North Enfield II 166/6 (40) (K Jones 98, G Orton 22)
Reed III 160/6 (40) (D Malleson 1-20, K Jones 1-23)
Result: Won by 6 runs (30 pts)
The final week of the 2022 season saw the 2s need an away win to double-promote to Div 9A - with both the toss and weather conspiring to see us fall just short. This year, after early concessions in other fixtures, the 2s needed at least 8 pts to secure their Div 9B status for another year - and this was eventually secured as a tense conclusion to the match began to play out.
After weeks of scrambling to fill the side, a shock surplus of availability saw a strong team travel to Reed hoping to avenge their home defeat earlier in the season. The captain concluded his season with a toss record of W6 L9 (note: W6 L10 in 2022, so technically an improvement), and did not appreciate the inevitable invitation to bat first on a damp uncovered wicket. 185 runs was the target, and it didn't take long to note that would be a tough ask as Reed's opening bowlers gave little away. The captain fell to B Mathews, finishing his season with an off-stump misjudgement, and S Halley followed soon after with a drive to cover. G Orton joined K Jones for a patient rebuilding job, with the latter quick to punish anything short and on leg with several pulls behind square to the ropes. Orton's dismissal came with the score on a healthy 108, allowing D Gandy (10) a chance to up the rate before T Ahmad (14) continued the impetus. Chasing 170+ and a crucial 7th batting point, K Jones fell to long off for a sparkling 98 in the final over, and Temur couldn't find a boundary from the final ball - ending up stumped. The 2's had a defendable score but required 2 wickets to make sure of league survival.
Reed's innings began slowly, with the young opener dismissed by an excellent A Pearson leg-side strangle off O Munt. This saw K Ward join P Johnson - both of whom finished not out in the original fixture. Overs came and went, with the run rate remaining steady but behind the required, with the batters biding their time to keep their team in the game. Both would pass 50, and a couple of high-scoring overs saw the required rate drop close to a run per ball, with all results in play. It took something special to break the partnership on 125, with T Ahmad running from short third to a very fine edge, picking up cleanly and firing in to AP for a tight run-out on a second run. Just 5 runs later and K Jones combined with AP to have the captain caught for a well-made 65, and now NECC felt very confident of victory. Another run-out saw D Gandy at deep cover throw flat to the bowler's end, where A Jones did superbly to take the ball from the popping crease, turn and break the stumps - 134/4! Arguably the best was still to come as R Lee took a bizarre catch at deep mid-wicket that it's safe to say he knew little to nothing about before grabbing the ball with both hands and seeming to spin in mid-air with the dexterity of a ballerina half his age ("you're nicked!" being an excellent summary from S Halley). D Malleson would pick up a deserved wicket in the 39th over, and whilst the match did go down to the final ball after severals 2s and a 4, O Munt sealed the win with a dot ball. Job done!
A 6th win from 14 completed matches is a reasonable haul in a competitive league, as is a 6th placed finish. The 2s look forward to seeing what the proposed regionalisation of Divs 8B-9B results in for 2024.
Thanks to everyone who has played their part in many enjoyable matches throughout the year, and special thanks to the volunteer scorers (Bob White and Jess Lessiter), the emergency players making once-per-decade appearances, and those who helped the 1s which in turn also helped the 2s.
Catch of the Match: R Lee - A late contender for "catch of the season" at deep mid-wicket
Champagne Moment: T Ahmad and A Pearson's run out to secure the 8th bonus point
Observation of the Day: The overall fielding performance was probably the best of the season. Everyone played their part, and this ultimately secured the win
Reed III 160/6 (40) (D Malleson 1-20, K Jones 1-23)
Result: Won by 6 runs (30 pts)
The final week of the 2022 season saw the 2s need an away win to double-promote to Div 9A - with both the toss and weather conspiring to see us fall just short. This year, after early concessions in other fixtures, the 2s needed at least 8 pts to secure their Div 9B status for another year - and this was eventually secured as a tense conclusion to the match began to play out.
After weeks of scrambling to fill the side, a shock surplus of availability saw a strong team travel to Reed hoping to avenge their home defeat earlier in the season. The captain concluded his season with a toss record of W6 L9 (note: W6 L10 in 2022, so technically an improvement), and did not appreciate the inevitable invitation to bat first on a damp uncovered wicket. 185 runs was the target, and it didn't take long to note that would be a tough ask as Reed's opening bowlers gave little away. The captain fell to B Mathews, finishing his season with an off-stump misjudgement, and S Halley followed soon after with a drive to cover. G Orton joined K Jones for a patient rebuilding job, with the latter quick to punish anything short and on leg with several pulls behind square to the ropes. Orton's dismissal came with the score on a healthy 108, allowing D Gandy (10) a chance to up the rate before T Ahmad (14) continued the impetus. Chasing 170+ and a crucial 7th batting point, K Jones fell to long off for a sparkling 98 in the final over, and Temur couldn't find a boundary from the final ball - ending up stumped. The 2's had a defendable score but required 2 wickets to make sure of league survival.
Reed's innings began slowly, with the young opener dismissed by an excellent A Pearson leg-side strangle off O Munt. This saw K Ward join P Johnson - both of whom finished not out in the original fixture. Overs came and went, with the run rate remaining steady but behind the required, with the batters biding their time to keep their team in the game. Both would pass 50, and a couple of high-scoring overs saw the required rate drop close to a run per ball, with all results in play. It took something special to break the partnership on 125, with T Ahmad running from short third to a very fine edge, picking up cleanly and firing in to AP for a tight run-out on a second run. Just 5 runs later and K Jones combined with AP to have the captain caught for a well-made 65, and now NECC felt very confident of victory. Another run-out saw D Gandy at deep cover throw flat to the bowler's end, where A Jones did superbly to take the ball from the popping crease, turn and break the stumps - 134/4! Arguably the best was still to come as R Lee took a bizarre catch at deep mid-wicket that it's safe to say he knew little to nothing about before grabbing the ball with both hands and seeming to spin in mid-air with the dexterity of a ballerina half his age ("you're nicked!" being an excellent summary from S Halley). D Malleson would pick up a deserved wicket in the 39th over, and whilst the match did go down to the final ball after severals 2s and a 4, O Munt sealed the win with a dot ball. Job done!
A 6th win from 14 completed matches is a reasonable haul in a competitive league, as is a 6th placed finish. The 2s look forward to seeing what the proposed regionalisation of Divs 8B-9B results in for 2024.
Thanks to everyone who has played their part in many enjoyable matches throughout the year, and special thanks to the volunteer scorers (Bob White and Jess Lessiter), the emergency players making once-per-decade appearances, and those who helped the 1s which in turn also helped the 2s.
Catch of the Match: R Lee - A late contender for "catch of the season" at deep mid-wicket
Champagne Moment: T Ahmad and A Pearson's run out to secure the 8th bonus point
Observation of the Day: The overall fielding performance was probably the best of the season. Everyone played their part, and this ultimately secured the win