Having survived an absolute mauling on Wednesday at the hands of the alcoholic Neanderthals (Worcester 2s) due to rain, it was time for us to show a bit of fight in what would hopefully be our first completed game of the season. The fact we had dropped 8 catches in 33 overs on the Wednesday was quickly erased from the memory as Bexson conducted a professional warm up which might actually stand us in good stead to win a match. Once again it was absolutely freezing, and when we were put in to bowl by BCU it looked like it might be a tough day in the field.
Alas, Roche, fired up by his Motm performace on Wednesday bowled with the wind to great effect, with BCU barely able to get bat on ball. Hassan, roped in from the cricketing wilderness by the prophet Gujar, ably supported him, soon cleaning up an uncomfortable opening batsman. Our bowlers kept BCU crawling along, and with the game reduced to 35 overs we were starting to wonder if they’d ever get going. Gujar’s bowling change brought immediate success however, as the frustrated batsmen were subjected to Kraus and Harris on a spin friendly wicket. Both struck in their first overs, securing a team hat-trick and essentially ripping through the BCU top/middle order. The highlight being a rather large number 4 coming in sporting a huge bat, looking like he was aiming to hit the ball into a different universe, only to leave a Yorker which clattered into off stump. Heads gone. Taylor Weeks was brought on to effectively finish off the tail, and he was elated to be on more wickets than hockey comrade Fussey. It was an incredibly strong bowling/fielding performance, with even Gujar taking a high catch. Our bowlers finished with allll the fantasy points.
BCU had left us 64 to chase, and although this sort of chase would have been tough under the sloppy captaincy of Bradshaw we were confident under our Messiah Gujar. Taylor and Nish got the innings underway after some divisive Jin’s baguettes (I thought they were gun), with Taylor looking to smash everything into the Dom Wood ditch. However, Nish was skittled by a nawty leg spinner for 7. Taylor soon fell after for 24 after smashing one skywards to cover. To the dismay of fantasy managers everywhere Millman came and went soon after, schnicking off for the 2nd time in 2 days. Luckily, demi-god Gujar showed captains everywhere how to bat, helping us to cruise past the total, with one particularly sumptuous 6 down the ground, meaning we had only needed 10.1 overs.
It was an emphatic victory, and one which should have allayed any fears regarding the 2s that may have arisen on the Wednesday. Hopefully this will kick start a successful season.