Hoad Load Propels 5s

Simon Morris writes...

These boots were made for batting!
It was great to be playing cricket again and there was an air of excitement as the team gathered at the Red Lion for the first league match of the season. With Owen Morris away on a School trip to Snowdonia, Bevan Lester took the reigns of a very experienced 5th team. This experience would be needed as Wimbledon have proved to be very difficult opponents, winning the 4th Team Premier League on numerous occasions.
The toss is always important at the Red Lion. Bevan decided to forgo the normal convention of tossing a coin and instead decided to use paper. The two captains were to be seen on the square, throwing paper into the air to determine the toss, this to the bemusement of both sets of players. Whatever
the method used, Wimbledon won the toss and put the Llamas into bat. Opening pair Geoff Chay and Simon Morris unfortunately did not last long, with Geoff caught at slip without scoring and Simon caught behind for a meagre 1. Aaron De Mello was bowled for 2 and was quickly followed by Louis Adams, who was bowled by an unplayable delivery without scoring. Priory wickets were tumbling fast and when Skipper Bevan was caught behind for a brisk 14 the score was 24-5. Kyle Haughton steadied the ship but another wicket fell when Irfan was out lbw for 5. Priory were in deep trouble at 31 for 6. Wimbledon were now buoyant.
With 18 overs bowled we reached a significant time in the game as Wimbledon had bowled out their two very effective opening bowlers, Laurence 14 – 4 and Davis 27 – 2. Kyle was joined by Justin Dempsey. Having made a mini recovery by reaching 55, an unusual run out brought the end to Kyle’s confident knock of 17. Andy Hoad, new boots and all, strode confidently to the crease to join Justin. A partnership developed as they took the game to Wimbledon and as the Llamas grew in confidence, the Wimbledon team seemed to wilt. 55 – 7 became 119 before Justin was bowled for an excellent 33. Mike Coxon was in confident mood, having netted well on
Thursday, as he joined Andy for the remaining 6 overs. A quick fire 15 from Mike contributed to a partnership of 40 with Andy for the 9th wicket before he was bowled. Time then for Chris Hudson coming in at number 11. Chris was delighted to be not out 1 as Priory finished on 161 for 9. The batting hero for the Llamas was Andy Hoad who finished on 48 not out. His best ever score and one that was much needed as it gave the Llamas a creditable target to defend.
Bevan opened the bowling with Irfan and Mike. Irfan bowled 5 overs with pace and accuracy without any luck. Mike made the early breakthrough by getting the opener Hill lbw for a duck. Hill was very upset with the decision and it was no great surprise when the umpire responsible was changed in the following over. Bevan’s strategy was to rotate the bowlers and it worked. Louis Adams replaced Mike and made an impact in his first over by bowling the other Wimbledon opener Dennis for 15. Louis bowled a tight spell of 3 overs giving away just 1 run. Andy Hoad was tidy at the other end but without luck. Justin Dempsey replaced Louis taking 2 wickets, one bowled and another a straightforward catch for Adams. Wickets were falling regularly and this fuelled the growing confidence in the Llamas. Kyle Houghton was introduced for a two over cameo of spin, again making an impact with a wicket in his first over. Bevan brought back Irfan for his second spell and this time he picked up two important wickets. We now entered a key part of the game as Wimbledon picked up some momentum with Davis and Laurence scoring some quick runs, through aggressive hitting. With Wimbledon on 126 for 7, Bevan again rotated his bowlers bringing back Irfan and Mike with an immediate impact. Irfan bowling his third spell with real pace clean bowled two key batsmen, including the dangerous Laurence for 25. It was left to Mike Coxon to finish off the innings, when the number 11 skied his shot which was confidently taken by Chris Hudson, to his absolute delight.
Priory won by 24 runs, with man of match Andy Hoad and his new (blue) boots.