Benenden

Match Report

The wheels came off the Straggler bus in pretty formidable fashion at Benenden. Batting first once again, this time with a junior tail, the top order got set, looked dangerous, and then failed to fire. Matthew Roberts (29) looked increasingly fluent, Al Smallwood (18) was scooping catches all round the field, and Finn Hulbert (26) smote some mighty sixes over fine leg. However, when Matthew was triggered at 80 for 4, the innings fell away. Only William Fenwick on debut made any further impression with 12; the other 7 batsmen contributed a rather miserable 7 runs, and Benny Smallwood was left stranded. 114 was always going to be a difficult target to defend.

All things seemed possible in the first over, when Finn’s first three balls fizzed past the edge, and the fourth took out middle stump. Was an unlikely rabbit about to pulled from the hat? That first wicket brought Benenden stalwart, Andrew Morrison the crease, and having reached a remarkable milestone of 1,000 wickets for Benenden in 2014, he was now working on his batting. With 5 huge sixes, a ball lost in a garden and one stuck in the pavilion gutter, while being well supported from the other end, Andrew reached 63, and set the platform for a Benenden victory by 6 wickets. Finn changed action to spin out another couple, and Benny came on at the end to bowl two beguiling overs and claim a late victim, but all too little too late.