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A
well-balanced Saturday Third XI travelled to New Malden for a good
test of a 45 overs game as it turned out against a Kingstonian CC
1st XI containing six regular first team members among
the only ten who turned up. Well balanced in that TCC contained a
good mix of seasoned pros along with a smattering of young
emerging talent.
An immaculate
playing surface was presented which made the decision to have a
bat all the more simple for the new Threes Saturday Captain
playing in his first match of the season. Opening up with Don
Campbell and Mark Johnson T's made a solid start without being
spectacular. Lurch continued with his struggle for form at the
start of the new season but battled gamely against the Kingstonian
opening bowler and captain who we decided would not have looked
out of place in our own 1st XI. MJ was finally
dismissed with the score in the late 30's for a combative 9 whilst
Don Campbell was beginning to impress with his shot selection and
general solidity at the top of the innings. The difficulty proved
to be in finding somebody to stick with him and match his shrewd
shot-making. Willie V, Phil Parker, Dave Green all tried and
failed according to them all falling to dodgy LBW decisions given
by our own umpires! A train of events which was later to come back
to haunt us. Don Campbell's fine innings came to an end at 58 when
he hooked a full toss straight into the hands of a backward square
leg who was awoken just in time to effect the catch. A great knock
by Don which augurs well for the coming season. A long awaited
middle order partnership of 52 runs then developed between Fraser
Donaldson (16) and all-rounder Jacques Grobler (27) during which
there were a couple of five wides from the oppo who were
desperately trying to avoid finding the middle of Grobler's bat.
One particularly finely struck six through mid wicket by JG taking
one bounce before depositing fragmented glass from the changing
room window into his own kit bag!! This final flourish enabled T's
to reach a fairly respectable 175 all out in the 45th
over of our innings.
After tea the
KCC batsmen took to the wicket with Studebaker Saunders and
Grobler opening up for the T's. Richie S struggled with his line
and length for an over or two whilst JG was pinning down the
batsmen at the other end reeling off a very tidy spell of six
consecutive overs for not many runs but undeservedly no return in
terms of a wicket. Whilst, as so often happens, JG's lack of luck
was more than made up for by Richie as he purloined three wickets
in his five over opening spell, two clean bowled and the third a
magnificent high-reach one-handed, left-handed catch in the gulley
by Karl Rand who was taking a day off from duties behind the
stumps. A great catch in any company. The Captain then juggled the
remaining available bowling of Bill Wright, Willie Vanaswegan,
Ajay Balasubramanian (easy for you to say), and Fraser Donaldson
who all tried manfully to produce a meaningful breakthrough but
the opposition continued to push the run-scoring along at nearly
six runs per over and passed the total required comfortably for
five wickets down with more than ten overs to spare. Ajay and
Willie pitched in with the two other wickets, but the highlight of
KCC's innings was the pitch handbags battle between Lurch and the
opposition umpire who failed (on more than one occasion) in Billy
Wright's eyes, to give two blatantly plum LBW's off his bowling
when we had given three LBW's to them during our innings. Now we
really know what is meant by having a well-balanced team!! Bring
on Brentham as we return to League cricket next week.
Phil Parker.
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