A win to kick-off our season

The season opener at Banstead saw the Sunday XI complete a victory in a Sunday timed match which was courtesy, especially, of a very strong bowling and fielding effort.

Marcus started our season with a wicket with the very first ball and from then on a strong Outwood bowling unit limited Banstead's run rate and wickets fell at fairly regular intervals. The bowlers shared the wickets with Danish (3 in one over!) Marcus, Ash, debutant Matt and Dave taking 8 between them, whilst Ollie, Kyle and Kendall also bowled stringent spells. Kyle proved to be a terrific contributor in the field and two brilliant run outs had meant that we limited Banstead to just over a ton.

After a good tea and with the warmth of the day beginning to dissipate, Adam Kendall (19) and Simon Williams (35) strode out to begin the chase. Strong progress was made and a fifty partnership had set The Wood up for what looked like a straightforward victory. However Banstead had other ideas and, with runs hard to come by Outwood fell from 56-0 to 59-3, and then 72-5. Matt Burgess added to his debut bowling with a very timely and well-constructed 16, whilst Mike Cleaver (Strike rate 105) bludgeoned us over the line with a quickfire 20.

With an array of supporters (thanks Max, Lucas, Zach, Scott and Paul!) it felt like a great first step on the pitch for the season with the promise - we hope- of lots more warmth and success ahead.

The Helles Belles Moment

Nominations include Marcus' opening ball of our season and Kyle's sensational run outs, however Dan's 3 wickets in 4 balls will last longest in the memory and wins the day.

Next Up - The Horley Strollers visit The Wood on Sunday 28th April.