Match Report :: Anza Div II vs Mucc Knights

Another hot start and things went well from the beginning with MUCC skipper calling wrong and thus allowing us to choose to bat first.
Richie and Corbon laid in a solid start on a very wet outfield coming in to drinks at 73-0 after 13. Both fell early in the next session bringing Chris Walker and Pat together. The two most productive batsmen in the side added 60 runs together to bring the total to 156 before Pat wandered far enough down the wicket to give the keeper time to collapse onto the stumps from several paces back. Another few wickets fell in relatively short time before Tony provided good support to Chris. After a big straight six to the long boundary Chris was well caught trying to repeat the shot for 55. Tony kept the scoring moving and we went into the last over 222/6 hoping to reach mid-230s. However a hat-trick of boundary catches and a last ball stumping saw the final score of 224 all out off 40 overs (and one of the weakest and most expensive 7-fors you'll ever see - but still, a 7- is a 7-!
224 on a very slow outfield was pretty competitive total until out stepped a Jayasuriya bat-alike. Same stance, body shape, backlift, aggression, shots, etc. Both Clive and Chris Sweet took some stick, although Clive winkled out the other opener with a top edge taken well on the run by Chris at shortish fine leg. Pat came on after just 4 overs to try and break through Jaya-clone, but it looked like more of the same with 2 wides and 2 slapped boundaries until a corker yorker did the batsman completely (34 including 8 4s). 2-45 off six overs! Clive induced a little nick, well taken by Robert standing up to the stumps in the next over (and another couple that didn't reach Pat at slip) and with Pat bowling to 2 slips, 2 gullys and a backward point the batsmen were intent purely on survival. Pat struck again in his third over to make the score 66-4 after 10 overs. Chris returned to dry things up completely and Corbon came on for one over before drinks which only lasted 3 balls before the batsman ignored the turn to see his off stump rattled. 5-73 at drinks was a matchwinning session.
Our good friend Nara was the new batsman after drinks and with his partner fashioned a 51 run partnership at a fairly careful pace before a couple of failed bowling changes cost double figure overs. Corbon came back for a second spell and broke the partnership, and the next one first ball, while Tony came on at the other end and bowled his usual tight stuff picking up a couple of wickets.
MUCC finished with 143 all out so a 9-1 win to Anza by 81 runs.
Highlights were many:
40 from Richie and 39 from Corbon - opening partnership of 78 in under 15 overs.
55 from Chris W and 31 from Pat - partnership of 60 in less than 10 overs.
26 from Tony.
Tony, Ash and Chris S caught in consecutive balls in the last over, all on the boundary!
2-48 from Clive
8-0-22-0 from Chris S
2-30 from Pat
8-1-21-4 from Corbon
2-10 from Tony
No byes, a catch and no missed chances (and a lot of good saves down leg) from Robert

Anza Champs Stats: Champs vs Phoenix

Just a quick note on the stats this week as I'm off to the airport shortly.

4 catches down put down in the first 8 overs. A certain stumping made uncertain by a certain umpire. It was also going to a tough day for the Champs.

It's never great to hear the batsman running down the wicket laughing at us and telling each other that we "are not catching anything today". I asked one of the batsman about this and he explained the comment away because he was "from Sydney.". As baffling as his batting.

Yes and that made me a little ticked off cause only we are allowed to laugh at ourselves. We don't need to outsource this particular pleasure.

Anyway as to the stats. An excellent 4 20 for for the Disco was only marred by his 6 over avoidance. Having our most productive and economical bowler bowl one short seems a little profligate on our part. The Disco pole vaults into the leading wicket taker this year after what was a very slow start. Anyway, enough praise in this direction because he can manage this chore well enough himself so suffice to end it on an upbeat note that the Disco still remains the wearer of the Dumbo cap into the next match.

The trunk on that cap went through more hands yesterday than Suzie's Phuket on a Saturday night.

With his two wickets the skip finally overtakes the Rev in second position on the leading wicket takers with 58 scalps now to the good. I was mistaken about MM bowling his 200th wide though and I apologise for that. It was of course his 300th.

I checked to see if Flynny was next in line on this score but let's just say, give the lad time.

There was very little of note on the batting side except to point out a fine Champs debut for Howie P who blazed his way to 32 off 60 balls which shot him straight to number 31 on the batting table in just one innings.

Ben Leonidas Dunn took a further 5 runs off his 300 run guarantee target for the season. Only 267 to go or, on current averages, in 33 matches time. The Spartan 300 may have had better odds.

Interesting to note just how much the skip has to do in bowler planning. Only 3 bowlers have bowled more than 26 overs this year with most bowling well below their quota. In fact only Gibby, Vishal and Lawrence have averaged 5 overs a game. It's hard work being a captain and having to juggle that many bowlers.

In fact this is by far the biggest transition year in Champs history with 11 new caps being handed out. The Skip had done an excellent job of keeping us competitive despite the need to gel the new team after losing several of our best performing players. Get behind him and as MM stressed, get to nets if you can. I certainly need to.

Kit packer this week went to Mark Wotif Flynn which I admit was a little tough given how outstanding he was in the field. Best on ground all day and jolly neat job on the kit as well.

Ashes Cup game next lads against the Brits on the 4th Sep so please try and make yourself available for this.