Now That I Can Breathe Again...

The King of Spin...

So we haven't seen any spin bowling yet, and as Shane Warne demonstrates, that is probably a good thing...

Too bad he's a bloody Australian.

:)

The Blades Slice Through The Flashers

A day that grew increasingly misty aided the Bennington Blades who, upon winning the toss, chose to bat first and take advantage of the dry conditions. Opening batsmen Eric and Justin flew out of the gate, peppering Peter for 13 runs in the first over. The pair then put on runs at a goodly pace, running the score up to 34 for no wicket by the end of the fifth over. The sixth over saw Peter exact some revenge when he had the newcomer Justin trapped in front lbw. The hard-hitting Eric fell in the next over, hitting his own wicket in an attempt to hoick Kevin over fine leg for what would have been his fourth boundary of the day. Bennington captain Chris and Zak saw the Blades to the end of their ten overs with a combination of power (slogging) and speed (crazed running between the wickets) that accounted for 28 runs in the final three overs. Brian Lara took the brunt of the attack, his first ball of the eighth over still sits in the swamp to this day, as the lone six of the match put it where none would see it again...

If a challenge was to be made to the Blades' total of 69/4, Shaftsbury captain Kevin and opening batsman Brian needed to strike back, and strike back hard. But all hopes of recovery were dashed as Eric had Kevin caught at point first ball.

Things stayed dismal for the Flashers as an intermittent mist moved in, helping the ball to skid low and keep the scoring rate low. Chris took two wickets in three balls in the third over, and after a four by Brian in the fourth, Eric and Justin kept Shaftsbury from scoring off of the last 21 balls of the match. Bennington won by 44 runs. With his deadly bat and lethal bowling, Eric Kerns wins Man of the Match.

So after the first match, here's the standings:


TEAM              W  L  D   Points   Runs
Bennington      1   0   0        2         69
Woodford        0  0   0         0          --
Pownal             0  0   0        0          --
Shaftsbury       0  1    0        0         25

Two points are awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw or no result. In case of a tie, runs scored will be the tiebreaker.

The Captain's Cup Begins!

At long last - the teams are set for The Captain's Cup.

Every Match Sunday we'll choose up sides and get a ten-over match in. Stats will be kept and you'll get to see how you do week after week! 'Teams' will all play each other once, and a playoff will determine the winner. Champagne and photos with the Cup will be it's own reward!

The teams and captains are as follows:

Mick Goldsmith



Eric Kerns



Kevin Wright



Chris Sobolowski



Every week I'll update the standings, post your stats and make it all look pretty. Your job - show up, have fun and enjoy the game! And spread the word - games are best when they're shared!

See you Sunday,
Sobo

Fourth Ashes Test, Day 1...

The Washout That Got Washed Out

Well, if that doesn't convice you that meteorology is bunk, I don't know what will...


I was *this* close to calling the day's activities when I saw the weather map - figured we MIGHT get an hour in... but then 13 other people showed up and we got a whole game in!

Thanks everyone for turning out - especially the new faces! David, Ian, Barrie, Richard, Jessica... it was great to meet you all and I hope to see you on the pitch again!


So for a match we had Brian's Blues v David's Blacks. The Blues batted first, and if you were there, you will remember nothing more than the hurting Brian put on the ball...

His 22 runs made him Man of the Match!






Note the the high scorer was, again, Mr. Extras. Getting your line right is the key to good bowling. Just ask Charlie. Two overs, two wides, two wickets!



Two new stats - Strike Rate and Economy - tell you how well you're doing. Strike Rate is how fast you score; literally how many runs you'll score off 100 balls. Brian's run-a-ball 22 is a highlight there - Charlie's 200.00 strike rate is deceptive - a four followed by a wicket!

Economy is how many runs you give up in an over. Anything around 3 is outstanding. As you can see, we have many good bowlers economywise... it's just the extras that'll kill you!

Here's the scoresheets - take a look and see how they're run. Each ball gets marked down twice - once for the batsman, once for the bowler. Extras (wides and byes) get their own row.



Once you get the hang of these, you'll never fear a stat again!



Thanks again everyone it was a real treat.

Next week: The Captain's Cup begins!

See you on the pitch!

Sobo