Match: Almond Valley
Venue: Doocot Park
Date: 7 May 2008
Format: Friendly – 20 overs
Toss: Almond Valley, who chose to bat
Result: DUSCC won by 7 wickets

Almond Valley innings

Bowling: D Petrie 2-1-2-0; R Proctor 2-0-7-1; A McDonald 2-0-12-1; D Heather 2-0-6-0; L Hayes 2-0-9-1; A Bell 2-0-22-1; K Dherwali 2-0-13-0; R Miller 2-0-11-1; M Stephenson 2-0-14-1; S Boarder 2-0-12-1.

FoW: 1-; 2-; 3-; 4-; 5-; 6-; 7-; 8-; 9-112

DUSCC innings

Bowling: S Bruce 4-0-17-0; K Rodgers 4-0-18-2; R Fernandes 4-1-30-0; S MacDonald 2-0-8-0; R Haggart 4-0-17-1; S Marshall 2-0-16-0

FoW: 1-71; 2-106; 3-107

Report

DUSCC won this game by 7 wickets, chasing down a target of 113. Sounds comfortable enough? It wasn’t. We needed 4 off the last ball of the match to win, and 3 to tie, and, amazingly completed an all-run four. Plump up the cushions for this: Kabir Dherwani, on debut, was facing and edged the ball to fine third man; he and Scott Rodgers contrived to run 3, Scott managing to make it to the striker’s end. The keeper, having collected the throw from third man, attempted a run-out at the bowler’s end for a one-run win, but the ball ran through to long-on and the winning run was then taken on the overthrow. Scott is still pretty quick between the wickets (when he chooses to be) and it was fortunate that he was the man running to the danger end for each of the last 2 runs!

With the wickets in hand, DUSCC should perhaps have won more comfortably; Richard Miller and Steve Boarder’s opening partnership of 71 laid a solid platform but took 14 overs, and we were never actually ahead of the required run rate. Steve retired, having made the first individual DUSCC 50 since 2006, which placed pressure on the incoming batsmen to finish the job in light starting to become difficult. Duncan Heather and Dennis Petrie kept the scoreboard ticking over but both fell in the last over, which began with DUSCC needing 7 for the win.

Earlier, Almond Valley made 112 from their full 20 overs. Each outfield DUSCC player bowled 2 overs each, and some undiscovered bowling talents were unearthed. It was good to see Alan Bell, playing against his club side, Alan McDonald and Mark Stephenson taking their maiden wickets for us, and Ladson Hayes in his first appearance for a couple of years also chipped in. The wickets were shared round widely and the fielding – with the exception of a drop from the captain… – was very sound. On a wonderful ground, against an Almond Valley team it is always a pleasure to play against, and for once in warm sunshine, this was a very enjoyable game. We’re due back there again next week for part 2.