Eltham CC

Match Report

Match report Eltham CC Vs Beckenham CC

Reporting on the latest match in the Eltham slump will be John Fisher.

Another sunny summer Sunday. This one saw Eltham host the first-time visit of Beckenham Merlins. Four changes from last week's side saw the return of Pete Fisher, Gary, Asjad and Derek.

Merlins batted first so Eltham faced another hot afternoon in the field. However, neither of the opening bowlers, Tanveer and Ricky, seemed bothered by the temperature. Both bowled very accurately and kept a very firm lid on the run rate. Unfortunately at times the fielding didn't do justice to the bowling. Two catchable chances were put down during the opening spell.

Time had come for a change and the skipper decided to take matters into his own hands. Lo and behold, second ball up, he produced a beauty which cut back to get rid of the stubborn Abrahams. Sad to say the other half of the double bowling change didn't work out quite as well. The Merlins' batsmen found Gary much more to their liking and runs started to flow more freely.

Nevertheless Peter S. continued to bowl accurately and aggressively. He soon got another to cut back and take an inside edge to bowl Stainford. Ward came and went quickly, smearing Gary to deep mid-wicket where Pete F. made the catch look very routine.

Had we known it, this was to be the prelude to a crucial passage of play. Although Gary claimed a second wicket - thanks to a sharp catch by Colin standing up - the Merlins were ratcheting up the run rate. McCulloch was given a life when he edged a rising ball from Pete S. to slip but thereafter he made no mistakes and proceeded to a fine fifty, mostly at the expense of the spinners, Gary and Derek. Only four overs from Matt Bulpitt and a final couple from Tanveer restrained the batsmen. Merlins had reached 177-5 when their innings closed.

Despite the previous week's failure to chase down a notably smaller total, Eltham felt quite capable of reaching 178. However, things didn't start too well when Asjad was caught one-handed in the gully off a fiercely struck cut. It was difficult to decide who was the more surprised - Asjad or the fielder. In the meantime Pete F. was progressing serenely and the score was ticking along nicely. Then another disaster hit. Matt Bulpitt's luck continued to desert him when a ball stopped on him to provide a soft catch to mid-off.

Next up was John F., but there was to be no Fisher partnership this time. Fisher junior got a lifter which he couldn't avoid and gloved a straightforward catch to the keeper.

Enter Matt Bevan. He and John kept the scoreboard ticking over, aided by some quick running (by Matt) between the wickets. But again it didn't last long. Matt was bowled and once again Eltham had failed to build a meaningful partnership.

Colin joined John with the last 20 overs posted. A little over 100 runs were required so Eltham were still well in the game. However, hopes were soon dashed once again with the run out of John and the loss of Colin's leg stump.

Another fine catch saw the back of Pete S. and now the writing was well and truly on the wall. But wait! Enter Gary and his merry band of fellow bowlers. They combined to produce a flurry of runs and, just as importantly, they nibbled away at the overs remaining. Regrettably it came to an end with 13 balls left and 35 runs short. Gary was left unbowed on 28 but Tanveer, having reached 12, surprised everyone by deciding to play a defensive shot and was caught.

This was a game that Merlins fully deserved to win. Their performance in the field was better than Eltham's, as was the quality in depth of their bowling. To cap it all, the top seven Eltham batsmen failed to put together a stand worthy of the name. Altogether another disjointed display from a below par Eltham.

On a lighter note there was one or two odd moments worth remembering. First, a batsman from either side walked when not out. (Both were sent back to the crease.) Secondly, there was Matt Bevan's diving forward roll to stop a ball reaching the boundary. (Some cruel people were heard to say that if he'd stayed on his feet the oppo. would have only got two runs and not the three that were conceded.)

Reporting on the latest match in the Eltham slump was John Fisher.