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Rusty performance in season opener

Box Score

Apr. 18, 2010

The first game of the season provided a chance for All Saints to get some much needed game time before the league season gets underway on 1^st May.  The opponents were Thornford, who have proved to be tough opposition in recent seasons, and today was to be no different.  All Saints were dismayed by the fact they were forced to play on the artificial wicket and Thornford, knowing the conditions well, chose to have a bat when their captain called the toss correctly.  Nunns and skipper Fraser Wallace took use of the new ball, but Thornford’s opening pair got off to a solid start and began to find the boundary with regular ease. The lightning quick outfield aided the hosts, and anything in the gap fairly raced away to the fence.  Although Nunns and Wallace bowled a fairly tight line considering it was their first bowl of the season, the run rate was high.  Wallace turned to James Trott in an attempt to stem the flow and get a breakthrough.  Trott didn’t disappoint with a few tight overs before his quicker delivery made a mess of the spring-back stumps.  Trott was to prove a star performer in the field with a run-out to add to his wicket.  All three Keylocks had a bowl, with Trott again in the action taking a catch off Rick Keylock.  It proved to be long hard slog in the field for Saints with Thornford finishing on 266 for 4.  However, skipper Wallace and the League Captain Nunns probably felt it was a good run-out for the first game of the season.

After tea the Saints needed a good start if they were to have any chance of chasing down the runs, and it was that man again Trott who provided much needed impetus up the order.  Trott found the boundary with ease whilst James Wallace struggled to get bat to ball at the other end.  Things got better for Wallace who was able to ease himself in with Trott looking in good touch and keeping Saints up with the rate.  The partnership was cruising along nicely, and after 10 over’s the opening pair had amassed (83).  Trott brought up his half century and was finding the fence with consummate ease.  The partnership was broken when Wallace was run-out by a direct hit from the boundary, and after Trott swapped bats, probably an un-wise move in hindsight, he skied one and was caught for (54).  With the outfield becoming slightly dewy boundarys were harder to come by, and the middle order became slightly bogged down.  Nick Keylock departed for a duck, and with the run rate creeping up, Rick Keylock and Nunns also fell trying to force it.  Skipper F Wallace departed in bizarre fashion, somehow managing to sweep the ball with the back of his bat straight in to the grateful gloves of the hosts young ‘keeper.  The innings petered out rather disappointingly and the rather unlikely run-chase ended some way short.

The match was not the best of starts for the Saints, but both Saturday and Sunday Captains know that Thornford has never been an easy place to win and there were some positives to take from what was in the end a fairly hefty defeat.  Nevertheless, Nunns would having been taking note of the performances with the first league just a few short weeks away, with James Trott the pick of the performers.

 JW