Methlick 2XI vs. 2XI Master Blasters 13.05.2023
Methlick 2nds made the trip to Allan Park, Cults on Saturday to take on a strong Master Blasters side. Lewis Crutchfield won the toss and opted to bowl 1st. Lewis opened the bowling alongside new addition to the side John Moore and it was John who made an immediate impact taking wickets in both of his 1st two overs, bowling Nishanth for 1 with a ball which kept very low, a portent for the rest of the innings. The second wicket saw Deni take a great catch at long off to set Methlick up for a strong start. The two bowlers kept things very tight for around 10 overs, however Rob Fryer struggled to land the ball on a good length and conceded a few runs off his 2 overs. Next up was Fraser Grant and David Low, the young tyros of the side, both bowled well but the run rate was accelerating until Low trapped Fernandes LBW fortuitously as it had bounced twice before striking the pad, however if it’s in the book, it counts! Fraser was bowling well, getting a lot of swing, which eventually beat the left handed Kolapalli for 14 through a yawning gap between bat and pad, clever bowling.
Khan was in full stride now, hitting boundaries all around the ground, however his luck ran out on 53 runs to a great catch by sub fielder at point off Lewis's bowling, a crucial breakthrough. Low bowled Tenneti for 21 whilst at the other end Moore had returned and was full of menace for the batsmen. With the pitch offering uneven bounce, anything in line was dangerous. He took the other 5 wickets bowled or LBW and one catch as David Low took the most difficult of 3 opportunities offered to him on the day. Masters ended on 167 ao off 38 overs. A good total, as it transpired, on a tricky pitch.
After tea Ross Moir and Rob Fryer opened the batting and set off well, especially Ross, batting cautiously but taking scoring opportunities as they arose. In the 12th over Rob was out LBW to Tenetti with the score on 41, a solid opening partnership. Dave Chalmers was in at 3, but was quickly out, also LBW for only 1 run. That started a bit of a procession, Deni was caught at mid on for nought, Lewis Crutchfield was bowled on 5, Fraser Grant on 3, John Moore couldn't match his bowling exploits was out for a duck on debut. Ross got to 29, the only batter to get into double figures, before succumbing caught at square leg. Low hit a lusty 4 before being ran out, Gavin Hunter was not out with no score. Ended up 72 ao off only 27 overs.
A tricky fixture of a strong opposition and tricky pitch made for a difficult game for Methlick 2nds, but there were some good displays, notably John Moore, can’t be many 6fors on debut and he paid the price back at HQ with jugs all round. Ross made his highest score for the side, and for a while looked in control, more to come for the season ahead from him. Hopefully some strong players who were absent on Sat are available for future games and we can compete more strongly.
By Dave Chalmers