Brookland

Match Report

A third consecutive glorious afternoon welcomed the Stragglers to Brookland on the marsh, although by the close a freezing wind left under-dressed Straggler fielders rooted to the spot. Batting first, the Straggler upper order of Neame J, Allport S, Morrison H. and Berger B, on debut, all contributed, but failed to turn good starts into big scores. That was left to the old master, Nigel Snape, remaining undefeated on 42, when the declaration came at 194 for 8.

A Straggler victory seemed remote indeed, when the Brookland opener, fresh from 6 months down under, hit 18 from the first over, and a simple catch was then shelled in the second. Brookland were racing to an early finish, with the opener contributing 104 of 163, when Theo Allport bowled the perfect straight full toss. The resulting boundary catch was well taken by Bertie Berger. With Allports bowling at both ends, and catches finally being held, Brookland were reduced to 179 all out.