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Hmmm....Should of known it wouldn't be our day when we turned up to Blue Flames and they couldn't find they key to the changing rooms, even after many frantic phone calls. Thankfully, some enterprising individual managed to get into the score box to find some stumps and it was game on.
Despite confirming we had 11 players, only 10 turned up and even worse was to come when informed mid-innings that one of our players had to leave early. Cheers.
Anyway, the toss was lost by stand in skipper Johns. Meredith and Laing opened the bowling again, with Laing striking almost straight away with an excellent catch from Tony Naylor at Backward Square Leg.
Former Civil Service Batsman Rowe began steadily and began to open up crashing both the bowlers to the boundary. Ian also nipped out the useful Crofton-Martin forcing him to play on for 5. Paddy bowled his spell through and took the valuable wicket of Rowe for 39 finishing with 1-26 from his 4 overs.
Bowerman was brought into the attack and had the new batsman spooning a catch to Naylor at point. At Mr Ward's suggestion the square leg was moved deep onto the boundary - lo and behold, very next ball the batsman smashed a full toss straight to Tony for his third catch of the innings! Mark (3-0-15-3) took his third wicket shortly after with the next batsman swishing and Duncan completing the stumping.
Hansie bowled a couple of tidy overs and Tony did a decent job at the end of the innings. Laingers (4-0-29-3) came on to bowl the final over and induced a skyer which Duncan took comfortably. A further run out ensued and the Paddlers finished on 116-8. A decent effort in the field and I was confident that even with a man down (didn't know it would be two at this point), we could chase them down.....Oh dear.
Things went pear shaped straight away - Colin W was slightly unlucky in that he got a snorter from the first ball of the innings, from Ged and ended up with a top edge to the keeper. Tony was under the impression that this was a no ball, but common sense prevailed and Colin walked.
Barry and Luke seemed to have things under control and began by steadily working the singles. Barry was looking at ease at the crease and had made his way to 16 before being judged LBW to Crofton-Martin.
Duncan began positively and both the batsmen began to deposit the ball over the boundary at regular intervals, Luke lauching a couple of massive sixes along the way. The score had move along to around 80-2 with 7 overs to spare, then a couple of moments of inspirational fielding turned the game the Paddlers' way.
First of all Ged pulled off a stunning catch to remove Luke for 34, then Duncan (23) was unlucky to be caught having smashed the ball only inches off the ground to mid-on. Sometimes they stick, sometimes they don't. Unfortunately for us, this one did.
This brought Johns and De Jager to the crease with plenty of time. It all went quickly downhill from here really. De Jager (1) soon went attempting a second run. Meredith smashed 6 from 4 balls before edging behind to the juggling Rowe.
Johns (1) went next, again after a poorly judged run, which brought the final pair of Laingers and Tony to the crease. Once again a poor attempt at a run saw Laingers run out after being sent back. 99 all out.
Disappointing batting performance. We didn't help ourselves with some poor running between the wickets and missing a couple of players, but credit to Paddlers who bowled and fielded very well.
Opposition's man of the match was Luke Mitchell.
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