the credit. Extras chipped in with 30 runs. We faced two fewer overs than Stoner and had we taken even half of the catches we dropped then who knows?

A word about Jacob R (rhb) (Jeff?s wife?s nephew, I think). He came to the crease in the 23rd over when the score was 102-6. He was there at the end on 11 not out. In the intervening 10 overs he looked classy and composed and utterly unruffled when Stoner introduced J Waller to the attack who was by far the quickest bowler on display on either side. The way that Jacob played him suggests that he is used to facing pacier bowlers than Waller whilst playing for Oxfordshire. He will be welcome back anytime.

A gutsy draw in the end, at least once the top order had got themselves out of the way.