Saturday 13th May 2023
Well after the dramatic scenes last week, you could be forgiven for thinking the tension and excitement of a close cricket match had already peaked this season. You’d be wrong! The 1st XI travelled to Ingrow with a much changed side from the week before. Batting first, we quickly found that it would not be an easy day to score on what was a ‘sticky wicket’ so to speak. We stuttered to a low score of 116 all out. Notable contributions from Jack Kennedy and Shahbaz. Jack came in at 3 and did a great job, sticking around for 62 balls scoring 16 runs. Shahbaz followed on from last weeks fireworks, carving a quick fire 35 from 18 balls. He’s already looking like a good bet for the sixes award this year with another 3 in this game!
When Ingrow came out to bat, we quickly got into them. Shahbaz was again the star of the show. Rolling back the years to claim 7-19, he went through the Ingrow top order like a hot knife through butter. Also worth mentioning that Shahbaz claimed an 8th scalp with a direct hit run out. With Ingrow 71-8, the game was looking dead and buried until Atif Malik began to send the ball around the ground. They got to 98 before losing their 9th wicket. Jamie handed the gloves to Matt Stowell enabling him to engage Jimmy Anderson mode. Jamie took the 9th wicket with an absolute corker, taking the top of danger man Atif’s off stump. Jamie then dropped a c&b attempt, which looked like the pivotal moment for Ingrow to take the game. Jamie didn’t let his head drop, and with Ingrow needing just two to win, he bowled a very unlucky Aaron Pearce to win us the match by a margin of just 1 run. What a man, what a match, and what a win!
The 2nd XI hosted Bowling Baptist 2nd XI. Rich took on the captaincy with Danny missing, and took a much changed side into battle. The visitors batted first, hammering their way to 339/5. Young Ibrar took two wickets on debut which is a real positive sign for the club. It’s great to see youngsters with a love for the game coming up to the club and getting involved. Sadly the lads faced an impossible task when coming out to bat, but showed bravery in battling to 58 all out against a side who look very strong in Division 4.
Saturday 6th May 2023
Yesterday was an excellent day. With the 2nd team getting a full 20pts by default, all eyes were on the first team who hosted Bradley. The visitors batted first, with some agricultural slogging, sloppy fielding and a lot of bad luck on our part resulting in a total of 215-9 being posted. Shahbaz took 3-55, Waqas 3-61, Robbo 2-39 & Jack Mac 1-48.
With a tough chase of 216 to win, it felt like the tie could go either way throughout. Workmanlike contributions from the top 5 left us 71-4, when star of the day Shahbaz stepped into the crease. With notable support from Matt Stowell (26) and Jack Mac (25), Shahbaz bludgeoned a mighty 74 from just 53 balls, feeding three sixes to the bogfield, as well as smashing a six straight through the front doors into the pavilion! With partners falling at the other end, we found ourselves 170-8, needing 46 to win. Jamie came in at 10 and played some lovely shots to edge us closer to the total. Shahbaz was finally dismissed leaving us 208-9, before Jamie and Robbo saw us home with just 13 balls and one wicket remaining!
What a day for my first day as captain. We had a terrific atmosphere all day, as well as spending some time after the game in the now fully renovated pavilion. Thanks to everyone who came up through the day, putting money into the club and getting behind the lads. And as always, thank you to Mark and Rich for their tireless work on the ground.
Long Lee Cricket Club 