Venturers Vs Bath Students 2nd XI, Wednesday May 22th

Students 142-8, Venturers 88-6

During the indoor season we had a close contest against the Bath University Student team, this may in part be down to hitting the ball hard indoors does not actually mean it goes very far. The same cannot be said outdoors.

Before the game even began there was a sense that this was not out usual opposition. The student XI, all kitted out in matching T20 Pyjamas (ironically from Bath Cricket Club rather than University Kit), were conducting all sorts of fielding exercises with a barrage of equipment on the outfield, the only thing they lacked was a twisted ankle from a pre-match kick about.

Venturers bowled first (which in all likelihood meant that Simon won the toss) and initially things were looking good. We kept the bowling tight and after 7 overs the students were 18-2 with Ian C having taken the early wickets. The students upped the tempo with their remaining opener looking in good touch however the Venturers, who were motivated a little more than usual, were having an excellent game in the field. First Imran, having fooled the batsman into taking an extra run off a mis-field, threw down the stumps with an excellent direct hit. This was shortly followed by Jamie managing to get a hand to a pull shot from the opener and popping the ball into the air to catch at the second attempt. He was as surprised as the supporters who were already cheering what they assumed would be a boundary the moment it left the bat. The Venturers were pleasantly surprised to see the scoreboard reading 88-6 off 15 overs. It was at this point we encountered the first major difference compared to our usual opponents, the students had a team of eleven young athletic students who can all hit the ball well and a long way. The students accelerated through the final 5 overs, hitting the boundary numerous times and ending their innings on 142-8.

Chasing any total on Sulis Pitch 2, with the long boundaries is always difficult. A frequent complaint from Venturers batsmen is how hard score off dibbly dobbly bowling that we often face, this is usually followed by a comment along the lines of ‘I wish they there was a bit more pace to bat against’. This match delivered pace in the bowling attack, unfortunately, to score you are still required to be able to hit the ball, this proved difficult when adapting to such unfamiliar pace and with the ball frequently flying past at chest height.

The first couple of wickets fell early with the extra pace accounting for first Charlie and then Matt. Josh came in and steady progress was made to reach 44 off 11 overs. It was during these overs we realised the second major difference in our opposition, the students had a team of eleven young athletic students who could all field exceptionally well. Singles became dot balls, and twos became singles and scoring proved difficult.

When Josh was caught out, Olly came in and increased the scoring temporarily before another quick flurry of wickets. By this point Jamie, who was uncharacteristically finding it hard to hit the ball, was trying anything to score, including a hapless attempt at a scoop shot which only endangered himself rather than the scoreboard. The Venturers ended up reaching 88-6, this felt moderately respectable and it was agreed by both sides that this fixture should be attempted again in the future.