Waverley hammer Medstead

Eight wicket win as bowlers take care of the business...

Despite the mid-week threats of heavy rain sweeping in on Sunday, Waverley's game at Medstead was unaffected and the team arrived in high spirits following the opening day win at Shalford. James Wright ("Mongo"), Adrian Day ("Mog"), Chris Beanland ("Beanie"), Russ Golding ("Raoul"), Kyle Moxham ("Kylo"), Sam Tempest ("Troy"), Adam Carmichael ("AC), Simon Brewer ("KV"), Dan Litwin ("Chuckie") and Peter Brewer ("Mr B") were at varying degrees of match fitness (KV in particular suffering from both knee and elbow trouble). Late addition to the side Jamie Harris ("DJ Teabag") was still sporting a finger splint after suffering both a fracture and a break against Shalford the previous week.

Winning the toss and electing to bowl first (despite protestations from the batsmen), Mongo opened proceedings with Chuckie and Troy. Both kept it tight during the opening stages but Chuckie was miserly, bowling four consecutive maidens. Just as Medstead were starting to look settled, he then changed the complexion of the game with three quick wickets - trapping Dedman and Simpson LBW and dispatching Panons with an off-cutter. At 47-3 the hosts needed to rebuild and a dangerous partnership started to form between White and Rawlings. Mr B and Kylo were brought into the attack and Mr B should have got his name in the book with the wicket of White, only for AC to shell a relatively straightforward catch. However, he soon redeemed himself with a sharp catch low to his left off Mr B to dismiss Rawlings. Mr B turned the screw with two wickets in his next over, trapping White in front and taking a simple return catch to dismiss Delaney. With Medstead in all sorts of trouble, AC was introduced into the attack and rattled through the tail thanks to two stumpings from Mongo (although the first could hardly be described as "sharp") and Denton playing all around a rare straight delivery. Teabag turned his arm over despite his injury and when he castled Looper, Medstead were all out for 120 (having lost their last seven wickets for just nine runs).

With the job only half done, Mongo and Mog set about trying to win the game for the visitors on a pitch that hadn't been helped by a rain shower during the first innings. Mog's watchful knock was counterbalanced by Mongo's more aggressive approach and the scoreboard was soon ticking over nicely. Mongo seemed to race past his half-century and by the time Mog was trapped LBW by White for 13, Waverley already had 84 on the board. Mongo was denied the opportunity to carry his bat when he was unceremoniously bowled by Simpson; however his captain's knock of 75 had laid the foundations for victory. Beanie (5*) and Raoul (23*) had no difficulty in guiding Waverley across the line to seal an eight wicket victory.

The bowlers all received honourable mentions for their performance with the ball; however the Man of the Match Hat went to Chuckie for his impressive spell (three wickets and four consecutive maidens), while Kylo was awarded the *Anchor Hat for some interesting fielding. Mongo abused his authority elected to award the Pink T-shirt to both KV and Raoul for declining to keep wicket, KV's appeal that he had done so under medical advice cutting no ice under the new skipper's brutal regime...