We Are The Champions (as well)

Woodmansterne won the toss and put the Pirates into bat. The wicket had plenty of green on top with the players glancing an envious eye at a neighbour’s lawn mower.

The wicket was to prove unpredictable with high bounce in places, plenty of turn but with the ball also holding up in the pitch so concentration was the order of the day for openers Hooky & Galer. With narrow boundaries for width there were plenty of 4’s with cuts for Hooky and drives for Galer.

Hooky (20) got a nick to be caught behind by keeper Tim Smith off Don Siriwardena for 37-1 in the 8th over. Sam Clark joined Galer and Jon (55) powered his way past 50 in the 23rd over before, in the same over, he was the 2nd wicket to fall when caught at deep extra cover off Kameron Masood’s bowling (8-0-47-1) for the Pirates to be 114-2.

In the 25th over Hamish Massey deflected a ball onto his stumps but was saved by a no ball for an over waist height delivery. The pair continued to score freely before Sam (47) repeated Hooky’s dismissal getting a thin edge to keeper Tim Smith, again off the bowling of Don Siriwardena, and Reigate were 142-3 in the 28th over.

Captain Ross Gurbutt helped himself to plenty of 4’s on his way to a rapid 27 before with the score on 200 in the 34th over he was 4th out when caught by opposition Captain Chris Dawson off Paul Movel’s bowling. After smashing a 4 Shayne Cossey (5) looked for a repeat only to be caught at long on off Ralph Patel’s only over (1-0-11-1) to be the 5th wicket to fall with the Llamas now on 207-5 in the 36th over.
Hamish Massey (37) was bowled by David Narain (8-0-46-1) in the 37th over for 219-6 before Sumair Qasim (2) was bowled by Paul Movel (8-1-31-2) for 224-7 in the 38th over.

Mobeen Tahir 33 n.o. & Callum Gurbutt 11 n.o. then took 24 from the 39th over, bowled by Don Siriwardena (7-0-63-2), before the Pirates finishing their allotted 40 overs on 257-7.

The Woodmansterne reply went awry as early as the 2nd over when a yorker from Sumair Qasim removed the opening bat for 4-1. Callum Gurbutt got the 2nd wicket as Sam Clark took the catch for 15-2 in the 5th over and things didn’t improve for Woodmansterne as a ball angled in from Sumair was left by the batsman only to see his bails removed for 19-3 in the 8th over. This was soon 24-4 as Sumair, this time with the help of a fine catch from Hooky, got his 3rd wicket (5-1-15-3).

Callum’s turn again as a bouncer was rewarded with a caught & bowled as the 5th wicket fell with Woodmansterne now 36-5 in the 13th over.
Then in Callum’s last over he got his 3rd wicket (8-2-12-3) when Hamish Massey took the catch of the day with a high one handed grab at wide mid on for the 6th wicket and 44-6 in the 15th over.

Sumair had given way to Chris Mankelow who soon joined the wicket takers with a catch by Galer for 49-7; before Galer took another catch, this time off Mobeen Tahir (4-0-12-1) for 58-8. Chris Mankelow then took the last two wickets (6.3.1-30-3) with a bowled and then another caught behind from Hooky to see Woodmansterne all out for 73 and for the Pirates to claim the title by a single point and celebrate........perhaps with a “Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum ♫” followed by the sea shanty “What shall we do with the drunken sailor♫”

Enjoy your success and look forward to more competitive cricket next season.