North Enfield II 131/10 (38.5) (G Orton 47*, A Jessop 30, D Vanniasingham 19)
Langleybury III 135/3 (27.2) (A Jessop 1-17, O Munt 1-25, W Munt 1 run out)
Result: Lost by 7 wickets (7 pts)
One of the trickiest remaining fixtures saw a much-changed 2s side travel to picturesque Langleybury with plenty of hope and slightly less expectation as 6 players made their 2023 league debuts. Most of the hope evaporated when a side packed with bowling options was invited to bat after losing the toss, but a quickfire 30 from A Jessop helped the team reach 41/1. This soon became 44/4, which brought G Orton to the middle in the 12th over for a rebuilding job with the captain. 80/4 at drinks felt reasonably balanced, and when the partnership ended at 59 a platform of sorts had been set with the total now 103 in the 28th over. Lower-order hitting was requested, and on this occasion the bowling proved too tough to get away - leaving G Orton to shepherd the tail to a below-par 131 all out with 7 balls not used.
Langleybury respectfully knew that the game was theirs to lose at this stage, and having redesigned his bowling plans at least three times the captain had O Munt and A Jessop bowl in tandem to give the 2s any chance of making inroads - both picking up a wicket. R Lee bowled a solid spell without reward, and after a C Kennedy cameo there were promising signs for D Gandy and M Liversidge as both got a few overs under their belt. A few chances went down, and the only remaining cheer was an unfortunate run out with W and O Munt combining at the bowlers end whilst the batters debated who was to blame halfway down the track.
The disappointing points haul was eased somewhat by the opposition welcoming our side to their clubhouse for a drink and to see their 1s pick up a final-over win in Div 1. Factor in the struggles to get a full team out in the first place, the hope is that players will benefit from today in the weeks ahead.
Catch of the Match: A blank for NECC today with 0 catches taken
Champagne Moment: O Munt bowling the opening bat
Run Out of the Day: W & O Munt make no mistake to pick up a wicket & point
Langleybury III 135/3 (27.2) (A Jessop 1-17, O Munt 1-25, W Munt 1 run out)
Result: Lost by 7 wickets (7 pts)
One of the trickiest remaining fixtures saw a much-changed 2s side travel to picturesque Langleybury with plenty of hope and slightly less expectation as 6 players made their 2023 league debuts. Most of the hope evaporated when a side packed with bowling options was invited to bat after losing the toss, but a quickfire 30 from A Jessop helped the team reach 41/1. This soon became 44/4, which brought G Orton to the middle in the 12th over for a rebuilding job with the captain. 80/4 at drinks felt reasonably balanced, and when the partnership ended at 59 a platform of sorts had been set with the total now 103 in the 28th over. Lower-order hitting was requested, and on this occasion the bowling proved too tough to get away - leaving G Orton to shepherd the tail to a below-par 131 all out with 7 balls not used.
Langleybury respectfully knew that the game was theirs to lose at this stage, and having redesigned his bowling plans at least three times the captain had O Munt and A Jessop bowl in tandem to give the 2s any chance of making inroads - both picking up a wicket. R Lee bowled a solid spell without reward, and after a C Kennedy cameo there were promising signs for D Gandy and M Liversidge as both got a few overs under their belt. A few chances went down, and the only remaining cheer was an unfortunate run out with W and O Munt combining at the bowlers end whilst the batters debated who was to blame halfway down the track.
The disappointing points haul was eased somewhat by the opposition welcoming our side to their clubhouse for a drink and to see their 1s pick up a final-over win in Div 1. Factor in the struggles to get a full team out in the first place, the hope is that players will benefit from today in the weeks ahead.
Catch of the Match: A blank for NECC today with 0 catches taken
Champagne Moment: O Munt bowling the opening bat
Run Out of the Day: W & O Munt make no mistake to pick up a wicket & point