BB 258-9 dec off 44 overs
Shepway Stragglers 259- 5 off 42 overs
Stragglers win
A beautiful sunny day and a belter of a pitch greeted the BB at Belmont House for this eagerly anticipated match against the Shepway Stragglers, and after winning the toss BB decided to bat.
Brother Collingwood went early after missing a straight one which brought Brother Simpson to the crease. Hammond and Simpson were playing lovely shots and scoring freely, however Hammond departed on 60 after shouldering one to slip. A flurry of wickets then fell, with the BB going from 86 for 1 to 130 for 6. In amongst the carnage, there were a few fabulous strokes played by Brother Loxton-Barnard who hit one of the biggest straight sixes seen at the Belmont.
After lunch the BB consolidated, with Brother H Pettman and Brother Richardson rotating the strike nicely. A very mature innings from Pettman saw him pass 50, however very shortly afterwards he fell for 56. With only 3 wickets remaining Richardson began to up the rate and passed 50 himself. With the score at 258-9 the skipper announced a perfectly timed declaration, although the majority of the team would disagree. Special mention to the Shepway Stragglers skipper who took 8 for 26 with his leggies.
The Stragglers innings began well for the BB, with Collingwood removing their opener for 4 aided by a sublime one-handed catch from Brother Regan in the slips. However, there was little success after that, with some splendid strokes played by the batsmen bringing the Stragglers to 65-1. ‘Golden Arm’ Regan then removed their well-set batsmen, who was looking dangerous, with a smart take from Pettman at square leg. Brother Richardson managed to burgle a wicket before tea coming up the hill. However, that brought C. Munton to the crease, and he made his presence felt. Special mention to Brother Sherwin, who toiled away up the high and was genuinely bowling good leg spin and could have had their star batsman twice, alas both catches were dropped.
Boundaries continued to flow for the Stragglers, until a smart caught and bowled from Wren removed their opener for 73 and shortly afterwards Richardson dismissed the well-set Munton for 86 with a good catch in the deep from Hammond…. The comeback was on! A well-directed throw from Sherwin removed another Straggler and there was genuine hope for the BB. With one ball remaining in the penultimate over, the Stragglers needed 4 to win and one snuck through the batsman’s defences, missing everything and going for 4 byes.
The Stragglers won this ferociously competitive fixture by 4 wickets. The game was played in great spirits, the lunch & tea delicious, with sprinkles of quality cricket thrown in. Thank you to everyone for playing and very much looking forward to this one next year.
Big thank you to Mr. Pullen, who stepped up to the plate last minute and kept beautifully all day. We hope this isn’t the last time we see you play for the BB!
