Bluecoat Staff (A) – 10.6.11

Bluecoat 137-7 (20 overs)
Withers 2-25, Ashman 1-6

RUASCC 101-1 (13.5 overs)
Baker 46 not out, Extras 38

Match abandoned due to rain

For the second time this week the rain put an end to proceedings, and this time RUASCC were looking at a comfortable win needing just a run a ball from six overs with nine wickets in hand.

We arrived at the smart new Bluecoat Pavilion before 5pm to find a school game nearing the end of the first innings. The start of our game was therefore delayed by about an hour and after losing the toss and witnessing a thrilling last-ball finish (Bluecoat lost) we took to the field at 6.30pm. Main and Baker opened the bowling and the Bluecoat openers made a brisk start before Pett pulled up with a groin strain and barely got going again before he was run out by Baker at the non-striker’s end.

The two batsmen made good use of the three short boundaries to push the score up to 80-1 after ten overs but a well-taken catch at backward point by Baker off Greenhalf put an end to that. Greenhalf then took a catch of his own off Withers who took two wickets in his third over, the second a textbook outswinger caught behind by (Young Sam) Griffiths. Withers and Griffiths combined again to earn the second run out of the innings as Bluecoat lost their early momentum.

In a bid to help them find it again, Tranter brought himself on with four overs to go. However, bowling from his shortened run up (one step) he was far too much to handle and picked up his first wicket of the year with something that pitched, and in a straight line too. At the other end Dr Ashman was also on the money and won an LBW verdict to finish with 1-6 from two overs. A very welcome decent bowling and fielding performance from RUASCC restricted Bluecoat to 137-7 from 20 overs.

RUASCC need 138 runs to win

With the light already fading fast we turned around quickly and sent Eagle and Dip to open the batting. Both men had picked up a single when Dip was bowled by one that kept low (lower than Dip, which is startling) to bring Baker to the crease. With plenty of runs coming from byes and wides (though not as many wides as the batsmen would have liked) the run rate ticked along nicely despite Eagle scoring only in singles. In the increasing gloom, with a damp outfield, it was proving difficult to play with any fluency but neither batsman looked in any danger and Baker did find the boundary a few times on his way to another score in the forties.

Then in the 14th over, just as the hundred came up on the best electronic scoreboard Withers has ever had the pleasure of doing business with, the drizzle gave way to a hail storm and suddenly eleven fielders, two batsmen and two umpires hurtled back towards the shelter of the pavilion covering themselves with anything that came to hand. The match was over and not only had Baker been denied a likely half century, the middle order of Chan, Young Sam and Greenhalf were denied their chance to bat at all. Chan, desperate for an outlet for his pent up energy, began drinking immediately.

RUASCC Highlight: The perfect dismissal for a right-arm medium-paced swing bowler – Withers finds the edge, Griffiths takes the catch.

RUASCC Man of the Match: Baker was on course to win the game before the hail came, and he took a catch too.

RUASCC Team: Eagle, Dip, Baker, Malde, Griffiths (wkt), Greenhalf, Main, Tranter (capt), Ashman, Withers