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Result - St Benedict's Masters

Thu Jun 14th Grannies win by 54 runs

Match report

A game that looked as if it would never happen (and match report that looked as if it would never be written); a noble band of Grannies gathered under the ever-darkening skies in Perivale for our regular 20/20 fixture against the teachers of St. Benedict�s School. The 6pm start proved a little ambitious for some, and as the team arrived in dribs and drabs, the Grannies won the toss and elected to bat.

The Grannies were in a strong position from the opening over, when the towering Jim Streeter stroked the first five balls of the game for four. So the Grannies assumed a position of strength which they had no desire to relinquish; although Adam Parkinson fell early, a victim to the variable bounce off the pitch, the skipper joined Streeter at the crease to consolidate the Grannies hold on the game. Streeter eventually succumbed for 36 to an extraordinary catch at long off, and Stockham was joined by Tom Hamilton who began in typically graceful fashion with a cover drive for four. The young(ish) pair continued to harry the opposition with (relatively) quick running between the wickets, and a number of crashing boundaries, spurring St. Benedict�s to bring on their best bowler. He managed to get one to keep low to Stockham who was trapped LBW for 24. Hamilton soon followed for 23, caught at point, with the score on 111 in the 14th over. Unfortunately for St. Benedict�s their two quick wickets served only to bring Quinton Newcomb and Jonathan Garforth to wicket, both of whom had the technique and power required for the final five overs of a 20/20 match. Newcomb played some exceptional shots to race to 18 not out at the close, but it was Garforth who produced the best display with the bat, flaying the opposition to all corners of the ground and matching Streeter�s effort of hitting five fours in successive balls (notably doing so after calling for a replacement bat). Garforth finished on 39 not out and the Grannies on 164 for 4.

The Grannies walked out into the field, confident that they could defend the total that they had racked up on the board. The main obstacle in front of them was now the weather, which looked more menacing by the minute. The aim in the field, therefore, was efficiency above all else � the Grannies needed to rattle through their overs. The scorebook, sadly, does not record the individual figures for each bowler, but safe to say that all performed well. Hamilton and Khaleel Desai (candidate) opened the attack with pace and aggression, with Desai removing one of the opposition openers for a duck. They were ably followed in the middle overs by Newcomb and Frank Waldon, who bowled a particularly miserly spell, and also picked up a couple of wickets. Garforth added to his batting display with a couple of quality overs of old-fashioned swing bowling, and Dave Boa�s spell of crafted spin bowling proved impossible for the opposition to get away. Parkinson was excellent behind the stumps, and all of the fielders maintained a high level of energy and intensity, with Sean Renard and Toby Daffarn covering huge swathes of ground. The Grannies restricted the opposition to 110 for 4 to win the game by 54 runs. Perhaps most impressive of all though, was the fact that the Grannies managed to bowl their twenty overs in just 63 minutes, a rare achievement in any form of the game. It was an effort that ensured a well-earned victory, and avoided the need for Messrs Duckworth and Lewis to determine the result due to the apocalyptic downfall that followed very soon after the players had walked off the pitch.

An excellent evening�s cricket then, and with the powerful batting, aggressive bowling and sharp fielding it was a win that Lady Mary of Downton Abbey would undoubtedly have described as �Classic Granny�.

Match info

Cracking 20 over thrash; a great way to let off steam after work. Usually a very competitive game and you can be home in time for tea. Still need players so email now.

Location
Perivale Lane,
Greenford,
UB6 8TL

How to get there
IN PERIVALE BY THE BP STATION AS YOU GO NORTH UP A 40.