Sunday XI v Incogniti 11th July 2017
M & B were pleased to host Incogniti once again, the club's longest standing friendly fixture and possibly oldest fixture(not sure if fixture pre-dates formation of the TVL). Incogniti used to be a 2 day fixture in the old cricket week M & B used to have in the first week of August - 5 all day games - how times have changed. It also remains our last "time game" - 20 overs from 6.30.
Predictably skipper Armstrong elected to bat upon winning the toss, hoping his two free scoring openers Blair King & Cameron Jacobsen would get M & B off to a flyer. As always Jacobsen was aggressive from the off and was twice lucky early, just scooping one over extra cover who fumbled the catch as he back tracked and in the next over mid-off put down a hard chance off a lofted drive. King was eventually the first player to go reaching for a drive off left armer Naeem, giving the keeper a catch. The openers did post 35 for the first wicket though in 6 overs. Ben Ward snr was in at 3 and as always showed his strength down the ground. He was lucky not to be dismissed early one when he looked to turn a delivery and just got a leading edge which looped up to the oncoming Naeem, only for the bowler to inexplicably drop an absolute sitter. By now Jacobsen was into his stride and playing a couple of reverse sweeps off spinner Arnold, much to the bowlers disdain. Jacobsen ended Naeem's spell by hitting him well into the Anstis garden for a mighty 6. Ward was the next to go in the 16th over with the score on 95 for a handy 20. Mike Parkinson played a cameo innings of 10, which included two boundaries before he was caught at deep mid-off, off the bowling of Mike Leighton, now a slow bowler, but a quick bowler in yesteryear when Mike last faced him. In at his regular position of 5 was the tin man Atif Amin, who was his normal steady self, with the odd few boundaries. Jacobsen eventually fell to the persevering Arnold, who held a good return catch to end Jacobsen's innings at 79 in the 25 over, his innings contained 11 4's and 2 6's, to leave M & B at 141 for 4 after 25, a great platform to post 200+. The entry of spinner Sunny Bowry hastened the scoring, albeit Tifler was pinned lbw for 20 in a surprisingly quick 9 overs. The real impetus to the back end of the innings was provided by Kieran Grey & Gunbarul who took advantage of Bowry's spell to post a partnership of 55 in 6 overs. As always Grey was powerful down the ground and launched two into the net. Gunbarul also hit straight as well through leg. Both perished going for their shots. The highlight of the end of the innings was a cameo of 16 from 14 year old Krish Vaja who hit opening bowler Boothroyd through the covers for 4 and opening bowler Naeem for two lofted drives for boundaries. In the end M & B's innings finished on 244 for 9 in the 39th over. Skipper Armstrong deciding it was too late to face 40 overs, due to a poor over rate, albeit there was a period of looking for balls in the hedges. The scorecard looked healthy though with all the dismissed batsmen scoring double figures.
In response the Incogs got off to a flyer as Sunny Bowry got 4 boundaries in Kieran Grey's first over and fellow opener Mason scored two boundaries in Gunbarul's first over. Grey pulled it back though by bowling two maidens as did Gunbarul rein the scoring in. The Incogs reached 55 for 0 after 10 overs though as Armstrong turned to Thomas Allen and Krish Vaja. Boundaries came in abundance off GT's early overs but Vaja bowled a testing full length and line, with the keeper up, restricting the batsmen's scoring. The Incogs brought up their 100 in the 17th over as Bowry reached a 50. GT though got the crucial first breakthrough as Bowry found the safe hands of Kieran Grey at deep midwicket. As so often happens after a large partnership once a breakthrough is made the second wicket soon follows, and today was no different as opener Mason followed Bowry by getting to 50 and then holing out at deep midwicket, again to Grey off GT, to give M & B a foothold in the game, as drinks were taken.
A dropped catch by Armstrong off the bowling of GT gave Ritchie a life and he subsequently punished GT with 2 6's, one into a neighbouring greenhouse. With around 80 off the last 8 and wickets in hand M & B were looking down the barrel. Armstrong brought back Gunbarul from the River End and he obliged by castling Ritchie. Chris Butler wheeled away at the Road End, albeit leaking a few boundaries. After playing a number of nice shots Lewis was bowled by a pearler from Gunbarul, which seems to seam and hit the top of off. With 5 overs remaining Butler made some crucial inroads, firstly dismissing the dangerous Sehmi, courtesy of a brilliant boundary catch by Grey, who made ground and then plucked it out of the air. In the same over Naaem lofted the ball to deep midwicket where Ward didn't have to move and pouched the catch with the minimum of fuss. Whereupon Armstrong then took Butler off and bowled the final two overs. Tight bowling by Gunbarul and Armstrong meant the boundaries were scarce and consequently risky running was required. Gunbarul bowled Kenny and a good through by Armstrong and excellent glove work and and back flick from King led to captain Arnold being run out. An excellent penultimate over from Gunbarul meant 13 were required off the last over with two wickets in had. A couple of twos and singles meant 7 were required of the last 2, a collision resulted in a run out, leaving one ball for Armstrong to get the wicket or no.11 Mike Leighton to hit a six. In the end a forward defensive which fell well short of slip resulted in a very entertaining Sunday draw with the difference in overs only being two, Incogs 239 for 9 off 37 overs - a great Sunday time game.
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