Bidborough v Outwood, Sat 31st August
625 runs for 17 wickets in just 74 overs……a quite incredible game of cricket! When Balders won another toss and decided to bat a score of 270 was being bandied about……that would prove to be woefully off the mark!
The first 20 overs were simply as expected…..6 ish runs per over with the loss of Sambo for 16 who dragged a wide one on from Hookway. Jack Redden made a stylish 29 before playing over an Alexander Yorker and after Jack Mauduit came and went without scoring Tretty joined Balders in the middle. Sadly the skipper just missed out on a third consecutive ton when he holed out on the boundary for a well made 90. This spurred Tretty into action and he proceeded to smash the Outwood bowlers to all parts of the Rec. Abley supported by Mitch (25) and Paddy (31) he pushed the score over 300. When he departed for 92 it was left to Dale and Jordan to finish things off with 13 and 12 respectively. A final total of 351 looked massive and a relaxed tea was had by all.
The relaxed air amongst the team was very quickly squashed as Henry Van der Walt decided that he was going to try and win the game on his own!! After 7 overs the score was hovering around the 80 mark and a few heads were being scratched in the field. After both Heim’s where hit out of the attack Rigger and Tretty tried to stem the flow of runs. With the score still rattling along at 10 an over it was a great relief when the first wicket fell – Walter bowled by Big Red – with the score at 130 in the 13th over! Henry continued to smash pretty much every ball he faced which forced another change at the playground end where Mitch grabbed the ball with a great deal of gusto (at least I think it was Gusto!). In his second over he beat Henry with a little cutter to end a brutal innings of 93 off just 51 balls! Mark lane followed shortly after LBW to Rigger. Another excellent stand then pushed the score up to 241 at which point Mitch went into overdrive taking the second of his 7 wickets! Dale replaced Rigger and instantly gained a control that no other bowler on either side had managed and between the two of them they strangled the Outwood chase. Mitch had Hookway caught at mid wicket, Dale then bowled Blease and then Mitch finished things off with 3 wickets in 4 balls, 2 caught at mid wicket and one at cover. Outwood finished on 274 all out with 6 overs still to go so if they had kept wickets in had it could have been an incredible finish! In the end a 77 run win was comfortable and sets up the finale that everyone wanted…….winner takes all at Penshurst next Saturday!!!!