Date: 17th April 2011
The Toss: It was decided that Fernhurst would bat first.
Fernhurst Innings: 104 all out (26.3 overs)
The Ancient Mariners Innings: 77 all out (23 overs)
Result: The Ancient Mariners lost to Fernhurst by 27 runs.
(view scorecard)
MATCH REPORT
The clear blue skies of a deliciously restorative early spring day greeted the Mariners troupe as they congregated in the all-too-pleasant surrounds of the Red Lion at Fernhurst, eagerly anticipating the first skirmish of the 2011 season
Yarns were spun and ales quaffed as the assiduous preparations left nothing to chance; the entire team finally assembling a full 8 minutes before the start of play – in Mariners terms positively the Saturday. A brief confab between the skippers saw it agreed that Fernhurst, on account of their self-confessed ‘strong’ bowling attack, would bat allowing the Mariners first chance to strut their stuff in the field.
The Mariners opening bowlers of S Rough and W Westwood took a little while to settle, but once the early season rust was shaken off, they began to get a foothold in the game – Rough dismissing openers Jackman (21) and Melrose (20) and Westwood the number three, courtesy of some acrobatics in the slips from Magnus. Westwood eventually finished his spell with 1 for 24 and Rough 2 for 31.
Captain Jake Holmes was quick to introduce Nick Barnes and Magnus Bowles into the attack – both settled immediately and Fernhurst were now finding runs increasingly hard to come by. Wickets started to tumble as the wealth of bowling options available to the Mariners proved to be telling – the Barnes/Foster combination accounting for two almost identical wickets in consecutive balls, Magnus and his bag of tricks wheeling away from the other end and the visiting Tim Petzold, whose spell of 2 for 3 from just 1.3 overs, included a wicket with his very first ball.
Magnus Bowles was again the pick of the Mariners bowling attack, starting the new campaign in the kind of form that saw him top the averages last season. His impressive return of 3 for 10 from 5 overs including 2 maidens, not to mention the superb reflex catch at first slip off the bowling of Westwood, seemed to spark the Mariners into life after a somewhat subdued start.
When the Fernhurst innings closed on 104 after only 26.3 overs there was time enough for a few overs before tea, and with the sky beginning to bruise the Mariners opening pair of Woottton and Hodgson would soon learn at first hand exactly why the Fernhurst skipper had more confidence in his bowlers than his batsmen.
Although short an opening bowler – an S Rough yorker consigning one young quick to first slip for the duration of the Mariners innings – the recently landed ‘Brad’ (an Australian funnily enough) proved to be more than a match for the doughty bats of the Mariners. In the short passage of play before tea, a steady start from the Mariners was soon nipped in the bud as Brad nicked two quick wickets – almost as the sandwiches were being cut. Mark and Nick were both somewhat unlucky to see defensive shots deflect back onto the stumps as they departed for 1 and 6 respectively, and the Mariners were left hoping to regroup over refreshments ahead of the impending run chase.
After an adequate tea, and with the skies heavier still, the Mariners batsmen took to the field under no illusions as to size of the task ahead of them if they were to successfully chase down the deceptively modest total set by Fernhurst. But with the first over after tea barely a few balls old Brad struck again, this time dismissing Fred Hodgson for what in the end turned out to be a decent 16.
Brad now in full flow on his way to a match winning 6 for 25 from 11 overs was ably supported by steady, if comparatively unspectacular bowling from the other end but the Fernhurst bowlers dominated the Mariners batsmen throughout. A lusty flurry of runs from the bat of Westwood withstanding, their was little to shout about for the Mariners faithful who had gathered in the re-emerging late afternoon sun.
Occupation of the crease was proving very difficult indeed, and batsmen came and went as the innings stuttered and spluttered along – the wicket column on the scoreboard requiring updating far more frequently than the runs column. And when the eighth Mariners wicket fell with 50 not yet on the board, it was surely now going to take something truly momentous for the last three Mariners batsmen to muster the runs they would need for victory.
Charlie Van Oppen and S Rough did well to see off the tiring Australian import, but a promising partnership that had reduced the arrears to a still improbable 28 was brought to an end as the change bowlers ably did their work moping up the Mariners tail. Fernhurst were quick to wrap up the Mariners innings, S Rough the last wicket to fall with the total a mere 77, and with 20 wickets falling in the afternoon for only 181, it was certainly a game that had everything except runs.
The combination of early season conditions, a hostile Australian quick and the usual mixture of mayhem and madness was enough to see off The Mariners in this opening fixture of the season, but they will hope to bounce back at Tillington in two weeks time, refreshed by a weekend dining on chocolate eggs and invigorated but a working over at the inaugural John Chesterman sponsored bowling machine beasting session.
SCORECARD
Fernhurst Batting
| Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackman | ct T Petzold | S Rough | 21 |
| Melrose | ct and b | S Rough | 20 |
| Lewis | ct M Bowles | W Westwood | 1 |
| Spinks | ct G Foster | N Barnes | 19 |
| West | ct G Foster | N Barnes | 16 |
| Allen | bowled | M Bowles | 6 |
| Predente | bowled | M Bowles | 0 |
| Pike | bowled | T Petzold | 1 |
| Tytler | ct M Wootton | M Bowles | 0 |
| Sales | not out | - | 6 |
| Heathe | bowled | T Petzold | 2 |
| Extras | 3b 4lb 5w | 12 | |
| Total | All Out | 104 |
Mariners Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S Rough | 7 | 0 | 31 | 2 |
| W Westwood | 5 | 1 | 24 | 1 |
| N Barnes | 4 | 2 | 20 | 2 |
| M Bowles | 5 | 2 | 10 | 3 |
| C van Oppen | 4 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| T Petzold | 1.3 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Mariners Batting
| Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| F Hodgson (wk) | bowled | Spinks | 16 |
| M Wootton | bowled | Spinks | 1 |
| N Barnes | bowled | Spinks | 6 |
| T Petzold | ct Alan | Spinks | 4 |
| J Holmes (c) | lbw | Spinks | 6 |
| W Westwood | bowled | Predente | 12 |
| B Corke | bowled | Prdente | 1 |
| M Bowles | lbw | Spinks | 0 |
| S Rough | ct Tyler | Jackman | 3 |
| C van Oppen | bowled | Melrose | 19 |
| G Foster | not out | - | 0 |
| Extras | 7b 2w | 9 | |
| Total | All Out | 77 |
Fernhurst Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinks | 11 | 3 | 25 | 6 |
| Predente | 9 | 0 | 47 | 2 |
| Melrose | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Jackman | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |