SATURDAY XI v DENMEAD - 7th May 2016
Curdridge Cricket team returned to action this weekend, a few pounds heavier for the winter break but full of enthusiasm for the season ahead.
Skipper began the day worried as Alan Bollards sat nav had caused him to arrive just as we were due to start, muttering something about the wrong postcode. This was a little odd as the rest of the team had successfully arrived at the ground half an hour earlier.
By now captain had lost the toss and struggled to maintain his poker facewhen the opposition skipper elected to bat on a pitch that looked more like Bournemouth beach than a cricket field.
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Del and Dave opened up the bowling and it wasn’t long before the wickets were tumbling, with a combination of the bowlers hitting the stumps and slip catches being held we soon had the opposition in trouble with 4 men back in the hut.
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It could have been worse for the opposition had Dave managed to switch his brain from hockey mode to cricket. Leaping like a (very large) salmon at point, he decided to tip the ball over the bar rather than pouching it to give Del another wicket.
As the batsman started to form a partnership, and with Dave feeling the effects of his newly sculptured body, Skipper switched to Steve Turner to continue to apply the pressure.
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Bowling like he had never been away and generating movement off the pitch he quickly had the middle order in all sorts of trouble and within 6 overs he had picked up five wickets for 14 runs. JUG TIME!
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At the other end Clodey picked up an LBW (last seen in 1998), and could have had another as the batsman smashed a ball so high in the air that Jon Edwards had time to go through his entire dance repertoire, before the ball dropped yards away, just as he was finishing off his Harlem shuffle.
A great bowling performance combined with tight fielding had the opposition all out for 69 in less than 20 overs.
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Skipper decided to go for the jugular and press on before tea with David and Nick Hillier opening up. A good partnership flourished once Nick had explained to David how to get the ball off the square. This was broken though when the senior citizen edged to point.
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Jon Edwards helped maintain the rate before falling to a ‘wrong un’, leaving Al Bollard and David at the crease to ease Curdridge to the victory target within 17 overs and it was all wrapped up before tea,
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A great start to the season, and momentum to take forwards to our first home game next week - 2pm v Totton & Ealing.
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Man of the Match - Steve Turner, 5-14, TAKE A BOW!
Champagne Moment - Jon Edwards, dancing queen!