Result: Lost by 107 runs
Report:
With the sun beating down on the Royal Artillery Cricket Club (RACC) ground, the toss was lost by the Stragglers’ skipper and unsurprisingly the RACC chose to bat. Early pressure was exerted by Jonathon Parker and guest player Keiran McClure but both were very unlucky not to pick up early wickets with JP bowling some exceptional deliveries. A couple of wickets were taken before lunch and the Stragglers’ came off the field wondering how the score read 124/2 when they had bowled a great deal better than the score suggested. However, one missed opportunity before lunch was going to prove costly as the RACC’s Combined services batsman, G Wiseman, edged one between ‘keeper and first slip. Little did we know of the carnage that was to follow.
During the lunch break the RACC scoreboard was dedicated to Brigadier Bill Kincaid, a stalwart of both the clubs. The plaque was unveiled by his widow Hilary and the RACC chairman, Brigadier Jez Bennett.
On resumption after lunch the RACC moved effortlessly to 231 before the fall of the third wicket. At this point G Wiseman opened his shoulders and started to plunder runs at will. The RACC finally declared on 269/4 with G Wiseman ending undefeated on 105. JP bowled superbly but was terribly unlucky and guest bowler Kieran McClure picking up 2 wickets.
The Stragglers’ response started well with an opening partnership of 34 but an initial required run rate of over 6 was always going to be difficult. The Stragglers lost wickets consistently with only 3 batsmen getting past 20. Will Blackhurst and Kieran McClure both top scored with 26. Jonathon Parker’s luck continued when Mark Banham dived one handed at midwicket to end what was a promising start to his innings with the champagne moment of the match. In the end the Stragglers finished on 162 all out having never been in contention in the chase.
Despite the result, the game was played in great spirits, hosted wonderfully well by the RACC and everyone ended the day with a smile on their face. This is a fixture that should continue as it is a wonderful venue, a very true pitch and some very competitive cricket was played.
Team Batting Royal Artillery
| Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Score | |
| 1 | A Park | Bowled | K McClure | 90 |
| 2 | J McRae | Ct K McClure | S H Booth | 8 |
| 3 | T Palmer | Bowled | J Parker | 16 |
| 4 | G Wiseman | NOT | OUT | 105 |
| 5 | K Murphy | Ct | J Melhorn | 11 |
| 6 | C Hoggard | NOT | OUT | 5 |
| 7 | Alam | |||
| 8 | Banham | |||
| 9 | Strickland | |||
| 10 | Smith | |||
| 11
|
Belfon | |||
| Extras: 35 | TOTAL: 269 for 4 dec |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| J Parker | 12 | 0 | 71 | 1 |
| K McClure | 7.3 | 1 | 56 | 2 |
| S Booth | 10 | 2 | 31 | 1 |
| T Barker | 6 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| A Hooper | 9 | 1 | 61 | 0 |
Team Batting Second: Stragglers of Asia
| Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Score | |
| 1 | A Hooper | Ct | Belfon | 21 |
| 2 | C Joyner | Ct | Belfon | 1 |
| 3 | W Blackhurst | Ct | Wilkinson | 26 |
| 4 | J Melhorn | Bowled | Strickland | 18 |
| 5 | T Lerwill | Ct | Strickland | 7 |
| 6 | I Perry | Ct | Banham | 7 |
| 7 | T Barker (g) | Bowled | Wilkinson | 3 |
| 8 | K McClure (g) | Ct | Belfon | 26 |
| 9 | J Parker | Ct | Strickland | 13 |
| 10 | S Booth* | Ct | Smith | 1 |
| 11 | S McClure (g) | NOT | OUT | 0 |
| 12 | A Trapani+ | DID NOT BAT | Extras: 36 | TOTAL: 162 all out |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Belfon | 5.3 | 0 | 26 | 3 |
| Smith | 5 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Strickland | 8.3 | 0 | 53 | 3 |
| Alam | 7 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Banham | 4 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Wilkinson | 2.3 | 0 | 19 | 2 |
Umpires: Nick Holland