Long Itchington Cricket Club

Long Itchington 2^nd XI were eagerly awaiting the return match with Bidford on Avon 2^nd XI as the first match had been such an exciting battle ebbing to and fro to both sides with Long Itchington eventually triumphant.  Surely the match couldn’t be similar?  How wrong we were!

The LI Captain again lost the toss and the Bidford skipper asked LI to take first knock on a pitch that had been uncovered overnight and was damp to the touch – obviously a bowling dream.

Foster and Smith batted cautiously on a pitch that was exploding and taking lumps out of the surface to the Bidford quick’s.   The first wicket fell at 26 in the 15^th over, and then Smith on 19 was bowled with a ball the kept low – 30 for 2.  Wickets kept tumbling and at 68 for 6, the previous week’s batting at Catney was being repeated, then up steps the ever reliable Crump who joined the confident Jones to build a stand of 43 before Crump was unluckily out for a good 20.  Jones found another ally in White who carved a season’s top score of 14 n.o. and the last over was hit for 17 to reach over 150 and gain another valuable batting point.  Jones finished with an excellent 54 n.o. which included 2 sixes.

Tea was taken with LI on 153 for 8, the win looked on for Bidford on a much improved drying batting wicket and at 72 for the loss of only 1 wicket the Long Itchington task looked ominous.  Smith’s captaincy was being tested but he found a saviour in Cooper who bowled quickly to take 1 wicket for 18 in his 10 overs which put pressure onto the Bidford batsmen who had to start taking risks. 72 for 1 quickly changed to 76 for 4, including a quirk of brilliance by that man Jones. The dangerous Whiting had arrived at the crease and an appeal for lbw was turned down.  Jones’s sharpness in noticing Whiting was out of his ground ran him out.  This was the turning point of the match, bowlers stuck to task and Bidford needed 18 to win off the last over, game to LI and a hard earned 17 points to the good. 

All 5 bowlers bowled extremely well.  Buchholz 1 for 30, White 3 for 37, Cooper 1 for 18, Hudson 2 for 34 and Crosthwaite, who had to bowl the key overs at the end of the innings, 0 for 14 off his 5 overs.

Special cameo mention of the day must go to Foster, not this time for his batting but for his 2 excellent catches at cover point which helped towards Long Itchington’s win and keep them at the top of the league.

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