Match Scorecard

Match Report

Match Report

DAY AND WAXMAN DENY MASON



A fine all-round display from Dave Mason wasn\t enough to stop Maidenhead & Bray 2nd XI from losing to local rivals Wooburn Narkovians on Saturday. Mason took 5-9 and scored 34 not out for the Thames Valley Division 3 title chasers, but in the end it was the Wooburn seamers who won the day, with Tim Waxman and Phil Day producing excellent spells, and Rob Rogers polishing off the tail to seal a five run win.



Bray, playing at home, put Wooburn in after winning the toss. Bray\s bowlers kept a tidy line and length and restricted Wooburn to 22-1 from the first ten overs. Opener Dave Rogers was the mainstay of the Wooburn innings, until his demise in the 35th over gave Bray the upper hand, with skipper Jahanger Alam picking up three top order batsmen with his accurate seamers. The visitors slipped to 118-5, and Alam, who had kept spinner Mason back until the 36th over, then let him loose on an unsuspecting lower order.



Mason made up for lost time by going through the tail, taking 5-9 from 7.3 overs, including five maidens. However, Dave Small (14) and Martin Tennant (21 not out) added 22 for the last wicket, taking Wooburn to 161 in what proved to be a key late stand.



It was only a moderate target, but Bray\s confidence was dented as Day and Waxman proved a real handful. The seamers were as good as any opening attack Bray had faced in the league this season, and things got worse as prolific opener Chris Bidwell was run out backing up at the non-striker\s end. Skipper Day rotated himself and Waxman after their initial opening spell and left Rob Rogers to wheel away with his accurate spin at the other end.



Middle order batsmen Alam and Nadeem Shazad kept Bray in the hunt, but at 125-8 Wooburn were favourites. Veteran all-rounder Mason had other ideas, and he pierced the field regularly to reach 34 not out and take Bray to within six runs of a win. However, Asif Aziz had a rush of blood against Rogers and was stumped, with Wooburn picking up 25 points as a reward for a fine fielding and bowling performance. Bray\s defeat was softened by the fact that second-placed Hillingdon only drew, leaving the local club nine points clear at the top.



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