Dan Smith wins match!
With a number of players unavailable due to University, football and matrimonial commitments it was a somewhat changed Fillongley side that arrived in Moseley on one of the nicest days of the whole season. Phil maintained his excellent record in winning the toss, and chose to bat, as the pitch looked likely to crumble.
An opening stand of 80 between Ben Fleming (48) and Dan Smith (27) set a great foundation, before a collapse in the finest traditions of Fillongley batting saw us pegged back to 142 for 5. As is usual with Fillongley there were plenty of overs left, so the innings could have gone either way, but Tom Nightingale and Andy Moore firmly grasped the initiative, with a counter-attacking unbroken century partnership. Tom scored a characteristic half century, full of powerful drives and shots off the back foot and he was closely matched by Andy, who’s own half century was his first in the league, but looked more like that of an experienced number seven.
The innings closed on 252-5, leaving a dispute between Ben, Tim and Aaron as to who had got closest in the guess the total competition.
After a tea that its politest not to comment on, Phil decided to rest the warm looking A Moore, and chose Randeep Singh to open the bowling with Steve Gardner. After Randeep struck early, Dave Slade came into the attack, and produced one of his customary spells of bowling, claiming 4 wickets for very few, as the Pickwick batsmen fell overthemselves in their eagerness to hit him back to Solihull, but instead were caught or stumped, to increasingly incredulous reactions. Skipper Hammond decided to play on the weakness against slow bowling, and after Tom Nightingale had claimed another victim he threw the ball to the day’s headline maker and occasional “spinner” Dan Smith. Dan accelerated the game magnificently, claiming 2-28 off 2 overs, before Andy Moore finally got to bowl (quite lively) and pick up a wicket. The last wicket to fall was a run out, after a terrible mix up, and Fillongley were winners by 80 runs.
It was a pleasing end to a long league season, which has seen contrasting fortunes for the first and second team. The game was a microcosm of the firsts season in someways, with great contributions from younger players Fleming, Nightingale and Moore backed up by the reliability of Dave Slade.
Finally, congratulations to Bablake on their promotion. Two titles in their last two attempts at the WCL is a great achievement. Given the early start, lets hope the off license was open early enough for them to celebrate in the style to which they’ve become accustomed :0)
You call that a tea????