Venturers Vs Star, Thursday July 12th

Star 119, Venturers 71

Five ducks and two run-outs, together with some mixed bowling, were the cause of defeat. Actually most of the bowling was pretty good, especially Josh, who got three wickets; but there was a phase in the middle which didn’t match up to it. Gregory has got two wickets in almost every game this year, but today, when we needed them, he lost it, and the Star’s sixth-wicket pair took advantage. We were a fieldsman down, which didn’t help. Josh damaged his shins sliding round the boundary on the sere outfield (there is a reason why the professionals don’t play in shorts) and saved a few. Bruce restored order at the end. The Star bat deep, and we did well to bowl them out. A run a ball seemed within reach, given the pace of the outfield.

Jamie and Jack made a bright start, in fact, but it felt a little frantic, as if they were trying to force the pace. After four overs, mid-off (Harjeet, the Star’s organiser, captain and general inspiration, who had earlier run himself out) fumbled: Jack ran blindly, and Harjeet recovered and hit the stumps from not very far away. Josh popped a catch to the off side first ball - there was strange ballooning bounce at times for the quicker bowlers - and Ian, after threatening briefly, did the same thing and then drove off leaving half his suit behind. We never got going again. Jamie continued calmly enough until Imran ran him out through not calling, but nobody stayed with him long. Simon, Duncan, Bruce and Gregory, the latter two batting for the first time this year, as well as Josh, all made ducks: Gregory’s, at six balls, was the longest.