OBC 157/7 last ball loss to St Albans BBBB’s 158/6
A great game of cricket on one of those very rare days at Hagley when you are hoping the Easterly will arrive!
OBC won the toss and asked Saints to spend the first part of the afternoon in the heat. Openers Carradous (23) and Howell (60) got OBC off to a good start, with Glynn’s classy knock the best of the day. The Saints bowlers and fielders worked hard to restrict run scoring, however, and it was late blows by Tristchler (30*) that got OBC to 157. Wellsy (2-18 off 7) and RJ (2-20 off 5) had the best figures, but all of the left-arm dominated attack bowled well.
Saints battled at the start due to accurate and challenging seam bowling of Clayton, Davison and then McGuire (1-13 off 8 overs). The first departure was Gibby, not to a bowler but to a leg injury at the end of a tightly run single. Too much running also got to Hampo (39), cramping up before Murphy put him out of his misery, bowling him and Mantis (21) in consecutive overs to set up an exciting finish. RJ and Wellsy came together with 67 required off the final 10 overs. RJ hits the ball very hard, with even his mishits going a long way up! After a couple of misses the OBC fielders did cling to one that wasn’t clearing the boundary, and he departed for 34. Wellsy (17) was solid at the other end and with G (7*) tied the scores at the end of the 39th over. O’Connor was given the ball for his one and only over - an eventful one at that. With a close ring field the first ball was short and Wellsy top-edged a pull shot to be caught by first slip over his shoulder running back. The next batsman (not going to mention your name Muzza) played and missed at the second ball and was bowled by the third. Gibby decided he was going to finish things, and hobbled to the wicket. He couldn’t score off balls four and five, with his injury making it difficult to stretch across outside off stump, but he made contact with the final ball, sending it in the air just past outstretched hands at point for the win.
