Roy plunders Strongroom vault
Wray Crescent, Islington, 10/4/2008
Pacific won by 88 runs
Pacific: 180-5 (J.Roy 84, A.Pritchard 45*)
Strongroom: 92 (P.Alexander 4-20)
View the Scorecard
A cold and windy afternoon at Wray Crescent provided the appropriate backdrop as Strongrooom were condemned to a very disappointing 88-run defeat. Losing the toss and being asked to bowl first was also not the ideal start!
The combination of a bouncy Astroturf surface and long grass in the outfield proved a curious one for a cricket match - but hey, this was October, and it was the last game of the season. Pacific openers Bastin and Bennett had to wait until the 4th over to score the first run, as Paddy and Ujjal both bowled excellent, waspish lines. Both batsmen were yorked by each bowler, and at 25-2 after 10 overs Strongroom were in a decent position. Shots along the ground were yielding few runs as the ball was strangled by the long grass, but Justin Roy [84] had other ideas, and used the aerial route to effectively provide a winning platform for Pacific. A left-hander with a still, upright stance, Roy slammed a number of enormous 6’s, as well as several flat-batted 4’s to anything short of a length, and proved an intimidating proposition to bowl to. After Webley was dismissed for 20, Strongroom had a chance to get back into the game, but Pritchard sliced his way to a frustrating 42*, with many looping, edged drives which are often typical on this small ground. In particular Roy tucked into the medium pace of myself, Proctor and Woolhouse, whereas Ujjal and Paddy were again veryeffective in their return spells. Rafman and Buster also returned very decent figures amongst the assault, but it was the last 5 overs that were particularly messy as Roy ran amok. Fielding was never easy in long, slippery grass, but this total was probably worth 230 plus on a ‘normal’ outfield.
Tea: Plenty of decent sarnies and brand cakes were on offer, washed down with hot tea, essential for any cricket match in October.
On this pacy surface, Strongroom would always be in with a chance, though the odd one does tend to bounce more than usual. It was clear that runs would be scored either in singles or 6’s, however, a combination of sometimes reckless batting and decent bowling saw Strongroom routed for 92 runs. Of our batsmen only Vinay, Proctor, Joe, Daniel and Paddy managed to hang around for any stretch of time, and all batted sensibly. Joe in particular showed good composure for his 19 runs, and only Vinay [13] also managed double figures. The partnership between Joe and Daniel showed what could be done with a sensible, patient approach, but it was all too little, too late. Alexander picked up 4 wickets, and all the Pacific bowlers had used their local knowledge of the conditions to good effect. Overall, Pacific had simply outbatted and outbowled Strongroom.
A few of us retired to The Larrik to mull over a tough season, against a backdrop of live premiership football – visually confirming our season was finally over! This defeat makes it 3-3 with Pacific, and hopefully we can make it a closer encounter in 2009.
Written By: JG
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