2nd XI vs Highway Spartans

A warm Saturday afternoon promised a good game of cricket between Fillongley CC 2nd XI and Highway Spartans 3rd XI and the fixture proved not to disappoint. With Fillongley captain Chris Cook winning the toss and electing the bat, the side got off to a reasonably good start. Jeff Lee looked good before one managed to sneak through him which brought Dan Smith to the crease. With sportsmanship always at the forefront of his mind, a faint edge behind saw him walk without hesitation (an act he would have surely repeated against any opposition aside from Australia or Bedworth) for 17. Simon Blackmore then strode out to the middle with his internal monologue encouraging him not to let down those who had selected him for their fantasy cricket sides. Fearing that his skin may suffer in the afternoon sun, Simon felt the best option was to return to the pavilion which he promptly did. In at 5 came the man of the moment – Joe Simms. With Joe’s mind abuzz with the prospect of village knockout cricket the following day he started strong with a confident whip of his legs which has become synonymous with the up and coming all-rounder. Sadly the spectators were robbed of the value of their tickets as Joe was adjudged LBW (that’s Leg Before Wicket by the way, JK). Captain Cook came in at 6 and was concerned that no Fillongley innings was complete without a batsman being dismissed for a duck, Chris remedied this almost immediately. Jordan Kerr (affectionately known as JK (or a string of expletives to his friends)) came to the crease and it must be said, batted beautifully. With shots all round the wicket and a confidence in his stroke play which reminded all those who witnessed it of a young Colin Cowdrey, a reasonable total was assured. Towards the end of the innings JK was unfortunately run-out. Incidentally, if anyone is in the area of King Henry VIII’s school Coventry and sees JK’s pram or his toys that have been dispersed along the Warwcik Road, please do get in touch. Fillongley ended on 258 – 7 and gave the opposition an additional 4 overs in a bid to bowl out the opposition for maximum points!

On to the bowling and Will Horton and Jack Tregonning got the team off to a good start with 3 wickets between them (2 and 1 respectively). With Dave Slade safely returned from being stranded in Manila last year (still need that money I sent you back actually Dave!), he held up one end as man of the moment JK grabbed himself 2 wickets. With some strong bowling performances from Jobanbir Bal and Simon Blackmore with a wicket a piece, Fillongley sadly fell just short of a full victory as some of the Highway batsmen offered some good resistance. A winning draw nonetheless! Up the Storks!

Revs

Editor's Note: I think the author has done himself down massively in the report and it should be noted that Mr Tom Revell struck a magnificent 146 in this game.

Updated 17:00 - 3 Sep 2019 by Brendan Morgan