Outlaws Reach the Regional Finals

The Outwood Outlaws made the SE Region Final with another excellent all round display with bat and ball.

Batting second, the lads reached the target of 118 for the loss of four wickets, William Blease (46no) and Marcus Malley closing out the game in the 19th over. Woodmansterne presented a new challenge. A large ground meant that boundaries were hard to come by, and the batsmen had to work hard to get the ball off a square that was the colour of straw.

Michael Stephen fell early, but Ashley Middleton and Mark Lane steadily accumulated runs taking twos and three and the the score to 42 before Lane, then Middleton were bowled by Hicks. Louis Russell Watts hit a run-a-ball 13, and when he was out with the score on 82, Will and Marcus kept the score ticking over at the required run rate. Marcus found the boundary twice in the 18th over to take the pressure off and it was left to Will to score the winning runs

Earlier the Warlords had reached 63 before losing their first wicket. Thereafter the Outlaws made steady inroads into the Warlords batting. The tight bowling and lively fielding kept the run rate down, inducing three injudicious run outs, each from direct hits. Despite the wide open spaces, catches went to hand and their innings closed on 118-9 with only the openers reaching double figures.

The travelling 'Woodies' added their unique and voluble support. With 30 or so fans, they outnumbered the locals by two to one and for three hours there was a corner of a foreign field that was Outwood.

So, five wins from five and now the SE Region Finals day beckons at 6pm on 6th August at Merstham - save the date and be there for the latest match in our Slam Adventure