After the sweltering conditions of last Sunday at Tadworth which was surely the hottest Mogs game this century, more clement conditions greeted us at Newdigate. There was some slight confusion around the start time due to a conflict between the multitudinous digital sources now informing the team (Teamer, WhatsApp and email) far removed from the old days of the telephone with the result that we were not complete at 1300 hrs and so, electing to bat, Captain Lee opened with an enticing double F cup of Furner and Fisher.
A circumspect start ensued as they took stock of the bowling. Furner was out in the 6th over with the score on 17. This bought Honeyfield, making his debut appearance of the year, to the crease. Having been tied down all season with childcare duties he was keen to cut loose and immediately set about dismantling the Newdigate bowling with an array of 9 Fours and 3 Sixes which outnumbered his other scoring shots of 6 singles and a two run shot! He and Fisher put on 84 in a quick fire stand which got the Mogs back up to the run rate that was probably going to be necessary on a ground with such a short boundary and fast outfield. To stem the run flow Newdigate's Skipper, their grizzled Australian overseas brought himself on and was rewarded with the resilient Fisher's dismissal in his second over, caught for 18 with the score on 101 after 18 overs. Honeyfield followed the next over, out for 59. This bought Bukhari to the wicket who anchored the rest of Mogs innings with his usual array of drives, pulls and cuts. Unfortunately of the remaining Mogs batsmen, Dowling, Spring, Murali, Lewis, Parker and Jackson, only the latter was able to survive long enough to get into double figures and by the time the Captain, very sportingly batting himself down at 11, came to the crease there was less than an over left and Ash himself was then bowled by Newdigate's skipper for 70 as he attempted to eke the last remaining runs from the innings. The Mogs thus finished on 212 having been effectively shackled by Cody, the home skipper who finished with impressive figures of 4-16. This score was perhaps a little short of what would ideally have been posted, but still respectable.
An excellent tea, by any standards, was taken (please see the separate report as tea analysis is out of scope here) and the Mogs then returned to the field. Cody decided that he himself probably needed to get into the game a bit more and so a pulchritudinous antipodean pair marched out to chase down the runs. A pace spin combo was chosen with Lewis coming down the hill and Murali bowling up the slope. Runs were accumulated steadily but not significantly beyond the asking rate but Lee was forced into a bowling change when Lewis fell, Syd Lawrence like, after landing awkwardly on his delivery pace. Fortunately, though, he was able to return to the field after icing but could bowl no more. Lee bought himself on and got some swing from both ends as he shuffled the bowling to manage Lewis' injury. Murali accounted for Newdigate's second opener for 11 whilst Will Dowling, bowling a strong spell with plenty of movement off the seam, saw off their no. 3 for 14. At this stage in the proceedings Cody, who had already reached 50 off 38 balls, moved onto 100 in another 40 balls before really accelerating and despatched the Mogs bowling to all ends of the ground in a blizzard of Fours and Sixes, taking only a further 13 balls to get to 149 Not Out and winning the game for Newdigate by 8 wickets. We clapped his performance off the field along with the Newdigate middle order happily waiting for their opportunity to bat and retired to consume hop based products with our hosts.
MWCC Stats