Result: Won By 5 Wickets
Summary: Pangbourne 1st XI 142 all out (Turnbull 71, Vila 5-34, Gunn 3-14); Stragglers of Asia 146-5 (Khan (G) 33, McDuell 29*).
From left Ian Perry (mm), Phil McDuell (capt), and Hugh Garway-Templeman (guest/candidate).
Pangbourne College ground looking a picture
Report:
On a glorious sunny day, Stragglers of Asia assembled at the Bigside (1st XI) ground at Pangbourne to take on the might of the College 1st XI – who had completed their morning’s studies already in whites in order to be ready for the fray. The College won the toss and unhesitatingly claimed first use of a dry-ish, heavily-scarified pitch. Stragglers, reflecting the challenges of midweek cricket, were bolstered by a handful of guests, but still took the field one short (with temporary loan of a couple of eager College players while two straggling Stragglers caught up with the game).
Hunt and Gunn opened proceedings with tight spells, quickly finding their line and length and supported by lots of energy and enthusiasm in the field. Wright fell to impetuosity, hitting into orbit only to find Suckling (Craig, father of Matt) safe under the high ball. Turnbull and Hall move things along, until the latter fell to a curiously understated appeal, left-armer Hunt surprising everyone including himself with prodigious hoop back into the batsman’s pads. The arrival of Vila and Khan (delayed by a serious collision that had closed the M25) gave the Stragglers some more options, but Teague had compiled a handy 21 before a flurry of wickets (including Gunn claiming Young and Hearnden in four balls) started the College’s decline. The pitch was starting to show signs of dual pace and uneven bounce, despite which Turnbull continued to play his shots while batsmen came and went at the other end. Rizwan offered some resistance and Stragglers turned to Garway-Templeman and then Khan for some variety to break the partnership. Despite an extended drinks break at the 8th wicket (intended to let the last college player escape from his GCSE exams and join the fray) time pressed on and opener Hall was allowed to return as a surrogate. Turnbull’s demise for a well-made 71 however ended the innings with the game interestingly balanced.
Stragglers set off after tea with a combination of watchfulness and positive strokeplay. Suckling initially dominated the scoring while Brewster looked increasingly secure at the other end and took over the leading role after Suckling fell to Young’s second ball. The start of the final hour saw Stragglers looking for a round hundred runs with nine wickets in hand. Although the bare numbers would make this look a modest chase, the increasingly two-paced nature of the pitch and some unusual bounce made it difficult to attack with confidence. Gunn pushed the score forward briskly after Brewster fell, but Khan and McDuell put the matter beyond realistic doubt with a positive partnership of 55 in 10 overs, combining watchful defence with brisk running and bold shots. Khan was unlucky to be run out, stranded mid-pitch after slipping on the turf, but Vila sealed the win with a lusty punch through midwicket.
A very pleasing win (first of the season!) for the club, brilliantly led by McDuell, was celebrated with a couple of beers in the sun – while the Pangbourne boys were sent packing to prep, tuck and whizzo pranks in the dorm. The boys were enthusiastic and characteristically noisy on the pitch; it was all good-natured though, and the game had a friendly, lively atmosphere, thoroughly in keeping with the ethos and principles of wandering cricket. Big thanks are due to Pangbourne (Ryan Cruwys and Chris Sandbach) for their enormous efforts to accommodate us and give us such a delightful day, to Phil McD for leading the side, and to Tom V for his untiring efforts to find guest players at short notice.
Team Batting First: Pangbourne College
| Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Score | |
| 1 | Hall H | LBW | Hunt | 11 |
| 2 | Wright T | Ct Suckling | Gunn | 1 |
| 3 | Turnbull L | Bowled | Vila | 71 |
| 4 | Teague E (c) | Bowled | Vila | 21 |
| 5 | Young G | Bowled | Gunn | 3 |
| 6 | Hearnden A | Bowled | Gunn | 0 |
| 7 | Becbee J | Ct Suckling | Vila | 5 |
| 8 | Rizwan M | Ct & Bowled | Khan | 15 |
| 9 | Kerr A | Bowled | Vila | 0 |
| 10 | Nash E | LBW | Vila | 6 |
| 11
|
Hall H | Not Out | 3 | |
| Extras: 6 | TOTAL: 142 all out |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Hunt | 6 | 1 | 33 | 1 |
| Gunn | 8 | 3 | 14 | 3 |
| Vila | 11 | 0 | 38 | 5 |
| Garway-Templeman | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Khan | 5 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
Team Batting Second: Stragglers of Asia
| Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Score | |
| 1 | Suckling C (g) | Ct AN Other | Young | 20 |
| 2 | Brewster C | LBW | Hearnden | 23 |
| 3 | Perry I (MM) | Ct & Bowled | Hearnden | 3 |
| 4 | Gunn B | Bowled | Hearnden | 10 |
| 5 | McDuell Ph (c) | Not Out | 29 | |
| 6 | Khan S (g) | Run Out | 33 | |
| 7 | Vila T | Not Out | 5 | |
| 8 | Garway-Templeman H (g) | Did Not Bat | ||
| 9 | Hunt M | Did Not Bat | ||
| 10 | Trapani A (+) | Did Not Bat | ||
| 11 | Stanley (g) | |||
| Extras: 23 | TOTAL: 146 for 5 |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Rizwan | 8.1 | 1 | 42 | 0 |
| Kerr | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Young | 4 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| Hearnden | 7 | 1 | 24 | 3 |
| Teague | 5 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Stanley | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |