Probably not the greatest of scorelines after week one, but certainly not through lack of application. We bowled pretty well, and for the most part we fielded pretty well, but Seaweeds just had a little too much batting depth for us to really shut them down at any point. It was a pretty hot day, and MP4 has some pretty short boundaries, so getting hit for 319 really isn’t as bad as it sounds. Solid contributions were made by all the bowlers, some of whom were a little hard done by with wicket taking opportunities, although I think most of the chances put down were pretty tough. Tough first day in the office for guest captain Rob, who nevertheless did a good job of keeping the Gladdies in the contest right through the 50 overs.
So a big chase next week, but on MP4, anything is possible. Especially if they cut the grass midweek.
Predictably, the conditions didn’t help us out in our run chase yesterday, with the outfield even wetter than last week. Usually it would dry out pretty quickly of a Saturday morning, but extra showers around 10 put paid to that, meaning there wasn’t much value for shots. When you add the fact that the Seaweeds bowled an awful lot down legside, with the umpire apparently unable to signal wide, well, you could pretty much say we were robbed. Assuming of course that the wet outfield and lack of wides cost us about 180 odd runs.
Other than the stirring 51 scored on debut by Richard, there were not a lot of highlights in yesterday’s play. Maybe being at the Bavarian by 12 was another. And while not a highlight, finding out that Funky Miller’s kneecap can dislocate itself when someone on Moore Park 7 clicks their fingers was certainly an eye opener. I hope it’s without pain this morning Funky… my eyes are still watering.
So yeah, we fell short in the chase, leaving two games to try and get a win to propel us into the finals. Should be easy… both teams are in the top 5. Of 2nd grade. Nil all High School.
Editor’s note: regarding his knee, Luke ‘Funky’ Miller advises “It’s swollen up like a balloon which isn’t great considering I’m about to jump on a flight to Portland, Oregon but pain is bearable as long as I’m moving in a straight line (which is generally my favourite direction).”