Methlick 1st X1 vs Masterblasters 08.06.2024
All the seasons in one day at Lairds on Saturday saw the visit of Masterblasters of Aberdeen. Alasdair Smith won the toss and decided to bat and the frequent hail and rain stops had the visitors itching to get the game finished. Was there some hidden batting dynamo amongst their ranks?
Woodhouse and Moir opened the batting and the usual tactics applied, seeing off the bowling attack and having a look at what Masterblasters had to offer for the big hitters to take advantage of in the last 20 overs. Chovatiya bowled with pace and accuracy whilst Tiwari swung the ball but with little control, allowing the batters to see runs accumulating from wides.
Moir survived until bowled in the 7th with Tom Acton coming to the middle on the cusp of the first change. His intentions were laid out as he got his scoring off with two boundaries. He survived two easy catching opportunities until the unlucky third saw him lose his wicket for 19 with the score on 44.
Mike Hordley came out with the confidence of a batsman with two half centuries under his belt already this season. Together with Woodhouse they pushed the score onto 78 until the opener, well set, played around a straight one and was bowled. It was then once again the Hordley hoe-down as first Smith, and then the sprightly Cordiner, backed up the batter as he reached yet another 50.
Hordley was finally caught in the deep with four overs to go and after yet another rain-break, which saw tea being taken before the end of the innings, it was left to Daniel Reeve to finish things off with an unbeaten 13 to take the final score to 184 for 6 from Methlick’s over-par effort.
Facing a run-rate of 4.5 per over the visitors had to keep pushing ahead and it was Harshit (no puns please) who did the initial damage, but lacked support of those around him as the speedy Acton had Ram caught in the gulley by Fraser Grant, and John Moore kept the run rate in check. Acton struck again with his penultimate ball of the spell bowling Hemal for a duck.
Grant, coming on as first change made and immediate impact with an STW that Harshit kindly edged to Cordiner on 25. At 10 overs Masterblasters were up on the required rate but where was the big threat coming from as MCC started to take control? A run out for Cordiner and another wicket for Grant, care of a Hordley catch, saw the runs drying up. After 20 overs the visitors were 69 for 5.
Cordiner, with his mesmeric missiles, had the batsmen flummoxed and it was only a spirited 25 from Ratnesh that posed any real threat until he succumbed, utterly bamboozled,bowled by the “toonser”. After this it was a procession until a late stand for the last wicket, which was finally finished off by Grant, saw Methlick winning by 75 runs. Pick of the bowling saw Acton taking 4 for 25 and Grant, 3 for 11. Another victory saw MCC climbing up a very competitive Grade 2 table.
Our thanks for match ball sponsorship go to Methlick’s own Barmy Army, Dot and Barry Fagaly in memory of our late captain, Tim Duffy.
By Mark Woodhouse