Scorecard

Belhus Cricket Club Sunday 2nd XI v Old Cooperians on Sun 30 Jul 2017 at 2pm
Belhus Cricket Club Won by 3 Wickets

Match report A blustery morning and a couple of halves of Belhus' own-brand ale met the players as they arrived at NS for this friendly fixture, organised between two Coopers' Coborn and Company School alumni, Mark Sansom and Joe Wyatt.

The Belhus side comprised members past and present, with the addition of three players: Craig Bray, Christopher Brett and Joe Moffat, who made their debut in the Green and Gold.

Coopers' won the toss and elected to bat on what looked like a fair pitch. As Dann was dismissed caught behind in the first over, Wyatt may well have been rueing his decision, but as Tom Billinghurst arrived at the crease, his decision proved justified. From ball one Billinghurst looked in control, sagely assessing the pitch and pace of the Belhus attack. Before long, Billinghurst found his fluid best with masterful display stroke play which peppered all sides of the ground. All the while assisted by the ever-watchful Woodhall, Billinghurst reached 50 without alarm and slipped through the gears, striking sizeable sixes over long on, long off and extra cover. After Brett dislodged Woodhall for 17 with a fine inswinging yorker that left leg stump flapping on its hinges, the Belhus attack began to make inroads into Billinghurst's partners.

Billinghurst reached his hundred with another fine boundary clearance over midwicket and had the good grace to retire before he could further dismantle the Belhus attack. N. Marns will forever have night terrors about his lackadaisical over that saw him removed from the attack after six forlorn balls.

Enter Joe Moffat. While the 6' 2" seamer may have not felt leather in his hand for a decade, his sabbatical from the game did not show. From ball one his unblemished line and length proved impossible to lay a bat on for the Coopers' batsman, returning miserly figures of 0-32 from an eight-over spell.

Guile and experience proved clinical from Bray and Lucas as they found their way into the attack in the denuding 15 overs, sharing the spoils of three wickets apiece for just 12 runs each. On closing the innings, players remarked that they were looking forward to half-time libations and a fine spread, contributed to ostensibly by Christopher Brett.


The second innings began with an excellent display of pace bowling from Taylor. The Belhus opening batsmen struggled to come to terms with Taylor's pace as he found his straps, though both bravely saw out the first ten overs. Bray was dislodged for 10 and Marns for an atypically influent 23 runs.

Baker, returning from injury, looked set and blossomed with a characterful display of big hitting. Bowled on 40 by Felgate - in his first game for Coopers' - the fielding side were eulogistic as the balance tipped in their favour. Cue the arrival at the crease of Michael McDonald.

The towering strawberry blonde batsman - renowned for his swashbuckling style and cavalier approach to the game - looked settled from ball one. He was soon joined by Vallis and together they forged a partnership that was both perfectly paced and mature in its approach. The two were level pegging in terms of their score and reached 40 without significant difficulty. As Vallis fell for 46, Belhus required 24 runs for a commanding victory over the Old Boys.

McDonald reached his half-century with a trademark inside-out cover drive and raised his bat to the glee of a vociferous home crowd. On Vallis' departure, Joe Moffat joined McDonald at the crease to score the winning runs with a quick whip of the wrists over the mid wicket fielder as the ball hopped its way onto Sherwood Close.

A competitive game and a good win for the Belhus XI. A return fixture is planned for next year.

A note of thanks must go to Ryan Lucas, who took it upon himself to sponsor the day's festivities in typical gregarious fashion. His generosity was well received by all. Many thanks also to the unflappable Sue Waters behind the ramp, who dealt admirably with a steady stream of thirsty players throughout the afternoon.

(Mark Sansom)


Old Cooperians Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
5nb 12w 1b  
for 10 wickets
18
216 (39.4 overs)		     
C. Dann ct  M.Sansom b M.Williams 0
J. Woodhall b  C.Brett 16
T. Billinghurst Retired Not Out  105
J. O'Dowd ct  M.Sansom b M.Vallis 21
J. Bilton b  M.Vallis 9
J. Wyatt ct  J.Moffat b R.Lucas 7
M. Harrington ct  and bowled C.Bray 14
J. Burt b  C.Bray 20
E. Coleman ct  N.Marns b C.Bray 0
L. Taylor Not Out  1
A. Felgate st  M.Sansom b R.Lucas 0

Belhus Cricket Club Sunday 2nd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Matthew Williams6.0124124.004.00
Danny Joyce6.021800.003.00
Michael McDonald5.004400.008.80
Matthew Vallis5.0043221.508.60
Ryan Lucas3.401226.003.27
Craig Bray3.001234.004.00
Christopher Brett4.0031131.007.75
Joe Moffat8.013200.004.00

Belhus Cricket Club Sunday 2nd XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
7nb 20w 3b  
for 7 wickets
30
219		        
Craig Bray b  Taylor 10 1
Nick Marns b  Bolton 23 1
Ben Marns b  Bolton 9
Chris Baker b  Felgate 40
Christopher Brett b  Wyatt 3
Michael McDonald Not Out  57
Matthew Vallis ct  Taylor b Wyatt 46
Ryan Lucas b  Burt 0 1 0
Joe Moffat Not Out  4 1
Danny Joyce  
Mark Sansom   2 1

Old Cooperians Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Taylor6.0016116.002.67
Bolton7.0028214.004.00
Harrington4.002000.005.00
Wyatt2.0017117.008.50
Felgate3.0021121.007.00
O'Dowd5.003000.006.00
Coleman4.002900.007.25
Harrington2.002800.0014.00
Bilton2.00900.004.50
Burt2.001025.005.00
Woodhall2.401000.003.75