17 May 2008 St Lukes A v Purley (League) Away
Report by Bob Gaddes
On a bleak and drizzly afternoon the prospects of completing or even starting a cricket match were somewhat limited. Nevertheless, the skippers having consulted their teams decided to give it a go; James promptly lost the toss and Purley put in St Lukes.
The opening bowling was pacey and the wicket giving some bounce and assistance. Richard S was unfortunate to get out to ‘a good un’ with only 5 on the board but Richard B (32) and John took the score along to 42. John not with his usual elegance, having found that boxer shorts do not hold the box well enough – to be running quick threes with Richard with one hand on the groin area is not recommended. No surprise that John was run out. With an increasing wet outfield and some accurate bowling it was proving difficult to score quick runs. The usual good support from the middle with James (20), Shoukat (14) – again run out by Mitsi – Mitsi (23), Ahmed (18) and Wasif (14) all contributing useful runs to get the final score up to a respectable 160.
With the ball increasing looking and feeling like a bar of soap, St Lukes’ bowlers knew they had to keep it tight. And they did. With Evan and Bob both bowling straight through their 10 overs, Purley lost wickets regularly being frustrated by the tight bowling and fielding. Evan was virtually unplayable finishing with 10-5-10-5 and Bob kept up the pressure from the other end (8-3). With a very wet ball the spinners were never able to get the control they needed and Purley were able to push on from 21-8 to 64-8 and gain a valuable batting point before Shoukat was brought on to finish off the tail – which he did in only 5 deliveries. Taking wicket with his final two balls, Shoukat in on a hat-trick for the first ball of his next bowling spell!!
In the end, an enjoyable match in poor conditions and a good victory for St Lukes by 96 runs.
Man of the match – Evan (and he gets to keep the ball!).