20 August 2023 Stragglers of Asia vs Adastrians CC at RAF Vine Lane
Result: Stragglers of Asia won by 6 wickets
Match Report:
We returned to RAF Vine Lane, after sadly missing the fixture last year, to find a sunny day and an unusually lush square and outfield. Having won the toss, skipper Alex Asher asked the Adastrians to set the pace in a 40-over afternoon match. Opening bowlers Danny Dawson and Faris Haider (c) started well but without luck, as the Adastrians openers mixed good shots with plays and misses. Nonetheless, their discipline and Stragglers’ sharp fielding meant that a flying start this was not, and enabled the battery of Stragglers spinners to get to work.
Rob Pollock-Hill found the breakthrough with a beautifully flighted delivery that drew the batsman into an aggressive drive which left him overbalanced and stumped. Pollock-Hill and Matt Durham (c) continued to rip through the Adastrians top order, each taking a return catch and rattling the timbers to reduce Adastrians to 74-5. A flurry of well-struck boundaries from Herath briefly threatened to disrupt the Stragglers charge, until it was nipped in the bud by the ever-ebullient Tom Whyte, who found splendid drift into the batsmen on his way to the frankly ridiculous figures of 2-2-0-3. Special mention here must go to Pollock-Hill’s catch at long-off to dismiss the hard-hitting Herath: that ball was hit high enough in the air to have pinged the radar at nearby RAF Northolt!
Tim Lerwill and Phil McDuell led the Stragglers response, putting on a masterclass in how to chase a low total, with a mix of resolute defence and rasping shot-making. Their opening stand of 68 meant that the eventual outcome of the match was never in doubt, despite a brief wobble after the first wicket fell, and Tom Calder duly settled matters in glorious fashion, cracking a six over square leg.
Innings of Adastrians
| No. | Batsman
|
How out | Bowler | |
| 1 | R Wood | Ct & bowled | Durham | 35 |
| 2 | J Savage (wkt) | St Asher | Pollock-Hill | 14 |
| 3 | R Spencer (capt) | Ct & bowled | Pollock-Hill | 0 |
| 4 | A Scott | Bowled | Durham | 10 |
| 5 | H Thomas | Bowled | Pollock-Hill | 4 |
| 6 | A Herath | Ct Pollock-Hill | Whyte | 13 |
| 7 | M Jackson | Bowled | Pollock-Hill | 4 |
| 8 | B Rundle | Ct Pollock-Hill | Durham | 2 |
| 9 | M Duff | Bowled | Whyte | 0 |
| 10 | S Gunn | Ct Baxter | Whyte | 0 |
| 11 | A Gurdal | Not out | 0 | |
| Extras | 13 | |||
| TOTAL | All out | 95 |
FOW 1-55; 2-61; 3-61; 4-73; 5-74; 6-91; 7-91; 8-92; 9-93; 10-95
Bowling
| Bowler
|
Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| D Dawson | 6 | 1 | 26 | 0 |
| F Haider (c) | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| R Pollock-Hill | 8 | 2 | 13 | 4 |
| M Durham (c) | 7 | 0 | 31 | 3 |
| T Whyte | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Innings of
| No | Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Runs
|
| 1 | T Lerwill | Bowled | Duff | 20 |
| 2 | Ph McDuell | Ct Savage | Gunn | 37 |
| 3 | R Baxter | Ct Scott | Duff | 0 |
| 4 | T Calder | Not out | 18 | |
| 5 | F Haider (c) | Ct Scott | Gunn | 1 |
| 6 | M Durham (c) | Not out | 5 | |
| 7 | A Asher (capt/ wkt) | Did not bat | ||
| 8 | I Salter | Did not bat | ||
| 9 | D Dawson | Did not bat | ||
| 10 | T Whyte | Did not bat | ||
| 11 | R Pollock-Hill | Did not bat | ||
| Extras | 20 | |||
| TOTAL | For 4 wkts | 101 |
FoW 1-68; 2-73; 3-83; 4-88
Bowling
| Bowler
|
Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| H Thomas | 6 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| M Jackson | 6 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| M Duff | 7 | 2 | 18 | 2 |
| A Herath | 6 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| S Gunn | 1.4 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| R Wood | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Umpire: