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Kings CC V Kempton CC 22-Jul-07 |
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Kempton got of to a flying start with Skipper Warne quick to punish anything short and he was particularly savage on some wayward deliveries from Sones. However Warne was fortunate to survive when he pulled Miah behind square and young Samuel Tighe just failed to hold onto the chance as he tumbled forward. Warne then superbly whipped a delivery from Miah over mid wicket for six as the Kempton skipper looked to build on the solid start his side had made. However a change in the bowling attack brought Kings the wicket they needed as Nick Tighe got enough movement to beat Warne and bowl him leg stump (72-1). This brought Kempton's overseas player Carr to the crease and he demolished a couple of short balls from Tighe we ease. However his stay was brought to an end when Samuel Tighe was brought into the attack, bowling with maturity well beyond his age he trapped Carr on the crease as he attempted to pull and was adjudged leg before (91-2) and in the same over Samuel Tighe had Daly caught by Miah in the covers for nought (91-3). Kings were now back in the game, and the scoring rate dropped considerably as Kings put everything into their fielding and some good bowling limited the opportunities for Watts and Trevor Warne. The pressure built by Kings looked like it had paid dividends when Warne called Watts through for a quick single and Nick Tighe's arrow like throw from backward square uprooted the middle stump at the keepers end, despite extremely confident appeals by the fielders closest to the action the umpire ruled against Kings appeal much to Tighe's dismay. Watts had another escape when he cut strongly off Nick Tighe but the son of the latter was under able to hold a tough chance at point. However Watts' long vigil finally ended when he was caught on the crease by Dave Perry and he departed lbw (137-3). Another quick wicket followed when off the bowling of Evans, Bushnell was caught, Mackenzie taking a well judged catch at backward point (138-4). Prag became the third Kempton batsman to depart without troubling the scorer when keeper Steve Smith took a sharp chance to reward Perry with his second wicket (147-5). There was no further success for Kings but they effectively cut off the scoring rate to restrict Kempton to a sporting declaration of 171. Kings experienced openers of Miller and Perry got the innings off to a good start, with nine runs coming off Peter Adams' first over, but then the impressive Alan Inwood and Adams tied down the batsmen with a series of maiden overs, the next run not being scored to the 8th over of the innings. Inwood's first six overs cost just 5 runs, with five maidens being bowled to give just a taste of how tough the run chase was going to be. However Kings' openers continued to attack at the opposite end to Inwood, and whenever Adams dropped short it gave them the chance to stroke him through the covers. With Adams and Inwood rested, Kings went on the offensive against Carr and especially Warne (0-36 off 5 overs) to take Kings to 81-0 at the start of the 20 overs. Perry duly reached his half century, and a landmark one at that as it was the 50th 50 of his Kings career, in addition to his 7 centuries. However in trying to add to the 3 sixes he had already hit he was caught by Sethi on the long on boundary for 58 (94-1). Scoring slowed now as the new batsman Evans started to find his feet, not made easy by the reintroduction of Inwood. Yet Miller and Evans, conscious of the need to keep pushing on, and with wickets in hand kept attacking at the opposite end and taking what was chances came their way against Inwood. Frustration started to creep into Kempton's game as Inwood strove for a wicket, despite beatng the bat time and again, Miller was also able to use the pace to exploit gaps behind point to find the boundary, and to move to fifty. However with the need to keep up with the run rate (29 needed off 6 overs) Evans decided to force against Inwood and chipped to mid on (143-2). With leg spinner Sethi having replacing Carr, Joel Miah faced his first ball, edged to Sethi, but the keeper put down a low chance, two more runs were picked up to leave 27 needed off five overs. Four welcome runs came in Inwood's next over - Miller driving handsomely through covers for three runs - 23 needed off four. But the game then swung Kempton's way when in the next Sethi's over Miller danced down the track but the leg spin took the ball away from the batsman and the stumping was duly completed (150-3). Two runs in the same over now left 21 needed off three overs. Richard Mackenzie came into join Miah in what was now building to a close and exciting finish. The first ball of Inwood's next over was called wide, and two singles and a two gave Kings 5 runs off the over - 16 needed off two. Some good straight drives enabled Miah to pick up two 2's to long on and then three singles made it 7 off the over leaving 9 needed off the last over, which was to be bowled by Inwood, his 17th of the match. The first ball saw Miah drive aerial to long on, where despite a great effort by the fielder the chance was spilled and Miah scampered back for two runs (7 off 5 balls), the next ball was quicker and fizzed past Miah's off stump with out Miah getting a touch (7 off 4 balls), another drive from Miah brought a single to bring Mackenzie on strike (6 off 3 balls) Inwood came charging in again, the ball was short of a length but instead of flying past the batsman as it had so many times the same afternoon, this time Mackenzie picked the length perfectly and pulled superbly to the mid wicket boundary for a maximum - and with it the winning runs with two balls to spare. Miah and Mackenzie hugged in delight, Inwood sank to his knees and then onto his back in the middle of the pitch in disbelief. A
superb performance from Kings had seen them to victorious by 7
wickets, outstanding batting from Perry (58) and Miller (57) had
set the base for the run chase and a superb spell of bowling by
young Samuel Tighe of 2-14 off 7 overs was equally as impressive.
For Kempton, a momentous effort by Inwood of 1-43 from 16.4 overs
had not been enough to prevent Kings - and Richard 'Stig' Mackenzie
- from being able to bask in the delight of an excellent victory
- and for the first time in many weeks the sun set into a cloudless
sky.
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