A rusty looking Wrecclesham side came up short against a capable Lindford team on Saturday and in the process ended their unbeaten run which spanned two seasons and a wonderful 37 matches.
It was a case of what might have been as the Owls suffered a narrow defeat against a beatable Lindford.
Despite the loss of what turned out to be a crucial toss, Skipper Boniface and opening partner Matt 'MB is he on E?' Parkinson accepted the challenge of batting first and set about their task well as their contrasting styles combined superbly on a wonderful day for cricket.
Boniface (16) was stout in defence and Parkinson was aggressive and flamboyant in attack as the pair negotiated the first 10 overs without real cause for concern.
Parkinson, who scored an entertaining and skillful half century (50) in particular proving that he is more than capable of succeeding at this level and will be a key figure for the Owls this season as he continues his recent impressive development as an opening batsmen.
The duo reached 70 without loss and a big total was looking probable, however both soon departed as Parkinson thrashed at one too many and Boniface's valiant defence was breached.
When James 'Graham Napier' Wright, who was run out as Lindford stretched the 'spirit of cricket' to it's questionable limits and Henry 'Granny Basher' Bate were dismissed without really troubling the scorers the game took on a completely different complexion at 70 odd for 4.
Chris 'The Rock' Windeatt (12) Oli 'Bondi Beach' Caston (24) rallied well as the Mighty Wreccers struggled to get a foothold in the game.
Despite promising starts and some well executed attacking play both were back in the hutch without really pushing on.
Andy 'AC' Collins and Alex 'Poker Face' Hall were both guilty of questionable shot selection and the Owls were reeling at 120-7.
Dan 'Bionic man' Vasey (12) and Neal 'Hamstring' Harris (8) shared a valuable stand of 22 as Wrecclesham limped to 147 all out from 42.4 overs.
With a total 30-40 runs shy of something really competitive it was always going to take something extra special to turn things around.
Caston (13-54-2) and Wright (6-24-2) opened things up and some loose bowling was capitalised upon highlighting the step up in quality, but it wasn't long before they found their line and length.
Wright's pace was causing problems and it was no surprise that he struck twice in relatively quick succession to give the Owls a sniff.
Caston soon deservedly got in on the act and at 40 odd for 3 and 60 odd for 4 Lindford knew they were going to be pushed all the way.
However Booth (62*), who it must be said, rode his luck early on, showed good application and was well supported by the middle and lower order and steered his side home with 3 wickets and plenty of overs to spare despite the best efforts of Larby, who bowled without much luck and a decent spell from Vasey (4.5-15-2).
Despite some obvious rustiness the fielding display was pretty good, Harris in particular was exemplary behind the stumps and if the Owls had batted slightly better the game may well have had a different outcome.
Despite a 3 wicket defeat there were certainly positives to take from the game and it will serve as a stark reminder that attitude and application are as key as talent and that it will require a good all round team performance to pick up victories in a higher division.
A tough game against Peper Harrow is next up for the Mighty Wreccers and it will provide a good chance to bounce back.
Afterword by Joe Boniface
First of all I would like to say that it has been a privilege to have played in a team that went 37 matches unbeaten and am proud to call you guys my team mates.
We went down fighting and showed some true character as we pushed an established Div 2 side to the limit with a low total and this experience will stand us in good stead for the season ahead.
I thought the way we battled to a reasonable total and never gave in is a testament to the spirit of the Owls and with a little more application and composure we will have a fine season.
The encouraging thing is that if we play to our potential then we will be a match for anyone in this division that's for sure.
Bring on next week
Up the Owls!
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2 comments:
I will echo that, the last 2 years have been amazing and some fantastic cricket along with a fantastic crew almost like a family.On Saturday apart from Parky, Joe and Oli with the bat we were below par but we should take great comfort that although we were nowhere near our best we gave Lindford a real run for there money and i think it has to sink in that this is a much better division and if one of us is lucky enough to score a fifty we need to go on and when we are bowling(this is me) we cant think"i wonder what will happen if i try this" cos 9 times out of 10 it goes to the fucking boundry we just need to keep pluging away and wickets will come. So once again well done to every one who has been involved over the last 2 years and lets re write another chapter.................
Twit Twoo
I can only agree with Larbs and joe...Have played a lot of cricket and for a lot of teams and the last 2 years have been my favourite by far! All I will say boys is firstly, chin up - it was a fantastic unbeaten run but for half the team it is the first game we have lost as a group - I hope it hurts, it will only mean this saturday you will dominate! Don't turn on each other - no one means to get out and no one means to bowl like a tosser - I mean poor wrighty....(Although good to see you getting back to your best bowling wise old boy!), stick together - the reason we lost our 1st team 4 years ago was because ppl turned on each other - yes it was our lowest total in 2 years but as Larbs said to get them 7 down for that score is a top effort! They finished 5th last year - I still think we can push for honours again this year and that result will give us the kick up the backside that we needed! Parky it was good to hear you porned with the bat - but again you need to go on. But its a great start for you! I have no doubt you guys will be 10 times better on saturday! Up the Owls!
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