Neyland Match Report
Neyland vs Monorbier. League fixture, Saturday 22nd July 2006. Umpire: Mike Tennick .This bottom of division clash got underway with Manorbier just over 20 points above bottom of the table Neyland. The game was a must win for both sides and Neyland found themselves batting in first, as stand in captain Andrew Slark lost the toss. The visitors got off to an indifferent start. Nicholas Kooman looked solid on the way to his 23 but found very little support as tidy spells from both the opposing opening bowlers saw Martin Jones (1), Andrew Slark (9) and Phil Sutton (1) all back in the hutch. Paul Miller then joined Kooman at the crease while Slark and Sutton gave support to Harvo in a number of robust vocal debates with some local cricket enthusiasts. One Mo Mowlem look-alike proved particularly fiery, and threatened Harvo with a spell over her knee.
While this developed however Miller and Kooman were going about rebuilding the shattered Neyland innings. Kooman nudged a number of twos and refused to give his wicket away easily, while at the other end Miller, after 2 early flashes through the slips also began to settle. The innings looked for the first time to be set. By the time of Kooman’s departure (a few shuffled steps down the wicket, a huge backswing, and a gentle catch for mid on) Miller had already set about taking the attack to the Manorbier bowling. A bowling change, as a result of a sharp increase in the run rate, only further accelerated it as the boundaries flowed to all corners of the ground.
Although the scoring rate had now improved, with Miller swiftly passing 50, few of the other Neyland batsmen were able to register any time at the crease. Michael Delahaye was unlucky to have a roller from the newly introduced spinner and was bowled for (1). Andrew Jones followed him quickly back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers, so did Gareth [Harvo] Phillips and once again Neyland looked in trouble. Miller also went to a run-out (67) and dreams of a big score now looked very much to be dead. Young Ashley Sutton came to the crease and looked solid in steadying the ship. He showed all round class in achieving his 14 and sensibly remained until the death along with veteran Peter Burton, completing all but the last over and giving Neyland a realistic thought of victory prior to tea, with the final score 136-10.
After a quick shuffle through the opposition scorebook at tea by the ever thinking Phil Sutton, it was noted that Manorbier’s batting relied very much on a single run getter. Peter Burton turned his full attention onto the challenge at hand and swiftly removed him, along with much of the Manorbier top order, in a typically aggressive 4-13 spell where by not a single batsman in the Manorbier top four achieved double figures. The innings took only 22.5 overs to reach it’s conclusion as the visiting bowlers bowled a good line and were supported well in the field, Phillip Sutton holding the pick of the days catches. Manorbier finished 43 all out. It was a good win for Neyland Seconds (their first of the season) and saw them rise from bottom of the table to 3 points above Manorbier in the 3rd Division. With four games left this win kept alive Neyland's hopes of avoiding the drop back to the fourth division they had climbed out of the previous year.