Flat atmoshpere, flat performance...
Highgate Wood, 6/2/2012
LBS won by 23 runs
London Business School: 176 [Ashish 42, H.Patel 4-20]
Strongroom: 154-7
View the Scorecard
LBS won the toss and batted first. Fortunately, overnight rain hadn’t affected the surface, but made for a wet outfield and a Highgate Wood devoid of park-goers.
Strongroom lost the services of Guy (damaged finger) and two more turned up late, meaning we took to the field with only 8 players for the first half an hour. After 10 overs LBS were 69-2. Strongroom were leaking runs, resulting from some loose bowling and sloppy fielding. In fact, for much of their innings their was an oddly flat atmosphere, perhaps due to the absence of park-goers, and this lack of umph seemed to permeate into our performance. Ashish (42) frustrated our bowlers with many bottom-handed hoiks over mid-wicket, and was dropped twice. Mike and James bowled pretty decent opening spells, but Zorain wasn’t his usual self, and suffered from a spate of no-balls and wides. Joe too never felt comfortable from his end, so it was a relief when a certain Mr Hem Patel stepped up, after probably a year of no cricket, and mopped up the tail (3-0-20-4). Hem bowled with a nice rhythm, and was well rewarded. Mike Gabbay snared a sharp catch at point to complete our fight-back in bowling out LBS for 176 in the 34th over.
Tea reports a bit boring now we are buying them from a bakery. Too much mayonnaise for my liking.
I knew this run-chase would be challenging – as the surface was again proving unpredictable, and LBS can always be expected to bowl tight lines. But, I wasn’t expecting us to be 55-6 in the 21st over. Thereupon myself (39*) and Zorain (44) managed any innings of any substance. Zorain played well, defending straight balls and launching huge boundary shots whenever they erred in length. Whilst we were together (71 runs in 13 overs) victory was a very real possibility, but with his departure we were always going to struggle against a very fine LBS attack. LBS simply bowled very accurately, giving very few loose deliveries to feed off. A frustrating defeat this, and we probably should not have allowed them to score more than 150.
Written By: J.Gower
|