Senior Match Reports Round 1
1st XI
The BCC 1st Eleven suffered a disappointing loss in their first round fixture against the Plenty Valley Bats. With a completely new-look team to last year’s 1st Eleven, they were eager to kick off the year with a Round 1 win, however, in similar fashion to last year our batsmen failed to put enough runs on the board managing only 117 which Plenty Valley were able to knock off in 27 overs.
Opener Sean Wilson was struck on the pad early and given out LBW, and new Club Coach Dave Alleyne and club Captain Ricky Damiano being dismissed shortly after in similar fashion edging one behind. Charith Cooray was also run out for not many.
Our new English import Dan Anderson looked very solid opening up and kept us in the game giving us a fighting chance with his 32. Jesse Gannon also showed what a useful asset he is with the bat in the lower order providing us with some vital runs.
However with only 117 runs on the board it was always going to be a tough challenge for the bowlers.
Luke Shimmin had the tough task of opening up bowling into a serious head wind. He did tremendously well to tie the batsmen down maintaining a good line and length. 17 year old Jayce Morgan opened up on the other end bowling some serious heat showing what a great asset he will be to the 1st Eleven. He was able to pin one short and get Plenty Valley’s Sean Ayres to sky one which was caught by Ricky Damiano, giving Jayce his first wicket for the BCC.
Also to pick up his first wicket for the club was our other English import Brad Finch. Finchy ran in hard, and was simply too quick for their no.3 forcing him to snick one behind. Finchy has shown that he will be one of the quickest bowlers in the comp along with Jayce.
Darcy Kennelly also playing his first game for the club came on at the end as a change up to the pace to provide some leg spin bowling. However with the game already almost won, there was little he could do.
Despite a tough loss, the first eleven can take on board all their mistakes from this week, and make sure they don’t happen again. We hope to bounce back against Preston in a 2 dayer starting next week.
2nd XI
The 2nd XI ventured across town to Plenty Valley for its first game of the season, in what was to be a key clash as both sides looked to make a strong start for the season.
James won the toss and elected bat on a green but dry pitch, the wind was blowing a gale and there were already early murmurings of who was going to bowl with it and who wasn’t.
Stuart Fairley (Snake) opened up with young Max James – Max to all our surprise faced the first ball, an act we all put down to snake stitching the young fella up, turns out Max elected to face the first ball – great maturity but too much honesty Max! Max and Snake put on 61 for the first wicket, with Max departing for 25. This partnership was a key factor in the overall result and set the tone for the day.
Anique (BCC’s new Danish recruit) in at 3 was out early after getting caught sweeping- still all agree this was an aberration and there’s plenty to come from the Dane this season one suspects. Snake made a great start to the season with a swashbuckling 56, taking on the bowlers at every chance and taking full advantage of the conditions hitting with the wind.
Jack Rutter looked comfortable but was adjudged LBW for 8.
Marto and David “Dingbag” Salter set about steadying the innings and compiled a crucial 47 run partnership- although fitness was tested when David had to run Three 3’s in one over. David survived just to finish with 29 not out, whilst Marto was out for 28.
Cameos from Liam Stocker and James Perkins-Stafford allowed us to get to 6/188 (although midway before drinks this was changed to 186 by the opposition….), much to the ire of a few tonners – few is used liberally – mainly just one!
Neil “Buzz” and Le-Roy opened up with the new white pill and ensured that Plenty Valley were on the back foot from the first ball, bowling a tight off stump line, Neil bowling into the wind via a long jump sandpit got the first wicket when the score was 6. Whilst there was a partnership of 61 this phase of the game was won by us and set us up build pressure from both ends of the wicket and eat up valuable overs. The partnership was broken by Stafford also bowling into the wind. After this point, wickets fell in quick succession including the first of 3 runouts for the day.
James and Finn bowled out their 9 overs finishing with figures of 2/32 and 1/18 respectively.
Ruttsy and Anique both bowled handy spells to continue to restrict the batters and build pressure as the game came to a close.
Neil and Le-Roy closed out the innings both grabbing a wicket at the end to finish with 2/39 and 1/25.
The game was won in the last over with a perfectly executed runout by Finn and Le-Roy at the second attempt for the over, Plenty Valley bowled out for 166.
Snake did a great job behind the stumps only letting through 4 byes for the day and showing lots of energy. Importantly fielding standards were great from the whole team and really allowed the bowlers to build pressure throughout the innings.
As we walked off thinking our day was done and we could make a swift exit after fine session and a beer with the Plenty Valley boys, it turns out that their captains generous offer of a round of beers on them was to make up for the fact that we had been locked out of our rooms and would have to wait 45-1hr until somebody turned up with a key to let us in.
Overall a great start to the season by the 2nd XI with contributions from everyone whether it was with bat or ball.
3rd XI
After a delayed warm-up, the Brighton 3rds won the toss and elected to bat first on a wicket that looked surprisingly good given the time of year and the fact the 1s played on the ground the day before.
The openers in Charlie Franklyn and recently acquired Englishmen Matt Hardy combined excellently early on, with a 106 opening run partnership setting a cracking tone. Charlie eventually fell for 37 and Matt followed not long after for 63. Hugh Hamilton followed the openers and made a handy partnership with our other Englishmen, Harry O’Brien, making 26 before Hugh fell trying to increase the run rate. Harry made a great knock of 70, including a number of big sixes, and thanks to his timely hitting, alongside Wayne Harrison (47), allowed Brighton to finish the 45 overs at 5/268.
The Noble Park openers started strongly and gave Brighton a scare, rushing away to a score of 0/82 after 10 overs. Not to be perturbed, Hamish Graham struck back and removed their opener who had hit the majority of the runs. Young bowlers, Tom Goldsmith and medium [Matt] Walker, came on next and each took two quick wickets before the skies opened up and rain fell heavily, causing the match to be abandoned after 20 overs with Noble Park 5/118 and needing an additional 150 runs to win. If not for the rain, Brighton 3rds felt they were in the box seat to secure the points.
4th XI
Another season dawns and the 4s navigated their way through the housing estates to the tidy, if unremarkable, Warner Reserve venue. A well balanced and strong looking Brighton XI were pitched against a more youthful Noble Park outfit, led by their affable skip Matt Crozier who has dropped down from their 2s this season. Readers will be relieved to hear that the pre-match banter in the well-appointed locker rooms was more self – deprecating than ‘Trump-esque’.
Magic Mike Lees and Louis Butler took the new ball and bowled tightly – each snaring a wicket after a solid start by NP’s openers, the second of which featured a smart catch by Nick Thorburn fielding in unfamiliar territory at gully. Brighton sensed the chance to make serious inroads but NP batted carefully waiting for the bad ball until Brad Marais bowled a terrible one that was plonked straight into Rob Strong’s bread basket. Patto was getting more turn than anyone with little luck and bowled some corkers. Thorburn was then back into the action again. Restored behind the sticks after 20 overs, the gloveman completed the now (infamous) ‘no-bails’ stumping in a smart, if somewhat ‘unfulfilling’ manner off Marais.
Crozier decided attack was the best form of defence and started using his feet well with some forceful drives, perhaps also playing on the latent effects of Patto’s indulgences the previous evening. Macca rotated the bowlers well and Butler returned to force Crozier into a false shot that enabled us to restrict their score to 142-6, a good team effort on a reliable track that didn’t offer the bowlers much. Best in class was Louis for manfully pushing up into the wind.
Tea was, quite frankly, a massive disappointment. Weak cordial, no tea and the ubiquitous box of Shapes. Enough said.
Pidge opened with Brad and the youngster soon showed his liking for the leg side boundary, quickly moving to 20, before nicking one behind off the accurate medium pace of Ktenas. Pidge concentrated on attempting to curry favour with the two umpires given his propensity of early season LBW’s. Jimmy Styling came to the wicket and looked well organised and confident but can count himself unlucky to have got the best ball of the day that lifted and left him. Rob Strong came in with the score on about 2-35, and started to build a partnership with Pidge. It has to be said that the NP support bowlers opened the ‘cafeteria’ and Pidge and Rob helped themselves, Rob punishing anything short with some brutal pulling. Despite a few close calls, the pair accelerated the scoring rate to record a 100 partnership, both passing 50 and bagging the all-important re-inker. Well done Rob for his first senior 50 for the club, even more impressive given he had to put up with Pidge’s mid-wicket batting conference cliché’s for an hour or so.
