The U17s started their season with an encouraging 36 run win in the sunshine at Stokenchurch. On a pitch that offered generally low bounce, and with a very short boundary on the far side from the pavilion, Wooburn’s 124-9 looked to be a little short of par. However, early wickets proved crucial in restricting the home team and the Narks ran out comfortable winners in the end.
Unsure what to do at the toss, captain Ali Dalton was very happy to lose it! Wooburn were asked to bat first, Will Cuthbert and Vithuraan opening proceedings. They added 28, with Will dominating the strike and despatching the bad balls well. After Vith was bowled playing an aggressive drive, Oli Lawrie came to the crease. Stokenchurch replaced their young opening attack with the pacy pair of Sears and Gurton, but runs still flowed. Oli demomstrated his trademark running between the wickets, pushing for an all run five, subsequently reduced to four with a ‘one short’ call. He was bowled soon after for 10. Sears then had Will caught at short third man, top edging a short ball that got up around throat high, Will departing for a well-made 33 in the ninth over.
This brought Ali and Matt Hoddell together. Matt immediately went onto the attack, smashing two fours to the mid wicket boundary. Ali found scoring a little harder, but even so, Wooburn looked well placed at 82-3 after 12 overs. Matt was then bowled attempting a straight bat defensive stroke for 18 , but two boundaries for Ali kept the score moving forward at 97-4 after 14. However, two wickets in the 15th over arrested Wooburn’s progress and the bowlers now held the ascendency.
A front foot no ball by Ashley Hunt brought the first ‘free hit’ of the season, but a curious prod and a miss resulted, when a big swing might have been a better option. The middle order struggled to locate the ball, but regular byes and wides kept the scoreboard moving. Alfie Jordan managed to nudge his way to 6 very nicely, and David Moss played a fine late cut, or was it an edge, through the slips for a boundary. Krishan Goyal, on his debut, held up an end and ran well, ensuring Wooburn used up all their overs.
A final total of 124-9 was a little disappointing after being 97-4 from 14 overs, but then it could have been much worse without the 34 extras. Wooburn would need to take early wickets to give themselves a chance.
Will opened the bowling from the bottom end, and early wickets looked unlikely as he struggled with his rhythm running up the hill. Four leg side wides in his first six balls was disappointing, but he made up for them by getting the crucial wicket of Hunt at the end of the first over. A length ball, keeping low, caught the batsmen in the crease and he was bowled off the inside edge. Confidence returned and he hit the top of Taylor’s off stump in his next over. Tom Wright also started well at the other end, but unluckily conceded three fours to the short boundary at third man.
Ali Dalton replaced Will, and new boy Krishan replaced Tom. Ali bowled exceptionally well, hardly bowling a bad ball in his four over spell, and getting rid of Sears in taking 1-13. Krishan bowled his leg spinners nicely, bearing in mind it was his first bowl of the season. He clean bowled Bamford going for a big swing, and then controversy briefly reigned as Gurton was ‘stumped’ while rehearsing a stroke. He was saved by the umpire having called over just before Oli removed the bails. It proved a brief reprieve, Gurton heaving the ball into Matt Hoddell’s hands at a deep mid-wicket in the next over to give Krishan a deserved second wicket.
Stokenchurch were now in trouble, having slipped from 51-2 after 8 overs to 64-6 at the end of the 12th. David Moss replaced Ali, and started nervously, until he picked up his first wicket, caught by Ali at cover. His second over brought two more wickets, as Stokenchurch slipped towards defeat. Alfie Jordan, bowling quicker than we have seen before, finished things off leaving the home team all out for 88 at the start of the 18th over.
