Fillongley Cricket Club

 Fillongley 195-9, Earlswood 119 all out.

We are through to the last 32 of the Village Cup after winning the Leicestershire and Warwickshire regional final at Earlswood yesterday. Next up we travel to Worcestershire winners Astwood Bank, who have beaten Eastnor.

A year ago we won very easily at Earlswood, but we knew they would be tough opponents today. Their results this year have been impressive and they had won at Exhall and Wixford on the previous day.

We batted first, thinking that we would need 230 plus on what looked a decent wicket, but it soon became clear that the bounce was very indifferent. No batter could get really established and wickets fell regularly. After top scores of 27 from Barber and Aaron Blackmore, we lost Tom Nightingale and Pro in quick succession and were 87-5 at the halfway stage. This, though, was a real team effort and numbers 7 to 11 all made important runs. Webbys 25 not out off 16 balls at the end was the pick, or so I’m told because just as he came in the lens of my specs came out and fell through a crack in the nice new decking that Earlswood have installed. The total of 195-9 was a pretty good score given the way the wicket had played.

Earlwood lost Clements to a very sharp catch at point from Tom Nightingale. This brought together Wyndeatt and the impressive Leon Everett, who took the score on to 40 in ten overs. Wyndeatt was starting to look dangerous but fell to a fantastic catch from Reg, taken at long off in front of the Fillongley Barmy Army. Everett became the first of Del Boys five victims in the 20^th over, and this was the wicket that effectively signalled the end for Earlswood. The bowling was too good and the conditions too difficult for the last five or six. Patel was unlucky, though, when Pro went for a run out at one end and accidentally ran him out at the other end! This was a genuine team effort with important contributions from every player except Pro.

Earlwood put on an excellent barbecue and both the game and the after match socialising lived up to the spirit that makes this such a special competition. Thanks go to them and to our travelling supporters who lined one side of the ground and produced the big match atmosphere which our younger players enjoy so much.

Scorecards are on now. Comment if you can’t read them please. 

Word was that there might be another report coming my way. The more the merrier. Easiest, probably to e-mail to me at geoffmoore123@aol.com