ON YER BIKE!
Spencer U11 55 all out (17.1 overs)
Sutton U11 57 for 2 (15 overs)
Sutton Win By 8 wickets
Sutton players and parents struggled against a peloton of 30,000 tutu
and viking-helmet-wearing cyclists to reach Wandsworth for our sixth league
game of the season against the usually redoubtable Spencer. The Lycra clad
hordes provided a boisterous and entertaining backdrop to what turned out to be
a disappointingly one-sided affair as Sutton made it 5 wins out of 5. Bowling
straight, as ever, proved to be the key and Sutton chose this match to turn in
our most disciplined bowling performance of the season that saw Spencer’s
wheels come off before they got into gear (if that’s possible).
Cap’n Harry won the toss and asked Spencer to bat hoping to take advantage of the movement of several thousand bikes behind the bowlers arm. It seemed to work. At the hub of the bowling effort was steady Sam Mannion who was back to his laser-beam best dismissing the first 3 home batters to finish with 3 for 10. One dismissal was greeted by the massed cheers of several hundred watching cyclists and was reciprocated by a massive smile and wave from the bowler who is clearly now ready for the big stage and needs an agent. Price-less. Ayrton pitched up for his usual brace of wickets and Josh, Ethan, Harry and lastly Patrick with a lung bursting spell, each picked up one apiece. Fielding was as tight as brake-drum and kept the pressure on Spencer at all times, with Matthew back to his jack-in-the-box best with 2 stumpings, and good catches/run outs from Josh and Harry. Tom Sweeney played his first competitive game of cricket and very much looked the part in the field. The key however was disciplined bowling; only one wide (although it went for 4!) was called in 17 overs which is frankly outstanding at this level, and despite 3 no balls the extras count was restricted to just 16. Lekan and Jack bowled their best spells of the season but unluckily finished wicket-less; they did a fine job. There are no weak links in this chain.
Chasing 56 to win, Harry and Patrick were back in tandem at opening pair. An early run-out courtesy of a direct hit from behind the stumps put a spoke in Harry’s wheel in the first over, but Sutton were never really tested as they free-wheeled to victory in 15 overs. Josh Blake played another classic chanceless anchor innings of 18 not out at three, watching and respecting every ball on a pitch offering much uneven bounce, and allowing Patrick and Jack to force the pace when the chance came along. Like the bowling attack the batting is maturing into a well balanced mixture of aggression and good technique that is becoming so effective that the only issue is the lack of opportunities it offers batsmen in the middle/lower order. A small price to pay.
So it was nothing other than a comfortable win in the end on a cold and sort of desolate morning that was strangely anti-climatic. The team is starting to peak just at the right time and Spencer were unlucky to catch us on a very good day. They were a pleasant group of boys and well looked after by a manager who was a pleasure to deal with. I have a feeling there are a few very good days still to come before the season ends.
