2nd XI
Matches
Sat 24 Aug 2019  ·  Division 6
Locksbottom CC - 2nd XI
186
97
Outwood Cricket Club
2nd XI
Division 6 gets interesting

Division 6 gets interesting

John Hall25 Aug 2019 - 12:43
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2nds move back to top despite loss (or do they?)

Everything in the report below was true an hour ago - but it doesn't appear to be now! Otford 2nd XI have now defaulted from the league by conceding too many games. This means that all of their results have been expunged. I don't think they had won a game so you might think this wouldn't make any difference to us. But...we beat them twice and it seems that one of their games against St. Lawrence was rained off so 40 points are deducted from our total but only 30 points from St. Lawrence's. From being equal on points they are now 10 points ahead of us. In truth, it doesn't make much difference to what we have to do to win both promotion and the Division, so let's focus on that.
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The 2nds moved back to the top of Div. 6 on Saturday despite losing to promotion rivals Locksbottom. Admittedly it could be by virtue of alphabetical order as we are equal on points with St. Lawrence (who we play next week in a Championship decider and who also lost) but we have won 3 more games than anyone else!

The game against Locksbottom was always going to be tough with the home side at full strength and Outwood decimated by the Reading Festival, work and family holidays. However, our unfamiliar team performed admirably in the field after the skipper lost the toss. Paul Griffiths and Guy Bignall bowled excellent opening spells - Paul grabbing two important wickets and Guy bowling 9 overs for just 24 runs. Paul Howard and Ben Bignell grabbed two more wickets apiece while John Hall took the last 3 to claim 5 bowling points, although not before Locksbottom had posted a challenging total of 186 all out.

15 for 3 in reply was not the ideal start but while the Hall brothers were together the hope of victory was kept alive, despite excellent bowling by the strong Locksbottom bowling attack. When both perished in quick succession trying to up the run rate, the chase faltered and barely another 20 runs were added by the lower order. As always there were a number of positives to take from the match. Guy Bignall rediscovered his bowling rhythm of old with a fine opening spell. Paul Griffiths also bowled well on debut and two more of our Academy graduates gained 2nd XI experience. Ollie Howell was kept busy and worked hard in the field while Ben Bignall showed great promise with both bat and ball.

..... and..... we are still in the hunt for both promotion and league honours. One win in our remaining two games will secure promotion to Div. 5. Two wins will give us the league title. With availability seeming to return to 'good' status next week, it's all to play for.

Match details

Match date

Sat 24 Aug 2019

Kickoff

13:00

Meet time

12:15

Instructions

Please note the earlier start time of 13:00

Competition

Division 6
Team overview
Further reading