A first win of the season for the 2nd XI
The first home game for the UWMCC 2s brought the Birmingham 2nd XI team to the evergreen Cryfield. After last years washout, the weather was warm and the clear blue skies heightened the eager anticipation of the carnage that would ensue late in the evening. Nick Edmonds, becoming one of the first UWMCC players to play for all 4 teams, revealed his complete inability to read pitches when he claimed that it was ‘very soft’. Skipper Josh Thomas looked at Edmonds in dismay as he won the toss and opted to bat first.
However, this did not deter the club shark as he went on to post an impressive score of 74 after losing his opening partner, John Faal, early on. UWMCC 2nd XI were struggling against the new ball early on, as Anish Wadhwa, Miten Khatri and Siddharth failed to trouble the scorers. It was left to Thomas, who was forced to stop half way through his essay plan, and come out to join Edmonds in the middle. 20 balls later, Thomas was off the mark. What followed was an impressive partnership, which only ended after Edmonds was run out. “Well the fool shouldn’t have turned blind!” exclaimed an anonymous source as UWMCC’s second century of the year was narrowly missed. Veteran, Robert Taylor, came to the crease after Luke Robinson’s innings came to a quick end, and added an impressive 20 as he revealed the ruthlessness of the late cut. Thomas ended the innings with some seriously big hits that took him to an impressive score of 84*. UWMCC 2nd XI 266 off 50 overs.
With the weight of a big score behind them, the UWMCC 2nd XI were buoyed by the entrance of Aashil Pindolia into the team, who demonstrated why he was the player of the year last season. At the other end, Arjun Dogra displayed one of the finest spells of new ball bowling, only to be let down by Khatri and Wadhwa. Unofficial sources claim that Khatri has now been stripped off his title of “Best hands in the club”. As the asking rate continued to climb, steep bouncers from fresher Rory Annandale and swing from Robinson ensured that UWMCC had the upper hand. However, it was the introduction of Taylor that brought about the wickets. Accurate bowling, eagerly supported by Thomas at the other end (2 wickets), allowed Taylor to finish with an incredible 6 wicket haul. As the local crowd of Mankinis, Pamelas and Borats grew, the UWMCC 2nd XI wrapped up a well-earned victory.
Dick of the Day – Khatri dropping a sitter
Champagne moment – The disbelief in Taylor’s eyes as took his 2nd 5 wicket haul in as many games
Man of the match – Robert Taylor / Josh Thomas