Good weather for the first game of the season, in fact the pitch looked like an August pitch, being very dry and hard. As always chobby had managed to get the best out of the ground and the pitch played well throughout the game, with a true bounce for the 70 odd overs played and a little in it for the bowlers if pitched up on a good to full length.
I wanted to bat first and as and such was expecting to be bowling when the coin came down the wrong way but I was happily surprised when the opposition put us in.
Adam and Sam started well against some disciplined bowling, with Sam falling first to a slower ball he chopped on to make us 24/1. Sid then came in and played well reaching 15 before being trapped lbw for 15 from the slow bowler at the road end. Bobby fell trying to launch the same slow bowler into the new housing estate for 6 and we looked like we needed a partnership.
In Came Archie who with Adam going well at the other end put on a fantastic 79 together, before Adam was unfortunately run out on 82, he looked bang on for a century as well and looks in great nick after his 78 in the interclub the week before. Archie then went next ball for a well made 17 as he played on frm their most effective bowler at the football ground end. Chris Turner came in next at 6 and pledged to see the lower middle order through to the end after Raz went 2nd ball caught at point for a duck, first cricket for him though in a long time so only way is up for him this season as he gets his eye back in. Samit made 3 before also being caught and it looked like the Fleckney collapse was well on with several overs still left!
However CT played brilliantly with 3 big sixes and with Jimmy coming in at 9 we still had serious batting out there and they got us to 180 odd before a really unlucky run out for CT as jimmy smashed it back at the bowler and he got a fingertip on it to leave CT stranded at the non strikers end for a quickfire 27. Jimmy finished on 12 before being caught at (would you have guessed it cow corner!) off the last ball and I got 1 not out to make us 190 for 9 off our full 40 overs, a really strong score and very pleasing to see first game in.
Me and Mark opened the bowling as we have for some years now, he really is a great partner to have up top as there is no let up for the batsmen as they have to try and score off one of us and as is usually the way we got some early momentum. I got an lbw on their number 1 bat and when Mark bowled their number 2 they were 2/3 off 4. I then bowled the number 3 to leave Cosby 3/7 and then their two best bats were at the crease. They seemed determined to see us off blocked anything that was on a good length and line only hitting the odd bad ball for the next 12 overs. Then with both me and Mark feeling knackered after deciding to bowl our 10 straight through Mark got the breakthrough we needed, nicking their skip off for 22 to a magnificent catch by Sid at slip. Their number 5 looked a good bat too and I was really pleased when Mark bowled him with his leg cutter slower ball (something he’s been practicing hard and really paid off!). To leave Cosby 49/5 of 20 at drinks. With Mark 3/30 off 10 and myself 2/19 off 10.
It was always going to be a hard task for Cosby to go at 7.5 an over for the last 20, especially as at Fleckney our first change bowlers are just as good as the openers and when Jimmy got the number 4 out for 22 in his first over caught at point by Adam it was just a matter of time. Sam then picked off two quick wickets to finish with 2/10 off 6 with his medium pace spin and jimmy got another to finish with 2/28 off 7 (he was really unlucky too with at least 5 fours slashed through slips or edged for 4). Boom Boom Bobby then came in and cleaned up the last guy to leave Cosby 90 all out off 30 odd overs and both teams went to the pub for some hard earned drinks. The game was played in a very friendly manner throughout and it was fantastic to see us overcome a team that had beaten us twice in 2019 so thoroughly, very proud of the team 😊 Adam was my man of the match although it could have been anyone with everyone contributing at some point in the game.