Fow:1-47,2-72,3-73,4-99,5-104,6-115,7-123.
Bowling-Worker 10 4 12 0,Wickham 7 1 26 2,Whitman 9 2 31 3,Bazalgette,9 0 43 0,Cook 7 4 7 1.
Nomads underperform
At Warnford we had the disadvantage of playing only 9 against the Hampshire Hogs 10. They had two veterans and we had a baseball player on cricket debut. This situation arose because the Match Manager told the Hon Sec on Monday evening that he was dropping out and had no team! Eventually on Saturday afternoon we achieved 11 but by Sunday morning were but 9 again. A broken finger and overnight illness removed two players.
Arguably we had five competent batsmen and two useful bowlers. In the event everyone bowled but Mark Kopinsky and the wicket keeper and the Hogs opening pair put on nearly 200 before lunch by which point our best bowler by far Abdul had not bowled. After lunch 8 wickets fell for 105 runs. Andy Smith finished with 3-60 and Abdul 3-9 off 4 overs. Behind the stumps Divraj Rawat took two stumpings. It is suggested that had Abdul bowled perhaps 10 overs including a 4/5 over spell soon after midday both openers would have departed, the rest of the bowlers could have bowled just as many overs as they did against the middle and lower order and Hogs total would have been far smaller.
Hogs' declaration gave Nomads well over 50 overs to score 297 to win and Hogs had ten fielders of which two were non runners & non throwers. Unfortunately we had lost Arshad Khan who had to go the hospital A & E to repair a double dislocated little finger incurred in dropping a boundary catch. So we had four batsmen who needed to get their heads down on a good if slow pitch and hit fifties.! In the event the innings started competently with Andy Smith and Abdul Sattar putting on 47. Then just before tea Andy Smith aiming to drive wide of mid on inside edged the ball onto his stumps. Nevertheless several partnerships of 47 and the match would have been interesting. As it was a succession of indiscretions saw Sattar, Nathan Lamb and Aslam back in the pavilion having wasted the chance of a big score.
Saurab Wahi battled on but when Mark Kopinsky strode out to bat for the first time ever at 123-6 there was little hope. Arshad had threatened to bat out a few overs with his right arm in a sling for the honour of the club but with 13 overs still left he felt this was a challenge too far and perhaps dangerous. Mark was bowled first ball but Hogs sensing an American needed tuition continued for a few more overs until Mark finally hit a boundary and the umpires called it a day,
Nomads had lost by 173 runs, a match which arguably, with a different strategy should have been much much closer. Two injured Nomads veterans in attendance were not amused although it had been a wonderful summer’s day at a very attractive ground. Hogs hospitality was excellent so we look forward to returning next year with 11 players and a competent team!
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