Mogs took the field first against a Reigate Priory side that with the exception of Dave Tharp and the "Gaffer" looked like they were too young to drink. Youth proved to be no barrier however as the Priory got off to a tidy start putting the more experienced Mog bowling to the sword. Lewis J managed to keep toys within the pram despite going for 46 in his first 7 overs whilst Honeyfield was more miserly than Scrooge giving away just 3 in his opening spell of 5 overs. As the sun beat down, Priory reached 130/2 assisted by the inept fielding of Jackson who caught a dose of Furner-itis dropping two easy catches of an unlucky Abbott who toiled hard for 1/30 in his 5 over spell.
A brilliant run-out by Hewitt however managed to spark a resurgence by the Mogs. Furner whose catching this season has been as poor as his batting has been flawless then snaffled a tough chance to add fuel to the Mogs' comeback. Worthy of mention on the fielding front is Lewis J's attempt to catch the ball using his meat and two veg. Darryl's water bottle has now been declared off limits for the rest of the season.
Hewitt (5/33) and Lewis M (3/22) then proceeded to knock over the remaining Priory pups for a very chaseable 186.
A combination of the fact the opposition had elected to wear one-day kit
and had proposed a rule allowing a free hit off the first ball faced managed to have a positive impact on the psychology of our run chase. On certainly the best batting pitch of the season, Furner (22) and Hewitt (24) set about making short work of the total smashing the first 4 overs off the match for 38. Rumours abounded in the pavilion that the openers still believed it was tea-time as they tucked into the buffet bowling.
Fairclough who was unlucky not to score 50 with a scintillating 46 off just 47 balls kept up the frenetic pace. However just as it was beginning to look easy, Mogs had one of their now trademarked wobbles with the loss of Abbott, Martin D and Honeyfield to leave the visitors at 140 for 6.
Calm was restored by a partnership between Jackson (11 n.o) and Tharp (26 n.o). Tharp even enjoyed the please of smashing his brother for 4 to win the game and see the Mogs home with 4 wickets and some 10 overs to spare.
All in all a very enjoyable day's cricket that has set the scene for the
all-day game in the Priory's cricket week in July.
MWCC Stats