Napton CC v Christ Church CC

Today’s report should have been recording the activities of Napton CC’s three-day tour to Bath.
Let’s hope that Sam’s efforts have not been wasted and the arrangements he was putting in place can be carried over to next year.

Christ Church are a team from the south of Birmingham. Although relatively new opposition for each other, both teams were keen to rearrange the fixture cancelled during the ‘lockdown’.
Christ Church were two players light so Napton loaned them specialist ‘keeper Graham and all-rounder Ed.

Due to the possibility of poor light later in the afternoon both captains agreed to a 35-over game rather than the usual 40 overs.

Napton batted first. The batting order ‘on paper’ looked ideal for a big score.
So, this correspondent/scorer sharpened his pencil and sat back to watch the runs pile up.
After 9 overs Napton were 20-5.

Number 7 batsman Stuart came in to join recent centurion Nick.
This pair steadied the ship and transformed the home team’s fortunes during the next 20 overs
With a masterclass of shots, strokes and running between the wickets they built up a partnership of 97 runs before Nick was skittled.
117-6 after 29 overs.
With just 6 overs to go JP stuck in there with Stuart, knocking up 8 runs himself in their 32-run partnership.
149-6 after 35 overs.
Nick Brown 59 runs 10 boundaries inc 4 sixes.
Stuart Alsop 46 runs Not Out 7 boundaries
24 extras

During the now usual do-it-yourself tea, Napton lined up for their annual team photo.

With Christ Church requiring just over 4 per over, tight bowling and committed fielding was the order of the day for Napton.
Mike E and Sam opened the attack.
Ever-improving bowler Captain Sam, building on his recent ‘fiver’, found the mark in his second over with a nick that ‘keeper Mike N gathered up gleefully.
The first ball in his next over kept rising on the batsman forcing an unavoidable shot into Nick’s safe pair of hands.
Mike E then got in on the act with a wicket-maiden by clean bowling the visitor’s batsman
No 3.
19-3 after 7 overs.
Sam had the bit between his teeth and in his fourth over he put a ball amongst the woodwork
23-4 after 8 overs.
The bails had hardly been replaced before first-change bowler Joe beat the batsman in his first over.
JP, relacing brother Mike E after the completion of his allocated overs, was soon in the action giving gloveman Mike N another CB chance which he took as earlier.
JP’s second over was a wicket-maiden bowling Christ Church’s top scorer.
61-7 after 17 overs.

Unfortunately, although an exiting game was developing, a few overs were played in ever-increasing heavy rain. Despite a short break, and a return to the field, the rain increased.
The game was abandoned after 21 overs of the innings with the visitors on 73-7.
Wicket takers:
Sam Sensecall 4 overs 3-14
John JP Eadon 4 overs 1 maiden 2-8
Mike Eadon 7 overs 2 maidens 1-16
Joe Alsop 3 overs 1-23.