On a fresh yet sunny Easter Monday afternoon the Brigands opened the auspicious "250th season" against Nomads CC. Broadhalfpenny Down was resplendent in the spring sunshine, with the newly laid pitch beautifully presented by ground member Harry Bates and his assistants Nina and Rod.
Eager to test the batting potential of the new pitch, Brigands skipper Dave Henderson elected to bat. Brigands openers Gerry Northwood (19) and Neil Wood (13) made a useful contribution to blunting the Nomads initial opening attack before Dave Turner (35) and Ed Hands (57) stepping up to the plate, took the Brigands score to 149 by the fall of the fifth (Hands) wicket. A score of 180 was surely on the cards, a sum which skipper Henderson would perhaps be comfortable with as a declaration total.
Unfortunately, the Brigands engine stuttered and then stalled, with the next five wickets falling cheaply. Indeed, so cheaply that the Brigands were all out for 159 after 42 overs of play. Victims all to generally accurate Nomads bowling on a wicket that at least initially favoured the seamers. The standout bowling performance went to Page, with destructive figures of 5 for 42 off 10 overs.
After a delicious and sumptuous tea, the Brigands set out with an asymmetric attack - Sam Sargant's pace from the copse end juxtaposed with the laser like off spin of Mike Bath (2 for 22) from the Mercury end. The first break through came to Bath when he removed Lascelles bowled (4) in the eighth over with the score on 25. First change Ed Hands (1-29), opened his account from the Mercury end with an explosive first over which nearly claimed the wicket of opener Kandampully (58no) and clean bowled Bilimoria (12) placing the visitors on 57 for 2 after 14 overs. At that point the game might have been evenly balanced, but Kandampully and his new partner Marshall (80) were having nothing of it. While Kamdampully anchored the innings, Marshall batted with increasing belligerence to close in on the total, with the pair achieving a partnership of 100 before Marshall fell LBW, in the closing stages, to Bath in his second spell.
Result: Nomads (160 - 3) beat the Brigands (159 all out) by 7 wickets.
Comments