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Barmy Army outgun Twickenham in
entertaining cricket week encounter
The Barmy
Army CC made a welcome return to Twickenham Green on the Tuesday of
cricket week, registering an emphatic 5 wicket victory over a rather
lacklustre home side. Twickenham’s below-par score of 149 never
looked likely to be enough as Paul Burnham’s troops cruised home
with 10 overs to spare.
The
Twickenham innings got off to a slow start with wickets falling at
regular intervals. Al Storey played some bright shots for a
quickfire 17, but after 18 overs the Ts were wobbling on 52-6. Aly
Vokes did his best to steady the creaking ship, but it was left to
Pete Carey, with a polished 47, and Dan Hough (33no) to restored
some respectability to the scoreline. The ball nonetheless
continued to dominate the bat as Aylett finished with 3-7 (off 7)
and Haddon 2-22, the Ts innings ending a fraction short of 150 in
the 34th over.
The Barmy
Army openers, Norris and Calder, got off to a lightening start,
boshing and bashing the Ts attack into the wide open spaces on
Twickenham Green. The early introduction of spin saw the tempo drop
a little, as Chris Marshall (2-39 off 8) helped himself to a couple
of wickets, but Osborn, batting at three, continued to play with
plenty of authority. Richie Payne (2-27 off 8) toiled manfully from
the Staines Road End, but the score soon passed 100 as the Ts began
to look down the barrel. Shibu Paul nonetheless kept Twickenham
hopes alive by bowling Osborne for 55, but Smith and Bushnell saw
the Barmy Army home with the minimum of fuss.
Even
though the Ts side didn’t really do itself justice, the Barmy Army
were, as ever, excellent value and thoroughly deserved their five
wicket win. The efforts of ever-reliable Pete Carey went unrewarded
but, it being cricket week, the Ts only have to wait a matter of
hours before putting the day’s wrongs right … |
