1^st XI Cricket Match Report – Wednesday 26^th May 2010

Bramcote v Woodleigh at Bramcote

Bramcote 122 for 4 (23 overs)

Woodleigh 121 for 9 (25 overs)

Bramcote in the end won this exciting, often close, match reasonably comfortably, but for long periods the result could have gone either way.

It was a game that was frequently full of drama, never more so than in Ned Salvin’s final over, the last over of the Woodleigh innings when he took a hat trick with his first three balls, bowled a no-ball beamer with his next delivery, then clean bowled the new batsman with his fourth legitimate delivery.  A fifth scalp was then almost claimed when a close LBW appeal was rejected, and for good measure he missed running out the last Woodleigh batsman with the last ball of the 25^th over by a matter of inches!

Earlier Woodleigh had won the toss and elected to bat.  They were pegged back initially by a tight opening salvo from Salvin and Needler, but later their middle-order cut loose and a total around the 150 mark looked very much on the cards at one point.

The Bramcote bowling quintet of Salvin, Needler, Moederle-Lumb, Dickinson and Baxter performed excellently but they were let down regularly by the out-fielders who dropped several very catchable chances and were too frequently faulty of overthrows.  Work still needs to be done in that department.  Having said that, four very good catches were held.  Rodion confidently pouched a steepling skyer on the boundary, Dickinson took an acrobatic diving catch behind the keeper, Needler held a hard-hit effort and Salvin made sure he did not drop a difficult return catch off his own bowling.

Special mention must be made too of Bryn Andrews who kept wicket superbly; he gets better and better with each match.

So Woodleigh totalled a very competitive 121 for 9 off their 25 overs, and Bramcote set about the task of overhauling this with a real sense of purpose.

Salvin and Dickinson put on 30 for the first wicket at a run-a-ball, before Salvin got a bit overambitious and was bowled for 15, attempting an extravagant drive.

Moederle-Lumb hit a no-nonsense 14 and there were useful contributions from Andrews (16) and Baxter (12) who scored freely, despite the surprising tactic by Woodleigh of bowling their main bowlers right through.

The backbone of the innings, however, was a splendid 27 not out by captain Dickinson, who retired hurt after a painful blow on the wrist at one stage, but returned later to be greeted by the Woodleigh second-string bowlers, and he adroitly steered Bramcote home over the finishing-line with 12 balls to spare.

Well done to Bramcote and Woodleigh.  This was school boy cricket at its best, played with spirit and enthusiasm and respect, and credit for that must go to both sets of players, and especially to the two skippers.

Lester Pettefar