Venturers Vs Bath Spa Staff, Wednesday May 23rd

Venturers 129-6, Bath Spa Staff 63

The Bath Spa side looked a bit more organised than last year but they still had only one really effective batsman. He hit three boundaries off balls of full length, but when Chris, perhaps accidentally, dragged his length back he got underneath it and Ian G at midwicket took a good catch. The chase ended there, because the only other batsman with any sort of eye got a leading edge and was well caught by James P, running from behind the stumps towards short cover. Some others were solid, but shotless: Gregory, having conceded twelve from his first eight balls, took two for nothing from his remaining sixteen, and both Farooq and Bruce conceded less than ten. We withdrew an appeal that Farooq hadn’t even intended, but accepted a less clearly wrong decision in favour of the same bowler because it was just possible that it hadn’t pitched outside leg. James brought off an alert stumping, standing back to Farooq. Otherwise we just gradually bowled everybody.

Our own innings had been a rather painful affair. Jack fell to a good catch, and both Farooq and James were patently leg before, trying to hit straight balls to square leg. Nobody ever got going, against largely competent bowling, but many people contributed a few and we battled our way to a run a ball. Only Roger, who made a patient forty, seemed at all at ease. Farooq, fielding for them because they were short, took two catches and generally showed alarming efficiency, which was less in evidence when we were in the field.

What it amounts to is that for once we did nothing wrong, and consequently were far too strong for them. We should try it again.