SATURDAY XI v VENTNOR - 21st May 2016
Curdridge continued their league campaign on Saturday, Ventnor making the long trip to Reading Room lane.
Tea-gate aside, preparations for the game had gone well, and a confident 11 took to the field looking to build on the seasons early momentum.
Skipper chose to lose the toss and was invited to have a bowl on Jon Edwards latest masterpiece that would need a bit of magic to get the ball off the straight and narrow.
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Fortunately we are armed with our very own wizard and Del Candy duly set about rolling through the top order, hitting the stumps three times in quick succession.
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At the other end, Mr Turner picked up a wicket courtesy of a fine catch from Chris Clode, running backwards from mid-off.
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Clodey then decided he didn’t need hands to catch the ball, instead using his face to slow the balls momentum before it lodged snugly about his mid-drift to send back the stubborn opener. Fortunately Clodey’s looks were not noticeably damaged and he should be fine for his model shoot with Woodchoppers Weekly later this week.
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The opposition were in disarray at 44-5, and Luke came to the party matching Del’s trick of hitting the stumps three times,
The scoreboard was looking familiar to Curdridge with Ventor 71-8, and a number 10 at the crease with a limited selection of shots. Unfortunately the one shot (move leg, close eyes, swing bat) was very effective at smearing the ball to all areas of the ground. He was supported in accelerating the score by the number 6 batsman who played a good knock to put the pressure onto the Curdridge bowlers for the first time this season.
Experience was called for and Jon Fields has got it in spades, bowling a tidy spell to bring back the scoring rate, and the innings ended with Ventnor on an unlikely 163-8. Above par, considering the opposition were 71-8 but still a score that was a straightforward chase on a flat track with a dry outfield.
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Janes and Vickery opened up, and were both back in the shed with single figures. David particularly unimpressed with his LBW decision (hitting middle 3 inches up!).
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This bought the Nurdlers to the crease, Skipper and the Bollard decided that boundaries would mean less running so they set about dismantling the opposition attack. A quick 50 partnership arrived before skipper played one shot too many and lost his off stump, and Alan decided to give the opposition some catching practice which they accepted at the third time of asking.
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This left Curdridge needing a contribution from the middle order to steady the ship and get over the line, however the familiar Curdridge collapse made its first appearance of the season, with only one batsman getting into double figures, the exception being Mike Punt, who played sensibly before running out of partners as Curdridge were dismissed for 124.
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A disappointing result to a game that we were winning for the majority of it, next Saturday there is no game, so a good opportunity for some batting practice for all!
Man of the match: Mike Punt, some great fielding and a sensible knock towards the end of the innings!
Champagne Moment: Chris Clode taking it on the chin!