After Friday and Saturday's rain came a break in the clouds which
meant the game at Bentley Heath was on, much to the relief of the
boys. We turned up to a damp wicket and damp outfield, which meant
winning the toss was ideal. Alas, the coin came down the wrong way
up from a Goodwill point of view, and we were invited to bat
first.
The Bentley Heath bowlers had us under pressure early on, and
run-scoring was difficult. The slow outfield didn't help either.
Chris Westwood returned at the top of the order but looked rusty.
the openers, along with Trigger at Number 3 ground out a start,
and tried to lay a platform for the side. After 15 over the
run-rate had dropped below 3-an-over. However, their hard work, at
the start allowed others to come in and play. Chris Cashman hit 31
in brisk time, Sachin Doshi a breezy 15 but the star of the show
was Marcus Wilson with a superb 95 (That's another jug Willow).
Having stroked and hit his way to 50 with some powerful drives,
and straight hitting, Marcus went through the gears pretty rapidly
after that, and from no-where was touch-and-go whether he could
make it to three figures before the innings closed. His last-over
dismissal looking to add quick runs for the team was unfortunate
as he fully deserved the ton. However, the combined team efforts
meant the Goodwill had 215 on the board and a total to bowl at.
Which was just as well. Bentley Heath's batsman played one way and
that was to attack. Westy was handed the new-ball and his first
spell of the season was excellent. Alas Colin Correa continued to
struggle at the other end, and Elfie was leaking runs. Drinks at
20-overs saw Bentley Heath ahead of the rate with only one wicket
down. But this Goodwill side never gives up.
It fell to two of the season's success stories so far with the
ball to drag the side back into the game. Captain Ollie Sayers
came on at the pavilion end and immediately posed a threat. The
Ginger Ninja tweaking his leggies at the other end continued his
fine form this season and all of a sudden the Goodwill sniffed a
chance. Aided by some fine catching in the field, and some general
decent fielding from everyone, wickets fell one by one. The
incoming batsman could all play though, and with the outfield
drying and quickening up, the result was always in the balance.
However, the spirit shone through and Ollie Sayers finished the
match with 2 wickets in 2 balls to ensure another win was
recorded.
In my opinion, this was one of the best victories for some time.
We were up against a good side, who could bat all the way down, we
lost the toss on a difficult wicket, yet everyone chipped in,
everyone fought hard, and we got the deserved result.
