Cross and Ledge burst derails Weybridge in soggy pitch thriller

This week’s fixture away to Weybridge was a game Captain Ant Ireland was keen to win to wipe away the memory of the home game against Weybridge earlier in the season when a misunderstanding gave the opponents an extra hour’s batting.
The venue was Pyrford Cricket Club-a ground where Pyrford CC won Division 1 back in 2009 and were denied promotion to the Premiership because their ground didn’t meet the criterion required.
Weybridge CC look after the Pyrford ground but unfortunately a lack of covers meant the players were faced with a damp surface after Friday’s rain; although with sunshine at the start, the wicket would hopefully dry.
The requirements for a good game are an even contest between bat and ball and a contest where the toss doesn’t play a major factor in the game. Neither element looked in evidence at the start of play.
Weybridge won the toss and put the Llamas into bat on the damp track which had more than the expected amount of grass covering.
William Fry and Paul Fisher opened for the Llamas and had the worst of the conditions as an early indication of what was to come was when a ball pitched on a length and leapt over Paul’s shoulder. The pair survived negotiated the difficult opening overs and after 9 overs with the score on 18 Paul got a ball from Mani Bains that came back to bowl him for 10.
William followed in the 12th over when he was out for 7 caught off the bowling of Afridi (no not that Afridi) with the score now 21-2.
With the pitched up ball doing all sorts of things, Jordan Bunyan and Captain Ant Ireland decided the best approach was not to sit back and wait for the inevitable snorter, but to instead play some positive shots. With 4 fours from Jordan and 3 fours from Ant the Llamas progressed to 58 when in the 18th over Jordan got a thin edge from Ollie Selby to the wicket-keeper and was out for 20.
The sun had disappeared and any hope of a drying pitch had also disappeared; although the Llamas did view this as an opportunity because providing we could get up to 140’ish the team saw this as a defendable total on a wicket offering plenty of help for the bowlers.
William Timmons joined Ant Ireland but both were soon out, both caught off the bowling of Tan Asghar, Will for 5 (65-4) and Ant for 18 (65-5).
At the halfway point the Llamas were 65-5 after 25 overs.
Charlie Lee and Steve Cross then put on a partnership of 49 with Steve hitting 5 boundaries in his 31 from 36 balls before with the score on 114 he was out caught off the bowling of Nick Kent. Nick Gavigan was also out caught with the score still on 114 and then Abhi Lohokare was bowled leg stump for 4 by Bains with the Llamas now on 120-8.
James Brickley then hit 2 fours before, with the score on 129; he was caught for 8, another wicket for Edmund Edge.
While wickets were disappearing it was Charlie Lee keeping a cool head and patiently waiting for his opportunities and Charlie hit a big 6 and a couple of 4’s in his unbeaten 24 before Elliot Lodge became Edmund Edge’s 3rd victim to see the Llamas all out for 137 at the end of the 42nd over.
The Weybridge innings started at an express pace as the Llama opening bowlers Elliot Lodge and James Brickley were put to the sword. It was not to be James’s day as his 2 overs went for 25. Elliot’s first couple of overs were too short and the Weybridge openers-also adopting a positive approach and not waiting for their snorter-sped their way to 48 from the 1st 6 overs.
Once Elliot changed his length’s to let the demons in the pitch play a part he and Steve Cross, replacing James, changed the course of the game.
Elliot makes the breakthrough in the 6th over when he gets the Weybridge opener playing on-48 for 1.Elliot strikes again in the 9th over (48-2) with a caught behind by Jordan Bunyan (welcome back Jordan) .
Not to be left out, Steve Cross joins in and also gets a played on in the 10th over-48-3.
Next over Elliot gets another wicket when he hits leg stump-49-4 in the 11th over.
Steve Cross then gets a wicket when Jordan Bunyan takes another catch 59-5 in the 16th over. (Crossy by this stage was bowling absolute bombs, pitching on middle and leg on a length, flying through outside off chest high - Ant).
After being behind for most of the game the Llamas were starting to think a win was on the cards. Elliot Lodge (10 overs 3 for 27) was replaced by Nick Gavigan who got a wicket in his 1st over –score 87-6 in the 21st. This became 106-7 in the 25th over when Charlie Lee fielding at deep long on held onto a skier off Nick Gavigan’s bowling.
Abhi Lohokare replaces the always reliable Crossy (10 overs 2 for 32) and his leg spin immediately confuses the Weybridge Captain Robert Taylor who puts one in the air for Jordan Bunyan to catch.t-score 106-8 in the 26th over.
One run later, in the next (27th over) Nick gets another wicket (4 overs 3 for 24)-score 107-9.
It was left to Abhi (1.2 overs 2 wickets for 0 runs) to bowl the last man and complete a very satisfying victory and a good all-round team performance from the Llamas.

A few contenders for Man of the Match
Charlie’s important and patient 24 not out –and a catch.
Elliott’s 3 wickets for 27 from his 10 overs
But the vote would probably have to go to Steve Cross for his all rounder role of 2-32 and 31 runs.