Long Ditton 07Aug05

Kings visited the pleasant surroundings of Long Ditton CC on a warm and sunny afternoon missing seven regular players. As a result Kings gave debuts to Danny Perroo and James Melligan. Viewing the pleasant tree ringed ground is was hard to believe that only few years before the site had been a series of overgrown allotments, now been replaced with a smooth outfield, a good square and a quite outstanding pavilion.

Kings having won the toss decided to bowl first on what looked a slowish track. The bowling was opened by Joel Miah and Paul Bygrave and from the off Miah was causing trouble for both Lambert and Young. The first breakthrough was not long in coming. With Lambert back in his crease Miah brought a ball back to thud into the batsman's pads and the umpire had the easiest of decisions in adjudging him leg before (6-1). Kings maintained the pressure with Bygrave looking tight without threatening whilst Miah continued to test both Young and Sweeney. The second wicket again fell to Miah as he beat the defence of Young to take out the off stump (13-2). This brought in Harker and he was fortunate to survive when he pushed hard at Bygrave and the ball just fell short of Mears at silly mid off.

Harker then pushed the score on with a couple of straight drives whilst he was denied more runs by some fine stops in the gulley by Melligan. Kings made a double change by bringing on Gordon Young and Owen Mears. Young had immediate reward when Sweeny went back and edged behind where Smith took a smart catch (20-3). There then followed a good partnership between Harker and Hughes who battled hard against some good bowling. Mears was really testing both batsmen with some fine full length deliveries, whilst Young always looked dangerous. Having added 50 for the 4th wicket the partnership was broken when Mears, bowling with good pace and accuracy speared a delivery in at leg stump and bowled Harker for 41 (71-4). Then, without further addition to the score, Hughes tried to take a suicide run to Mears at short mid wicket and as Hughes was sent back by his partner Mears with great coolness threw underarm to the keepers end to complete the run out (71-5).

The game really moved Kings way when Mears then struck again having Hegarty caught at mid wicket by Perroo (72-6). With the clock moving rapidly toward tea Cheeseman took the long handle to Young, lifting a lofted six to the mid wicket boundary. This prompted a bowling change and Miah was brought back whilst Mears was replaced by Perroo. This put the brake on the scoring but Perroo only lasted two overs before a side strain forced him out of the attack. Richard Evans then took over in place of Perroo and he claimed his first wicket for Kings when Bond, who had played solidly, pulled straight to Bygrave at mid wicket (119-7) and then in the next over Miah bowled Cheeseman, who had been less threatening against the quicker bowlers (119-8). Mears then pulled off one of the catches of the season when Cracknell pulled hard through mid on off Miah and Mears dived to his left to take a quite outstanding catch (119-9). It was the safe hands of Mears that brought the innings to a close when he once again took a superb catch. When Alderman drove hard into the covers Mears caught the ball in front of his face to give Evans his second wicket (124).

Kings reply was led off by the family Miah, this being the first time that father and son had opened the innings together. The opening overs were tight as Hegarty and Alderman applied some good pressure. This set the pattern for the first ten overs as the bowlers dominated, the boundary only being found once in this time. This tight start then accounted for the first wicket when Joel Miah chipped Alderman to mid wicket where Cheesman took the catch (19-1). There then followed a measured and consolidating partnership between Miah and Evans with only some poor overs from Cheesman releasing the pressure. However the 19th and 20th overs produced 18 runs to keep Kings up with the target. Miah was the more fluent of the batsmen and he mixed measured solid defence with some well despatched boundaries.

Kings were half way to their target when the last twenty overs started. But then Miah was caught for a hard fought 26 in the 25th over (71-2) with 54 more runs still needed. This brought Perroo to the crease who quickly put his mark on the game with 10 runs off his first seven balls. Evans was then caught behind trying to cut Cracknell (87-3) which brought Gordon Young to the crease. However Young was to play a supporting role as Perroo went on the attack including four and six off successive balls from Sweeny. The whole pace of the game now changed as Perroo looked to play a shot a ball. The game was swiftly finished as Perroo despatched Bond's first three balls for 10 runs to take Kings over the finishing line and finish 46 not out off just 30 balls.