A motley crew of 2s and 3s players gathered their Oakley team to take on the local rivals, St. Mary’s, in a clash of cricketing wits yesterday.
St Mary’s Bat First
Under a rare burst of spring sunshine, St. Mary’s took to the crease first. The Oakley squad unleashed their dynamic duo: the youthful Noah Beckell and the seasoned, yet sprightly Ollie Rabley.
Noah’s bowling had its moments—sometimes spot on, other times a bit awry. More time in the nets will iron out those kinks. As for Ollie, he was consistently on target with his left-arm medium pace, putting a stranglehold on the scoring. His 8 overs for 28 sets the stage for a promising season ahead.
Breakthrough
Despite their efforts, neither Noah nor Ollie could break through, so in stepped George Lethaby. George served up a mixed bag of deliveries, including some “liquorice all sorts”, but managed to dismiss Webster right after being dispatched for a six.
Kalum Sappumanage relieved Ollie and soon had the batsmen scratching their heads with his unpredictable spin. Meanwhile, father replaced son at the other end, tightening the screws in a “straight and slow” masterclass. Kalum wrapped up his spell with a stellar 1 for 12 off 6, while Bob worked magic that would make David Blaine blush, finishing with figures of 2 for 17 off 6. A performance worthy of an Oakley legend.
Ravi Kancharla (2-26 off 6) and Jeff Triner (1-21 off 4) also put in solid shifts, leaving St. Mary’s rueing a below-par 156. It could have been 152 if Ravi’s spectacular belly flop near the boundary had earned its due reward. A golden moment indeed.
A Dan Beckell Masterclass
In pursuit of the target, Oakley sent out the coaching duo of Dan Beckell and Kris Tucknott. Kris fell early for a paltry 7, but Dan, buoyed by a decent knock last week, looked increasingly imperious.
Wickets tumbled around him, with Noah (10), Ian Bennett (15), and George (4) all coming and going before throwing away their wickets. However, it was heartening to see Noah and Dan share the crease. Ian fell to a fine catch, while George left the arena battling back both nausea and tears after a humbling dismissal by James Middleton.
Meanwhile, Dan cruised past 50 effortlessly, aided by the ever-reliable Steve Savage (23 no), guiding Oakley to victory with ease. Dan’s unbeaten 87 was a masterclass, showcasing flawless strokes and a captain’s determination. A shining example of leadership and commitment to training.
Masterclass: Dan Beckell leads the way
All in all, a solid effort from the team. The lesson learned? Bowling full and straight curbs runs, and if you put in the batting practice, runs will flow. It shouldn’t take an afternoon at a rocket science convention to work that out.
Special thanks to Mrs Waldock of St Mary’s for a great tea.
On we travel…