Warwick 3rd XI (H) 144-6 (47.5) def. Lincoln 1st XI (A) 143-8 (50) by 4 wickets
Full Scorecard
The University of Lincoln 1st XI were the opponents of a strong Warwick 3s side, with the sunshine and dry weather finally allowing the start of the BUCS season to begin. Despite the 3s being more than ready to start the season, the same could not be said about fortress Cryfield, with a wicket incorrectly marked, a large dead patch of turf and a slow outfield being the feature of this fixture.
After winning the toss, Lincoln were inserted, facing the feared bowling duo of Roche and Turner, the former attacking with pace and variable bounce, whilst the latter bowling line and length away swing. With a slow outfield, scoreboard pressure was crucial, Turner bowling well for his 10 overs for 17 runs, despite being hit for a massive 6. Robson and Rahul joined the attack, both giving the batsman very little and impressing on debut. It was the senior heads of Om Menon and Oli Carter that made the breakthroughs, Om picking up 4 wickers before somehow dropping his 5th off his own bowling, whilst specialist batsman Ollie ably supported him. Despite some sloppy fielding at times and some dropped catches, it was a good start to the game, with Lincoln finishing their 50 with 143 runs, a par score on a tricky pitch.
With a low total to chase, the talk before batting was about how if Warwick could bat the 50, the victory would be ours. It was slow going at the start, Jono Ford and Ollie were unlucky to be given out, whilst Tim could not capitalise on a confident start. It was the work of Riley and Bird that steadied the ship, with a 63 run partnership putting the 3s back into the game, with Bird unluckily being run out for a hard fought 25. A couple of big overs from Riley saw the target reached, with Rahul and Roche offering some big shots in support.
It was a good winning start to the season against decent opposition in tough conditions, with the 3s showing both bowling and batting depth. The overall fielding standard could be improved, with several dropped catches that could have spelled trouble. Overall though, it was a good performance at the start of a delayed season.