BARNARDS GREEN CRICKET CLUB

MATCH REPORTS

29th June 2013 - Match Report.

BGCC 1sts vs Ombersley 1sts   Barnards Green 1st XI hosted Ombersley for the second time in a week hoping to reverse the result of the T20 game.   Ombersley captain Arti Fiaz won the toss and chose to bowl first. BGCC openers Alex Milton and Mark Hooper had taken the score to in the 7th over when Hooper edged one to Krishall Magage at 3rd slip off Ted Bayliss. Alex Hepburn joined Milton hoping to do well in front of his visiting family. The two Alex’s played patiently but at a decent run rate. A four from Milton through the covers took the score past 50 in the 13th over. Soon after that Milton’s promising innings came to an end when he was caught behind for 27 by diving keeper Ollie Steele to give Bayliss his second wicket.   Hepburn was joined by Mark Hardinges and both batsmen took regular singles but dispatched the bad balls to the boundary. Hardinges had moved onto 23 when he was run out by smart fielding from both Ryan D’Oliveira and keeper Steele. Adam Dovey came in at five and as Hepburn edged towards his half century the BGCC innings stuttered slightly. The total didn’t reach 100 until the 30th over – thanks mainly to some tight bowling from Neil Slade. Hepburn reached his 50 off 88 balls (including 9 fours) to the delight of the considerable crowd before Dovey was clean bowled by Arti Fiaz for 15.   Andy Ford joined Hepburn and immediately tried to pick up the pace. The 46th over brought much activity. First Hepburn skied one to be caught and bowled by Slade for 67. Ford then hit a huge six to bring up the 150 before mishitting one to be caught by Liam Gwynne at mid-on for 15. This left the Green 157 for 6 with 9 overs left – aiming for a score of at least 200. The new partnership of Dannie Rees and Graeme Cessford batted aggressively; Rees made a run a ball 11 before being bowled by Magage.   John Dovey joined Cessford and both batsmen set about the Ombersley bowling. The pair took 18 off the 52nd over and brought up the 200 as Cessford hit Slade for 6, 4, and 6. They then took 29 of the next two overs with both Magage and Slade hit for more boundaries. In the last over Cessford was caught by Bayliss on the boundary of Magage to end a powerful innings of 39 off 25 balls – including 1 four and 4 sixes. Ash Brewer came in at 10 and hit two fours (and a spectator) to take the total to 243 for 8. Jon Dovey ended on 23 not out off just 16 balls. An impressive 74 off the last 7 overs definitely gave BGCC the momentum going into tea.   Ombersley started poorly when opener Ollie Steele was out second ball for the second time in a week. This time he was very well caught by Mark Hooper, diving forward at mid-on. Marcus D’Oliveira joined Liam Gwynne and neither could score off Mark Hardinges bowling from the North End Lane end. D’Oliveira (2) played on giving Cessford his second wicket to leave Ombersley struggling on 14 for 2. Overseas Magage joined Gwynne and after his impressive innings in the T20 BGCC knew getting him out would be key. Jon Dovey made that important breakthrough when Magage was caught by Blair Kingsland at mid-off for just 11. Hardinges struck the next over trapping the dangerous Gwynne LBW for 13. Now floundering on 27 for 4 Ted Bayliss and Ryan Tongue faced Dovey and Hardinges with the pressure really on. Hardinges then took two in two as Bayliss skied one to be well caught by Milton at mid-on before clean-bowling Ryan D’Oliveira first ball.   With Ombersley 34 for 6, Captain Andy Ford joined in the wicket-taking as Milton took his second catch, this time at mid-on, to dismiss Tongue for 9. Jon Dovey’s fine spell of bowling was rewarded with a second wicket as he took a spectacular diving catch off his own bowling to dismiss Arti Fiaz for 2. 41 for 8 soon became 46 all out as Andy Ford claimed two more wickets – first Dave Brazier was clean bowled then Tom Wilde was smartly stumped by Ash Brewer. Ombersley’s 3 points and BGCC’s 24 points mean we leapfrog them to go 6th in the table with one game to the season’s halfway point.