A much changed side greeted a strong Old Chelmsfordians 2s this week in an important fixture for the All Stars who are looking to beat the drop.
Nob lost his 13th toss in a row (how is this possible?) and Totham were inserted on a wet, slow, low deck. Strokesy put his hands to good use and opened the batting alongside John and we made a good start, scoring 43 from the first 7 overs, only losing John caught at slip after a fumble by the keeper. Jonny Hewer, promoted to three because he is the captains brother, looked like a batsman for his 18, which included his first 6 for the club, pulled in to the seating area of the bull. The local papers reported numerous sightings of a flying pig at around 2pm. There were many starts in the Totham innings; Kendall (11), Strokesy (37), Chadwick Snr (19), Danny Kennedy (18) but the mainstay of the innings was Colin Davis who rolled back the years with a fine innings of 51 not out. A knock of patience, some fine leg side shots and a few edges ensured Totham managed a competitive 200/7 off their 45 overs.
A Hewer tea was arranged by Jonny, with contributions by Tina, Lauren and Jonny himself, and was pleasant surprise considering his staple diet consists of Indian takeaways and McDonalds.
OC’s came out confidently but George Davis, sporting a new more manly haircut, accounted for Hodivala with his first ball as he chopped on. Baron and Davis bowled well for the first 8 overs but regular boundaries saw the rate required drop so the decision was made to take the pace off the ball as this had been so effective in the first innings. John has been so effective in recent weeks but the damp pitch meant that anything slightly short sat up to be hit and both John and Kendall suffered at the hands of opener McNeil. Lewis Allen claimed a direct hit run out with a fantastic bit of fielding but Jonny Hewer, from the Baron Residence end, was the only one to put a squeeze on the scoring with his spell of 1-35 from 10, but he deserved more. With McNeil back in the hutch thanks to Jonny we felt we were in with a chance but OC’s were always one step ahead and despite further wickets for George Davis, John Chadwick and George Baron OC’s chased down the target with just over 3 overs remaining.
In truth we were 30-40 runs short but with a depleted side we have it a real good go and a good account of ourselves. We have three games remaining and 2 wins should be enough to preserve our division 4 status.
Star Man - Colin Davis
