ALPS V MARRESS (26/07/08)

THE FIRST OF THE 5 FINAL MATCHES TO DECIDE THE PROMOTION PLACES.

AS WE ALL WOKE UP TODAY, MARRESS WERE LOOKING AT PLAYING TODAYS GAME WITH ONLY 9 MEN, AS THE FIRST TEAM HAD BORROWED 2 PLAYERS.

JUST AS WE WERE ABOUT TO SET OFF ON OUR JOURNEY THE NEWS CAME THROUGH THAT THE FIRST TEAM GAME WAS OFF DUE TO A WATERLOGGED PITCH. THIS WAS GREAT NEWS FOR THE MARRESS MEN AS THIS MEANT THAT WE COULD GET OUR PLAYERS BACK AND BE ABLE TO FIELD A FULL STRENGTH TEAM.

TODAYS GAME WAS VITAL FOR US AS WE COULD NOT AFFORD TO LOSE OR WE WOULD PROBABLY BE OUT OF THE RUNNING FOR PROMOTION. THE TOSS WOULD BE VITAL.

THE TWO SKIPPERS WENT TO THE WICKET AND AS ALPS SKIPPER THREW THE COIN MIKE INGRAM DECIDED TO GO FOR TAILS(SO FAR THIS SEASON IT HAS FAILED EVERYTIME)SUPRISINGLY MARRESS WON THE TOSS AND SENT THE OPPOSITION INTO BAT.

MARRESS WHO BELIEVE THEY ARE ONE OF THE STRONGEST BOWLING ATTACKS IN THE LEAGUE WERE NOW VERY UP BEAT AT THE PROSPECT OF HOPEFULLY BOWLING THE ALPS OUT.

JOSH CONWAY AND CHATANYIA MUDUNURI OPENED THE BOWLING AND IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE JOSH TOOK HIS FIRST WICKET THANKS TO A WELL TAKEN CATCH BY CAPTAIN MAGNERS AT MID OFF.

A STAND OF APPROX. 35 RUNS OFF THE NEXT 12 OVERS SHOWED THAT ALPS WERE STEADILY BUILDING AN INNINGS. WITH THE SCORE SLOWLY EDGING UP MIKE INGRAM DECIDED TO MAKE THE FIRST BOWLING CHANGE AND BROUGHT HIMSELF ON.

IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THE BREAKTHROUGH CAME AS MIKE BROKE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AIDE OF AN EXCELLENT CATCH BY DEBUTANT KAKAKAAN.
WITH CHATTY UN PLAYABLE AT ONE END AND MIKE AT THE OTHER THE BATSMEN STRUGGLED AND IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THEY HAD THEIR NEXT MAN OUT WITH YET ANOTHER TOP CATCH BY RONNIE G. THIS REMOVED THE EVER STUBORN G PATON WHO OBVIOUSLY IS A MAJOR PLAYER WITHIN THE ALPS TEAM.
MIKE THEN TOOK ANOTHER WICKET WITH A CT AND BOWLED(YES ANOTHER CATCH)AND ALPS WERE STRUGGLING FOR 60 FOR 5, AS MIKE CONTINUED HIS SPELL HE TOOK A FURTHER 2 WICKETS WITH THE AIDE OF A FURTHER 2 CATCHES FROM KETAN AND CONWAY AND MIKE FINISHED WITH A 5FER.
SUPRISINGLY CHATTY COULD NOT MAKE ANY BREAKTHROUGHS AT THE OTHER END AND EVENTUALLY HE ENDED HIS FINE SPELL, THIS BROUGHT JOSH CONWAY BACK TO THE WICKET WHERE HE TOOK A FURTHER 2 WICKETS TO END UP WITH 3 WICKETS.
CRAIG SHARP ENDED THE INNINGS WITH A SHORT SPELL OF TOP CLASS OFFSPIN AND HAD 1 MAN CAUGHT AND ANOTHER RUN OUT WITH A SWIFT PIECE OF KEEPING BY "THE BOBBIE".
THIS MEANT THAT MARRESS WOULD BE CHASING A TOTAL OF 127 TO WIN.

AFTER A VERY GOOD TEA BOBBY MCPHEE AND DAVID INGRAM OPENED THE BATTING AND THE ORDER FROM THE CAPTAIN WAS TO TAKE YOUR TIME AND GET THE RUNS SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY.
WITH JUST 5 RUNS ON THE BOARD THE USUALLY CALM AND DEFENSIVE BOBBIE WENT FOR A MASSIVE HIT AND WAS BOWLED.

THE SKIPPER WAS NOW CONCERNED AS MARRESS HAVE A REPUTATION OF COLAPSING WITH THE BAT. MIKE AND DAVID SET OUT AGAINST SOME TIGHT BOWLING TO TRY AND TURN THE ADVANTAGE TO MARRESS. THE TWO OF THEM EDGED, CUT AND PLODDED THROUGH THE NEXT 15 OVERS AND ONLY ADDED 20 RUNS, HOWEVER THIS WAS TO BE THE START OF AN EXCELLENT PARTNERSHIP THAT WOULD GO ON TO WIN MARRESS THE MATCH. BOTH BATSMEN RESISTED THE TEMPTATION TO EXCELLERATE THE RUN RATE AND KEPT COOL HEADS THROUGHOUT.

DAVID WAS FIRST TO REACH HIS 3RD 50 OF THE SEASON AND THIS WAS QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY MIKE. WITH THE SCORE ON 118 MIKE DECIDED TO ATTACK THE BOWLING AND HE HIT A 4 AND A 6 IN CONCECATIVE DELIVERIES TO END THE MATCH AND LEAVING DAVID ON 55 NOT OUT AND MIKE ON 61 NOT OUT (124 PARTNERSHIP).

AN ALL ROUND EXCELLENT PERFOMANCE ESPECIALLY IN THE FIELD AS MARRESS RECORDED AN ALL TIME RECORD OF TAKING 8 CATCHES.

WE ENTERTAIN ARDROSSAN NEXT AT MARRESS AND SIMILAR EFFORTS WILL BE NEEDED TO REPAY THEM FOR THE TONKING THEY GAVE US EARLIER IN THE SEASON.