Although the rain saw to it that most Premier league fixtures, including our 1st XI match at St Helens, were called off today (21st), MCC Head Groundsman John Blyth and team were able to get the 2nd XI game on at Marespool, where visitors Swansea were in town.
The overnight/morning rain did delay the start but a 40 over game was up and running at 1 o’clock. Swansea won the toss and asked Jaimie Thomas’ team to bat first.
Progress was steady enough throughout the innings, a good effort considering the lingering dampness. Wicket partnerships of 36 & 15 took the score to 51-2, with openers Jaimie (11, 1 four) & Harri Turner (16, 1 four) now back in the hutch. Jon Brearley joined U17 Captain Sean Davies and these two added 58 before Sean was dismissed for 26, including two fours..109-3 in the 28th over. Rob Steelo (15) helped Jon add 27 before he was also out..136-4.
Soon after, the scoreboard read 146-5 but Jon & Adam Lewis-Williams (15no, 1 four) then took the final total to 191-5 from the final 5 overs! Jon finished unbeaten with 62no (4 fours) from just 65 balls faced!
In reply, Swansea needed a decent start, especially with the ongoing threat of further rain before the match finished. And decent start they had, as 45 runs were added for the first wicket in 9 overs. After 21 overs, MCC had slowed things somewhat..86-3. By now, however, greyer clouds were looking down on what was boiling up into a fine game, with 105 runs from 19 overs required by our visitors.
Veteran Captain Mike Hayden was at the crease and he knew that, if rain was to fall, a flurry of runs now would be enough to see his side home under the Duckworth/Lewis scoring method, employed if a game is ended early by the wet stuff.
With this in mind, he (37no, 4 fours) and Munim Shah (15no, 3 fours) added 45 runs from the next 6 overs to take their total to 131-3, with 13 overs remaining. Then, the rain did come..and that was that, game over. The Club’s abacus and slide rules came out, duly confirmed that Swansea were ahead of the game and therefore the deserved winners by 7 wickets! Credit though to Jaimie’s bowlers as they toiled away after tea..Mike Jarrett (1-23 from 7 overs) and Joe Holland (2-36) were the wicket-takers.
It was a great shame that the rain did have the final say but, to be fair, Swansea had done enough..well played, lads!
Next Saturday (28th), our 1st XI take on Ammanford in a crucial relegation battle at Marespool, the 2nd XI journey inland to Ammanford whilst the ‘A’ XI finish their season at Maesteg Celtic.
Then, on Sunday (29th), a special charity match takes place at Marespool in memory of former MCC 1st XI Captain Carl Lawrence, who sadly and suddenly passed away late last year at far too young an age. Friends of Carl, Cheryl and the Club are welcome to come along to celebrate Carl’s life, and to raise funds for The British Heart Foundation.
Full details can be found within the separate “NEWS” item.