May 2
Cricket Web Green v Cricket Web Black
Pickford Reserve
Scorecard
Ball by Ball
An immensely brave showing by Cricket Web Black secured a drawn result against Cricket Web Green with just one wicket in hand. CW Black batted for 134 overs and resisted the charge of the Greens on a deteriorated pitch, finishing on 418-9.
After Andrew Garven opted to bat first, he led the charge to a score of 412 all out with 148 from 200 balls. The innings included 14 fours and 2 sixes, as CW Green recovered from 114-4 to the large score. Daniel Hogarth (79) put on 200 with his captain for the fifth wicket. Bryce Cunningham and Xavier Rose then supplied 36 and 23 to complete the revival. Again Kexing Su was among the wickets, and he and George Roberts each took 3 wickets.
In their turn at the crease the Blacks found difficulty in negotiating the four-pronged CW Green seam attack. Wickets fell regularly, though Gerard Armstrong played very well for his 84. He looked set for his second first class hundred of this season (and his career), then pushed at a Mitchell length ball to be caught behind. Ash Chaulk (28) and Zac Gelman (43) also threatened, until both were out to injudicious strokes. Paddy Gundry baffled the CW Black lower order and tail and finished with 4 for 41 as the score closed on 220.
Working with a lead of 192 allowed the Greens to played comfortably, and Rob Malone scored 60 of an opening partnership of 82. Dave Richards broke through for CW Black, then Nick Scott united with Anthony Lezama for another healthy stand - 65. The youth of Read and Hogarth hardly showed with composed innings of 43 and 58 down the order, and Bryce Cunningham scored a classy 38 not out. The first innings centurion, Garven was the lone failure of the innings. By the far the biggest success, however, was Lezama, who scored a cool 126. The innings showcased patience and determination to bat CW Green into an unbeatable position.
Garven declared an hour before tea on the fourth day, setting CW Black 579 runs to win in four and a half sessions. Perhaps exhausted by his heroic innings, Lezama dropped Daniel Smith when he had just 4, a crucial miss. There were no further chances as the Blacks went to tea at 45-0. Smith and Arnold raised a century stand in the evening session, until the latter was trapped in front of the wicket by Cameron for 25. Armstrong came to the crease and he and Smith proceeded to ease to respective half-centuries. At stumps CW Black were well-placed at 148-1, but facing a testing final day on a difficult surface.
Cunningham started the fifth day perfectly with the wicket of Armstrong, caught at third slip. In came Corey McMeekin playing for his place in the side. He fought admirably to score 26, then was dismissed almost identically to Arnold before him, Mitchell the bowler this time. At lunch and at 246-3, CW Black remained in the hunt for survival. Smith went to the break unbeaten on 99 and desperate to score a rare hundred in his world of fifties. He faced up to Gundry in the first over upon resumption. After two careful leaves and a defensive prod, he rocked back to pull a legbreak, but could only smash the ball back to the bowler, who held a great catch.
The captain gone for 99, CW Black looked to Chaulk and Gelman to hold sure against collapse. Vice-captain Chaulk played the responsible, yet attacking hand, raising his 50 from 65 balls. The Blacks went to tea looking strong, with a score of 351-4 representing an excellent fightback. Disaster and Rose struck immediately after tea. Gelman was caught attempting to hook the fourth ball of the session, succeding only in finding Mitchell in the deep with pinpoint accuracy. Chaulk dragged a Cameron delivery onto his stumps from a foot outside offstump, then the same bowler ran out Richards with a direct hit after a bizarre mixup. More than 30 overs remained in the game at a stage where CW Black tattered at 369-7. Black Donald stood firm as the last recognized batsman. He and the improved Roberts carried the game into the final hour, then Cunningham struck twice to take CW Green back into control.
When Kexing Su took guard, 4 overs remained to be negotiated and just one wicket intact. Donald took strike for 11 balls of the next two overs, but Kexing Su faced up to the spin of Gundry for an over. Thrusting the pad out in desperation, and with the bat tucked alongside it, he somehow managed to survive the over. It allowed Donald to face and combat the final over the game by Cunningham. A tremendous effort by CW Black to achieve a draw, but they remain winless in the 5D arena this season.
Cricket Web Green 1st 412 all out (121.1 overs)
AJ Garven 148, DD Hogarth 79, BC Cunningham 36
Kexing Su/GM Roberts 3-80
Cricket Web Black 1st 220 all out (72 overs)
GAJ Armstrong 84, ZE Gelman 43, AP Chaulk 28
PG Gundry 4-41, MT Mitchell 2-26
Cricket Web Green 2nd 386-6 (121.4 overs)
A Lezama 126, RJ Malone 60, DD Hogarth 59, BS Read 43
DP Richards 3-74
Cricket Web Black 2nd 418-9 (134 overs)
DP Smith 99, AP Chaulk 81, GAJ Armstrong 52, BC Donald 49*
BC Cunningham 3-83
Match drawn.
Man of the Match: BC Cunningham
Cricket Web Red v Cricket Web Blue
PDV Dome
Scorecard
Ball by Ball
James May-Quinlan fired up at the PDV Dome and announced his arrival on the first-class stage with a breathtaking and game-winning display of genuine quick bowling. Clearly the young man was taking notes during Travis Demeza's demolition act against Cricket Web Green, because he tore through the CW Red batting with a 7-wicket haul, as the visitors collapsed from 35-0 to 136, chasing 250 for victory.
The game was a thrilling competition for the most part, but May-Quinlan bowled so exceptionally on the fourth evening that the Reds stumbled to a heavy defeat. May-Quinlan grabbed 7 for 31 in the amazing display.
The Blues were inserted on day one and reached lunch comfortably placed at 100-2. But Amir added to his first session wicket with those of Young and Fuller within the first 20 minutes of the second session. When Bowen was bowled by Nayak for 28, CW Blue could claim to be in clear difficulty at 160-5. Especially given his struggles in past seasons, Robert Cribb's innings was stunning and a true masterpiece. He chancelessly got to 50 from 149 balls, minutes after Ben Wilshere was bowled for 36. Rhys Williams too perished to Kennett, on his way to 4 wickets, and the score was then 233-7. The last ball of the day saw drama such that Cribb was missed by Mørk off Amir, admittedly only a half-chance.
Cribb went to stumps with 83 to his name, and he had 87 when Demeza joined him 279-9. Clearly Demeza understood the urgency of the situation, as he survived full overs from Amir and Kennett and a total of 18 balls when Cribb clipped Bennett for 2 to get his hundred. The ensuing celebration was immense and worthy of the moment. Cribb went on to be unbeaten on 123 when Demeza was caught for 6 to end the innings at 327.
The momentum could have further increased in the way of CW Blue, had Fuller held onto Mørk's edge in the third over by Demeza. He was not long to celebrate though, as Adam Collins bowled Matt Luff for 6 an over later. Two more catches went down before May-Quinlan dismissed the Red captain with some extra bounce. CW Red slumped to 68-4 then 104-5, but David Kearsley remained at the crease and in total control. The right-hander entered the game with big hundreds in his previous two matches, and looked set for a third when he drove a Demeza slower ball into the lap of short extra cover. Kearsley was out for 93, agonizingly close to another milestone. At the other end, Dwyer and Nayak did well to justify their selection with thumping half-centuries. CW Red pushed past CW Blue and onto 354 all out, a lead of 27.
Kennett then struck to dismiss Young for 4 before the Blues could come to terms with the deficit. Thamba Mamesh promised much with 34 from 33 balls, but he too was victim to Kennett. Jack Ullungura and Rob Bowen scored 50 and 37 respectively, and Cribb played another fighting hand of 27. Wilshere was the key man, however, scoring 51 and helping improve the lead to 249 after Cribb was out 158 ahead of the Reds. Williams also played exceptionally for his 24. CW Blue posted 276 all out and CW Red would have fancied their chances of scoring 260 with 134 overs remaining in the game.
Demeza and Collins caused no problems with the new ball, so Fuller turned to May-Quinlan for the 9th over. His first ball was short and hammered by Mørk for a boundary. Three balls later the fast bowler got it right against Luff, bowling the opener for 12. With the first ball of his next over he removed Sharma's offstump, sending it cartwheeling back past Mamesh's outstretched glove. Callum Thompsom came to the crease, but for all his experience, he couldn't match May-Quinlan's bouncer. Instead he top-edged the ball to the willing Demeza at deep square leg. CW Red, 35-0 just minutes earlier, went to tea at 41-3.
Mørk and Kearsley rebuilt after tea, then Fuller did the near impossible. Summoning the might of reverse swing, the captain sneaked a ball past the defensive prod of Kearsley and knocked down the offbail. Kearsley walked for 26, his first failure to cross 50 this season. Then the Reds were 99-4 and the Blues were back on top. But Fuller sought to press home the advantage quickly, so he recalled May-Quinlan to the attack. This time he needed two balls to catch the edge of Reddlapalli's bat, and Cribb was waiting at third slip to complete the dismissal. Two balls later he produced another blazing outswinger at 92mph to remove Dwyer. The Reds were stunned and Mørk watched on from the non-striker's end in disbelief as Nayak was caught in the gully for a duck. A triple-wicket maiden, and May-Quinlan had six.
Ever resilient, Mørk drove Fuller for a boundary to bring up his fifty. But on 54 he too dropped his head when a misjudged pull shot spooned to mid-on. It was a seventh wicket for the rookie and his tenth in a memorable match haul. CW Red was a beaten side at stumps, though 2 wickets in hand prevented sweeping technicalities. Demeza and Collins opened up on the final day, rather than May-Quinlan. Each left-armer claimed a wicket to finalize the result by 113 runs.
Cricket Web Blue 1st 327 all out (116.4 overs)
RGEWS Cribb 123*, PE Young 53, BL Wilshere 36
DM Kennett 4-73, MU Amir 4-84
Cricket Web Red 1st 354 all out (108.4 overs)
DA Kearsley 93, CR Dwyer 78, GN Nayak 56
JP May-Quinlan 3-84, TJ Demeza 3-85
Cricket Web Blue 2nd 276 all out (81.5 overs)
BL Wilshere 51, J Ullungura 50, RF Bowen 37
DM Kennett 4-82, SA Bennett 3-30
Cricket Web Red 2nd 136 all out (55 overs)
H Mørk 54, DA Kearsley 26
JP May-Quinlan 7-31
Cricket Web Blue won by 113 runs.
Man of the Match: JP May-Quinlan
