RUASCC 202-7 (40
overs)
Rafiq 60, Jas Singh 44, Zia 27 not out
Highmoor 82 all out
(25.1 overs)
Saad 2-2, Zia 2-4, Daman Singh 2-19
RUASCC won by 120
runs
Every time RUASCC are asked to bat first I spend the first
45 minutes praying that the game won’t be all over by five o’clock. We lose a couple of quick wickets, the runs start
to dry up and all I can see is us getting bowled out for 64. It’s not that I’m a pessimist by nature, you
understand; it’s just that I’ve seen us bat before. In truth things usually settle down a bit and
then I can relax, even begin to enjoy watching for a little while, before it’s
time to pray that I won’t be required to bat.
I needn’t have worried this week, even at 22-2. Zia brought along another new recruit, Rafiq,
and moved him up the order; Rafiq obliged with the most accomplished
half-century I’ve seen all season. Jas
Singh made an excellent fifty on this ground last year and could have done the
same again but managed to send a full toss straight to deep backward square leg
on 44. Saad hit two sixes in an
entertaining 23, although the less said about his reverse sweeping the better,
and Zia kept the scoreboard ticking over at the end as RUASCC added 100 in the
last 15 overs.
One imagines there are very few less enjoyable ways to spend
a Sunday afternoon than having to face Saad bowling quickly, but watching from a
safe distance at fine leg it can be rather thrilling. (Plus his lengthy run up gives a fellow
opening bowler plenty of time to recover between overs.) New ball in hand, Saad tore in for three
savage overs and with two wickets to his name was withdrawn from the attack for
reasons of diplomacy by a captain who likes to win but not maim.
Unfortunately for Highmoor the first change was Zia who
proved equally effective and at 16-5 the game was effectively over; the rest of
the afternoon was practice. Daman Singh
and Waqar bagged a couple of wickets each, Ward looked every inch a competent
wicketkeeper and we even held on to a few catches, but the highlight of the
fielding was Chan Malde - stationed at square leg he saved countless runs and
almost took the catch of the decade diving to his right.
There was some gutsy hitting by the opener who carried his
bat for 45 not out but the other ten batsmen managed just 19 runs between them. RUASCC’s 202, our biggest total of the year
so far, never looked like being troubled.
I should probably learn to relax more.
RUASCC Man of the
Match: Tough call this week, shared
between Rafiq and Saad.
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