Match Report
Just when you thought Wilcot’s season couldn’t get any worse…..
Due to take place at Kennet Valley, the rain of the previous evening meant that KV’s ground was unplayable and so Pete Williams had worked wonders and conjured up a playable wicket and a fixture that would ordinarily have been cancelled was back on.
The skipper won the toss and elected to bat. That’s about the only thing that went right all day.
Alex John and Jonathan Evans got things underway and all was going well until the third over when Jonathan was bowled and incoming bat Chris Powell lasted two balls. Mark Warburg tonked a four and then was also bowled. The Skipper hung around a little longer but was then bowled. MFG shouldered arms to a delivery which spun back & was also bowled. Josh Evans bucked the trend and was caught. Debutant Ben Field-Johnson stuck around but was caught having hit the second top score of 12 (other opener Alex John hit the top score of 16).
Wilcot finished their innings having scored a record breaking 76 (& not in a good way) in the 22nd over.
KV had kindly agreed to bring tea with them and so Wilcot tucked into an excellent spread of sandwiches, cakes, vegan options and doughnuts if only as a distraction to the poor cricket being played.
As if to rub salt into a gaping wound, KV’s Skip approached the Skipper before Wilcot took to the field to float the idea of playing another T20 after the inevitable conclusion of a KV successful run chase. Such was the confidence of the Wilcot Captain in his team that he agreed to the deal on the spot and as predicted, Wilcot’s total was reached in the 13th over at which point, it was agreed that KV would bat 20 overs and Wilcot could then have another innings with which to try and chase down whatever total had been set.
Wilcot battled on. Ben Field – Johnson bowled consistently and was rewarded with 3 wickets. Jonathan Evans was the other pick of Wilcot’s bowlers taking a couple and at the end of KV’s 20 overs Wilcot were set a target of 162 and had 20 overs with which to chase it down.
Things started better for Wilcot the second time around with the score advancing to 13 before Warburg was bowled by a delivery which kept low. Chris Powell, Wilcot’s other opener kept the scoreboard ticking and was joined by Nick Milne and the pair started to build a decent partnership until Chris was caught at mid-on. This set off a batting collapse and Wilcot were only able to add another 19 more runs. The only positives being Nick Milne had hit a Wilcot best of 26 and Jack Cox hung around to score 14.
This was not Wilcot’s finest hour. To be so comprehensively beaten and then be beaten comprehensively again having been given a second chance was a chastening experience…
Wilcot will dust themselves off to face Inkpen away next weekend….
| John. A | Caught | 16 |
| Evans. J | Bowled | 7 |
| Powell. C | Bowled | 0 |
| Warburg. M | Bowled | 4 |
| Watherston. J | Bowled | 10 |
| MFG | Bowled | 1 |
| Evans. J | Caught | 9 |
| B.F.J | Caught | 12 |
| Wheatley. E | Bowled | 1 |
| Milne.N | Not Out | 6 |
| Cox. J | Caught | 0 |
| Powell. C | Caught | 19 |
| Warburg. M | Bowled | 3 |
| Milne. N | Bowled | 26 |
| John. A | Bowled | 1 |
| Cox. J | Bowled | 14 |
| Evans. J | Caught | 2 |
| Wheatley. E | Run Out | 1 |
| Evans. J | Caught | 1 |
| MFG | Bowled | 0 |
| B.F.J | Not Out | 3 |
| Watherston. J | DNB |
| Cox. J | 5 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| Evans. J | 4 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| Milne. N | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Watherston. J | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| B.F.J | 3 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
| Evans. J | 3 | 0 | 18 | 2 |