Last Gasp win for the Sunday XI

Sunday 14th September 2014 – Friendly
Stoke D’Abernon 261 for 9 (39.1 overs)
Chelsea Nomads 220 all out (43.5 overs)
Stoke D’Abernon 41 runs

A fourteenth win of the season from eighteen for the Sunday XI, secured with just a ball to spare.

Chelsea Nomads returned to the fixture card, and included former Stoker and joint 2007 leading Sunday XI wicket-taker Asif Ayub in their number, (http://www.stokecc.co.uk/most-runswickets-per-season/), although he didn’t bowl in this match.

Alleged M25 chaos meant that the best part of the day was spent waiting for the opposition to arrive, and when play started Stoke needed to score their runs quickly as the over-rate was pedestrian.

Ollie John was an early casualty when he played back to one that kept low; but Jeremy Connell and Greg Routley got the board moving with a rapid stand of 119 in just under 16 overs; Routley’s first 34 runs coming from the first 14 balls he faced.

The visiting skipper was brave to only have the one man at cow; the below picture suggests where the Stoke massive thought of this.

Connell hit ten fours and two sixes and passed 1000 career runs for Stoke during his stay at the crease, checking out on 61 when he skied a delivery from Synge that keeper Sisley took close to where the batsmen crossed.

Nick Lo carried the momentum on, but it was now a question of whether Routley could reach his second century for the club. He started fifth bowler Balfoure’s first over on 78 not out; but his sixth and seventh sixes, added to his seventh four; took him to 95 with a ball to go. Unfortunately he chipped the ball, (just his 57th he faced), to mid-on attempting another hit to the car park. 169 for 3.

Moumer Khara and Carel Ferreira kept the boundary count high before both were bowled; and Lo was well caught by Undertaker off his own bowling for 41 from 40.

Nico Spreeth, (25), and the lower order plundered more runs to set up an imposing 39.1 over declaration at 261 for 9; Keegan Weideman last out, but not before he smoked the first ball he faced over mid-off.

After tea Weideman made an early breakthrough when Ayub was bowled for a single; but the well organised Fuller and No.3 Thomas proved difficult to remove despite a long spell from Adrian Mills and shorter bursts from Ralph Coleman, who saw an edge fly between keeper and first slip, Zaki Ahmad and Ferreira.

Having struggled to time the ball early on; Thomas then found his range, and a flurry of boundaries suddenly got the visitors up with the asking rate. Having seen Spreeth find some savage turn and bounce in his opening over, Lo introduced himself and castled Thomas, (66), and Whiting in successive deliveries.

Fuller had reached 61 before chipping a ball from Lo to Coleman; (160 for 4), but No.5 Jeffery clubbed three fours and a six to keep the chase alive. He was well caught on the line by Weideman off Spreeth for 24; Weideman then bowled Balfoure for 16 in another short burst.

The Nomads continued to try and chase the runs down but lost more wickets trying to do so. Khara took a trademark casual catch on the boundary to account for Sisley; Synge hit to deep mid-off where John took a great catch; and the visitors were nine down when Undertaker was adjudged leg-before off Spreeth for a duck. Spreeth’s final over at the No.11 was his only maiden. After an uncharacteristically uneconomical start he dragged his figures back to finish with 9-1-56-4, leaving Lo the final over at the last pair.

With men crowded round the bat Synge looked to be negotiating the final deliveries with ease, but one more colossal effort saw a ball catch the glove and Spreeth move from slip to leg-slip to complete the victory. Lo finished with 6.5-1-30-4.

A match that seemed destined to be a bit one-sided after an hour ended up being a very good one; the visitors also making a decent contribution to the bar afterwards to atone for their earlier time-keeping issues.

Next week Stoke’s Sunday XI host Kingstonian. There is also a Saturday fixture at home to Twickenham.

Scorecard Link : http://sdacc.play-cricket.com/view_results_details?id=11940112

Greg Car Park