Street End

Match Report

Nine overs into the Street End innings, with the score at 80 for 1, the Stragglers were under the cosh. Will Godman had scored 61, and was seeing it like a football. Simon Allport was summoned to weave his magic, and bowling ultra slow mo in real time, he induced a skier, which was taken at running long on with considerable relief all round. The initial momentum and a flat track still suggested a large total to chase, but the Master Brewer had clearly been stuffing the Umpire’s pockets as he was given the nod on two LBW appeals, and the innings began to fall away. The final bowling changes, to bringing Louis Glynn Williams, and introducing the even slower spin of Will Renwick, proved inspirational as Street End subsided from 199 for 6 to 213 all out.

Even 213 seemed a long way away at the end of the 8th over. The Stragglers were in disarray, with Neame, Allport, Tyndall and a guest from Street End all back in the hutch – 26 for 4 with extras the leading run scorer. However, we were now given a master class in concentration and correct shot selection by George Baker White (undone by a ferocious yorker for 84) and Louis Bromfield (undefeated on 111). Never apparently up with the required run rate, they continued to unpick the Street End bowling, which found it increasingly hard to contain the boys. There was a moment, when the longest standing Straggler partnership record was under threat. Dating from 1951 in a match against The Bluemantles, the record for the 5th wicket stands at 191 and is held by AJP Woodhouse and ML Lawrence. Louis and George were separated having put on 160 in 26 overs. The coup de grace was applied by Louis with a casual dilscoop to fine leg.