KAI TAK Vs CENTAURS

Saturday 25th November Kai Tak resumed their season taking on Centaurs CC at PKVR 2. Centaurs have managed to pip us the last two seasons and so it was imperative that we dusted off the cobwebs and got stuck in from ball one.

The toss was won by the Tak and the decision to bat first was a foregone conclusion. Going on gut instinct and fairness a decision to open the batting with Dave Ellis and Brett Morley, after the previous games success, seemed the only way to go. Keep wickets in hand during the first ten overs and let the rest of the batting lineup provide the acceleration.

The decision was a good one with both batsmen keeping it together albeit with a run rate slightly shy of what was originally asked for, however this was because the opening pair of tall Sri Lankans were two of the better bowlers we have come across this season, hitting the deck hard with bounce and pace. After 10 overs the Tak were 38 for no loss and and at the 17 over mark just shy of 80 runs with the loss of 1 wicket, that of Dave Ellis who had done all the hard yards by seeing off the new ball only to be clean bowled by the first ball of the first change bowler for 21 runs.

Malcolm Brown in at No 3 started off where he left off the previous game by carting anything loose to the boundary. With Morley completely set and Brown being Brown, the run rate charged up with boundaries a plenty until sadly Brown miscued a rank delivery to be caught, out for 71 off 45 balls.

Doubleday replaced Brown and the job was to continue where the latter had left off as the overs were now running out. At the other end and with his score on 83 Morley played on. It was the end of another great innings by someone really taking advantage of the opportunity presented, his straight driving and quick running between wickets left the opposition with plenty to think about.

Patidar came in only to see Doubleday dismissed shortly after for 9 and along with Matt Poole kept the runs flowing, Patidar's luck running out having scored 26. Nick Hawke(3) and Fitzhardinge(2no) pushed the ones and two's while Poole smashed balls to the boundary ending up on 26 not out.

Kai Tak had accelerated well throughout ending up on a very respectable and totally defendable total of 260 for 6.

In defending any total one must bowl good lines and keep concentrating in the field. Having had a break for a few weeks it would have been understandable if both the bowling and fielding were a little rusty. All I can say is no rustiness was evident. In fact this had to be quite honestly the best fielding performance this season by a mile.

Morley and Scott Parker opened up and both bowled beautifully. Apart from the odd wide or no ball the lines were good and the opposition found it very hard to get them away. This brought Parkers' first victim by way of caught behind by Brown, a lifting delivery snicking the edge of thier openers bat. Hemshall,the Centaurs skipper,arrived at the crease, a man very capable of going to town with any bowling. Patidar meanwhile was busy setting his field and thought Doubleday fielding in the covers was too deep. 'Protect the single, come in a bit' was the instruction, the reply being 'Yeah..Yeah..I'll be OK'. Hemshall hits the ball to JD's right, calls for a run, JD swoops down, picks the ball up one handed off the minefield of PKVR and throws down the stumps. Hemshall was so far out he just kept on running back to his kit bag. It was a superb piece of individual cricket and set the tone for the rest of the fielders. Parker followed up with an great LBW shout and thier top three had been removed for only 16 runs. The no 5 came in and immediately started hammering the ball to all parts. First gamer Johnny Gordon had a torrid time during his two overs before being replaced. We had to get him out quick and so it was that another lifting delivery from Parker was miscued to cow corner where a very steady Ellis was lurking. The ball was coming down with snow on it and a drop catch would have been understandable, but not for this guy who kept his cool and eyes on it to dismiss a very dangerous player.

Patidar had replaced Gordon keeping a lid on high scoring and then drinks were taken with Centaurs on 97 for 4. As we know anything can happen so we needed to get quick wickets. A decision was taken to replace Parker with Ellis, his high flighted leggies might cause a few problems and so it proved to be. Ellis, not giving them anything loose to hit, promptly induced error after error and each time was rewarded with a wicket taking his tally for the day to 3 wickets. Patidar, although containing was not penetrating( it would help if I could spin it!!) and decided to give Morley another go. His first ball back knocking back the stumps. The very next ball thier cocky little batter hit the ball straight to Nick Hawke at mid on who ran in, picked up and threw the stumps down for another classic runout. Ellis ensured the last two wkts came his way by inducing the batters into rash shots,the final catch being taken by Rose Innes in the gully to seal the game.

It was a very clinical display after tea with the remaining six batsmen falling for only 25 runs, Kai Tak winning the game by 138 runs.

Morley 7 overs 2 wkts for 21 runs

Parker 8 overs 3 wkts for 38 runs

Gordon 2 overs 0 wkts for 26 runs

Patidar 4 overs 0 wkts for 16 runs

Ellis 5 overs 3 wkts for 19 runs

This was a good performance in all departments, Brown with the bat, Parker and Ellis doing a great job with the ball, two direct hits in the field by Hawke and Doubleday and excellent fielding all around with superb catching by Fitzhardinge, Hawke, Ellis and Rose-Innes. A solid team performance but with again one outstanding man of the match contribution with both bat and ball, Brett Morley.

Well done guys. It will be hard to follow this seeing as we are very short for next Saturday so if anybody has an availability change please let me know ASAP. Team list will be out on Tuesday afternoon.